What soapy thing have you done today?
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Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
Good advice.
For what it's worth, I'm known for starting kitchen fires. Whenever I get a burn, lye or otherwise, I grab my 2 oz bottle of 5% lavender in jojoba oil (long shelf life) that I keep handy in the pantry. It immediately soothes the burn and it heals without scarring.
I got this idea early in my soaping career when I read a legend about an alchemist in the 17th (?) century. When his sleeves caught fire due to an explosion in his lab, he doused his hands in a vat of lavender essential oil. Not only did it stop the reaction but his hands healed quickly to their original appearance, i.e., no scars.
It's a good thing.
I’m by no means an expert, but have been experimenting with rebatch lately. So far I‘ve mostly been using very dry soap that is fairly high in palmitic and stearic fatty acids (30% of total) and finding that it takes quite a bit of water to get it to melt. How much water is enough is hard to say, but at this point I’m starting with approximately 20-25% of the dry weight of the shreds. Wetting the shreds the night before helps. I read that dissolving sorbitol in the water helps because sorbitol acts as a solvent, but I didn’t notice a difference when I tried it. Temperature is the other key variable. I find it easier to melt soap in a crock pot compared with the oven method, perhaps because I’m impatient.
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I made soap today! My post-soaping cocktail is helping me to calm down. I don't know why I get all angsty about it! Mrs. Zing is tired of the ends and leftovers and wanted something nice so I made a loaf just for us. Scented with her favorite, lavender eo, and a titch of patchouli eo which is awesome. I was hoping for straight lines/layers but had to panic-yell for Mrs. Zing's cake frosting skills. It's one loaf but 2 soaping sessions -- hoping the bottom layer stays straight.
Am about ready to give up on this masterbatching thang!! At least in winter. For my first layer, the lye solution had particulate. I stirred and stirred and stirred and still had crystals of something. I'm hoping it's sugar and not lye. For the second layer I made a new lye solution which was completely clear.
Everything is warm and cozy under towels. Fingers crossed....
Am about ready to give up on this masterbatching thang!! At least in winter. For my first layer, the lye solution had particulate. I stirred and stirred and stirred and still had crystals of something. I'm hoping it's sugar and not lye. For the second layer I made a new lye solution which was completely clear.
Everything is warm and cozy under towels. Fingers crossed....
I think someone should add the finger crossed emogi as an option
Oh boy, its been a while since I was here, its also been a while since I made soap. It's been a rough couple of months.
Anyway, I made a large batch of soap tonight to cut into sample-size bars for the grab bags at a conference Im attending this spring. I will need a few hundred. I have bars I've already made I can also use but I needed some more.
Anyway, I made a large batch of soap tonight to cut into sample-size bars for the grab bags at a conference Im attending this spring. I will need a few hundred. I have bars I've already made I can also use but I needed some more.
Servant4Christ
Well-Known Member
It's gonna look great. May I ask which lavender you used? There seems to be a gazillion lavender options available.
Sorry to hear about the rough times. You’ve been missed.
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Ive done this with some embeds that didnt turn out. Yours look good!
40 42 or whatever that's called. Bramble Berry. Used it for years and is Mrs. Zing's absolute favorite and popular with my friends and family. I'm not a big lav fan but do like it in some blends.
I made some lotion bars today for valentines day to give to my daughter's teacher's and to the ladies at work, they came out perfect 
Thank you @Zing for sharing your recipe and giving so much tips here!
The ladies at work really appreciated when I made them some for Christmas.
I used a heart shaped mold and added a little red mica to the first batch, they came out pink, and used purple for the second batch (ran out of pink and red), cedarwood, lavender and orange EO.
Thank you @Zing for sharing your recipe and giving so much tips here!
The ladies at work really appreciated when I made them some for Christmas.I used a heart shaped mold and added a little red mica to the first batch, they came out pink, and used purple for the second batch (ran out of pink and red), cedarwood, lavender and orange EO.
Am adding cedarwood, lavender, and orange to my bucket list. Have never mixed floral with citrus so am curious. Wish we could send scents over the interwebs already!I made some lotion bars today for valentines day to give to my daughter's teacher's and to the ladies at work, they came out perfect
Thank you @Zing for sharing your recipe and giving so much tips here!
I used a heart shaped mold and added a little red mica to the first batch, they came out pink, and used purple for the second batch (ran out of pink and red), cedarwood, lavender and orange EO.
Darling!
Thanks! It’s so easy and also a great way to use my cavity molds and stamps.
I made soap today that I hope will be the soap curls in my entry for this months challenge. It was weird making such a small amount of soap - only 300g of oils. Fingers crossed for tomorrow.
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
That's the way I eat lamp chops too! YUM!
Servant4Christ
Well-Known Member
I am trying to figure out how on earth one of the colors in my soap is somehow raised compared to the other colors. I bet I'll never be able to recreate this effect.
I powdered a pumice stone in my blender today in hopes of trying to make a mechanic soap later this week.
I powdered a pumice stone in my blender today in hopes of trying to make a mechanic soap later this week.
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