grayceworks
Well-Known Member
Ok, I couldn't help it. I carefully slid the piece I tried to cut earlier off of the cutter, managing to do it with just a slight fingerprint and a little smudge. The rest can wait to finish hardening up now. 
Castile for the New Year anyone?
- Thread starter roseb
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Em522
Well-Known Member
So, I decided to join the Castile party and make my first soap a simple one :smile:
I did cut a little to soon though.
I did cut a little to soon though.
AngelMomma
Well-Known Member
Anyone tried their Castile already? I decided to give mine a try about once every week or two. So far the lather is already mild. But it is thin and not much to speak of where bubbles are concerned.
grayceworks
Well-Known Member
I have not tried my CP batch (the one with the pencil line) But I decided since I have never used a pure castile before, I wanted to know....
So I made a HP batch yesterday, and tried it today --- WOW. I love it! It feels soooo nice on my skin!
And it lathers nice too! I found a trick to lathering it, which is the same as lathering my "ugly soap" which has a high OO content... I get it and hands wet, get lots of the lotion-like slippery lather on it, then I get MORE water on my hands, and voila! plenty of bubbles! I can see how some people might not like the slimy lather though... I don't mind it.
I used sugar and SL, and I scented with rose-geranium EO. WOW that EO is strong. I used less than a half-ounce in a 32oz batch, and my whole house smells like roses. lol
Something I found interesting in doing the castile by HP... medium trace is the thickest it ever got. It never really reached the really thick mashed potatoes stage. Just kinda turned to translucent runny applesauce. I let it go for a while that way, and finally cooled it a bit, added the EO, and poured. And it did indeed pour rather than glopping. Which was a nice change. It started to thicken up though as soon as it was in the mold, so that I STILL had a rough looking top. *sigh* Well, at least the inside of the soap is nice and creamy and marbled looking.
So I made a HP batch yesterday, and tried it today --- WOW. I love it! It feels soooo nice on my skin!
And it lathers nice too! I found a trick to lathering it, which is the same as lathering my "ugly soap" which has a high OO content... I get it and hands wet, get lots of the lotion-like slippery lather on it, then I get MORE water on my hands, and voila! plenty of bubbles!
I can see how some people might not like the slimy lather though... I don't mind it. I used sugar and SL, and I scented with rose-geranium EO. WOW that EO is strong. I used less than a half-ounce in a 32oz batch, and my whole house smells like roses. lol
Something I found interesting in doing the castile by HP... medium trace is the thickest it ever got. It never really reached the really thick mashed potatoes stage. Just kinda turned to translucent runny applesauce. I let it go for a while that way, and finally cooled it a bit, added the EO, and poured. And it did indeed pour rather than glopping. Which was a nice change. It started to thicken up though as soon as it was in the mold, so that I STILL had a rough looking top. *sigh* Well, at least the inside of the soap is nice and creamy and marbled looking.
Last edited:
AngelMomma
Well-Known Member
I have not tried my CP batch (the one with the pencil line) But I decided since I have never used a pure castile before, I wanted to know....
So I made a HP batch yesterday, and tried it today --- WOW. I love it! It feels soooo nice on my skin!
And it lathers nice too! I found a trick to lathering it, which is the same as lathering my "ugly soap" which has a high OO content... I get it and hands wet, get lots of the lotion-like slippery lather on it, then I get MORE water on my hands, and voila! plenty of bubbles!
I used sugar and SL, and I scented with rose-geranium EO. WOW that EO is strong. I used less than a half-ounce in a 32oz batch, and my whole house smells like roses. lol
Something I found interesting in doing the castile by HP... medium trace is the thickest it ever got. It never really reached the really thick mashed potatoes stage. Just kinda turned to translucent runny applesauce. I let it go for a while that way, and finally cooled it a bit, added the EO, and poured. And it did indeed pour rather than glopping. Which was a nice change. It started to thicken up though as soon as it was in the mold, so that I STILL had a rough looking top. *sigh* Well, at least the inside of the soap is nice and creamy and marbled looking.
I also was not bothered by the feel of the lather from my CP batch that I tried. I made it on New Years Eve......so its just at 3 weeks. I am excited to see how it does over the next year. I'm thinking I will do a lather test with pics every so often so I can compare now to 6mo and 12mo. I love geranium Rose EO! It cures really nicely.
no, i've been trying to hold off on trying until at least a months' cure. this is very difficult for me, but i've been busy making my friend's wedding favour soap, so i've been distracted. it's also sitting at the back of the curing rack (out of sight, out of mind). i moved them the other day and they're still kind of wet...
MzMolly65
Well-Known Member
YES .. and loving it so much I'm going to make a great big batch of it.
I don't think it feels "slimy" .. I grew up in a house with a water softener and that's what the soap feels like to me .. like softened water .. slick, while the word slimy makes me think of worms.
Anyway, I love the soap I love the way my skin feels after.
I think if it's this good after a few weeks it's only going to get better with curing.
