What soapy thing have you done today?

[SPowers]

Thank you! There are four different colorants in these photos, two in each brownie pan. I start with enough batter for twelve and then add more colorant each time I pour some off. I came up with a spreadsheet that accounts for how much colorant is left from the previous round and how much batter is left, and it calculates how many drops to add to get the percentage I am after. The spreadsheet can be used for larger batches too if you know the total oil weight, and the weight and concentration of colorant in whatever you use to disperse it. I’m going to share the spreadsheet, I want to make it a little more user friendly, but others might find it useful.

The thought of doing it makes my head hurt.. thanks for sharing your hard work!

 

[violets2217]

Another total fail at piping.

Hi! Might I recommend Royalty Soaps Frosting Club. For $50 you get a beautiful box filled with goodies. I think I posted a picture of the box when I got it... which includes piping tips (big and small) and everything you’d need to start frosting (4 Mad Mica micas are a bonus) It also comes with a PDF with recipes (I did tweak them a little cause she use vegan recipes and I like my LARD! Plus it seemed like a lot of CO.) and instructions. My favorite was access to an instructional video. My first try wasn’t so bad! I just need to work on my even pressure and spacing. But it was a fun and stress free learning experience! Well worth the $50, I think. One tip she gave was letting batter sit until you move your spatula through it and the frosting stays where you put it with nice peaks when you put the spatula away. Plus no juggle when you shake it!

 

[ResolvableOwl]

Today, I (herewith) suggested @jules92207 to bandage their soap cutter, instead of throwing it away and replacing it by a new one. (-:

 

[Zing]

Not much here but I did receive a Bulk Apothecary order and turned my curing soaps. Someone posted on FB that they were destashing their extensive shoe box collection (?) so I picked up a dozen for soap storage. And Mrs. Zing is making candles! While making a pie no less. She's raided my essential oil shelf.

 

[Lynnz]

I made some Neapolitan soap for valentines day! Each layer is strawberry, vanilla bean, and dark chocolate. I was really nervous about this but it was fun! and turned out pretty great!

I want to eat this looks amazing

 

[Vicki C]

More color testing - rhubarb + turmeric / rose kaolin clay, alkanet and indigo / white clay, a periwinkle ultramarine. The alkanet was a bit strong (obviously) so the secondary colors don’t show up at all. Curious to see how they look after curing. I’ve never used the rhubarb before, what a pretty color, and mixes well with turmeric.

 

[The Park Bench]

Not much here but I did receive a Bulk Apothecary order and turned my curing soaps. Someone posted on FB that they were destashing their extensive shoe box collection (?) so I picked up a dozen for soap storage. And Mrs. Zing is making candles! While making a pie no less. She's raided my essential oil shelf.

Let me know if she has any luck scenting the candles with e.o.'s, I have been told that the molecules in e.o.'s are too large to wick up.

 

[Misschief]

I made a batch of Cucumber Mint soap this afternoon, after having lunch with a friend who ordered $100 worth of product from me as a birthday gift for her mom. It's a good day! Now, what next?

 

[Zing]

More color testing - rhubarb + turmeric / rose kaolin clay, alkanet and indigo / white clay, a periwinkle ultramarine. The alkanet was a bit strong (obviously) so the secondary colors don’t show up at all. Curious to see how they look after curing. I’ve never used the rhubarb before, what a pretty color, and mixes well with turmeric.
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Huge rhubarb fan here but I've only eaten it and never heard of using it in soap! How is it used in soap? It looks nice.

 

[rdc1978]

Huge rhubarb fan here but I've only eaten it and never heard of using it in soap! How is it used in soap? It looks nice.

I have wanted to try some sort of rhubarb dish for a while just because I have no idea what it tastes like. I've never had it and I cannot find a single place in these parts that carries a rhubarb pie. Because I am not particularly good at pie making I don't want to try making it on my own because I'm certain I'd ruin rhubarb for myself and it could be very, very tasty. Oh well, just another thing on my bucket list.

 

[Vicki C]

Huge rhubarb fan here but I've only eaten it and never heard of using it in soap! How is it used in soap? It looks nice.

I saw it somewhere on something I read about using natural colorants (thanks, memory) and then ordered the powdered root online. You make an infusion which turns olive oil bright yellow, and then when you add lye it turns a very pretty rosy orange. In my experimenting I then added increasing amounts of turmeric to that base. The colorant is called turkey rhubarb root - you can get it from many suppliers. Here is the infused oil base, same right after I added lye, and same about a minute later. It ended up more pink than that.

I have wanted to try some sort of rhubarb dish for a while just because I have no idea what it tastes like. I've never had it and I cannot find a single place in these parts that carries a rhubarb pie. Because I am not particularly good at pie making I don't want to try making it on my own because I'm certain I'd ruin rhubarb for myself and it could be very, very tasty. Oh well, just another thing on my bucket list.

