What soapy thing have you done today?

[earlene]

Your salt bars are quite lovely, Misschief.

For awhile now I've been thinking I should really put labels on my soaps all at once (or at least a bunch at a time) rather than waiting until I am ready to give them away as gifts. Partly I haven't done that yet was because how I label a soap for my female relatives tends to be much more feminine that the soaps I give to my brothers, for example. Plus how I label soaps has evolved over time. (Not a lot of time, mind you. I've only been making soap for just under a year.) Last Christmas my soaps only said something along the lines of 'Coffee & Cocoa Soap' or 'Kombucha Soap' or 'Carrots & Cream Soap' or whatever easy descriptor I used for the type of soap it was and the date I made the soap. Lately, though I have started listing ingredients because that seems wise. I do not sell soap and don't ever plan to do so because I have no interest in doing so. I am a hobbyist soaper, so I am not worried about all of the labelling requirements for people who sell soap.

Anyway yesterday I finally started that project to label my soaps in a more assembly-line type of fashion (he he, I used to do assembly-line work when I was in my 20's.) I gathered up a couple of types of already cured soaps and brought them downstairs and worked on the wrapping and labeling thereof. For wrapping, I don't generally do a full wrap, although sometimes I do. Mostly I use ribbon or paper bands that I cut myself and hot glue them for closure. I hand write my labels and hot glue them on as well. Both my DIL & my SIL always save the ribbon bands and give them back to me (very much into recycling & ecology minded, they are), so I actually have been known to re-use soap bands. But the last set of soaps I mailed my DIL, other than re-using bands she had saved and given back to me, I used tissue paper and paper bands instead.

I wrapped & labeled slightly less than 3 dozen soaps, but it took most of the day because I tend to take a lot of breaks to do other things in between. It was a good opportunity to evaluate the curing process of some of my soaps, as well.

Soaps wrapped & labeled yesterday:

Castile Soap (still looking great)
Chamomile Flower Soap (very pretty feminine soap)
Lemon Soap (Lemon juice in place of water in lye solution)
Egg Yolk Soap (I love the lather & the feel of this soap; keeping it for myself)
Kombucha Soap (inspired by my SIL, only a few bars left, though)

This morning I put those back and picked out several more to continue the process. So that's my soapy project for today as well.

 

[Guspuppy]

Put my curiously soft salt bar loaf into the oven for a CPOP at noon. (it was poured last night) Going to let it sit at least until 9pm and see what if anything happens there.

 

[nsmar4211]

Got brave and am diluting an entire batch of liquid soap (ok ok its only 18 oz of paste). From the looks of it, this will take a while.

Now am coming up with a label for an odor removing soap...then onto labeling the recently cured batch...and maybe doing some masterbatching of oils. Maybe.

 

[penelopejane]

I hand I wrapped & labeled slightly less than 3 dozen soaps, but it took most of the day because I tend to take a lot of breaks to do other things in between. .

Earlene! Get an excel spreadsheet or word doc, search fonts on the net, and make templates for your labels that you can print out and cut up. It will take a while to set up but soooooo much easier. Simple to change the templates as required or add another one.

You definitely need an ingredient lists if only so they can tell you which one they like!

 

[McMomWV]

Basically, I'm just hanging out waiting to hear is Guspuppy's salt bar is going to make it. (We're rooting for you.)
Made a wall pour batch that did not play nice then made cupcake soaps and forgot to put the cherries on top. Just sitting in their little bowl quietly judging me. Made some orange and oatmeal flowers at my daughters' request and thankfully all went well with that.

 

[lenarenee]

I love the wispy colorful streaks, am so jealous of people who can bring off an attractive bouquet of colors like this! I just look at all my colorants and agonize.

I can relate to that! I think the solution to that is - we need more micas!

 

[Guspuppy]

Basically, I'm just hanging out waiting to hear is Guspuppy's salt bar is going to make it. (We're rooting for you.)

aww, thanks!

 

[SuzieOz]

Today I'm formulating a miscellaneous oil soap. I've got dribs and dabs of a bunch of different oils that need to be used up so I don't have to move them. A lot were initially bought for B&B - so much pricier and in teeny amounts than I would sacrifice to the lye monster. With my luck I'll probably love it best and want to reproduce it... I guess I'll call it an overstuffed facial bar??

1.5% jojoba
1% Evening Primrose
5% Sunflower
1% Sea Buckthorn
6% hemp
2% pumpkin
etc...

Oh I love doing this! I'm an organiser, so using up bits and bobs is intensely satisfying for me. Let us know how it turns out

 

[Guspuppy]

24 hours later the curiously soft salt bar was able to be unmolded and cut. It seems like the salt settled to the bottom but that would be impossible without messing up the color lines since I mixed the salt into the individual color cups before doing the wall pour! So now I'm stumped. Why is it crumbly (just a tad) on the bottom but smooth like lard on top?! Nonetheless I love how it turned out. Unfortunately if this scent doesn't fade I'm going to have to throw them out or give them away because I REALLY can't stand it. I hated it oob, but was hoping it would morph into something nice when put into soap.

 

[dillsandwitch]

Wow Guspuppy they look awesome.

I made a batch of dragons blood and a batch of nag champa today. Eeeerrgth the 2 scents megered together and have stunk up the whole house. Wont be making those 2 in the same day ever again. Also tried anew "true red" mica. It made a nice pink though. May have to do some experimenting with it

 

[earlene]

24 hours later the curiously soft salt bar was able to be unmolded and cut. It seems like the salt settled to the bottom but that would be impossible without messing up the color lines since I mixed the salt into the individual color cups before doing the wall pour! So now I'm stumped. Why is it crumbly (just a tad) on the bottom but smooth like lard on top?! Nonetheless I love how it turned out. Unfortunately if this scent doesn't fade I'm going to have to throw them out or give them away because I REALLY can't stand it. I hated it oob, but was hoping it would morph into something nice when put into soap.