I have been SO good. I haven't tried mine at all. But I did make a bunch of it and when it hits the six month mark I plan on using it then and continuing to make a small batch every month so that once it is a year old, I will never be without it again.
seven
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yes. i just cant wait 6 months, LOL! i took a piece and use it for facial soap. my face seemed to like it. this one i'm using is really a bastille in reality as it has 5% castor in it.
i ended up making 3 small batches. all of them are hard as a rock as we speak.
coffeetime
Well-Known Member
Hmmm, I must be in the minority. I find my 6-month old Castile drying. Bubbles aren't bad and definitely less slimy but my skin feels tight and dry after. I think I might try making a soap with no olive at all and see how that feels. Maybe my skin just doesn't like olive oil?
dryalligator
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Hot Process Castille re-do
I re-did my not so great hot process castille. This time I still used 40% water to lye, but I remembered to only superfat 2%. I then cooked for 1 hour and stirred it well and cooked the second hour and then added 3% of olive oil and stirred well. I let it sit on warm for thirty min. It was moveable and scented with aloe cucumber scent. I was able to swirl with 3 green colors. Looks very pretty. If I knew how to post pictures I would.:-D
I re-did my not so great hot process castille. This time I still used 40% water to lye, but I remembered to only superfat 2%. I then cooked for 1 hour and stirred it well and cooked the second hour and then added 3% of olive oil and stirred well. I let it sit on warm for thirty min. It was moveable and scented with aloe cucumber scent. I was able to swirl with 3 green colors. Looks very pretty. If I knew how to post pictures I would.:-D
grayceworks
Well-Known Member
I know, I've got my calendar marked for both the CP batch and the HP batch, so I can see how they cure out at 3 months, 6 months, etc.
I know if my HP batch is sooooo nice right now, it's gotta be absolutely wonderful once the rest of the water evaporates out and it hardens up more.
My CP batch has been cut for over a week now... and I have not tried it, as it still feels odd to the touch. No zap or anything, just... I dunno. Like touching cream cheese. Well, it's got 12 months to sort itself out. lol
That's great to know that the geranium-rose EO will cure nicely. My house STILL smells like roses. lol. I love it! I think I'll make some lotion to match. and maybe another liquid soap. And maybe some rose-shaped rose soaps. and.... somebody stop me!!!
Lin
Well-Known Member
Haven't tried mine yet, but maybe I will try an end sliver soon. I made mine at the end of November for next Christmas.
MzMolly65
Well-Known Member
I love my wee batch so much I made a 3 lb batch this morning. As well as how nice it feels on my skin, I also love how easy it is to make. Start to finish, including clean up in under 30 minutes. Beyond the long cure time I can see this becoming a favorite soap for me.
Jerry S
Well-Known Member
Castile/Bastile question..
I am going to make up a batch of Bastille in a couple of weeks and have made it in the past. I just thought I'd bounce this off the members on this topic instead of starting a new one. What type of OO do you find works best for you in making you Castile/Bastille..? In the past I have used OO from Costco and it worked out pretty well. But this time I want to make sure my bars are snow white so I guess I want to use the lightest OO I can get, without mortgaging my house. Maybe I should just check out Costco again and see what they have, but the last time I looked most of their OO tending toward the dark side. One more request..If anyone knows of a drop dead delicious FO for these bars that absolutely will not discolor, please feel free to offer your advise..thanks..:-D
I am going to make up a batch of Bastille in a couple of weeks and have made it in the past. I just thought I'd bounce this off the members on this topic instead of starting a new one. What type of OO do you find works best for you in making you Castile/Bastille..? In the past I have used OO from Costco and it worked out pretty well. But this time I want to make sure my bars are snow white so I guess I want to use the lightest OO I can get, without mortgaging my house. Maybe I should just check out Costco again and see what they have, but the last time I looked most of their OO tending toward the dark side. One more request..If anyone knows of a drop dead delicious FO for these bars that absolutely will not discolor, please feel free to offer your advise..thanks..:-D
My Costco carries Montolivo Extra Light OO, and it produced a nice white bar for me. This is actually the cheapest OO the Costco here carries in what I consider to be a reasonable quantity (2- 2 liter bottles). It is the whitest soap I have ever made since nothing went into it but the light OO. My cut pics are post #4 on the sister castille photo thread (http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=41194). And for an even better idea of the color, here it is to the right of the green clay 95/5 bastille I made the same day. It's white enough for me!
Can I assume that since you're a repeat castille'r, you actually like the stuff? I can't wait to try it -- for the first time! Just 8 1/2 months to go!
Can I assume that since you're a repeat castille'r, you actually like the stuff? I can't wait to try it -- for the first time! Just 8 1/2 months to go!
I tried my almost 4 month old castile, and its still that weird slimy consistency. I have been obsessing abt shampoo soap, and so I tried it in my hair (just the roots bc that's where I get a little oily there), and so far my hair feels great!
Jerry S
Well-Known Member
Those are absolutely beautiful...white as white can be...do you ever use FO's in your castile/bastile?..I'm still looking for one that won't turn my bars dark...and have asked this question on another forum/thread and found one answer which is to check out Peaks FO spreadsheet..Your Cosco is a little far from me..lol..since I'm in So. Ca..but I am going to check them out again to see what they have...thanks again Carabou..
Jerry in So ca.
Jerry in So ca.
I used lavender EO in these two bars. The "Peaks" spreadsheet is a good place to look for FO info -- be sure to check the tabs on the bottom of it for more suppliers than just Peaks. good luck, have fun!
