Recent content by liafrank

mel z, I too have had great luck infusing alkanet in oil, also annatto seeds. As I understand it, some colorants work better as infusions, some in lye and some added at trace.

When I put your recipe through the soapcalc I use, it showed a very soft soap, 29 on a range of 29-54. While I know that you can bend the soapcalc rules some, I think you may have bent the rules a little too much. I can imagine that you would want to let this harden in the mold for days and even...

As gratia mentioned, many people avoid the overheating by freezing your milk. I also recently read about another potentially easier method recently. http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/hscg-conference-guest-post-milk-soap/

What amount of madder root did you infuse in what amount of oil? What type of infusion process did you use? I've used madder root powder added at trace, and though it was a nice ruby color, I was not pleased with the slightly grainy feel of the soap. I was thinking next time that I would try...

You might want to consider this: http://www.brambleberry.com/Liquid-Silk-P4097.aspx

la-rene, I had a similar problem with glycerin marbling in the soap I made with Daystar Saddle Shop fragrance. I figured it was just because I soaped at a low temp, but I'm beginning to think it's not a good fragrance for cp soap. I've got an order in to BB for their Leather FO, it's not a...

Cutting the soap may be my favorite part of soapmaking. I imagine having loaf upon loaf to cut would have been fun.

How thoughtful of him. I would be jumping up and down excited. And I must admit I'm a bit jealous too.

One of my favorite movie quotes, said by Stella in Silverado, "The world is what you make of it, friend. If it doesn't fit, you make alterations."

This is a personal choice, but I also have a soaping area that is not in a kitchen and I use a microwave rather than a hot plate. I think it's better for small adjustments to the oil temps. Regardless, your area is delightful; I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for the help. Do you know what would cause solid oils to resolidify?

So this is my Midnight Leather Soap. I was shooting for a hard black soap, and ended up with this marbling. I don't hate the marbling, but I need some ideas on why this happened. Recipe: Babassu: 5% Castor: 10% Coconut: 26% Olive: 29% Palm: 30% Used the Daystar Saddle Soap FO, which I think...

I hope you are feeling proud, because these are truly fine. I love the ones from the loaf mold. Is this a melt in pot swirl or maybe hanger?

It looks so creamy! And the sculpted top is gorgeous. So well done.

I think using distilled water is about keeping your variables to a minimum. Distilled water will most definitely not create a reaction in your soap whereas the contents in some tap water can. If something goes wrong, the water you used is one of the many possible things that might have caused it.