What soapy thing have you done today?

[Dawni]

A year?!? I have to wait a year? Do you have any idea how many salt bars will likely be in my house one year from now They were too much fun to make!

Haha if you search a bit that's how long everyone says it takes for it to get really awesome. There's a few lather pics about too. I kept the tiniest pieces out for testing but hid the big nice ones hehehe. No one says you can't use em early.. Only that they won't be at their best.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I'm curious: Do you use EO or FO for this soap?

I'm curious too. ???

This is really intriguing! How long do you soak the rice? Is there a certain kind of rice you use?

Not Dawni but when I make rice water for soap, I toss some rice in a pan with enough water to make the soap and boil it like you would for a risotto until the water becomes milky. I strain the rice and chill the water overnight for soaping the next day. I think it gives a silky feel to the soap that is quite nice plus the starch adds bubbles.

 

[Dawni]

Not Dawni but when I make rice water for soap, I toss some rice in a pan with enough water to make the soap and boil it like you would for a risotto until the water becomes milky. I strain the rice and chill the water overnight for soaping the next day. I think it gives a silky feel to the soap that is quite nice plus the starch adds bubbles.

And if my non scientific tests confirm my theory.. It also adds to hardness and longevity. None of my other soaps beat my rice soap on these two factors.

 

[MGM]

No one says you can't use em early.. Only that they won't be at their best.

I felt like using mine right after making them because they were already so hard!! (The grey ones; the peachy one is a rice soap)

 

[Lefty]

I've been working on some soapstones,
View attachment 41263
with pumice
View attachment 41264
maybe I should call them polishing stones?

Ooh, I love these!

 

[Dawni]

I felt like using mine right after making them because they were already so hard!! (The grey ones; the peachy one is a rice soap)

I also started using a small piece to wash hands... It is hard but too drying still. It's also got good lather already but I'm still keeping the rest away for a while hehe

The rice soap looks good

Actually, they all do lol

 

[Lefty]

Having a five-day Labor Day weekend holiday meant lots of soap work got done! I love being able to work on the business in a big chunk like that since its usually just nights and weekends due to my full-time job!

• Added sparkly micas in gold and silver to the tops of the Christmas tree soap cupcakes I'd already made. My 8-year-old niece helped me spray the tops with rubbing alcohol while I sprinkled the mica. She loves being my helper, but I only let her help with the parts that don't involve lye!

• Made some small melt and pour soaps with my niece using a kit I gave her for Christmas.

• Photographed a few different soaps for social media/online store

• Made 50 of the custom boxes I create to package my soap

• Boxed up and labeled about 40 bars of soap for fall shows

• Did some social media posting and scheduling

• Sent out my September newsletter

• Added my Christmas Tree Soaps to my online store (can never start too early!)

• Made a batch of Candy Cane soap, but I was rushing it so what are usually nice straight lines turned into an impromptu swirl design when I kept breaking through the layers....I need to be more patient! I'm planning a second batch of the same kind and will be sure to take my time and slow down!

• And, as always, washing the never ending pile of soap dishes

I also bought some cute pumpkin molds last year when they were on sale and am trying to figure out what I can do with them to bring to fall shows. Embeds in larger bars, travel/guest soaps, lotion bars....I can't decide!

 

[MGM]

The rice soap looks good

Actually, they all do lol

I'll post an update photo of the peach soap...let's just say that August has been a study in discolouring FO's.....

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

I'll post an update photo of the peach soap...let's just say that August has been a study in discolouring FO's.....

I made a soap once with a discoloring FO--I swirled it with the FO, after a couple weeks it was fun watching the swirls appear

 

[Kari Howie]

I can't remember where I left off, so apologies if I repeat myself (truly if you could see my life right now you would wonder how I manage to remember to put pants on...)
I made my batch of Nag Champa. I used BCN's vanilla stabilizer at 1.5:1 stabilizer to FO ratio. Last time I made Nag Champa with the VS at 1:1 and it still had some darkening, so I wanted to see if a slight increase would keep the bright colors. It did, but unfortunately the really chemically smell of the VS is also there. Crossing my fingers it will cure out.
I made a test batch of shampoo bars using SCI noodles. Not sure I like the recipe after washing my hair, but I'll give it a few days.
I made two batches of bubble bars, but one batch broke when I was unmolding. I smooshed it into a bag, so I'm hoping I'll be able to remold it tonight.

