What soapy thing have you done today?

[ResolvableOwl]

@KiwiMoose
Well, I didn't mean to replace the AC, but to complement it. Rich black is a real thing in printing business – a possible soapy adaption would be a generous AC colouration, plus an addition of some brown or red oxide, or umbra and/or a bit of cocoa powder (not too much to not provoke weird migration). Or a vanilla-containing fragrance (if it fits into the overall scheme). Too bad that you ran out of red mica recently.

 

[violets2217]

Or a vanilla-containing fragrance (if it fits into the overall scheme).

So if I used AC in a Black Raspberry Vanilla FO soap, it will make the black richer and less chalky gray maybe!?!? We will see when I cut it tomorrow… I can tell the white/kaolin clay part is going tan as it cools. I actually forgot about that aspect of vanilla FO, so I’m hoping the clay helps a bit now that I’m thinking about it!

 

[Misschief]

So if I used AC in a Black Raspberry Vanilla FO soap, it will make the black richer and less chalky gray maybe!?!? We will see when I cut it tomorrow… I can tell the white/kaolin clay part is going tan as it cools. I actually forgot about that aspect of vanilla FO, so I’m hoping the clay helps a bit now that I’m thinking about it!

In my Charcoal Castile soap, I use both AC and black iron oxide. It creates a deeper, darker black.

 

[dibbles]

a generous AC colouration, plus an addition of some brown or red oxide

But why not black iron oxide?

 

[bookworm]

Hi everyone,
I'm no good with taking pics but I thought I owed it to @zany and @AliOop to post pics: I used @Zany's recipe for the lilac T/S soap.
And I used PKO with help [email protected]
Thank you everyone on this forum for all your sharing and caring always.

These are some of the 14 types I made.

 

[ResolvableOwl]

I haven't compared it myself, but I pretty much expect that black oxide makes a deeper black than AC. Remember that AC usually isn't made as a pigment, but as a filtering agent/adsorbent, hence not optimised for colour depth. There are carbon black pigments that are much deeper and stronger (and stain worse) than AC (think of drawing ink).

Of course, black oxide ± AC is entirely possible. My above comment was aimed with recreation of liquorice (the extract processed into the dark glassy mass that liquorice candies had been made from, long time ago) in mind. It looks like soy sauce – and if you were to mimic soy sauce in soap, you would throw in something brown too, not just AC.
Thinking about it again, caramel food colouring would be a nice option as well. It is an underrated dyestuff IMHO.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

These are some of the 14 types I made.

You did a great job on the soaps. I think you have a good eye for color.

 

[msunnerstood]

Not technically soapy but this week I made four batches of syndet shampoo bars. Now that I have a bath bomb press, it's so much easier.

I was looking at both manual and hydraulic presses today. What did you get?

As for me, Im just sitting around waiting for my soap frosting to thicken.. that and still pouting about yesterdays disaster.

 

[Misschief]

I was looking at both manual and hydraulic presses today. What did you get?

As for me, Im just sitting around waiting for my soap frosting to thicken.. that and still pouting about yesterdays disaster.

I got a manual press; at this stage, I just can't justify a hydraulic press. I don't normally make bath bombs and wanted it primarily for the shampoo bars. It works well and I no longer dread making them. Now, I'm just waiting for a couple of new molds; a local maker is making me some different molds. She made the mold for the minis in the picture of the shampoo bars (orange and pale green).

 

[AliOop]

@bookworm those look GREAT!

@Misschief I'm liking the looks of those pressed bars. Are you still using the original DIY B&B recipe with SCI powder?

 

[msunnerstood]

I got a manual press; at this stage, I just can't justify a hydraulic press. I don't normally make bath bombs and wanted it primarily for the shampoo bars. It works well and I no longer dread making them. Now, I'm just waiting for a couple of new molds; a local maker is making me some different molds. She made the mold for the minis in the picture of the shampoo bars (orange and pale green).

View attachment 63665 View attachment 63666

That looks similar to the one I looked at today. The hydraulic one looks efficient, but a bit intimidating for me. I would likely go with the manual one. I just made shampoo bars earlier and standing over the mold and pushing down with all my weight is just not my favorite thing.

Love your bathbombs on the left!

 

[Misschief]

@bookworm those look GREAT!

