Recent content by curlycoat2

Yes try it! Mine also get a weird look on the top if I dont do the water first but if I do water then alcohol and leave it to dry its shiny shiny and NO ash at all

I forgot to say let it dry without touching it - sorry about that but yes its well worth getting soda ash just to do this! Not my discovery - tikitikiboomboom1 on youtube found it years ago and it works every time for me.

So easy to be mesmerized by plants in soap. I know believe me and I completely understand how you felt! You will get dark purple, keep at it but there is a point where it can lather purple and also where it borders on black and well then you lose that purple that is so tempting! Keep going...

Absolutely a pleasure to help another soaper to try plants in soap! Please tag me when you use it, would love to share your joy.

If you spray the top with water, wait 5 minutes and over spray with alcohol you will have a beautiful NO soda shiny top. Works perfectly.

Hi there, You have blue soap because you poured at a cold temperature. In my experience this should slowly change towards purple. I would suggest taking photos over the next 2 - 3 weeks as the change is quite gradual and its best to look at in photos. Its not easy to get blue so...

Thank you for linking Sun Pure - I am in Australia but like to know where decent essential oils are. I see its Lavandula angustifolia so I would be surprised if that has caused any issues re heating. Usually that is fine so my best guess would be the extra heat and the wood.

Oh the green you have in your soap is beautiful! Do you have access to Ratanjot (inci Onosma echioides) or Gromwell (inci Lithospermum Erythrorhizon) both give purple. I think Gromwell will be easier for you to find. You could try Craftiviti I think they sell it. Treat them the same as the...

Alkanet will not have caused this. I would suspect your extra temp and your recipe combined to make this happen. Do you have anything with sugar in it in the recipe? Fragrance oils? I dont know who Sun Pure is but I also would like to know the INCI of that French Lavender. Wood molds also...

I don’t use my MBM very often, it is an advantage but I make bigger amounts and a great variety all at the same time and the MbM limits my batch size. I soak the plants in alcohol for months until I remember them. I use a paper towel lid and slowly evaporate the alcohol off with heat from the...

Lots of things will color cold process soap. I can only speak about plants from my own experience. Paprika will give you orange. If you use the sweet paprika from the store you can infuse it in oil and use that as a percentage in your soap. There is a lot involved with how you use the plants...

You know you will always learn more from mistakes - plant colorants I will tell you are the best teachers, just when you thought you had it nailed, nope it says, forget it. They teach you great patience but they also give the best reward when they go from red, to blue to grey and finally purple...

No I wouldn't use more than the recommended amount. Sweet Orange will end up a pale custard type yellow its very pretty. It wont be orange unless you use a red oil as well. Basil is very strong smelling even in small amounts. I used some in a blend and people were not that keen, too strong...

Oh orange is one of my favourites to make! Use sweet paprika and infuse it in oil - I guess with Easter so close now you would need to do a hot infusion (overnight in jars in a crockpot). I probably would do a fairly concentrated amount of paprika because time has run out for a long slow...

I use Lemon eucalyptus a lot. I sub it for lemon essential oil. Direct sub. It sticks longer, has a gorgeous lemon scent and a bit of a euc scent at the back of the blend. I have had no trouble using it in place of straight lemon eo. One of my all time favorites, doesnt speed trace and...