What soapy thing have you done today?

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Wanted to test out my little scent vials from soapalooza...needed my 12 bar mold. 12 bar mold was occupied with pine tar soap from last weeks project. Let's just say a week is not quite enough time in a silicone mold for pine tar soap. Three bars are mushed back together, the rest look ok I guess....another week would've been better but I WANTED MY MOLD.

Soooo anyone thinking of pine tar, don't use your favorite testing mold. /lesson

Remainder of batter after pouring test half bars was colored part paprika and part allspice and darnit I wanted to leave some white! I now have brown and orange soap in seashell molds instead of white orange brown swirly seashells. Well, guess I'll see how it looks-it's unscented so there's always confetti! Now I'm off to make the labels for the test bars so I don't forget who accelerated and who didn't......

Edit: apparently I spilled some fragrance oil on my hands. Those vials are impossible to open. Very glad I got scents that work decent together...I'm on my fifth handwashing and I still smell....
 
I just cut my hot process manuka honey, pumpkin seed oil and palmarosa soap. I hate the scent it's sickly flowery. It's 2.2 pounds batch, half for our friend who going back home in Portland and for ourselves too. I colour it with emerald green mica. ImageUploadedBySoap Making1438368296.826996.jpg sorry isn't beautiful with attractive swirl.
 
not_ally said:
The great thing about our different sniffers is that someone else will love it!
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Yes it's true my husband like the scent but I am not. I just use palmarosa in my essential oil perfume ( rose garden) it's rose otto, geranium, palmarosa, rosewood and Peru balsam
 
Had big plans to make my holiday soaps this weekend for our swap, I was so excited to get my new big bag of coconut oil and sweet almond oil delivered today when UPS decided to bypass my house then report they made an attempt. Liar.

Now I won't get them till Monday. Hope I have enough to make at least a few good batches this weekend.
 
I totally hate my voice. I so do not have any sort of girly pryncessy type voice. I also struggle to keep the southern hillbilly out of it but evidently fail awfully, so if I get time to video, ya'll will get to see and hear my drawly matronly ickiness.

I took a shower with my boyfriend's stock of Egyptian Dragon soap, been taking 2 showers a day because the air is broke at work...... Working... Serving.... In 92 degree heat just isn't the cool thing to do, kids. Lemme tell ya!

I brought them all soap samples I had stashed too, from making one pound loafs of trial FO's some time back. My co workers love the soaps, and that basket full lasted about two minutes.
 
jenneelk said:
Did soap nuts tea... gross gross gross. Smell is awful. Lids been on the pot all day until I decide to deal with it. Sure hope it turns out good and soap is bubbly in the end. LOL
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We people in southern part of India, used to use soap nut tea to wash hair regularly despite the strong off smell. My husband despises it so much that he compares soupy food that tastes aweful to this soap nut tea. It tends to stiffen your hands a bit similar to salt bars. It's also pretty volumizing to hair, gives it a very light airy and squeaky clean feel. Hair ends will need a bit of oil though, otherwise it would make them feel like dry grass.

ETA: I thought I posted about my soapy stuff from today on this thread. I am sure I posted, can't locate it now :(.
 
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As someone else of S. Indian descent (where, it must be said, the women have beautiful hair) stinky smelling stuff can be really good for your hair if you are willing to deal w/it and leave it in. Even the fairly nice smelling ones like coconut still take some soaking time. K, I feel really guilty throwing out the jar of CO w/o wiping the remnants in my hair, I know my mom would think it was a waste :) I cannot even give it to the dogs to lick out, b/c Fred has been getting so roundy. Plus he would be likely to get his head stuck in it and get scared, he is a little bit of a fraidy-cat.

Before it can be said, I am pretty much 'Murican in a lot of the ways that take trouble, my hair is just regular, not beautiful. I am not good at doing the stuff that makes it that way.
 
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not_ally said:
As someone else of S. Indian descent (where, it must be said, the women have beautiful hair) stinky smelling stuff can be really good for your hair if you are willing to deal w/it and leave it in. Even the fairly nice smelling ones like coconut still take some soaking time. K, I feel really guilty throwing out the jar of CO w/o wiping the remnants in my hair, I know my mom would think it was a waste :) I cannot even give it to the dogs to lick out, b/c Fred has been getting so roundy.