@Misschief I'm liking the looks of those pressed bars. Are you still using the original DIY B&B recipe with SCI powder?

Yes, I am. They work amazingly well for my hair and I have customers who love them, buy them up to 4 at a time.

I just made shampoo bars earlier and standing over the mold and pushing down with all my weight is just not my favorite thing.

Likewise. I have de Quervain's in both thumbs and it can be quite painful after a while.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Hi everyone,
I'm no good with taking pics but I thought I owed it to @zany and @AliOop to post pics: I used @Zany's recipe for the lilac T/S soap.
And I used PKO with help [email protected]
Thank you everyone on this forum for all your sharing and caring always.

These are some of the 14 types I made.
View attachment 63661 View attachment 63662

These all look amazing! My particular favourite is the ZNSC T&S Lilac.

 

[violets2217]

I got a manual press; at this stage, I just can't justify a hydraulic press. I don't normally make bath bombs and wanted it primarily for the shampoo bars. It works well and I no longer dread making them. Now, I'm just waiting for a couple of new molds; a local maker is making me some different molds. She made the mold for the minis in the picture of the shampoo bars (orange and pale green).

View attachment 63665 View attachment 63666

I have that exact same press! It’s so fun to use!!!!

 

[gww]

I did another batch of aloe soap today. I went the other way this time and instead of putting it in the oven, I put it on my cold basement steps that are unheated but not freezing. I will get to see if it still gels in the center. Can't wait to cut it. The batch did not go as planned as I used ice cubed aloe in a ice bath and my oils went immediately into false trace and never came out of it. I proceeded around the normal time I usually have to mix and the bowl did get warm and so time will tell if I got it or not.

I did notice one other thing in this batch. I strained the aloe when I put it in the ice cube tray. The first cubes I poured had foam on top of them. The foam turned into light orangish color and made chunks like before I strained it when I added the lye to it. I strained this out when I added the lye to the oils but found it interesting. My opinion is that this stuff contained the coloring that is supposed to be strained out by the link that zany posted. My previous batch from these same aloe leaves that was poured after the foam was gone did not behave this way.

Not sure I am not wasting you guys time by posting this goobly gook but I found the experience of this batch interesting and so posted my thoughts just in case other may also. I tested my last batch at 48 hours and was impressed with the bubbles compared to other soap I am making. It is just a lard, coconut and castor oil mix.
Cheers
gww

Ps All my aloe and most of my oils are gone again and so my soap making will be put on hold again until I replenish some way.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I put it on my cold basement steps that are unheated but not freezing. I will get to see if it still gels in the center.

I'm guessing it will not go through gel at all because that's what I do when I don't want my soap to gel. No worries. Makes nice soap all the same.

 

[gww]

Zany
I have been making my soap in batches big enough to have a little batter left for a few individual mold bars. They never gel. Both seem to work fine but the bars are more consistent In a lighter color. It really never even bothers me if they only partially gel. Mostly, I am just playing to see what happens.
Cheers
gww

 

[AliOop]

I did notice one other thing in this batch. I strained the aloe when I put it in the ice cube tray. The first cubes I poured had foam on top of them. The foam turned into light orangish color and made chunks like before I strained it when I added the lye to it. I strained this out when I added the lye to the oils ...

Hmmm. You may have (probably did) remove some of the lye when you strained the mixture after adding lye solution to it. Hopefully it just increased your superfat a bit, and didn't leave you with a lot of unsaponified oils. Next time, I'd just leave it and stick-blend that stuff as best as possible.

Also, I'm guessing that the color change and chunking was a typical chemical reaction between the lye and the sugars in the aloe; perhaps someone with more info about that can chime in.

 

[Ugeauxgirl]

@gww Every time I add aloe, it turns the batter yellow/orange. Thankfully, the soap comes out white anyway.

 

[gww]

AliOop
You may be correct about a little lye loss. I had already had the batch super fatted at 5% and so it might be even more. It was not a large amount and I had not strained my earlier accidental pink batch and did take the lumps out of it also. The pink batch is still too new to check out though I did use a sliver at 48 hours and it seemed ok. If it does not rot due to to much super fat, it will probably be ok as it has 20% coconut oil and for sure won't be drying now. Thanks to you and Ugeauxgirl for the hints.
Cheers
gww

My aloe soap, just cut, came out super white and smooth.

Cheers
gww