What soapy thing have you done today?

[Iluminameluna]

Soo just check out the supermarket and see what you can get in the way of liquid oils? Not sure what's cheap there, but I guess I'd go for OO if you can get it. That with the Palm, CO and castor is really all you need at a pinch. Can you get avocado oil? That would be nice.

Olive oil, even a cheap Bertolli brand, not evoo but a so-called "plain", is $8/ 4oz (fluid) bottle. That's at the local supermarket where I know they sell legit products. Out at the open markets, the saying goes "they might be selling you cat for rabbit". And not for much cheaper.
If the olive oil is adulterated, would that matter very much?

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Bertolli brand

According to U C Davis, It's one of the reliable brands. Use it.
For more info, google "fake" or "adulterated" olive oil. There's lots of info about it on the web.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Olive oil, even a cheap Bertolli brand, not evoo but a so-called "plain", is $8/ 4oz (fluid) bottle. That's at the local supermarket where I know they sell legit products. Out at the open markets, the saying goes "they might be selling you cat for rabbit". And not for much cheaper.
If the olive oil is adulterated, would that matter very much?

I would rather buy the legit stuff, but wow - that's expensive.

 

[Shelley D]

Binging on soap making YouTube videos to pass time while in bed in pain. Something soothing about people pouring and cutting soaps. I can't be the only one with that guilty pleasure.

You are not! I find it relaxing also! That and it helps further research, like when I'm trying to focus how to do natural oil infusions for soap making. The ending where they make and pour their soup, watching it fill the mold, all that creamy lusciousness is just so dreamy, so sublime!
I hope you are feeling better!

 

[Shelley D]

Olive oil, even a cheap Bertolli brand, not evoo but a so-called "plain", is $8/ 4oz (fluid) bottle. That's at the local supermarket where I know they sell legit products. Out at the open markets, the saying goes "they might be selling you cat for rabbit". And not for much cheaper.
If the olive oil is adulterated, would that matter very much?

For soap making, the general consensus is no, it does not matter much.
Personally, I choose most of my oils for their use as leave-on products for my skin also so I'm more selective about their qualities. As it turns out, my skin doesn't care for olive oil straight from the bottle on my skin, I break out in little pimples everywhere. It does not bother my skin when I use it soap though, even at 80% so I get to use that awesome oil for something!

 

[Iluminameluna]

According to U C Davis, It's one of the reliable brands. Use it.
For more info, google "fake" or "adulterated" olive oil. There's lots of info about it on the web.

I read the original article, way back when, why I "trust" Bertolli here in ES as it's the only brand I know from the States.
There's a Costco-equivalent warehouse but that's a place too far, & too out of my league atm for me to even contemplate. I know they carry the Kirkland brand. I'd've bought that plain olive oil in a heart beat if I could. *sigh"
Thank you, all, my time has run out. I need to start with the making of, or I won't get anything done like last yr. Left everything laid out as I was leaving.
I'll leave my notes on my recipe in case it serves.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Thank you, all, my time has run out. I need to start with the making of, or I won't get anything done like last yr.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[Misschief]

I'm makiing Pine Tar soap this morning. Just waiting for my lye water to cool down a bit. It never ceases to amaze me just how popular this one is. I scent it with Cedarwood and Lavender.

 

[Iluminameluna]

I'm makiing Pine Tar soap this morning. Just waiting for my lye water to cool down a bit. It never ceases to amaze me just how popular this one is. I scent it with Cedarwood and Lavender.

You have inadvertently given me the answer to my silent query! What do I use to improve my cedarwood eo in my CP soap batch that I'm rn in the process of making.
Wow. Serendipitous!

 

[Misschief]

You have inadvertently given me the answer to my silent query! What do I use to improve my cedarwood eo in my CP soap batch that I'm rn in the process of making.
Wow. Serendipitous!

Don't you just love it when things like that happen?

 

[MegaSoap]

Well it's been a million years since I posted here. Haven't been making soap as regularly as I used to, but did have a great couple of sessions yesterday and got 6 batches poured. Mostly for family. Leather Almond (one of my favorite blends), and Patchouli Almond (for myself), Brown Sugar & Fig (Peak's version will always be the best, I get it from Keystone now), and Lavandin Grosso EO. The house smells amazing. Hope everyone is having a great Monday so far.

 

[Blue1969]

Hi All,
I have been kept from my soaping by just too much "other stuff" for too long and am getting ready for a "soap binge" this weekend - can't wait. Will be making 24 honey bars, 400 mini honey bars (for a guesthouse), and a repeat of the rose, peppermint and lavender bars. Hope I get to it all. Off course I will have to include something new otherwise my addicton is not properly fed, hence:
I discovered an amazing smelling chocolate flavour oil in my soap room - any ideas on a design for this?

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

I discovered an amazing smelling chocolate flavour oil in my soap room - any ideas on a design for this?

Chocolate Almond, dark chocolate and white swirled soap. Add chocolate fragrance to the dark chocolate part of the batter and color with Dutch cocoa powder. Add almond fragrance to the white batter and use TD to keep it whiter.

