3 questions that have been haunting me ; )

[CorinaDragonfly]

Hey Everybody,
This is my first post, so here it goes. I searched the forum for these answers, but perhaps I did not dig deep enough, so I am sorry in advance if these have been answered many times before :???:. Feel free to point me in the right direction on the forum, or offer your sage advice.

1. A client wants me to make a soap log (cold process) for her so that she can cut it as she needs. I attempted to fulfill her request, but after letting the log sit out of the mold for 5 days, I had trouble cutting into it. I immediately cut the rest into bars and will sell to another store. I called a supplier who does something similar, but their advices was to cut the log into bars immediately. My concern is that I am going to sell the client a log that she will not be able to cut and she will be disappointed in the product and no longer order from me. I have offered to make small sample/guest sizes, but she insists she wants to cut the log as she goes herself. What would you do in this situation?

2. When using dark colors like Indigo, Black Oxide, Charcoal, etc., do you worry about the potential for bleeding? I just made a batch with varying shades of blue using indigo powder. My test sliver is leaving blue residue on the sink. It still has 3 weeks to cure. Will curing reduce the bleeding effect?

3. With the last batch of soap I made, I used glycerin to mix in the colorants before I added them to the batch. I think I was a little heavy handed with it, as the soap (a recipe I used before) was very soft even after 3 days in the mold. It was difficult to cut, and once it was, it was seeping liquid. At first I thought it was essential oil precipitating out, but I actually think now it was glycerin. I did a zap test, and no problems there. It still has about 4 weeks left to cure, but I am concerned that it may never harden up. Any suggestions or advice?

Thanks. I know I am asking a lot. Thank you for your patience with me as a new member.

Take Cares,
Corina

 

[Obsidian]

Welcome to the forum

1. I would simply tell her that as the log cures it will become increasingly difficult to cut and that you recommend she cut the entire log into the sizes she wants as soon as she gets its and that the bars will need at least a 4 week cure once cut. If she still insistes on doing it her way, tell her you don't tale responsibility for any difficulties she has with it.

2. As far as bleeding, I assume you mean the colors making dark lather and messy dark drips? If so, then no, a cure won't reduce color bleed. Many dark soaps can be messy, just make sure your customers know not to use white wash cloth.

3. Using glycerin for mixing colors is ok but go light on it. I personally use oil or water for my colors, depending on what they will mix with. You soap should harden but may remain slightly soft.

 

[Seawolfe]

Regarding the cutting - I have this very large heavy cleaver that will chop through bone - and its good for cutting soap as well. Perhaps that is what she plans on using? (Or you could recommend, after making sure she understands you're not responsible).

 

[Candybee]

I would just like to add that you can reserve part of your oil to mix your colors in instead of using glycerin.

Also, be stingy with oxides and some colorants. I have found that the dark colorants need only 1 tsp ppo for a deep rich color. Any more and you will get discolored lather and stain your washcloth. I typically experiment starting with 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of color. If its not deep enough for me then I can always add more.

For your soap block-- I don't know what to tell you about that. I always wondered why some soapers sell soap loaves since the soap gets so hard. Maybe they use a recipe that leaves the soap softer longer or maybe they use M&P?

 

[CorinaDragonfly]

Thanks for the quick responses Obsidian, Seawolfe, and Candybee!!! I appreciate the guidance : )

 

[dixiedragon]

Re: the soap log - maybe you could suggest that you could partially-cut the soap? If you cut the bars 1/2 or 3/4 of the way, then she could slice rest of the way through? IMO, you should do what the others have suggested - sell her the log as is, after telling her that it will get increasingly more difficult to cut as the soap dries and hardens, and you are not responsible for that. Or, if you think she could be a good client, you could let her try this, and if the soap becomes too hard for her to slice, you could offer to replace the log with an equivelant weight in cut bars. Obviously you don't want to make that a habit, but for one log of soap? Not a huge loss for you.

You could try making your soap with a bit more water, but have you explained that as soap cures, it gets harder? So when it is soft and easy to cut, it actually isn't very nice to use, but once it has gotten hard it very very nice indeed? Perhaps you can take a well-cured bar and a new bar of the same recipe and let her try them out.

Another option I am thinking of is to offer her a more-slender log, like this one:
http://www.brambleberry.com/Mini-Round-Silicone-Column-Mold-P5810.aspx

If she has a miter box to use as a guide and a sharp knife, I think she'll be able to cut reasonably neat bars through such a skinny log, even once it's hardened.

 

[TVivian]

I wonder if she's trying to sell by weight like LUSH does. And they cut off whatever sized bar you want as you wait. Makes me wonder why they don't have a problem slicing soap to order.

 

[coffeetime]

http://www.lush.ca/Lust-Soap/03582,en_CA,pd.html

Have a look at the ingredients in a Lush soap. Second is propylene glycol.

Edit: it's melt and pour base that they make.

 

[dixiedragon]

I couldn't find any pictures of the soap actually being cut. I think you could probably cut through even a well-cured block of soap with a papercutter, though.

 

[cm4bleenmb]

1.) Gotta agree with what's been said. Perhaps it would help if you had a clearer idea of why she wants what she wants. Your choices seem to be make it and potentially keep a client, or refuse and almost definitely lose one. Do what feels right for you.
2.) I don't have enough experience with colors to help with this but what Obsidian said makes sense. (And she makes some purty stuff.)
3.) Ditto on this. I've only used colors a few times and I used oil snitched from the total needed.

Welcome to the forum, it's a wonderful resource for information and advice. And, perhaps of even more value, people who can understand your joys and pains as you venture into the fascinating world of soap.

 

[dixiedragon]

Re: powdered colorants - I, personally, don't care to mix mine with oil or water (never tried glycerin). I still can't get out the lumps and it makes a big mess. My preference is to add the color right after I add the oils to the lye, and then just move my stick blender up and down right over the color.

I once made some super-purple soap when experiminting with FD&C colors. FD&C blue turns purple in cp soap. It is very very potent stuff. I added a bit, not much color, a bit more, still not much - and then suddenly WHAM! royal purple soap. It make purple bubbles and actually stained the bath tub grout a bit. I ended up shredding it to make confetti soap. It made very very pretty soap!

 

[Hermanam]

I have often wondered about people selling soap logs...there are quite a few out there. I, too, have been curious about how folks can cut bars after a long while. Also, would the cure time be longer than the usual 4-6 weeks?