Guspuppy, they are beautiful. Maybe once they are cured and you test them, if you still don't like the scent you could donate them at least.

 

[Arimara]

Got brave and am diluting an entire batch of liquid soap (ok ok its only 18 oz of paste). From the looks of it, this will take a while.

Now am coming up with a label for an odor removing soap...then onto labeling the recently cured batch...and maybe doing some masterbatching of oils. Maybe.

Are you using like 8 oz of oils? Whenever I make liquid soap, I wind up have nigh 2lbs of paste, give or take.

 

[SuzieOz]

Unfortunately if this scent doesn't fade I'm going to have to throw them out or give them away because I REALLY can't stand it.

Don't you dare throw those out Guspuppy - they are way to purty!!

I made a first attempt at the soap challenge, so much fun
My daughter took photos, got excited and has decided she wants to make a celestial/space soap ... today ... and she's never made soap before. Ahem!

 

[TeresaT]

Hmmm, today (yesterday actually) I perused the SFM off and on all day. I continued to clean and unclutter my house. And longingly looked at my soaping supplies wanting to get started on this month's challenge. But I cannot do that until I get my house in order. One more dawn. One more day. One day more...

 

[Guspuppy]

Thanks to everyone who likes my curiously soft salt bars! (I think I'm going to name them that, and make myself a new, unscented batch. )

Guspuppy, they are beautiful. Maybe once they are cured and you test them, if you still don't like the scent you could donate them at least.

I need to remember that donating thing!!

Don't you dare throw those out Guspuppy - they are way to purty!!

I made a first attempt at the soap challenge, so much fun
My daughter took photos, got excited and has decided she wants to make a celestial/space soap ... today ... and she's never made soap before. Ahem!

Nothing like jumping in with both feet! At least she has you to help her....right?? :mrgreen:

I was looking forward to being able to do a challenge this month but am sitting this one out because I absolutely have no 'artistic interpretive' talent. Haha!

 

[penelopejane]

Thanks to everyone who likes my curiously soft salt bars! (I think I'm going to name them that, and make myself a new, unscented batch. )

Guspuppy I made my first salt soap yesterday and had the same problem as you except yours came out much more beautifully!!

I think I didn't take it far enough at trace. The salt didn't accelerate it at all and the salt sort of congregated in the bottom. Next time I'm going to treat it like a normal soap.
Yours looks wonderful. I hope the scent morphs nicely after cure - sometimes after a few weeks it gets better.

 

[nsmar4211]

Are you using like 8 oz of oils? Whenever I make liquid soap, I wind up have nigh 2lbs of paste, give or take.

It was a small test batch yes . Actually that's about half of the batch, the other half was already used in testing.

Teresa: I walk around singing "One Day More" at work on Thursdays and no one gets it....I feel so alone....:mrgreen:

 

[mzimm]

I did nothing at all soapy today, or yesterday for that matter. Mostly I've been having a good old fashioned "choke" ----nervous about giving my challenge soap a go. I found every reason in the book NOT to soap: I don't have the right brown colorant, that soap mold is too small, that soap mold is too big, I don't want to make a regular size loaf that will more than likely be a big fat fail, anyway, someone may come over in the middle of things and I won't be able to finish, the yard needs mowing,the garden needs planting, I can't decide on a fragrance......and the list goes on. I'm a mess! What's the matter with me? I don't care about the competition, I really don't. I just don't want to screw up the beauty that exists in my mind's eye, that's what this is all about.

 

[Navaria]

I did nothing at all soapy today, or yesterday for that matter. Mostly I've been having a good old fashioned "choke" ----nervous about giving my challenge soap a go. I found every reason in the book NOT to soap: I don't have the right brown colorant, that soap mold is too small, that soap mold is too big, I don't want to make a regular size loaf that will more than likely be a big fat fail, anyway, someone may come over in the middle of things and I won't be able to finish, the yard needs mowing,the garden needs planting, I can't decide on a fragrance......and the list goes on. I'm a mess! What's the matter with me? I don't care about the competition, I really don't. I just don't want to screw up the beauty that exists in my mind's eye, that's what this is all about.

We (women in general) are notoriously hard on ourselves. We picture the impossible in our mind's eye and berate ourselves when we fall short. That's why so many women become Bridezillas close to their big day lol. Sometimes, it's practically impossible to live up to our own inflated standards, even when everyone else says we've done beautifully. Rather than "fail", we become immobilized. We come up with 1000 reasons not to do something instead of facing our fears and diving in. But here's the thing. I've seen your soaps. I know you do beautiful work. I cannot see the image you have in your mind. So what you present will look to me like it's supposed to look exactly that way. And I will think it's beautiful. Sometimes, you just have to trust in yourself.

 

[SuzieOz]

I just don't want to screw up the beauty that exists in my mind's eye, that's what this is all about.

I hear you! But ... ^^^ what navaria said ... ^^^ So true - others will see the beauty that DOES exist - even though you think you've fallen short.

And on that note ... I checked my challenge soap this morning - it has cracked on the top and the purple has turned out completely wrong. Never-the-less, the crack I can fix and the soap is going to be quite pretty. Just not what I wanted - the beauty in my mind's eye is certainly not there in my soap.

I'll see it as another opportunity to try again - I'm actually really getting into this challenge thing!