What soapy thing have you done today?

[Shelley D]

You can always gift it away so you can make more

I must have the only friends and family in existence that don't want homemade soap
Even the few who also have skin sensitivities, because they have different issues so they don't want the ingredients I've already used (or the ones I don't have on-hand), or they want the chemical FOs that I don't buy because I can't use them, or they are stuck on using "only this certain product that I know works for my skin", even though it's nothing but chemicals. So, I'm stuck with all my creations

 

[not_ally]

@Shelley D, I never know if people actually like/use my copious gifts of soap or if they're just being polite! I can't believe your life is bereft of people with good soap taste. Neighbors? Co-workers? Mailperson? I give it to anyone I can think of

 

[AliensrReal]

Mom passes out my soap to her friends so now I have quite a few people who want my soap. That’s a relief though. It means I can keep making it and giving it away. I have quite a lot of scents to soap over the coming months.

 

[Shelley D]

@Shelley D, I never know if people actually like/use my copious gifts of soap or if they're just being polite! I can't believe your life is bereft of people with good soap taste. Neighbors? Co-workers? Mailperson? I give it to anyone I can think of

Maybe my mistake is asking if they want to try it maybe I should just gift it without asking them

 

[Savage Daughter]

I must have the only friends and family in existence that don't want homemade soap
Even the few who also have skin sensitivities, because they have different issues so they don't want the ingredients I've already used (or the ones I don't have on-hand), or they want the chemical FOs that I don't buy because I can't use them, or they are stuck on using "only this certain product that I know works for my skin", even though it's nothing but chemicals. So, I'm stuck with all my creations

Yeah....this sounds like you need to go through a round of banishments LOL Seriously?? Nobody wants your soap?!? I can't even imagine what I would do if everyone refused my soap, regardless of what their grounds for refusal are....I'd be buried in the stuff!

 

[KiwiMoose]

I must have the only friends and family in existence that don't want homemade soap
Even the few who also have skin sensitivities, because they have different issues so they don't want the ingredients I've already used (or the ones I don't have on-hand), or they want the chemical FOs that I don't buy because I can't use them, or they are stuck on using "only this certain product that I know works for my skin", even though it's nothing but chemicals. So, I'm stuck with all my creations

I have people saying "I can only use goat's milk soap, anything else makes my skin itch". What a load of b*ll*cks. The addition of something cannot make all that much difference. Convincing them otherwise, of course, is nigh on impossible.

 

[Savage Daughter]

I picked up some dry straw flowers from a local grower yesterday which I will be using on the tops of my soaps. They should look quite nice

I also made my pine tar soap 48 hours ago now & cut it when I got home late last night....and I gotta say, it's a thing of beauty Turned out perfectly, no issues, other than I should just left the top alone. Every time I go & get fancy, I regret it It's a nice, rich brown & wasn't overly soft when I cut it. I let it sit 12 hours or so before bevelling it, though. It's hardening up quickly. I'm sure the 3 TSP of salt I used in the 2.2KG batch is helping a great deal with that. I also reduced my water ratio from 2.4:1 to 2:1. When not using a large amount of clay or natural colorants which suck water up like a hoover, I will continue to do this.

I had read many posts in the forums regarding people not liking much coconut oil in their pine tar soap due to it being drying. Well, I just used my master-batched oils, which had a fair amount of coconut in it, and it's not an issue for me personally. My hands feel very soft after washing with this soap, even before curing, which is new for me. Usually, my hands do not like soap that's less than a week or more cured.

I did add a couple of TBSP of avocado oil to my essential oils & a small amount of clay, to end up with a slightly higher superfat than 5% & to help retain the scent of the cypress & ylang-ylang essential oils. Didn't want to use castor oil for this purpose this time because of the fact that I was already using 15% pine tar & wanted to minimize potential softness.

Turned out I made some good decisions with this test batch. I'm feeling pretty stoked since it was my first ever pine tar soap Now for the 16 pound slab mold full! LOL

 

[dibbles]

I think about making soap all the time but my hubby has already said we have more than we can use for the foreseeable future

Silly man! Doesn’t he know that having soap to use is only a byproduct of making soap

 

[Shelley D]

Silly man! Doesn’t he know that having soap to use is only a byproduct of making soap

He just doesn't get it!

