What soapy thing have you done today?
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I made sooooooaap 
Of course, it's only batter in a mold at this point .... 
It was a bit nerve-wracking getting it all set out and set up, but once I had it all laid out and started weighing stuff, ScienceGirl kicked in and it was FUN.
Really glad I wrote out everything first, rather than relying on memory. Treated all the batter and things coated with batter like a very dangerous animal. Felt very comfy-confident in my Professional Chemical Splash goggles, but I did have Alien Face when I removed it, LOL! Of course, had long gloves on, too.
Also glad I mixed the lye outside because when I brought it into the kitchen 4 minutes later, I couldn't smell any fumes but I did feel a slight "chemical swoon" for around 5 minutes. Went outside for air twice and turned a fan at the tiny galley kitchen, then i was 'fine' (or i think so, anyway).
I had a single colorant ready, and Plan B was to abandon color if the batter accelerated; but I actually had to stick blend more than I expected, and also did a lot of stirring. It felt like around 5 minutes total to get slightly more than a light trace (I kept going to that point because I didn't want a false trace from my 2 hard oils cooling). Then I split the batter almost 50-50 and colored half. I think I will get one of those tiny stick blenders Brambleberry has for colorants because the mica was more time-consuming to blend into a small amount of the recipe oils than I wished. Lucky my batter was slow, or Plan B would have gone into effect.
I did not take temps, but estimate my materials were at around 110 F. It was such a small batch that there was only 3.52 oz. of water, and man, did that look piddling at the bottom of my lye pitcher! OMG! Lye was 1.73 oz. and dissolved pretty readily. I checked a few times for undissolved lye, but it was fine.
Final Recipe, after Soap Calc tweaks on the fly to remove excess decimal places (assisted by the wonderful Cee @Zany_in_CO -- As a newbie, I wouldn't have known to do this or how):
Castor oil 6.25% for a total of .75 oz
Coconut 76 degree 25% for a total of 3.0 oz.
EV Olive Oil (Greek, Kalamata) 37.5% for a total of 4.5 oz
Organic sustainable Palm oil 30% for a total of 3.75 oz
12 oz of soaping oils, total
.4 oz Sandalwood EO
3.52 oz water
1.73 oz lye
1/4 tsp Emerald Green mica -- should have used more. Was not after the minty look, but that's what i got.
Water as a % of oils worked out to be 29.34%, Iodine 56, INS 155
Pictures 2 posts down and at the top of page 471
Of course, it's only batter in a mold at this point .... It was a bit nerve-wracking getting it all set out and set up, but once I had it all laid out and started weighing stuff, ScienceGirl kicked in and it was FUN.
Really glad I wrote out everything first, rather than relying on memory. Treated all the batter and things coated with batter like a very dangerous animal. Felt very comfy-confident in my Professional Chemical Splash goggles, but I did have Alien Face when I removed it, LOL! Of course, had long gloves on, too.
Also glad I mixed the lye outside because when I brought it into the kitchen 4 minutes later, I couldn't smell any fumes but I did feel a slight "chemical swoon" for around 5 minutes. Went outside for air twice and turned a fan at the tiny galley kitchen, then i was 'fine' (or i think so, anyway).
I had a single colorant ready, and Plan B was to abandon color if the batter accelerated; but I actually had to stick blend more than I expected, and also did a lot of stirring. It felt like around 5 minutes total to get slightly more than a light trace (I kept going to that point because I didn't want a false trace from my 2 hard oils cooling). Then I split the batter almost 50-50 and colored half. I think I will get one of those tiny stick blenders Brambleberry has for colorants because the mica was more time-consuming to blend into a small amount of the recipe oils than I wished. Lucky my batter was slow, or Plan B would have gone into effect.
I did not take temps, but estimate my materials were at around 110 F. It was such a small batch that there was only 3.52 oz. of water, and man, did that look piddling at the bottom of my lye pitcher! OMG! Lye was 1.73 oz. and dissolved pretty readily. I checked a few times for undissolved lye, but it was fine.
Final Recipe, after Soap Calc tweaks on the fly to remove excess decimal places (assisted by the wonderful Cee @Zany_in_CO -- As a newbie, I wouldn't have known to do this or how):
Castor oil 6.25% for a total of .75 oz
Coconut 76 degree 25% for a total of 3.0 oz.
EV Olive Oil (Greek, Kalamata) 37.5% for a total of 4.5 oz
Organic sustainable Palm oil 30% for a total of 3.75 oz
12 oz of soaping oils, total
.4 oz Sandalwood EO
3.52 oz water
1.73 oz lye
1/4 tsp Emerald Green mica -- should have used more. Was not after the minty look, but that's what i got.
Water as a % of oils worked out to be 29.34%, Iodine 56, INS 155
Pictures 2 posts down and at the top of page 471
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Hendejm
Well-Known Member
Wow on the swirls for HP soap!! I’m impressed! I’m afraid to try for fear that the soap will look like turds pressed into a mold!
Woot! Exciting. Looks great!
Love that soap on a rope - did you have to cure it into the soap? The swirl looks awesome too.Shampoo bars on a rope, easy use and easy drying
And my latest swirled soaps, HP
Shaving soap
Thanks. I'm not un-pleased with it, so far. I should get 4 bars of soap from this experiment in my tiny slab mold.
Dean
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Replaced wax paper and skewers with parchment paper on my curing tray as advised by SMFers.
Made a batch of @Zany_in_CO Zea Zoap. Now my stockpile is so big I wont be able to soap for quite awhile. Maybe Ill give a few bars away....
Made a batch of @Zany_in_CO Zea Zoap. Now my stockpile is so big I wont be able to soap for quite awhile. Maybe Ill give a few bars away....
