What's your next soap experiment?

[cursivearts]

This past week I've made that super dark coffee soap, and last night I made my first beer soap (I really need to go check it and see how it looks in the mold).

My plans for today or tomorrow are to try my hand at a salt bar (I picked up 2 lbs fine sea salt at the local health food store for just this purpose), and after that, a 100% castile soap.

What is everyone else trying next? New scents? Colors? Fruits? Veggies? Swirls?

 

[Bicycle808]

Pepper.

 

[Lotus]

Oooh, bicycle! Cool idea. You know pepper has a real floral quality as a scent, once you get past the initial sneezy part.

I haven't made an oat bar in a long time. I'd say it's time. Now, to mortar and pestle or to coffee grind?. . . Hmmm. : )

 

[Bicycle808]

Oats? I go for the "old-fashioned" rolled oats;I just toss em in at light trace, and let the SB pulverize them....

Works for me.

 

[cursivearts]

Pepper? Let me know how that goes Bicycle. My FIL is a HUGE pepper fan and loves my soap. If I made him pepper soap, well, he'd be freaking ecstatic. My MIL is easier. She loves lavender. Lol.

 

[Bicycle808]

Will do.

 

[heatherglen]

My next will be coconut milk for the first time. I'm also planning some Honey Mead wine and Elder Flower wine from our local winery.

 

[lsg]

I am experimenting on the paint chip challenge-- hues, tones and shades. It is this month's Soaping101 challenge.

 

[Lotus]

Oats? I go for the "old-fashioned" rolled oats;I just toss em in at light trace, and let the SB pulverize them....

Works for me.

Ha! Duh. I used to hand stir, so I forgot that the stick blender would take care of that. : ) Thanks.

Although, I do have some steel cut oats, as well. : ) That would be some MAJOR exfoliation, I imagine. The water wouldn't soften it enough to make it gentle. Obviously, I'm a fan of thinking out loud. The consensus is. . . . Old Fashioned. : )

 

[misskat22]

I did salt bars and castile yesterday Not sure what I'm planning next. I have some advice for your castile though..use a water discount. I made mine 24 hours ago and it's still soft enough that I can squish it in the mold. Good luck with them!

 

[Lotus]

Misskat. If you don't mind, first, did you gel it? And second, what kind of olive oil did you use?

 

[misskat22]

I didn't gel because I poured in individual molds (I have some really cute teddy bear ones) and as for my OO..Uh, it's whatever I got at Costco. It's the Krikland brand that you can get in 3L jugs and you get 2 of them (for $24!) It is firming up, but it's taking a long time! I also used the thermal transfer method (using the heat of the lye to warm the oil).

 

[OliveOil2]

I plan on making beer soap this weekend, just going through my recipes and deciding on what type of EO to use. The scent will have to be whatever I have on hand. I'm trying really hard to use up what I have before purchasing more.

 

[lizflowers42]

I am really itching to make any kind of soap this weekend! I am starting school on Monday and keeping my full time job, so soap making is unfortunately going to be on the back burner until I figure out how much time I need to dedicate to my studies.

 

[Ruthie]

I didn't gel because I poured in individual molds (I have some really cute teddy bear ones) and as for my OO..Uh, it's whatever I got at Costco. It's the Krikland brand that you can get in 3L jugs and you get 2 of them (for $24!) It is firming up, but it's taking a long time! I also used the thermal transfer method (using the heat of the lye to warm the oil).

Krystal, did you like using thermal transfer for your castille? That is how I made my last batch and after pouring the 2 together I had this horrid mental image of false trace. So I blended it to thick trace and think it went well. That was my second thermal transfer batch. The first was heavy on the hard oils and I had to put it in a sink of hot water to finish melting the oils.

 

[Ruthie]

I am really itching to make any kind of soap this weekend! I am starting school on Monday and keeping my full time job, so soap making is unfortunately going to be on the back burner until I figure out how much time I need to dedicate to my studies.

Oh Liz, I feel for you! Don't spread yourself too thin!

 

[cursivearts]

OliveOil2, I made beer soap yesterday. Some tips: Boil your beer first, then refrigerate overnight. When you mix with the lye have and keep it in an ice bath, because it gets hot. Don't insulate the mold. I did, and I'm pretty sure it way overheated and I may have to rebatch (we'll see when I unmold tonight). I'm going to give hard cider soap a go after I do the castile and salt bars. Also, I didn't add any scent to my beer soap because I want to see how it smells when it's cured. Most of the terrible stink went away by this morning.

 

[three_little_fishes]

I am really itching to make any kind of soap this weekend! I am starting school on Monday and keeping my full time job, so soap making is unfortunately going to be on the back burner until I figure out how much time I need to dedicate to my studies.

Ouch. No fun. But, I wish you all the luck in the world on your studies!

I think I may attempt charcoal this weekend.

 

[misskat22]

Ruthie, it was the first time I had done thermal transfer, and then I did my salt batch after using thermal as well. I'm not sure how I feel about it, my salt soap took about 12 hours to firm up when I've heard people say they usually cut after 2-3 hours. I'll probably try it again with just my regular recipe..but the castile took FOREVER to even get to a thin trace, and that was when I poured it. It was suggested to me to use a water discount to help it trace/set up a little faster. I did however like the thermal transfer for not having to wait for my oils to come up to temp and my lye to come down, because I'm really impatient like that LOL!

 

[Badger]

I am likely not going to be able to make much soap for the rest of the weekend. I did have a couple of experiments this past week though. I made my first OMH soap using GM, and then made "chocolate milk" using cocoa powder and GM (and chocolate FO). I wish I had gotten a bit darker on the chocolate milk soap with the cocoa, but overall, they came out fairly well.