My first three soaps

[tlm884]

The dark brown soap is a coffee and cocao soap. My lye water was replaced with coffee. At trace I added espressro ground coffee and cocao.

The other soap is a cold pressed soap I made that got too hot and seperated so I rebatched it. The lye water was peppermint and green tea. At trace I added peppermint and green tea leaves and tea tree oil. This was my second soap.

This is my third soap. It also separated from being too hot. So I rebatched it. The orginal cold pressed soap was a swirl. It was a white uncolored and green swirl using strained peas. However, since it separated I rebatched it. During the rebatch I added paprika for color. It is scented with Texas Ceaderwood and Cypress.

 

[judymoody]

Nice job!

What is your process? Maybe we can help you to address the overheating issue?

 

[Elly]

Nice earthly soaps, I do like the coffee one.

 

[BrittanyJRW]

I love how earthy they all are! Coffee is one liquid I've never used. Does it leave a very strong scent?

 

[Guest]

I want to try making some earl grey tea soaps. I love tea so much! They look nice Good job

 

[tlm884]

I think my biggest problem with overheating is having a shotty thermometer. I think I should invest in better one.

My coffee soap that I didn't have overheat I use a bigger mold and I didn't insulate at all. Poured it and threw it ontop of the fridge in the mold and left it for 24 hours. It turned out great, its nice and hard. No speration or cracking. And it smells great. Sort of like a mocha. Coffee and a little bit of bitter chocolate.

My second batch I soaped WAY to hot. I soaped at 150 degrees because I was getting impatient with letting the lye cool down. Then I went ahead and over insulated it. When I unmolded it there were huge oil pockets. So I just threw it in the oven and rebatched it and it worked pretty well. I much prefer the texture of a CP soap that hasn't been rebatched.


The second soap I am not entirely sure what happened. I soaped at 115F. And it poured great and it traced before I poured. I threw some clingwrap on the top and put it in the oven that has been heated to 170F I believe (the lowest temp on the oven) then turned off. When I checked on it in an hour later to make sure it was setting up it had turned from a nice thick looking pancake batter to chunky oil. Oil was rising to the top and it was for the most part liquid. I threw it in the freezer hoping to save it but when I went to cut into it the next day it was oozing oils. So I rebatched with a splash of milk in the oven and now it seems to have saponofied, just a little softer then it should be from the added milk but that will come out over time.


EDIT: TikiBar An earl grey tea with Bergamont EO would be great! Maybe even a dash of tea tree oil as well.

 

[Maythorn]

These are really attractive soaps! I love the colors, too. Very nice for Autumn.

 

[tlm884]

Thanks I don't want to spend a lot of money on something I am just using as a hobby right now and for stress relief. So i have been trying to color the soaps on the cheap and haven't really been using fragrances. Spices work really well and the tea gave a really earthy color to the tea soap. The only EOs I have bought at Texas Ceaderwood, Cypress, and I had some Tea Tree Oil on hand from a piercing gone awry.

Today I am going to try a pumpkin soap using a silicone cupcake mold!

 

[vir99]

Those look great! Don't get discouraged! You have some creativity there with your flavors and such. I know it's way too easy to spend an awful lot on fragrances and molds!

 

[tlm884]

Vir, I am lucky to work at a hardware store so I got most of my supplies for 30% off. I got 2KG of lye for 15 bucks! Right now I am using a drawer organizer for a mold. It is starting to break after my 4th soap so I am going to look for something sturdier. I do have a piece of PVC I just have to cut it!