Today's Soap...
Oct. 2nd, 2012 02:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fiberaddictI am excited! I made 3 batches of soap today, and tried a new technique. Brambleberry calls it "Impressionistic".....they use 3 condiment bottles to lay down lines of colored soap. Takes a LOT longer than my usual "in the pot swirl", but the look is *awesome*...so I wanted to try it.
Only, the thought of cleaning condiment bottles of saponifying soap just doesn't excite me. So, I brainstormed - what could I use to lay down thin lines of soap, that would be easier to clean than bottles?
Dollar General had some plastic measuring cups with very, very pointy spouts. :hmmmm: Only $1/each...so I grabbed 3. Weighed out my oils, put 1 oz in 2 of the cups (for pre-mixing my colors; I've been putting the powder in the bottom of the cup, and pouring the batter over it, then mixing it up. Works, but you sometimes get "spots". Pre-mixing is supposed to prevent that.), and started the soap-making process. Added the lightly mixed batter to the cups (1 brown, 1 yellow, and 1 natural), mixed the colors in (slight miscalculation; my KA stick blender just *barely* fits in these cups. Ooops!), then started pouring.
I didn't get lines, I got straight blobs. :lol: Still, it looked cool, so I kept going - 1 pour natural, then yellow, then brown......lightly swirled the top, and this is what I have right now:
It's GORGEOUS. Hope the inside looks as nice - because the top looks like what I had in my head. It smells divine, too - Sandalwood. It was a request......they'll have to understand when I don't send the full batch. :lol: (I want to send it to other testers, as well, to see if the scent appeals to lots of people. *I* like it.....but that doesn't mean others will.)
I also made a large batch of Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey soap (you can see the mold next to the Sandalwood) - it's popular. And a batch of Rosehip-Jasmine....right now, it's ugly. And smells like Tea Rose :gag: Hope it settles down...because I can't STAND Tea Rose. :blech: That one was another new swirl attempt.....we'll see. I laid down a layer of natural, then gently tried to lay the rose layer on top, without sinking any. After I had it all in, I took a spoon and...this is hard to explain; I stuck the spoon in the bottom of the mold and gently "lifted" the bottom layer to the top, then moved over and did it again. And again. We'll see....
Tomorrow I get to unmold and cut...but I might wait until Thursday, to give it time to firm up more. Lately, it's been soft when I unmold it....I want the Sandalwood to be nice and firm so I don't ruin the bars.
I need to nag SG into making the boxes for my new small molds (same size as these green ones). This is the perfect size for experiments - 8 bars worth of soap. I have 2 new molds.....I like how they feel; if they work, I'll be buying more. I'd prefer to spend 1 day making a whole lotta soap, instead of spending an hour EVERY day making soap. Since it takes 4 weeks to cure....you gotta make a lot at once. (And if we're not here, or I don't go into the soap business, my family and friends won't need to purchase any more soap for....well, YEARS. :lol:)
Only, the thought of cleaning condiment bottles of saponifying soap just doesn't excite me. So, I brainstormed - what could I use to lay down thin lines of soap, that would be easier to clean than bottles?
Dollar General had some plastic measuring cups with very, very pointy spouts. :hmmmm: Only $1/each...so I grabbed 3. Weighed out my oils, put 1 oz in 2 of the cups (for pre-mixing my colors; I've been putting the powder in the bottom of the cup, and pouring the batter over it, then mixing it up. Works, but you sometimes get "spots". Pre-mixing is supposed to prevent that.), and started the soap-making process. Added the lightly mixed batter to the cups (1 brown, 1 yellow, and 1 natural), mixed the colors in (slight miscalculation; my KA stick blender just *barely* fits in these cups. Ooops!), then started pouring.
I didn't get lines, I got straight blobs. :lol: Still, it looked cool, so I kept going - 1 pour natural, then yellow, then brown......lightly swirled the top, and this is what I have right now:
It's GORGEOUS. Hope the inside looks as nice - because the top looks like what I had in my head. It smells divine, too - Sandalwood. It was a request......they'll have to understand when I don't send the full batch. :lol: (I want to send it to other testers, as well, to see if the scent appeals to lots of people. *I* like it.....but that doesn't mean others will.)
I also made a large batch of Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey soap (you can see the mold next to the Sandalwood) - it's popular. And a batch of Rosehip-Jasmine....right now, it's ugly. And smells like Tea Rose :gag: Hope it settles down...because I can't STAND Tea Rose. :blech: That one was another new swirl attempt.....we'll see. I laid down a layer of natural, then gently tried to lay the rose layer on top, without sinking any. After I had it all in, I took a spoon and...this is hard to explain; I stuck the spoon in the bottom of the mold and gently "lifted" the bottom layer to the top, then moved over and did it again. And again. We'll see....
Tomorrow I get to unmold and cut...but I might wait until Thursday, to give it time to firm up more. Lately, it's been soft when I unmold it....I want the Sandalwood to be nice and firm so I don't ruin the bars.
I need to nag SG into making the boxes for my new small molds (same size as these green ones). This is the perfect size for experiments - 8 bars worth of soap. I have 2 new molds.....I like how they feel; if they work, I'll be buying more. I'd prefer to spend 1 day making a whole lotta soap, instead of spending an hour EVERY day making soap. Since it takes 4 weeks to cure....you gotta make a lot at once. (And if we're not here, or I don't go into the soap business, my family and friends won't need to purchase any more soap for....well, YEARS. :lol:)