I want to make a eucalyptus rain soap, but I'm not sure I have enough MB - I have a partial bucket each of two different recipes that might add up to enough oils, I've just been too lazy to figure out how much of each I have and plug it into the calculator. Otherwise the next soapy project is making a small batch of cupcakes... but I haven't recovered from my last batch failing yet. And I need to buy piping bags. [that's my story and I'm sticking to it].

I do need to run to Walmart to pick up a new crockpot as my old one failed a routine gravity check. (read: I accidentally knocked it off the table and it shattered on my concrete floor.) I need to make another batch of mechanic's scrub soap (basically I rebatch my soap bevel scraps and add pumice) as this last batch sold really well. People liked the orange scent in it better than the unscented. Sigh. I'll probably have to pick up some piping bags then too.

Gravity check! I like that one!

 

[MGM]

I made a soap once with a discoloring FO--I swirled it with the FO, after a couple weeks it was fun watching the swirls appear

Just once?? Gawd, I feel like I do it once a day....sometimes knowing it will discolour and planning for it (or, thinking I've planned), and sometimes quite by surprise.
Let me get my pix together and I'll start a Discoloration Gallery....

 

[amd]

Hubby said I can have the unused crockpot from the kitchen, so I will be running that through a solid scrubbing and the sanitize cycle on the dishwasher tonight. I did end up at WalMart anyways so I bought piping bags. And now I have decided not to do soap cupcakes after all...
Tonight I'll be hopefully making the eucalyptus rain soap after I clean up the lab, I left it in a mess after bubble bar making this weekend. Then I will probably need to do soap dishes and MB oils. Life should be settling down a bit in the next week so I can focus on things that need to be done (like the 100 lip balms I need to make).

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

Just once??

only once with swirls--I just put the discoloring FO in the soap I was swirling--it all looked like the base until it didn't haha. I use some in the base of the soap and swirl with soap with out the FO in it.

 

[MGM]

only once with swirls--I just put the discoloring FO in the soap I was swirling--it all looked like the base until it didn't haha. I use some in the base of the soap and swirl with soap with out the FO in it.

Oh yes that makes sense. I've done that too, except for maybe the swirls ended up being lumps or layers. But yes, totally what you said!

 

[amd]

Feeling quite successful already today. Went home for lunch today. I managed to eat, clean the soap lab, weigh out my remaining MB and adjust two recipes. Hopefully I will be making two soaps tonight.

 

[runnerchicki]

I felt like using mine right after making them because they were already so hard!! (The grey ones; the peachy one is a rice soap)

These all look amazing. I love my rice soaps. I’ll test the salt bars in a few months - but I’m patient enough to wait.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I've been working on some soapstones,
View attachment 41263
with pumice
View attachment 41264
maybe I should call them polishing stones?

Those are great!

A year?!? I have to wait a year? Do you have any idea how many salt bars will likely be in my house one year from now They were too much fun to make!

A trial cube from my first batch of salt bars is not bad even though it’s only 10 weeks old.

I managed to take a photo of the rustic chocolate stout soap I made for my son. Was adding ground oats to the soap a bad idea? I hope they hold up without going moldy!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Was adding ground oats to the soap a bad idea?

Nope. Depending on how much you added, it may be a little uber scratchy tho. I use Bob's Red Mill Oat Flour for the soothing effect of oats without the scratchy. Altho, guys seem to like the exfoliation they get from a little bit scratchy bar.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Nope. Depending on how much you added, it may be a little uber scratchy tho. I use Bob's Red Mill Oat Flour for the soothing effect of oats without the scratchy. Altho, guys seem to like the exfoliation they get from a little bit scratchy bar.

I tried a little piece and it seems fine. It’s very bubbly! If that’s what stout will do in soap, I’m impressed.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I tried a little piece and it seems fine. It’s very bubbly! If that’s what stout will do in soap, I’m impressed.

Yes! Cool, eh?