SoapEh
Well-Known Member
Hi guys!
I just attempted my first rainbow soap. I feel a bit like the little smilie banging his head off the brick wall - this guy -->
:headbanging:
because the process didn't go exactly as planned.
I made up a 4lb batch of my recipe, which is one I've worked with before and love. It's a fast mover, which I *thought* would prove beneficial. I pictured the layers setting up just enough while I mixed up the next colour, so that the new colour wouldn't break through when I poured/spooned it on top.
I didn't slack off, I cut my recipe into seven cups of warmed, mixed oils (by weight, not by eye) and added the micas into each. I stirred the colour in thoroughly and left the oils to cool to room temperature.
I measured each cup of lye water out as I went -- I have a kiddo in the house as well as a cat, so I don't like having mixed lye water around. I've got one of those digital laser thermometers, so I waited for each cup to cool (doesn't take long when it's such a small amount).
The first layer was perfect. Smooth pour, went in at light trace, spread out, started to set up slowly.
The second layer decided not to cooperate. All I can guess is different micas and/or the very small difference in mica & oil amount (castor oil, which is also a component of the recipe) made the difference? The purple was so smooth, the blue got thick so much faster I barely got it into the mold. I managed to get it spread out, but it had a weird, slightly gritty-looking texture (think coconut soap). I soldiered on.
The green layer was also chunky, ish, but bearable. I spread it out and carried on figuring the purple must have been a fluke.
What I hoped would be a sunshine yellow layer was very, very close to soap-on-a-stick. It went 'sploop...sploop...shhhhPLOP!' into the mold; the last 2/3 of it solidified in seconds and slid out of the cup virtually solid. I could see the impression of the bottom of the cup in the soap. I squashed and pressed and begged and pleaded with it and got it into the mold. It looked very much like amateur-hour hot process soap coloured with a highlighter. Gack.
I was ready to throw in the proverbial towel when I mixed up the orange layer, but then... it came out silky smooth and beautifully thin, like the first purple layer. WTheck was going on here? I poured it in and hoped maybe it would somehow melt the gross yellow layer into smooth submission.
The pink/red layer was again grainy and coarse-looking, like coconut oil soap looks.
The last, white layer had TD in it and the oils were thick and creamy-looking before I even added the lye water. Mixed it up expecting a horror and to my surprise it poured out like heavy cream, textured nicely and set up quickly.
I have no idea -- NO idea -- what happened. The recipe is lard based, with palm, coconut, olive oil, palm kernel flakes, a little sweet almond oil, and a touch of castor. It's super moisturizing (over 50% on soapcalc) and the cleansing number is under 15% -- as I mentioned above it does set up wicked quick, but it makes such a beautifully smooth, non-drying soap.
TL;DR --> What's really throwing me is the difference from layer to layer -- can using a mica vs. a pigment (neons) vs. a mix have that much effect?
I have to say, even if this soap is a complete disaster, I am learning SO much tonight. I haven't ever divided a recipe up this way, or made a purposefully layered soap where I tried not to break through a previous colour; I have never tried to make a coordinated rainbow of colours, never mixed up such tiny quantities of soap, and never had to think on my feet the way that a couple of these layers had me thinking!
It's definitely gelling, so whatever happens to the texture, the colours are going to POP. I guess if it turns into colour soup I can always hack it into bits and make nifty embeds for another soap
Thanks for any thoughts from the more experienced soapers out there!
I just attempted my first rainbow soap. I feel a bit like the little smilie banging his head off the brick wall - this guy -->
:headbanging:
because the process didn't go exactly as planned.
I made up a 4lb batch of my recipe, which is one I've worked with before and love. It's a fast mover, which I *thought* would prove beneficial. I pictured the layers setting up just enough while I mixed up the next colour, so that the new colour wouldn't break through when I poured/spooned it on top.
I didn't slack off, I cut my recipe into seven cups of warmed, mixed oils (by weight, not by eye) and added the micas into each. I stirred the colour in thoroughly and left the oils to cool to room temperature.
I measured each cup of lye water out as I went -- I have a kiddo in the house as well as a cat, so I don't like having mixed lye water around. I've got one of those digital laser thermometers, so I waited for each cup to cool (doesn't take long when it's such a small amount).
The first layer was perfect. Smooth pour, went in at light trace, spread out, started to set up slowly.
The second layer decided not to cooperate. All I can guess is different micas and/or the very small difference in mica & oil amount (castor oil, which is also a component of the recipe) made the difference? The purple was so smooth, the blue got thick so much faster I barely got it into the mold. I managed to get it spread out, but it had a weird, slightly gritty-looking texture (think coconut soap). I soldiered on.
The green layer was also chunky, ish, but bearable. I spread it out and carried on figuring the purple must have been a fluke.
What I hoped would be a sunshine yellow layer was very, very close to soap-on-a-stick. It went 'sploop...sploop...shhhhPLOP!' into the mold; the last 2/3 of it solidified in seconds and slid out of the cup virtually solid. I could see the impression of the bottom of the cup in the soap. I squashed and pressed and begged and pleaded with it and got it into the mold. It looked very much like amateur-hour hot process soap coloured with a highlighter. Gack.
I was ready to throw in the proverbial towel when I mixed up the orange layer, but then... it came out silky smooth and beautifully thin, like the first purple layer. WTheck was going on here? I poured it in and hoped maybe it would somehow melt the gross yellow layer into smooth submission.
The pink/red layer was again grainy and coarse-looking, like coconut oil soap looks.
The last, white layer had TD in it and the oils were thick and creamy-looking before I even added the lye water. Mixed it up expecting a horror and to my surprise it poured out like heavy cream, textured nicely and set up quickly.
I have no idea -- NO idea -- what happened. The recipe is lard based, with palm, coconut, olive oil, palm kernel flakes, a little sweet almond oil, and a touch of castor. It's super moisturizing (over 50% on soapcalc) and the cleansing number is under 15% -- as I mentioned above it does set up wicked quick, but it makes such a beautifully smooth, non-drying soap.
TL;DR --> What's really throwing me is the difference from layer to layer -- can using a mica vs. a pigment (neons) vs. a mix have that much effect?
I have to say, even if this soap is a complete disaster, I am learning SO much tonight. I haven't ever divided a recipe up this way, or made a purposefully layered soap where I tried not to break through a previous colour; I have never tried to make a coordinated rainbow of colours, never mixed up such tiny quantities of soap, and never had to think on my feet the way that a couple of these layers had me thinking!
It's definitely gelling, so whatever happens to the texture, the colours are going to POP. I guess if it turns into colour soup I can always hack it into bits and make nifty embeds for another soap
Thanks for any thoughts from the more experienced soapers out there!
