Hexagonal mold soaps

[SpaceCorgi94]

So I de-molded my 3rd batch the other day! Initially I'd planned on the colour gradient going from White > Grey > Black, but, I made a blunder and got some grey in my white and now they're just a range of greys which.... I'm kinda happier with actually??

At first I was a little shocked when I saw the white spots in the light grey thinking they were lye deposits but!! They're just the leftover white specs that weren't fully incorporated when I accidentally added some of the colour from the other soaps in.

I'd heard online that standard table salt is a suitable replacement for Sodium Lactate in terms of hardening/demolding qualities, however this is the 2nd soap I've tried adding salt to (the first being to the lye solution, the second being this one where I put it into the oils first) and I've not noticed any real difference between the two, certainly not at the levels I was using them because they're still both rather soft. I'll be getting some sodium lactate next time.

The opposite side of each soap has some dried coffee grounds mixed in, making it nice and exfoliative (something I'd already tested before in another batch), but the way I filled the molds was very rushed and hurried (started tracing HARD) so while it was still spreadable, it was still too rushed for my liking. Next time I'll be making a batch of ONE scent/colour at a time, not jumping around separating the initial batch before mixing and pouring each half into a mold and then adding coffee and mixing and pouring again like I did this time.

 

[shunt2011]

Are you dissolving the salt in water first? How much are you using. I like the color of your soap.

 

[SpaceCorgi94]

Are you dissolving the salt in water first? How much are you using. I like the color of your soap.

Thank you so much!! It was recommended for me to use 1tsp of salt per 450g (1oz?) of oils. I'd discussed this a bit on the forums recently, and it was suggested here that I added the salt into the milk component of the solution, which is then added to the oils, is what I did. But mixing it in with some water first BEFORE adding it to milk would uhh... that sounds so genius that it would probably be my missing component hey THANK YOU!! I'll try it for my next batch (a small one, I promise) and I'll make sure to post about it.

 

[Obsidian]

It doesn't really matter if you mix the salt with milk or water as long as it geta fully dissolved. You can go up to 2 tsp ppo, any more and it can start to affect lather.

I really like the shape, where did you find the mold?

 

[SpaceCorgi94]

It doesn't really matter if you mix the salt with milk or water as long as it geta fully dissolved. You can go up to 2 tsp ppo, any more and it can start to affect lather.

I really like the shape, where did you find the mold?

Ahh okay! I guess it mustn't have incorporated it fully then, as being milk it's hard to see through and I'd added it to the full quantity of milk before pouring into the oils.

And I just found a hexagonal silicone mold on Ebay. Each mold is 100ml and does 4 at a time. I'd be happy to post a link to the listing but I'm not sure if that's allowed on this forum? If it is I'll be happy to, but I'll shoot you a PM just in the meantime.

 

[Obsidian]

I actually use hot water to dissolve my salt, just let it cool down before mixing it all up.

The white specks look like TD that didn't get mixed in all the way.

 

[SpaceCorgi94]

I actually use hot water to dissolve my salt, just let it cool down before mixing it all up.

The white specks look like TD that didn't get mixed in all the way.

All great suggestions, thank you so much! It's a good thing I was going for a natural stone look this time

 

[AliOop]

I like the colors and the shape - they would look great in an industrial-modern bath.

 

[KimR]

Bramble Berry has a hexagonal mold that I love. Great size and shape plus thick and sturdy!

 

[CaraBou]

Love it! Gray black and white are a classic combo - try swirling sometime.