Thanks
I put the rope in with a crochet needle after 3 days , there is a knot at the bottom 
Chris_S
Well-Known Member
Looking very good especially for a first try. When i want to gel i have a set of shelves with one shelf for the leaving of freshly made soap. i put 2 towels that fit all way around the molds underneath then iv been using bubble wrap because i dont like using cling film as its a waste of plastic and bubble wrap iv got about 10 uses out of it i am going to make a wooden lid for each of the loaf molds then i just place 2 more smaller towels on the top so they cover the ends if that makes sense? i could take a photo of this if you want?
As far as a little mixer for the mica a little hand held milk frother is fine thats what iv been using and from what iv read plenty others do too. Personally i find a inferred thermometer invaluable in checking temps but i do also make candles and melts which temps need checking with so it was worth the cost for me. some people dont even take temps though
Thank you! I was going to put a piece of plastic wrap first, and then the towel, but I wasn't sure if the plastic would create some issue like mold, DOS, or some other effect from cutting down on the breathability of the batter?
I looked at a mini-frother yesterday, about $10. Probably cheaper than a tool from BB!
Mold is sitting on my desk, covered with a cotton bath rug. Should I check for gel phase after a certain amount of time? I recall reading that gel phase isn't necessary and doesn't always occur -- is that true? If I look at it tomorrow around 4 p.m. and I see something that looks like gel, I leave it for another day?
Chris_S
Well-Known Member
Thank you! I was going to put a piece of plastic wrap first, and then the towel, but I wasn't sure if the plastic would create some issue like mold, DOS, or some other effect from cutting down on the breathability of the batter?
I looked at a mini-frother yesterday, about $10. Probably cheaper than a tool from BB!
Dont know about brambleberry i know of it but never looked into what they sell because im in England. I got my mini frother for about 3£ from amazon but it was ikea branded so if you have one nearby would be worth a look if they sell em.
Well iv seen people putting card and you can get lids and they wouldnt breathe either the reason im going for wood soon is because iv got some laminate flooring offcuts ill never use and because sometimes iv not wrapped the bubblewrap properly and its sunk into the batter which doesnt really matter except for astetics but i can just trim that at some point if i really want to. Also i have found the bubble wrap unnessicary faffy so a lid should make it easier.
When i wrap mine even when i use just a light trace i can usually unmold in less than 24 hours but ill usually only cut after 48 hours i dont personally check if its gelled but i use the same recipe most the time so i know it should if i treat it the same or thats how its worked for me so far. Only time iv not gelled in the time i have fully understood what it was, was when i made a goats milk one i put a few sheets of paper towel on the shelf and carefully put the mold in the fridge for about 18 hours think i might of put beeswax in that too so was scared it would overheat even left in a warm room and had read warnings and tips that you can fridge it. Think that one started to crack just while i was prepping the fridge and doing a few other jobs.
@Deborah Long , I have long been intrigued by 100% coconut oil -- please update us in 6 weeks! And good job on getting to emulsion! Just a question and no offense intended, but were these micas for cold process soap? I'm just asking because my micas never behave badly -- it's the oxides and other colorants that always surprise me. I too have seen a wood grain swirl and someday hope to try that!!
@mulline , that peppermint is gorgeous! Is that a hanger swirl?! I'm trying to figure out how you did it.Shampoo bars on a rope, easy use and easy drying
And my latest swirled soaps, HP
Shaving soap
I made sooooooaap
It was a bit nerve-wracking getting it all set out and set up, but once I had it all laid out and started weighing stuff, ScienceGirl kicked in and it was FUN.
Really glad I wrote out everything first, rather than relying on memory. Treated all the batter and things coated with batter like a very dangerous animal. Felt very comfy-confident in my Professional Chemical Splash goggles, but I did have Alien Face when I removed it, LOL! Of course, had long gloves on, too.
Also glad I mixed the lye outside because when I brought it into the kitchen 4 minutes later, I couldn't smell any fumes but I did feel a slight "chemical swoon" for around 5 minutes. Went outside for air twice and turned a fan at the tiny galley kitchen, then i was 'fine' (or i think so, anyway).
@Meena , watch out, this is how it all begins....
Way to go, and 2 colors on your first time?! Overachiever! And sandalwood is hands down my favorite but out of my budget -- if you got a good price, let me know your source.
Gelling isn't necessary but gelling makes the colors "pop" and unmold quicker. After pouring into the mold, I lift up a corner of the towel covering the mold every couple of hours and if it feels warm (it can get really warm), then it's gelling. I wait 24 hours and if it's still warm, I keep it covered another night.
I don't know what kind of mold you are using, I have silicone loafs. You can tell if it's ready to unmold if you gently pull the side away from the soap -- if it pulls completely away, it's ready; if there's still a tight seal between soap and mold, wait another 24 hours.
For micas, I've long been fine with just dumping the micas directly into the batter and have never had clumps. I've used other colorants that need to get dispersed in oil first and, just personally, find it too "fussy" so I usually always just use micas or other naturals (like paprika).
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Hendejm
Well-Known Member
I generally wait only about 8 hrs before unmolding. Then I let it sit another few hours and then I cut the loaf. I mostly get full gel even when I don’t want it!
I'm in Canada and only buy from Canadian suppliers (that's the qualifier here). I bought a Sandalwood FO from Candora that I quite like. I also have a little (a very little) of Sandalwood EO left and they're pretty close. The FO is also a lot easier on the pocketbook.
@Meena , the purpose of the plastic wrap is to prevent ash (a white powdery film that is harmless and it's just a cosmetic thing). After pouring, I put plastic wrap on my mold, then cardboard, then towels. I don't get ash.
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