Soap Makers Help!

[ChicksterJo]

Dipsy, how did it go? Your table looked great.
Renee, mine still look rustic too. What ingredients did you use to make them a nice tan color? I have some soda ash forming so I will probably wipe them down. My SO told a coworker that I was making soap and she suggested I do lavender..the irony was that I was making lavender that day. I love those bars...I sniff them everyday lol.

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

It was huge fun (other than getting beyond my phobia of talking to strangers and crowds --- and there was a large crowd moved through ) They were some were most strange --- the most unusual was a lady I saw only as she was leaving Tractor Supply. She was pushing a loaded cart and wearing pink stretch pants that said "PINK" in big letters right across the butt. Either I don't get out enough, or that is odd.

 

[buffbeauty]

Ha. Yep you don't get out enough. It's a line carried by Victoria secrets. It's EVERYWHERE!!!

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Thanks, I don't frequent that store. This was the equilivent of 50lbs of PI NK in a 25lb bag, if you know what I mean, and not attractively packaged.

I need to make some not-so- fun --- castile (olive oil only) and some homestead (lard only) soap tomorrow, and they just don't inspire me. The good thing is those are pre-sold and I don't have to leave home.

 

[WomanInTheWoods]

Renee, those are great! They're nice and light for a milk soap. Do you gel? I just made a milk soap last night using the method Cyndi Muller put out here. If the color at trace is an indicator, it should be nice and light, which is good because so is the fragrance. I made this one (just a small batch) for a friend who requested this fragrance specifically (BB's Soapy Clean). I only used half the fragrance oil~ I'm thinking I'll make up a shave bar with the other half. I've been using the shave bars I made for my brother & LOVE them, but Bay Rum isn't so great for me, ya know?! lol I can't wait to see how the chlorophyll soaps go~ please post pics! I've been wanting to try chlorophyll... I bought a chlorophyll bar from Martins once and loved the smell. I was wondering if the chlorophyll scented the soap because there was no fragrance listed on the packaging.


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Lmao over here~ I know what you mean and it's hard to not stare.

I would so not be putting an attention grabber like that on my muffin topped butt to go out in public! Don't people check the mirror before leaving the house anymore?

Glad you had fun, your table looks great! Putting the soap in the bathrooms was a great idea! Your duck egg ornaments are gorgeous~ I'd have bought a ton in a heartbeat.

ChicksterJo, you know, a lavender bar was suppose to be one of my first batches~ I just couldn't wait to get that one done!~ and I still haven't done it yet.

Post pics of yours to inspire me... lol

 

[ParadisePoultry]

I am going to order shrink wrap tubing for my soaps. You can leave the ends open for people to sniff, and it still protects the bars. You can slap your label right on top.

This place ships for free.... http://www.packcoinc.com/heat-shrink-tubing.html

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

That will make a LOT of bands!!

I use Dan's Bands from MMS (100 for $4) and put my label under one side of the soap so the swirls, et al can be seen from the other side.

 

[WomanInTheWoods]

Okay, last night I made two batches of soap. Two different recipes altogether, and they both have issues.

This is a small batch (40 oz) of plain ol' gm soap scented with BB's Soapy Clean fo added in at trace. What are the dark spots in there? I thought this one went really well! I am hoping this is just maybe some oils that need to finish saponifying... but I'm just guessing~ Someone please tell me this is just aesthetic and is not an issue! I made this for a friend...

And this one is a pumpkin soap. I dissolved the lye in half the liquid (dist. water) and added the other half of the liquid in the form of pureed pumpkin in with the oils. I set spices (cinn., nutmeg, cloves) in warm olive oil for a bit more than 24 hrs, shaking here and there, and then forgot to add them in with the other olive oil so I added it in on top of the rest of the oil. It was only 2.3 extra oz oo in a 90 oz batch, so I'm hoping it's just a bit extra superfatted. (orig. sf @ 8%) There is also just under 1T ppo honey added at trace. No fo's. So what are the light spots in this one? Same as the other one? I just don't get it! I thought this one went well, too, until I got it in the mold and it started separating. I put it in a prewarmed oven, lightly covered, and kept an eye on it while I cleaned up. About an hour or two later (sorry, didn't look at the clock~ was late & I was cleaning up) I peeked at it and it was all really dark, so I assumed it was gelled and wanted to avoid overheating it, so I took it out of the oven and left it on the front porch overnight. It looked great when I brought it in this morning~ just like a pie filling! But when I cut it I saw these light spots & thought wth? :?

I don't want to make another batch until I figure out where I'm going wrong. Anyone???

 

[Morgaine]

The second one looks like it overheated. I have had that with my grandma's kitchen soap that has a big dollop of honey, milk and oatmeal in it. Does not affect the soap. I am having a hard seeing the first one (on my phone), but it could be your fragrance didn't get completly mixed in well enough. Let it cure and see if the bars even out in color.

 

[WomanInTheWoods]

Thanks Morgaine~ how frustrating! I should have kept the pumpkin out of the oven altogether, huh? It made me nervous when I saw oils starting to set on top...

Not sure how I could have incorporated the fo in that first one any better than what I did... maybe add it at an even lighter trace? I sb'd it a couple times then stirred by hand as I'd heard this one has been known to accelerate. I poured at a medium trace.

I want to make a banana soap pretty much the same way as the pumpkin. What do I need to do differently? No oven, right? Anything else?

Thanks