You could make Almond Joy soap by using chocolate, coconut, and almond fragrance oils. Do you have Almond Joy candy bars in South Africa?

 

[Iluminameluna]

My housemate decided to venture out on her day off (she runs her own biz) so I asked her if she'd snag a bottle of olive oil for me. She DID.
That's what it did to my recipe. So I'm about to do something I've never done before, which is to actually divide the lye for the total recipe, into the individual portions of oils because though they're the same oils, I'm wanting them to be separate "flavors": cucumber (w/actual cuke juice) with lemongrass eo; cedarwood and Lavender; lavender by itself; Sambucus; & Dragon's Blood.
I'm pretty good at math, but I've been trying to outrun my stomach for over a week which is why my pace is at molasses speed. So double checking everything to make sure my amounts & numbers are good. Ugh.

 

[dmcgee5034]

I discovered an amazing smelling chocolate flavour oil in my soap room - any ideas on a design for this?

If it’s a flavour oil, it sounds like what I use for lip balm and lip scrub. If it’s lip safe, maybe that?

 

[TheGecko]

Didn’t make any soap, but I finally got around to using the Natural Lip Balm and Cucumber Facial Lotion kits from BB that I bought February.

First the Lip Balm…I wrote BB and told them that they needed to include 50 Tubes, not 40. It was a good thing I had purchased another 10 or I would have had wasted product. I also told to them to recount their tubes and caps as I was short a cap. Overall I think it was a good place to start with lip balm, but I will definitely be changing the recipe for less beeswax as I found it to be too hard. But the Lip Balms are being tested to I wil see what others think.

I enjoyed the simplicity of the lotion kit, but set the jars aside because they were glass (and a bit too small) and I wanted to use plastic for testing purposes. I was greatly surprised when all the women in my office went nuts over it! I’ll need to make a larger test batch and some more jars.

And I ordered some interesting oils to experiment with: Bakchiol, Plum, Apple Seed, Carrot Seed and Watermelon.

 

[Savage Daughter]

Binging on soap making YouTube videos to pass time while in bed in pain. Something soothing about people pouring and cutting soaps. I can't be the only one with that guilty pleasure.

I sometimes fall asleep watching soaping videos especially soapers like Holly, who has a super relaxing voice. Then I move from the sofa to my bed, and the wheels keep turning as to new scents, designs, batches, additives, labels, skin care products....and the list goes on....until I fall asleep again

 

[Savage Daughter]

Last week was another busy one....

Got my laminated product / company display signs finished in terms of graphic design, picked up copies of the final laminated product & dropped them with the stores selling my stuff.

Now designing a small card for each soap which lists each one's highlights ie. essential oil blend / botanical colorants used / luxe additions used / locally sourced ingredients used. Marketing, marketing, marketing!

Delivered orders of body butters. Not soap, but hey....

Got my 2" round labels printed for my larger herbal salve tins, as well as for various round soaps which I do in cavity molds that don't allow for a wrap around or front label.

Poured my hand salves & migraine salves in various sizes, labeled & dropped all of them off to one of my local stores.

Got my brand sign design finalized, then stopped by my local sign shop to check out a sample & to give her the go-ahead to knock several of them out. Picking up this Thursday, then going to be attaching some botanical embellishments around each of them, which suits my brand theme.

Made my first 16 pound batch of goats milk soap this afternoon, the simplest batch so far. Purple Brazilian clay with plain white (kaolin), as well as lavender & rosemary essential oils. It feels so wrong because I'm so used to blending 5-6 essential oils for a scent & using a whack of various botanicals as colorants. Praying nothing overheats or cracks, although I doubt it as I could only use 50% goats milk because I didn't realize I was so low before starting.

While waiting for my lye / goats milk & oils to cool today, labeled more soaps for a new store order.

Mixed a very small batch of oils & lye solution & set aside for tomorrow's soap which I'm using to pipe on top of the goats milk soap once I un-mold it. I decided it was too boring for me with too much purple on top, so want to dress it all up a bit before cutting.

Ordered more goats milk from my local farm for more soaps this weekend, to be picked up this week.

Knocking out another 16 pound batch of goats milk soap this Friday / Saturday 100% plain, which is going to be difficult for me hahaha I may at least have to do a small swirl or a funky, coloured top....just cuz I can't leave well enough alone

 

[Zing]

Always get mad at myself for forgetting about how rice slurry makes the soap go spotty, especially once gelled. I think it cooks the starch or something. Same when I use oat milk. However, as I’ve called this soap ‘Ocean’, I think I can kinda get away with the spots. Let’s just say it’s plankton or algae, lol.
View attachment 74019

Purtee plankton!

 

[Zing]

Have been away for awhile, just tryna keep up with this one thread is a challenge! I generally make at least one batch per month. I've just gotten two orders and shocked myself that my last batch was April 30. I'm behind and gotta get in gear not just for these special orders but for my own supply. Note to self: work/life balance much?