What soapy thing have you done today?

[FlybyStardancer]

We have notoriously ornery plumbing in my house. I live hillside below street level, which causes all kinds of meanness for plumbing. Several years ago I cut down my superfat to 1-3% and I never throw my wash water down the sink when I wash my soaping buckets and utensils. Even my hubby agrees that it has helped.

The draining for the house in general is fine, it's just this one singular drain that's a pain in the rear.

I also have sensitive skin that needs a higher superfat, so keeping the sf low is a no-go for me. (That superlye castile is an exception, but I don't use it all the time.)

 

[cmzaha]

The draining for the house in general is fine, it's just this one singular drain that's a pain in the rear.

I also have sensitive skin that needs a higher superfat, so keeping the sf low is a no-go for me. (That superlye castile is an exception, but I don't use it all the time.)

The trick is balancing the coconut oil. You would be surprised to find a low superfat balanced correctly does not strip the skin. I have severe allergic eczema and dry skin 60+ skin and it is not drying.

 

[Dorymae]

The draining for the house in general is fine, it's just this one singular drain that's a pain in the rear.

I also have sensitive skin that needs a higher superfat, so keeping the sf low is a no-go for me. (That superlye castile is an exception, but I don't use it all the time.)

You know, lye doesn't only make soap. It is used to clear drains of soap build up clogs as well. I bet you have some too.

 

[kchaystack]

Once I got my lye foobar under control I tried my hand at a Celine swirl.

This looks like it is working much better.

 

[DeeAnna]

I took the challenge offered by Boyago and "boiled" and "salted out" 1000 grams of soap scraps. I am here to say I also survived the process!

 

[kchaystack]

and here is the soap cut... I need a good name....

 

[rogue]

Cut my "conditioning" shampoo bars this morning. They strangely look a little like glycerine soap. Wonder if it's the unsaps in the jojoba. I haven't used it that much in soap, just lotions/bars

 

[honeysuds]

Went from "not planning to make soap any time soon" with the idea being to use down the ridiculous stash I have, to writing a list of 8 different batches complete with sketches & color schemes. Blaming my friend for the inspiration lol.

 

[jules92207]

Was completely uninspired to make soap this week but did manage to make a salt bar in a loaf mold, unmold, and cut without a braided wire finally. Only took an hour and a half to set up. Pretty happy I finally accomplished that.

Scented with ocean rain and sea moss fragrances from BB. Colored with the beautiful blue shimmer mica newbie sent with our swaps and apple green from nurture.

 

[FlybyStardancer]

I unmolded/cut the last batch of soap I made. It smells soooo good... lol I'm also making a batch of soap amongst the other ten thousand things I'm doing... Heh.

I'm doing a beer soap tonight. I had bought a single can of beer a week or two ago (polling my friends on which of the single-can beers in the store they thought would be better used for soaping rather than drinking, lol). Can boasted of being 25fl oz. I simmered it down to 9 oz. Measured out enough beer syrup for about half my water, poured the rest into a icecube tray and stuck in the freezer.

I also learned that beer syrup, milk powder, citric acid, and sodium lactate make a curdled mess when mixed together. lol It kind of looks like soap batter when it rices. XD I took a picture, but I haven't uploaded it from my camera yet.

ETA: Pictures! I took a picture of my lovely beer syrup (I ended up going with Bud, for the curious), the syrup+milk powder (basic fat free bovine milk they sell in the stores around here)+citric acid+sodium lactate, and the freshly poured soap. The mold is the Crafter's Choice log mold from WSP, and my first time using it. I greased it up with some mineral oil before sealing it together just to help with the release. The last time I used a Crafter's Choice mold (the one and only time I"ve used the rectangular loaf mold I bought), the soap really stuck in the corners. I'm being a little bit daring and seeing if the soap will gel... I soaped room temp, and I'm leaving it out with a fan on it because it has a LOT of stuff to heat it up (beer, milk, citric acid that was not pre-reacted with the lye...). On the other hand, I've had all of two soaps gel on me before.

