ChicksterJo~ those soaps look great! Congrats!
I made this coffee bar two nights ago for my BIL. He's a mechanic, and while he said the other soap I sent for them did get his hands clean, they didn't remove the gasoline smell. I can't believe how incredibly HARD this bar is! Wow! I hope it works for him, but I'm thinking about grating up a bar and adding it confetti style to a softer, more feminine bar so we can get that coffee power with a nicer scent. This one smells a bit like burnt black coffee so far.
I expect the smell will soften/disappear with time, but would still like to make a nicer, more feminine version for us ladies.
And could someone PLEASE clue me in to what is up with this soap? lol ~ It's a dog shampoo bar I made up last night (my own recipe). I like the color, and expected one or the other, but not really both like this! It's got a lot of neem oil in it, some karanja, other base oils, and lavender & ylang ylang eo's. (I have a little dog with allergies, as does a friend of mine) This is certainly a STRONG smelling soap~ whew! So why did it come out looking two-toned like this? Is it okay? What are the little flecks in there? (I didn't put any pumice-like additives in there) I am thinking maybe they are the eo's~ next time I will try adding them to the warmed oils first, I guess... I brought it all the way to a medium-heavy trace; I ladled/glopped it into the mold, it was certainly past being pourable, and put it in a preheated oven overnight. Any opinions are welcome!!!
(Oh, btw, the reason the bottom doesn't have the "frame" around it like the other 3 sides is I cut the bars in half. I thought a smaller bar would be more comfortable in the hand when trying to handle a wet dog.
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