What soapy thing have you done today?

[Zing]

I started my day when my good bud texted me "Hey, I mean to text you every morning after I get out of the shower to tell you how much I love your soaps" and then called me a soap making master! He's half a world away in Hawai'i and I wish we were closer geographically but that text just made my day. It was he himself that inspired me one Christmas with his gift of homemade CP soap. That project ended up on my bucket list for prolly a good 25 years before I got around to making it!

Also, a shout out if the professional soap maker "BMS" from Minneapolis, MN, USA, is on here! Once again you donated your ends and pieces simply but elegantly packaged to my food pantry and it caused quite the stir among staff and volunteers! You always sneak your donation in and in 2 years I have yet to meat you face to face! 'Preciate it!!

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

Does it smell rancid? It looks melted and half rehardened to me.

I didn't buy it' just took a snapshot in store. I did have a slight hue of yellowish to it as well.

 

[MellonFriend]

Made my first lotion bars today (I know, not soap). I think it went pretty well. Remains to be seen how they perform.

 

[Zing]

Made my first lotion bars today (I know, not soap). I think it went pretty well. Remains to be seen how they perform.View attachment 63108

Good for you! I love the simplicity and the no curing time!

 

[linne1gi]

So how much coffee grounds do you put in your soap? I was using the same measurement as I do for oatmeal and its kinda rough on the skin.

So my idea of “blitzing” my coffee grounds was a good one. The soap is really nice, exfoliating but not scratchy.

 

[SoapDaddy70]

So my idea of “blitzing” my coffee grounds was a good one. The soap is really nice, exfoliating but not scratchy.

Yea. I used spent coffee grounds from when I make French Press coffee. Sad to say the grounds were too big and its way past exfoliating and almost too scratchy to use. Next time I will grind much finer and use way less grounds in the batter. Sucks because the smell was so good (Caramel Coffee FO from Nurture). Lesson learned.

 

[ResolvableOwl]

Just a random reminder why it is good practice, when dealing with palm oil, to either melt up the whole batch every time, or pre-measure it in ready-to-use portions (or go for no-stir palm):

This is what two months of rather constant (kitchen) room temperature do to red palm oil. I had melted it all up to a clear liquid after I got it (and distributed it over several small jars). Since then, these light-coloured globules of stearin crystals have formed everywhere, the creamy texture has become more gritty, and the contracting fat crystals have left behind caves that are filled with clear, deep red coloured olein.

It's more visible in red palm oil than with bleached RBD palm oil, but the same things (fractionation) are happening in all semisolid oils – the more variable the temperature is, the faster.

 

[MellonFriend]

Good for you! I love the simplicity and the no curing time!

No cure is amazing! It felt so strange to be able to pop them out the minute they hardened and use them right away. I felt like I was living on the edge with no zap test.

 

[kirsten.]

Hey soapy gang! I've been doing so much soap adjacent stuff this week I have to share. I've popped into the forums thinking of asking several questions but searching instead found me all the answers. Not very social, but so helpful.

It all started with a sugar cookie whipped body butter. SO MUCH BUTTER! The recipe I used made five 250ml jars . And I don't love it. It's very greasy. So I went down a rabbit hole figuring out what to do with aaaallll this butter. It's a mix of cocoa butter, shea and sweet almond oil with vanilla seeds, sweet orange, bitter almond and a teensy bit of cinnamon.

So far: hot cocoa foaming bath bombs, gingerbread sugar scrub, sugar cookie lotion, and some chai tea fizzy bath salts. Today I need to make some cute labels and package them up for work- friends.

 

[lesavonvert]

Just cutted my coffee and chocolate soap made with goat milk olive oil infused with grounded coffee beans unrefined cacao butter and mango butter coffee fragance and some other oils It was my first time trying soap dough embeds it was fun to make but took some times

 

[Zing]

Just cutted my coffee and chocolate soap made with goat milk olive oil infused with grounded coffee beans unrefined cacao butter and mango butter coffee fragance and some other oils It was my first time trying soap dough embeds it was fun to make but took some times

Mmm, I want to eat that!

 

[Ugeauxgirl]

Thank you! That's very kind of you

I think I've done the zap test only 3-4x since I started soaping lol, and haven't for quite a while. I'd rather make sure all my ingredients and measurements are fine before I start so I know that my soap would not have excess lye by the time I remove it from the mold, bar other factors.

