First batch!

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I'm happy to say I did my first batch yesterday! It's Castile soap: olive 70%, coconut 15%, palm 15%.

It traced in about 10 minutes after being helped along with a stick blender, then I added tangarine EO and molded it into two milk cartons. I unmolded and cut it today, as in the picture:

castile_soap.jpg


The bars are 3¾" square and 1" thick, and about 3.5-4 oz. each.

The soap smells only faintly of the scent so perhaps I didn't add enough. I used 1 oz. (NOW brand) in 3 lbs. oil.

Anyway I'm satisfied with my first attempt. :)
 
Wow, what a beautiful color. I would say you probably needed at least double the amount of EO for 3 lb. Very nice soap though.

Laurie
 
OM! They look awesome! I wish my first batch looked like that :oops: I would have bumped your EO's up to 2oz, but I'm sure they'll ripen.
 
You're both very kind! :) Thanks for the compliments! :)

cdwinsby said:
Beautiful soap! Awesome first try. What did you use for color?
The color is presumably what the OO contributed. I didn't add any colorants. The EO might have tinted it slightly.

cdwinsby said:
Bet you're already planning the next batch! :lol:
Certainly! :) In fact I just returned from Home Depot, and did you know they sell soap molds? ;) I bought a two foot section of 3" diameter PVC pipe, and tomorrow I'm going to make round soap! I haven't on a recipe yet. Decisions, decisions. ;)

La Oberhasli said:
OM! They look awesome! I wish my first batch looked like that :oops: I would have bumped your EO's up to 2oz, but I'm sure they'll ripen.
Yes, I should'a done that, and wish I'd had your advice before I had to make the decision. I've still got 3 one ounce bottles of EOs that I bought at the nutrition store, so I'll cut the batch size in half and use the whole bottle.
 
No need to be jealous Sharon, I bet you've done hundreds of batches. But thanks for the compliment! :)

And thanks to you also DP! :)
 
Lovehound said:
No need to be jealous Sharon, I bet you've done hundreds of batches. But thanks for the compliment! :)

And thanks to you also DP! :)

(I wish) More like about 25. going for 30 next week. My "mold" is also my display for my glycerin soaps when I sell at craft shows and I have a show this weekend. So I have to wait until afterwards to make some more. I need to start buying my milk in the carton! Where did you get the wavy cutter?
 
Well I'm going for batch #2 today, so I have some catching up to do. :)

I got the wavy cutter at a restaurant supply store. If you don't have a restaurant supply near you, you can find them on eBay but at 3x the price, about $6 or so plus maybe $5 shipping, a disgrace if you know how cheap they are in restaurant supply stores. :)

I've really had a ball the last week stocking up on equipment and materials at restaurant supply stores, hardware stores, supermarkets and stores like Bed Bath & Beyond. It's amazing that they had all that soaper gear and ingredients there and I've passed all that stuff countless times without realizing it!
 
Lovehound said:
I'm happy to say I did my first batch yesterday! It's Castile soap: olive 70%, coconut 15%, palm 15%.

It traced in about 10 minutes after being helped along with a stick blender, then I added tangarine EO and molded it into two milk cartons. I unmolded and cut it today, as in the picture:

castile_soap.jpg


The bars are 3¾" square and 1" thick, and about 3.5-4 oz. each.

The soap smells only faintly of the scent so perhaps I didn't add enough. I used 1 oz. (NOW brand) in 3 lbs. oil.

Anyway I'm satisfied with my first attempt. :)

I had some very similar looking soap Christmas 2007, only that it was a little thinner and longer and smelt like pineapple.
 
Mine ended up square of course because I used 1 quart milk cartons as my molds. Actually they worked quite well, although I'll try 3" diameter pipe next.

I never new the supermarket sold soap molds... ;)
 
gallerygirl said:
Those look awesome! Great job. k
Thanks GG! :) Hey, I'm doing my second batch right now! I decided to take a break while the lye cools. I'll post details when I get it done. I'm doing Kathy Miller's favorite lard with coconut and OO.
 
Got my 2nd batch in the mold and this is really neat, after 4-5 hour of pour the batch is going fairly exothermic generating about 123 deg F in an ambient of 75 or so. I just know that batch is gellin' inside! :)
 
Interpretation, Spock!!!

I think what Lovehound might be saying is that the soap is
gelling at 123 F in a 75 F room. Would that be right Lovehound?

lol
Laurie
 
Laurie said:
Interpretation, Spock!!!

I think what Lovehound might be saying is that the soap is
gelling at 123 F in a 75 F room. Would that be right Lovehound?

lol
Laurie
Yeppers, that's exactly what I intended to say. Do I get the "eschew obfuscation" award now? ;)

I really love this soapmaking collision between chemistry and cooking. I took chemistry in college, and I've been a lifelong cook always enjoying cooking. Check my user profile for my website and you can view my favorite cooking recipes. (Non-commercial website, just recipes there, nothing else.) Perhaps I'll add a section for DIY soap.
 
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