 

[Shelley D]

I have been dragging my feet trying to figure out a recipe for my mom. I like the last one (that didn't turn out pretty but is super rich and creamy), but then I remember she didn't care for the olive oil soap I sent her last time because she said it felt slimy (I forgot she has soft water).
So now I'm re-thinking the recipe altogether and I'm leaning towards the Holy Trinity recipe with Sweet Almond Oil added, since she can obviously tolerate a more cleansing bar than I can.
How much would be a good percentage to add? I was thinking:
Coconut 25%
Palm 25%
Olive 25%
Almond 20%
Castor 5%

Opinions?

 

[dmcgee5034]

I have been dragging my feet trying to figure out a recipe for my mom. I like the last one (that didn't turn out pretty but is super rich and creamy), but then I remember she didn't care for the olive oil soap I sent her last time because she said it felt slimy (I forgot she has soft water).
So now I'm re-thinking the recipe altogether and I'm leaning towards the Holy Trinity recipe with Sweet Almond Oil added, since she can obviously tolerate a more cleansing bar than I can.
How much would be a good percentage to add? I was thinking:
Coconut 25%
Palm 25%
Olive 25%
Almond 20%
Castor 5%

Opinions?

I was wanting to try something similar for my “I need to feel more squeaky clean” DH. I’d love to know your Moms thoughts if you try it.

 

[Shelley D]

I was wanting to try something similar for my “I need to feel more squeaky clean” DH. I’d love to know your Moms thoughts if you try it.

I'm hoping the percentages work out ok. I still want to make it somewhat gentle since my mom is in her 70's and does struggle with dry aging skin. I thought she would love the olive oil soap for the reason that it wouldn't be overly cleansing, but she likes that squeaky clean feeling too, I guess go figure

 

[Jarrett Clay]

I went out and bought a crockpot from Goodwill to start making hot process soap.

 

[Free2Foam]

I made a big 24 bar batch of some salt soap and forgot to up my superfat (insert cry face here...lol)

 

[Shelley D]

I finally did it ~ I ordered sodium citrate and palm oil. So when those ingredients arrive I will have everything I need to make my mom's soap
I just have to decide how much SAO I want to add to the Holy Trinity recipe
And start a slurry with some of the purple clay I have left and a green clay slurry too!

 

[Zing]

I have been dragging my feet trying to figure out a recipe for my mom. I like the last one (that didn't turn out pretty but is super rich and creamy), but then I remember she didn't care for the olive oil soap I sent her last time because she said it felt slimy (I forgot she has soft water).
So now I'm re-thinking the recipe altogether and I'm leaning towards the Holy Trinity recipe with Sweet Almond Oil added, since she can obviously tolerate a more cleansing bar than I can.
How much would be a good percentage to add? I was thinking:
Coconut 25%
Palm 25%
Olive 25%
Almond 20%
Castor 5%

Opinions?

Awhile ago I subbed in Rice Bran Oil for olive oil and have never looked back. RBO feels great on skin and my soap isn't slimy anymore. Just FYI.

 

[Arimara]

I have been dragging my feet trying to figure out a recipe for my mom. I like the last one (that didn't turn out pretty but is super rich and creamy), but then I remember she didn't care for the olive oil soap I sent her last time because she said it felt slimy (I forgot she has soft water).
So now I'm re-thinking the recipe altogether and I'm leaning towards the Holy Trinity recipe with Sweet Almond Oil added, since she can obviously tolerate a more cleansing bar than I can.
How much would be a good percentage to add? I was thinking:
Coconut 25%
Palm 25%
Olive 25%
Almond 20%
Castor 5%

Opinions?

That recipe is fine. In my case, I'd swap up another oil for sweet almond because I can't use that with my daughter.

 

[Shelley D]

Awhile ago I subbed in Rice Bran Oil for olive oil and have never looked back. RBO feels great on skin and my soap isn't slimy anymore. Just FYI.

I've wondered about RBO ~ just haven't tried it yet, no particular reason other than I don't have typically have it on hand so it's another oil I would have to buy just for making soap
Ssshhh! Don't tell the hubby!

 

[2lilboots]

I picked up a couple of Russian piping tips I want to use on my next soap batch.

 

[Misschief]

I managed to make a batch of soap today. I used Village Candle's Citrus & Sage FO and it soaped beautifully and it smells really good. I also made two small batches of hand & body lotion, one with the same FO, Citrus & Sage and the other is Lily of the Valley. This year, I'm trying to make a point of having lotions matching the fragrances of some of my soaps.