I also learned early on, c/o the lovely people in this forum, that saponification continues in the mold (I figure as long as that soap is hot, it's doing its thing lol) so yes, I do stop the cook as soon as I see a bit of translucency. I soap on high, so the heat just keeps cooking the soap even when the cooker is off and sometimes the transition from full vaseline to slightly overcooked takes just seconds and by then it's too late to pour, let alone attempt wispy swirls or proper layers or even multiple colors. That happened quite a lot when I was new lol

Thank you so much @Dawni ! I tried cooking it just a little less and got the most fluid batch I've ever done. Tried it again- it worked! Hallelujah! Here's a hug from across the world!

 

[AAShillito]

Yea. I used spent coffee grounds from when I make French Press coffee. Sad to say the grounds were too big and its way past exfoliating and almost too scratchy to use. Next time I will grind much finer and use way less grounds in the batter. Sucks because the smell was so good (Caramel Coffee FO from Nurture). Lesson learned.

can u grate it up and use it in a new batch of coffee soap? ( coffee confetti?)

 

[violets2217]

know you are thinking to just put it in molds, but I always get so much ash on individual mold "extra" pours even if I cpop with the rest of the loaf, that I usually throw them away. So I'm probably gonna skip the extra step of pouring into cavity molds and just throw away the extra batter...it's unscented anyway, except for a small bit.

I dooo tooo!!!! I hate it! The ash is so horrendous with individual molds for me! What I've been doing is pouring them as full as I can, if I remember...spray them with alcohol and then cover tightly with plastic wrap. I then proceed to forget about them and find them a couple weeks later and unmold perfect little bars of soap. Hard bars with no ash!

Sorry, didn't read on past your post! What @Zing said!!!

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

Just cutted my coffee and chocolate soap made with goat milk olive oil infused with grounded coffee beans unrefined cacao butter and mango butter coffee fragance and some other oils It was my first time trying soap dough embeds it was fun to make but took some times

Awww love your soap'

 

[lesavonvert]

I just poured 10 lb of bear grease lye soap. It traced nicely and can't wait to see how it is set in the morning. This will be given to our 19th Century reenactment group and living history friends.

I would love to try that soap my grand mother used a bear grease cream on her face and her skin was verry nice

 

[Zing]

I made my second batch of my new obsession, lip balms! For those who missed the memo, the silicone measuring cups are a breeze to clean up recipes with beeswax.

Got my soapy laugh of the day, too! I've talked before here about my beloved brother-in-law. Great guy but very unlike me in many ways, it took us years to get close. His normal outfit is a threadbare baseball cap held together with dirt, tank top, and gym shorts. I am not judging at all but just want to paint a picture that you would not put "BIL" and "pamper" together. But he's totally into my hobby! He's given very specific feedback on my mechanic's soap and lotion bars. Tonight he asked for a non-moisturizing soap (I know, I know!) labeled "FACE" and a moisturizing soap (I know, I know!) labeled...wait for it..."BUTT." Hit me up if you know where to get some, um, inappropriate molds....

 

[gww]

Zing
I never use lip balm, I am more like your brother in law in dress. However, I do have the bees and the wax and I do need to try and remember where to look for your recipe cause who knows. I like using things that I have for something that I can pretend is productive. I have not found a use for wax yet that makes it worth it to me. I have given small amounts to my kids but do not think they followed through either. I am glad you are happy with it and that may be what moves me to try, maybe.
Cheers
gww

 

[violets2217]

I made my second batch of my new obsession, lip balms! For those who missed the memo, the silicone measuring cups are a breeze to clean up recipes with beeswax.

Got my soapy laugh of the day, too! I've talked before here about my beloved brother-in-law. Great guy but very unlike me in many ways, it took us years to get close. His normal outfit is a threadbare baseball cap held together with dirt, tank top, and gym shorts. I am not judging at all but just want to paint a picture that you would not put "BIL" and "pamper" together. But he's totally into my hobby! He's given very specific feedback on my mechanic's soap and lotion bars. Tonight he asked for a non-moisturizing soap (I know, I know!) labeled "FACE" and a moisturizing soap (I know, I know!) labeled...wait for it..."BUTT." Hit me up if you know where to get some, um, inappropriate molds....

sooo... bored at work and well if you if you search "silicone butt molds" on Etsy there are many to choose from! I guess it is a thing!

 

[pinpointpete]

Curing three different formulas, testing the first two. Have a few more weeks on batch 3 before testing.