Soap Makers Help!

[MullersLaneFarm]

I put up 256 bars a few weeks ago .... lavender, mardi gras (lavender/mint), EucaMint, lily of the wood (patchouli, lavender, touch of lily of valley), cotton blossom, Honey Almond, castile, & neem castile.

Still need to do coffee/cream and a couple gardener's soaps.

 

[Morgaine]

My Fruity Oaty Bars were a smash at the market yesterday! I sold almost the whole batch(3 left out of the 18 I took)! Gotta make more. It has bananas, oatmeal, milk, honey in it and I blended black raspberry, cantaloupe and OMH fragrances.

I'm doing some wholesale accounts today. Lemongrass, Rosemary mint, Lavender & Oatmeal. If I have time, more fruity oaty.

Next week I have planned:
Lavender Patchouli
Patchouli and Rose
Spearmint & Eucalyptus
Green Goddess
Lily of the Valley
Cucumber Salt Bars

 

[cheeptrick]

WOW....you girls have been BUSY! I had a great day at the farmers market too...I sold almost all of my Mojito and every last bar of Lily of the Valley. SO much soap so little time....

I have to share...I'm so tickled...KEN BURNS came to the farmers market where I am a member and BOUGHT a bar of my grapefruit ZEST! He said he LOVED handmade soap and while filming his last documentary would buy a bar at every National Park headquarters!!! His little girl sniffed EVERY bar of soap at my table!

He told me grapefruit is his favorite! His wife is VERY pregnant with their 2nd child...she was so cute with her big belly!

I should have made him hold up the bar of soap...and took a picture of him. I just didn't want to be annoying. He even said he'd be back....so keep making grapefruit!

I also just got free studio space to soap at...so I'm going to be packing up very soon. I've got a ton of soap still to make though~!

Here is a photo of my load from last weekend....today I'm soaping more Mojito, Vanilla Patchouli, and Cedar Mint.

 

[cheeptrick]

Morgaine...YOU PUT BANANAS in the Fruity Oaty bar?! THAT IS fantastic! It is really lasting too...I loved the heft of it! Did you discount the water and put the mashed bananas in that way? How did you incorporate it?

 

[Morgaine]

Well I always discount the water, so that was no different. I did a 5 lb batch and added 2 good sized ripe bananas. I mashed the bananas with a fork and then I threw it into the oils and stick blended it before I added the oatmeal and honey. Then I added the lye and then the fragrance. I poured into individual silicone molds and then stuck them in the oven at 170 for 45 minutes and then turned the oven off and left over night.

Congrats on your brush with celebrity! How cool that he bought a bar from you!!

Tell me more about your soap studio! Sometime I think I need two husbands, lol. One to do all the stuff I want done and the other to go work. We are going to really get working on my soap shop once we get our other house sold. Then we will have the money to hopefully pay someone to build it.

Brandy, I can't wait to try the soapies you sent! That lavender smells soooo good! I have them in the little box you send on a shelf in there just waiting.

 

[havi]

Ive never made soap before, and want to start trying. What is a good recipe that you would recommend for a beginner?

 

[cheeptrick]

That sounds simply devine! I understand why you would put the bananas into the oils instead of the water...it is an oily fruit. Avocado's come to mind too...that could be done that way! Here we go again...experimenting I go!

My farmers market requires that you use as many 'local' ingredients you can find. I have a friend who has a 5 acre heritage herb garden....that was actually has perennial herbs growing there still that was planted by a colonial owner of her farm. AMAZING...so I'm going to be infusing very soon! SHE EVEN HAS YELLOW DOCK!!!!!!!!!!!

I like this soaper for the beginner...she has many very small recipes in her book and her book is very reasonably priced.

http://www.annelwatson.com/soapmaking/

WELCOME to the addcition HAVI!! You think chickens are bad...wait till you start soaping! No worries though we are here to support you!

 

[Morgaine]

Havi, I would also check out millersoaps.com and teachsoap.com Both are really good. And this thread as some good recipes also.

Cheeprick, I try to keep things as simple as I can. I add everything to the oils, exception being milk or cucumbers. I add the cucumbers to the lye because I like the texture of the final soap better than when I added it to the oils. Seems creamier and smoother.

You should see if the farm has any arnica to make some balms. And comfrey or calendula.

I'm going to make some cucumber and honey soap from stuff donated by farmers when I do the soap making demo at the market next month,

 

[chickenvirgin]

I am wondering when you make cold process soap how much eo and fo do you use per. lb.? Also is it a good idea to totaly wrap cold process soaps or a wrapping method that allows the soap to breath?

 

[Morgaine]

General rule for fo's is .7-1 oz ppo (per pound oil). Eo's are a little harder because they can vary soo much. Cinnamon and clove can be very irratating if used in those amounts so they are best kept at .25oz ppo. Citrus you can use at 1oz ppo.

I package my soap so that it can breath, but some totally wrap it.