 

[Ruthie]

We have a snow day today. Most of my "soaping" time lately has been spent packaging and labeling, but I got all those delivered last weekend. Today I get to MAKE soap! Yea!! I've been inspired to try litsea and sweet orange anchored with clay. But when I made my last order I forgot to get more clay, so all I have is bentonite. It will have to do. Also today I should be able to finally cut my shampoo bar that I made with too much water. It has been waiting for 2 weeks, or is it 3? The rest of the day needs to be spent catching up on school work (I HATE paperwork!) before my eval on Friday. But MAYBE we'll get another snow day tomorrow!

 

[SweetBubbleTreat]

I made shealoe butter for my sugar scrubs!!!

 

[cmzaha]

My lavender from Camden came yesterday so of course today I had to soap lavender. I did a batch of lavender, rosemary & fir needle and a batch of Lavender and Litsea. Both smell wonderful. I love Camden Grey's packaging, my 5 lbs came in a cute litte tote. I have been very pleased with their 40/42 lavender

 

[FlybyStardancer]

Just made a natural-colored castile soap (colored with infusions of annatto, alkanet, and madder, and also one color from WSP's sea clay). I totally misjudged how much the infused oils would thin out the trace I achieved in the main pot... We'll see how/if the soap comes out... I bedded it down and won't even peek until tomorrow night. Probably won't be unmolding for days even with the steep water discount (just shy of 40% lye solution) and SL... I also added my lye water while it was still pretty hot (a bit above 150F), and I added tablespoon of milk powder mixed with a little water (water from that taken account with the lye solution number)... We'll see if it ends up gelling. It seemed to be cooling when I last checked, before going to bed.

 

[maya]

Flybystardancer, I don't understand, did you sf with the infused oils? CMZaha, I love lavender, I love everything about lavender, the buds, the green stems, the variety, the scent, the benefits, everything.

I wrapped flower cupcake shaped soaps yesterday. I did the prototype and then wrapped a few. It took FOR. EVER. I might move to the cupcake sleeves for the flower soaps.

 

[Saponista]

Rebatching a load of soap scraps to make gardeners soap for the old boys at my allotment, they love it! And if I bring them nice things they help me out with my woeful gardening skills. I will add some coffee grounds and fresh brewed coffee and rescent with rosemary and patchouli.

 

[FlybyStardancer]

Maya- I had my infused oils measured out in the containers I pour from for color work (small long-spouted watering cans I got in the dollar section from Target last year). The I colored soap batter was then poured in and mixed with the oils. It's not superfatting, because I'm doing cp and can't pick an oil to superfat.

 

[FlybyStardancer]

So I uncovered and visually checked my castile about 20 hrs after making it. It seems it overheated a touch because the top is a bit alien brains-y. lol Good thing it's a column mold! And at the time I checked it with my IR thermometer and it was still just over 80! The room temp at the time was 69, and the mold was still noticeably warm to the touch (though barely). SO COOL. I can't wait until it's ready to cut.... I'm so anxious to see if the colorwork came out, or if it just blurred into an ugly mess. XD

 

[cmzaha]

Maya- I had my infused oils measured out in the containers I pour from for color work (small long-spouted watering cans I got in the dollar section from Target last year). The I colored soap batter was then poured in and mixed with the oils. It's not superfatting, because I'm doing cp and can't pick an oil to superfat.

I just got home from market and am a little tired so maybe I am reading this wrong. If you are using additional oils even for color it is actually superfatting. Superfatting is not just picking a certain oil. If you removed the oil you infused your colors with from your oils in the soap batch then it would not be superfatting

 

[FlybyStardancer]

I just got home from market and am a little tired so maybe I am reading this wrong. If you are using additional oils even for color it is actually superfatting. Superfatting is not just picking a certain oil. If you removed the oil you infused your colors with from your oils in the soap batch then it would not be superfatting

They aren't ADDITIONAL, though. I included their weight when I ran my oil amount through the soap calculator.