Soap Makers Help!

[cheeptrick]

Hey Thanks all...I'm ok with it...I sliced the rest of the loaf and there is more lighter swirls on the OTHER side of the loaf where I poured.

Bird Brain...TEXAS TO ALASKA...wow that is a HUGE move. You must be an Oiler!! (-;

I discount the distilled water and add the heavy cream at trace...discounting the water brings it to trace faster and the cream does not scorch or saponify too early.

So...lets say your recipe calls for 3 lbs of liquid...I mix the lye with 2.8 lbs of water and then mix in the oils...bring to trace and add 8 ozs of heavy cream AT trace right before scents, exfoliates, etc. I use the same technique with all milks...heavy cream, buttermilk, coconut milk, soy milk, goatsmilk.

There are so many techniques with milk...it gets dizzying...I have tried them all and this is the one I prefer and I have found that I get good results with this technique.

I never use powdered or warm milk techniques...just preference....dehydrated milk is bad juju in chocolate world too! (-:

 

[Morgaine]

Bird Brain- I have used heavy cream up to 30% of the liquid. I haven't gone over that. I use it just like any other milk. I drop my super fat down to 5% instead of normal 8% and add the cream either to the lye water or at trace or I've added to my oils too. All turned out the same, I like adding to the oils best. Just in case soap seizes it won;t get left out and don't have to deal with the smell like when you add to lye. The cream is really nice in soaps. So is yogurt.

 

[ametauss]

Bird Brain -- When I do goats milk soap, I freeze the goat's milk and that is my total water and then add the lye to it...

I have used other liquids such as beer/Ale/wine and I freeze that as well and do not go over 50% of that for liquid....

If you add things like cucumber/pumpkin etc then count that as part of your liquid and that I never go over about 12%.

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

I've used up to 50% heavy cream (the other 50% was aloe vera juice). Like ametauss, I freeze all my liquids.

Here is a picture of my frozen cream and frozen aloe juice prior to chunking up the frozen masses and soaping with them:

 

[BirdBrain]

Yes, I guess I am an "oiler".

It was more like coming home
than anything. We lived here before--were gone six years. This time we found a property with one acre in an unrestricted area. The house is in dire need of updating (30 year old carpet etc). I keep reminding myself that we bought this place for the land and not the house. Come spring we plan to order chicks and raise both layers and meaties. I would like to get a couple of dairy goats also, don't know if I am ready for that.

Thanks for explaining how you use the heavy cream. I plan to make some soap as soon as things settle down. There is a butcher shop near by and I hope to get a bunch of tallow and render it. Can I just put the tallow in a crock pot and get the tallow that way? I have never rendered before.

 

[TM Chickens]

I'm fixing to make another order of fragrances. What's everyone's fav Christmas/holiday scent?

 

[lurky]

since Brandy (a/k/a cheeptrick) might be too modest to mention her soapmaking class that she hosted on Oct 7th, i thought i would do some bragging. My daughter and I attended the class and a great time was had by all

I was afraid to try it because of the lye horror stories i kept hearing warnings about. I wanted to learn properly before any home attempts. Brandy did a good job making 'scents' of it for me. (sorry, couldn't resist)
I feel ready for my first try when i have all the right stuff/equipment. But until then, i cut up the soaps we made in class and wanted to post pics. I learned alot and i am so lucky to live so close to her so i was able to attend her soap-making class

Thanks Brandy for taking the time out of your busy life to share your knowledge with us

 

[AK_Button_Mama]

ok so do you see the bar of soap in the last photo all the way in the lower right corner? that bar has this white stuff all over it. what is that? all my soaps have the same thing. it washes off with the first use but its ugly. (sorry to seem like i am picking on your soap, i am not trying to. i just see something that i have on my soaps and wanted to see if i could identify the reason)

btw what did you use for a mold? i like the shape of the bars!!

 

[TammyTX]

It's ash from the lye.

Here is a good link to describe what it is.

http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/soapglossary/g/glsoapash.htm

 

[lurky]

Quote:
We used the quart oj containers for molds. That corner soap is the end piece, you can pick on it all you want