Before it can be said, I am pretty much 'Murican in a lot of the ways that take trouble, my hair is just regular, not beautiful. I am not good at doing the stuff that makes it that way.
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Can you believe, my handmade soap did my hair so much good. My previous routine was oil up, shampoo and condition, still needed flat iron when heading out for anything that you would want to put a put together kinda look. Now it's pretty much oil up, wash and work few drops of oil into damp hair. And my hair hasn't been this healthier in the past decade or so.
I'm always working better things into my lifestyle, never left a good one, no matter whether I'm busy or not. I have always cooked from scratch, me and hubby always took box lunches with us. The one most important thing I couldn't incorporate is exercise, I'm very off and on with it. Wish I could make it a habit once and for all.
 
Have to figure out this quote thing, I am being asked for more words ...

Vkumudini said:
Can you believe, my handmade soap did my hair so much good.

Is yours a version of the Genny/Lindy bar? I really have to get on that and do enough versions that I can compare in due time.

The one most important thing I couldn't incorporate is exercise, I'm very off and on with it. Wish I could make it a habit once and for all.

Ah, the Holy Grail of will power. I am 52 and still vaguely dream of running a marathon (even though I sometimes drive 10 blocks, and you know I fibbed about/added a couple) for a quart of milk :)
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My mum is visiting this weekend so I'm teaching her to make soap! Got my latest exam result yesterday which was a fail - I knew it was going to be though so not a shock. I actually scored higher than I expected so not a huge gap in my knowledge to fill.

But soaping with my mum will definitely cheer me up
 
Today's soapy thing was to spend hours working out the tweaks needed to do my first swirl pattern. After much stressing, lots of questions (thanks heaps to all who helped me understand how to adjust for infused oils), and careful planning, I successfully completed my first batch with a swirl pattern :) Pics posted in gallery ... I'm so happy it all went well, especially after the disaster of the other day LOL
 
Yesterday I had two firsts.....color and swirls! This is my 3rd batch of soap. I used the goat milk soap base that a friend taught me to do. First thought is I wish the rosy pink color was darker. I can't unmold it until later today but looking at it this morning it's really light, but you can see the contrast with the beigy (is that a color?) color of the GMS.

As for the swirl...I'm not sure what the technique is called, I'm still learning those, but I layered plain, pink, plain, pink then took a spoon and 'rolled' it from top to bottom the length of the loaf mold. The I did some swirls on top with a wooden skewer.

Lessons learned so far.....Time is of the essence! My trace was a bit thick to start so by the time I added color and scent it was really goopy going into the mold. All-in-all I think I did OK for my first foray into pretty soap. Photos to follow later.
 
Deedles, that is the cool thing, what you end up with sometimes - although not what you planned - is sometimes even nicer. Espec. with trace.

Re your technique, I've seen it called the spoon swirl or the "Celine" swirl, after Celine Blacow ("iamhandmade") who is one of those soapy superstar types, if you want more vids on that you might want to google her/check out her site. Other superstar types who are good for design inspiration - you may already know them - are Zahida Mapp of Handmade in Florida and Emily Shieh, of Soap and Restless.

In addition to being preternaturally good at guessing/knowing what the soap wants to do, they are v. generous about sharing their knowledge, which I think is part of why they *are* superstars, and kind of nice to see.
 
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I am making a shampoo bar, a kitchen test soap, and a couple different test acne bars. Will post pics of everything when I get done. Also I am going to organize my recipes. I have quite a few.
 
After a soapy hiatus of some months (I took a loooong Christmas break, I suppose you could say, lol ), I made a batch of facial soap last night- my first ever attempt at a facial-type soap (I got a special request for one from a friend). I used Genny's shampoo bar recipe, which several people here give high marks for doubling as a facial bar. I scented it with Green Tea & Cucumber (WSP), colored it with just a pinch of Chromium Hydroxide Green, and I also added 1 1/2 teaspoon of arrowroot starch ppo to it. Adding a starch is something I have been wanting to try for awhile now, and I think/hope that maybe perhapsy it could/might be a good thing in a facial bar. Well, we'll find out anyway, won't we? lol


IrishLass :)
 
Unmolded yesterdays batch and made a 100% coconut oil batch. Half as a salt bar with a touch of blue color (so I can tell them apart), half as just a white and peach mix (can't call it swirling). I figure by Christmas these will be perfectly cured :). Started a partial gel so they're under towels and I"m not allowed to peek-which is terrible. Hoping it'll fully gel..... everything is in individual molds.
 

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