It’s very tart, it’s available in spring in New England. It’s not for everybody, my kids called it gagbarb growing up. I love it though.

 

[Misschief]

It’s very tart, it’s available in spring in New England. It’s not for everybody, my kids called it gagbarb growing up. I love it though.

As kids, my mom would give us a stalk of rhubarb and a small bowl of sugar to dip it in. We loved it!! And my mom, who was NOT a good cook, would make rhubarb pies, which turned out remarkably well for someone who never liked cooking or baking.

 

[AliOop]

I love making rhubarb applesauce in the crockpot - so tart-sweet and very yummy.

One does have to be careful because the leaves are highly toxic to humans and animals; only the stalks can be safely eaten.

 

[Wooddy]

We unmolded my lollipop swirl soap this morning. It took both of us to unmold it; I used the core from a roll of engineering paper for my mold and the moisture seeped through and it was impossible to slide it out of the mold this time, even after freezing it for a while. We had to peel the mold away from the soap.

The soap itself was unremarkable, just meh.... but for a first attempt, it's ok. Just ok.

Very pretty looking soap

I made some Neapolitan soap for valentines day! Each layer is strawberry, vanilla bean, and dark chocolate. I was really nervous about this but it was fun! and turned out pretty great!

I love your soap it looks beautiful, could ask what micas you used for your colours it looks beautiful. Does it have a scent

 

[rdc1978]

@Vicki C and @Misschief - I really love sour/sweet stuff so now the idea of a strawberry rhubarb pie sounds really intriguing

But then....just as I thought I might take a risk, I read @AliOop 's post and realized there is a good chance I'd end up poisoning myself. Which, all things considered would make a pretty hilarious obituary. I am, however, going to see right now if Amazon has some sort of rhubarb good that I can try so I get an idea.

Thank you!

 

[Misschief]

@Vicki C and @Misschief - I really love sour/sweet stuff so now the idea of a strawberry rhubarb pie sounds really intriguing

But then....just as I thought I might take a risk, I read @AliOop 's post and realized there is a good chance I'd end up poisoning myself. Which, all things considered would make a pretty hilarious obituary. I am, however, going to see right now if Amazon has some sort of rhubarb good that I can try so I get an idea.

Thank you!

On its own, rhubarb is quite tart which is why it pairs so well with strawberry. It helps that they also share a season. And, yes, the leaves are toxic but the stems are not. That's the good part.

 

[Zing]

I have wanted to try some sort of rhubarb dish for a while just because I have no idea what it tastes like. I've never had it and I cannot find a single place in these parts that carries a rhubarb pie.

*Must. Not. React. Must. Keep. Poker. Face. Can't do it-*
WHADDAYA MEAN YOU'VE NEVER HAD RHUBARB??!! Rhubarb strawberry sauce? Rhubarb strawberry pie? Rhubarb cake? Rhubarb bars? Crisp? Oh, honey, so sorry for you. I tell all my neighbors, don't even ask, just pull all the stalks you want. Seriously, it's a tasty, tangy treat. Like celery in texture, cranberry in taste.

 

[rdc1978]

*Must. Not. React. Must. Keep. Poker. Face. Can't do it-*
WHADDAYA MEAN YOU'VE NEVER HAD RHUBARB??!! Rhubarb strawberry sauce? Rhubarb strawberry pie? Rhubarb cake? Rhubarb bars? Crisp? Oh, honey, so sorry for you. I tell all my neighbors, don't even ask, just pull all the stalks you want. Seriously, it's a tasty, tangy treat. Like celery in texture, cranberry in taste.

LOL, after reading this post I feel pretty sorry for myself! there was a time when I tried like every diner, every pie shop, every smaller looking place that seemed like they might have something special like that, but I couldn't find it anywhere. Now I'm on a pandemic mission to get myself some rhubarb!

 

[GemstonePony]

Today's adventures in soap dough- yesterday's rebatch had too much water and needed to dry out. Yesterday's soap dough was simply too soft and also needs to dry out. After much squishing, squashing, leaving to dry, putting them in the oven, and letting them dry some more, they're still a bit sticky. But, I pulled out my extruder, and extruded the dough into fine noodles. This is to help break up any chunks I may have missed and to help them dry faster. I've also corrected some of the shades with micas and with adding TD, which I'm pleased has worked rather well. So, hopefully tomorrow I can finally make the embeds and finish these two soaps.
Meanwhile, noodles anyone?

 

[Sudds]

Pretty soap! I often forget to swirl the inside till after I have swirled the top. Makes me so annoyed! A few times I have successfully put the hanger tool gingerly down one side and managed to get in a little inside swirl anyway. Mostly I just leave it and call it good.

I like the top, it reminds me of tutti-fruity!