I just Googled bull kelp hadn't thought to Google an article title!I tried googling lady hauls kelp out of the sea and got a hit for a lady named “The seaweed lady”. Very educational on bull kelp.
I just Googled bull kelp hadn't thought to Google an article title!I tried googling lady hauls kelp out of the sea and got a hit for a lady named “The seaweed lady”. Very educational on bull kelp.
It was my most intimidating swirl yet. Honestly, it does require some patience if you want the colors to slowly get lighter or darker. I’m gonna aim for more swirls next time. I was a little afraid everything would blend together.Nice! i haven’t yet garnered the patience to try that one. I love your colors!
I love making huge batches, and hate that my custom mold has languished for months as I got back to basics. I got 40 bars out of it, the last time I used it! Partly my frustration is that prep and cleanup on a small batch is just as much work as for a big batch. I think I'm nearing the time to break it out again; possibly a 40-bar batch of lard soap? Just have to settle on the color and scent...Now that I'm finally done, I'm wondering how much longer it may take to unmold this Goliath. And not sure how I'll cut it with my 12-bar cutter! It never occurred to me how different sizing up just a bit would feel!
I bet that smells divine! And I'm sure she will love it!My granddaughter Winter requested a peppermint soap so I made a batch of 50/50 peppermint and spearmint. Color is HO sunflower oil infused for a month+ with madder root powder. This is the first time I’ve used the powder, and so far, so good! First pic is freshly poured, second pic is after gel. I’m calling it ‘Wintermint’ in her honor.
That soap looks so lovely. I love single color soaps too.Today's soapy things:
~ Made a batch of soap using the still-warm MB oils and still-warm MB lye solution. I knew it would move fast, so it is a one-color batch, scented with lavender and lemon/litsea. The colorant looked horrible in the mold, kind of brickish-reddish-brownish. I just peeked at it gelling on the heating pad, and it's lavender in the center, and pink on the ungelled edges. So I guess there's hope.
My granddaughter Winter requested a peppermint soap so I made a batch of 50/50 peppermint and spearmint. Color is HO sunflower oil infused for a month+ with madder root powder. This is the first time I’ve used the powder, and so far, so good! First pic is freshly poured, second pic is after gel. I’m calling it ‘Wintermint’ in her honor.
I honestly don’t remember how much powder I used in the infusion and I don’t have my notes handy, but I used 32 oz of HOSO for it. I used almost all of the oil in my batch of soap, pouring it out slowly to avoid any of the powder ending up in the finished product. I’m interested to see what the final color will look like!That soap looks so lovely. I love single color soaps too.
How much madder root did you use?
Oopsie! Here's what EO CALC has to say about that blend.I made a batch of 50/50 peppermint and spearmint.
Lowering SF can help, but DOS can happen regardless due to contamination, whether that is from using tap water that has minerals in it, from contact with metals other than stainless steel, from exposure to sunshine, and sometimes, from being cured on paper or cardboard that contains an ingredient that triggers rancidity.I haven't made anything recently, but looks like I need to. I realized yesterday that I have DOS forming on soap that's been curing for a meer 5 weeks! I had intended them as holiday gifts and now I don't dare, even with the DOS only being on less than half the bars (it's a 5lb batch.) I didn't know DOS could even happen in soap that has no SF! It's a batch of my tried and true ZNSB that I've been making for over a year now, so I'm in absolute shock.
Wait, what? I do not use spearmint that often but I do not remember seeing such small amounts in the red zone. That really surprised me. I just tried calculating a blend with 10% spearmint, 1000 g, and it returned a safe rate of 1-2 g max!Oopsie! Here's what EO CALC has to say about that blend.
"If all of the listed usage rates below have a green background, you are good to go! However, usage rates that exceed the maximum recommended safe usage limit for Cold Process Soap (Category 9) in accordance with the IFRA Standards are marked with a red background. If you wish to use that scent strength, you will need to reduce the amount of the marked restricted essential oil(s) in the blend until the calculator returns a green usage rate."
I entered: 50% Peppermint, 50% Spearmint in 30 oz. Oils CP:
View attachment 75403
Calculate Usage Rate - EO Calc - Essential Oil Calculator
0 sf. Curing on cardboard. Has aloe in the ingredients. Some of the soap did come in contact with the wood mold because it managed to seep past the freezer paper that I lined with. Other than that, not a clue.Lowering SF can help, but DOS can happen regardless due to contamination, whether that is from using tap water that has minerals in it, from contact with metals other than stainless steel, from exposure to sunshine, and sometimes, from being cured on paper or cardboard that contains an ingredient that triggers rancidity.
I'm giving a lot of thought to moving away from OO perm after I use up the gallons I have on hand now...I'm out of olive oil ( have been for quite a while). Trying to figure out if I am going to try a different oil ( make a new recipe) or just buy more OO. I used to buy two jugs of it every week without thinking about the cost. Now I tell myself no! So other than organizing my soaping supplies, and filling up my online carts, I haven't been making soap.
I just went through this, and had six times the safe amount in my soap. I'm going to let it cure for six months, and if it's aggressive at that point i'll chop it into slivers and rebatch it.Wait, what? I do not use spearmint that often but I do not remember seeing such small amounts in the red zone. That really surprised me. I just tried calculating a blend with 10% spearmint, 1000 g, and it returned a safe rate of 1-2 g max!
HI Blue! I may be the only one who noticed this but , wow! You get daily loving?? No wonder you had no time to make soapHi all!
Haven't been here for a while - the activities of daily loving took over and curbed my enthusiasm to make soap. However, went on a binge the last 2 weeks to replenish stock on the basics and try some new things. Hopefully I will soon get around to posting some pics.
Have just had an enquiry regarding macadamia oil. What is the highest percentage of macadamia oil that can be used in a soap to still have a nice bar that foams and hardens?
Was that the movie where the American buys/inherits an old house in the south island and then falls in love with the builder? Love that movie. Cant remember its name. But nah - i live in the north island so I wasn't called in to appear in that movie.Only had to work half day today! Made a batch of soap especially for pouring into cavity molds in Christmas shapes for a special order that came in last night and am packaging other items. I have on Hallmark type holiday movies for background and they just roll to the next one. Well, this one comes on and it’s set in New Zealand so of course I exclaim “maybe @KiwiMoose will be in this” - lol, because surely you must be as the Official Soaper of NZ….
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