Soapmaking
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I can vouch for the both of those. The Almond I use in a tub of shaving soap so it's closed but the aroma lasts for a few months while I use it. The Mineral Salt Spa sticks for a year plus on the shelf.
JONNYROTTEN
Well-Known Member
How soon can I use my soap.I know your supposed to wait 6 weeks but can I try out a bar after just a few days? Don't really care if it turns to mush just don't want to burn my skin...Kid in a candy store
Do a zip test. Put your tongue on it and if it's not 'zappy' you're good.
JONNYROTTEN
Well-Known Member
I read this and thought your messing with me like testing a socket by sticking your finger it.But after looking it up I actually licked the soap
It didn't feel like anything and oddly enough it actually tastes good.Im think I'm good to go
You're good to go safety-wise, but it still may be be drying and harsh. Don't judge it too much based on what results you get right away. It's really worth the wait.
JONNYROTTEN
Well-Known Member
I hear ya..just want to try it.I ordered endless stuff that will be here tomorrow and will have more soap than I know what to do with.
OP
OP
Welcome to the club....................
Soaping becomes an obsession. We have a lifetime supply of soap here, but I must make MORE.
OP
OP
I read this and thought your messing with me like testing a socket by sticking your finger it.But after looking it up I actually licked the soap
It didn't feel like anything and oddly enough it actually tastes good.Im think I'm good to go
Think of it as drinking a beer out of the primary. It may be "good" but it'll be much better in a couple of weeks once it's conditioned a bit!
There is a guy in Poland who sells these on Etsy (along with other cool molds!) - I WANT THIS ONE! (And I don't even make soap....)
His business is called Sweetmoulds in case any of you soapmakers want to see what else he has.
His business is called Sweetmoulds in case any of you soapmakers want to see what else he has.
JONNYROTTEN
Well-Known Member
I ordered this for the coloring.Should I just mix it with some olive oil or the batter with the milk frother I ordered and pour it in??
I also have this oil.It has almost no scent and says its used for the skin.Its says 85% essential oil including 33% omega 3.
Is it the wrong stuff for soap making??
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019LW990Y/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NTBBU8I/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
I also have this oil.It has almost no scent and says its used for the skin.Its says 85% essential oil including 33% omega 3.
Is it the wrong stuff for soap making??
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019LW990Y/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NTBBU8I/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
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I would not use that oil for soap making, it would be a waste. @ $14 for 2 oz it would make one of the most expensive soaps ever.
For the colorant, most people mix with a small amount of oil and then into the soap batter till they get the color they want. Have a look here for the directions on pigments for CP soap:
https://www.brambleberry.com/using-colorants.aspx
For the colorant, most people mix with a small amount of oil and then into the soap batter till they get the color they want. Have a look here for the directions on pigments for CP soap:
https://www.brambleberry.com/using-colorants.aspx
thunderwagn
Well-Known Member
Agree with Lbussy. Get your fragrances from elsewhere like Brambleberry or Natures Garden (just to name a couple). I've found a decent mold or two on Amazon, but do yourself a favor and shop someplace that specializes in soap and (usually) candle making. You're not saving yourself any money on Amazon. Peak to Peak, Wholesale Supplies, Brambleberry, Natures Garden just to name a few. All reputable with good product. You'll be disappointed soaping if you cut corners.
Spearmint Eucalyptus FO. is the schnizzle! Lovin that stuff for months now.
Spearmint Eucalyptus FO. is the schnizzle! Lovin that stuff for months now.
What's your ratio spearmint to Eucalyptus?
JONNYROTTEN
Well-Known Member
Interesting.I priced out grapefruit and anise essential oil at Brambleberry and Essential depot and with free Amazon shipping and paying for shipping at the other sires Amazon was cheaper.Next time I buy Ill do another comparison with the others listed. Also why is Vanilla essential oil hard to find or way expensive?
Vanilla doesn't behave well in soap. It discolors and can be a PITA. I will check my grapefruit EO tomorrow to let you know where I buy from.
JONNYROTTEN
Well-Known Member
Thank you.I bought 2 oz vanilla I was going to use next batch.Should I not use it or is there another way to use it besides adding at trace? Heres the grapefruit I bought
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R8GX5TM/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
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Essential Oils are expensive and you do need to worry about the provenance of the oils. Not all brands are equal. Find a brand which is recommended and then worry about the price. AND, unless you are just dead-freaking-set on using essential oils, fragrance oils are likely to be a lot less expensive and give you better results in the beginning. Blending fragrances is a whole other thing.
I do buy some bulk oils from Amazon. Coconut Oil for one. You just have to look around a little bit. One of the best places for bulk oils is Columbus foods / Soaper's Choice. They are not cheaper on everything, but on a lot of things and they quality is high.
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OP
OP
What vanilla did you buy? It's almost impossible to use in soap (as Melana said, it doesn't behave well), but some fragrance oils will be ok if you soap very cool so that the vanilla fragrance oil doesn't burn and turn very dark. You also want to stay under the flash point!
Citrus essential oils don't "stick" well, as they fade fast. I do use an orange EO sometimes, but I'm aware that it won't stick around long. I just still like it. It's better in hot process soap (as long as you're under the flash point!) because adding it at the end means that it sticks longer since it doesn't burn off. I tend to use citrus EOs for things like bath salts or lotions where they aren't saponified and then they last.
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JONNYROTTEN
Well-Known Member
This is the Vanilla I bought.I bought Grapefruit,raspberry,vannilla and Anise.Hope I didn't waste my money.I "thought" essential oils was the "best" and fragrance oils was fakin it. Live and learn.I might be able to return everything,but not sure.If I can should I return all the oils and start from scratch with fragrance oils?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SNJETF2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
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OP
OP
I really don't know. I know a lot of the EOs sold are for diffusers, and aromatherapy. I don't know how that will work in soap, I'm afraid. My guess is that some of them will be fine (like the citrus EO) but not strongly fragranced or long lasting. I think the vanilla will burn and/or turn dark brown in soap.
I don't use fragrance oils, but I'm definitely in the minority. The reason I make my own soap and other products is to avoid artificial fragrances and things in my environment. I don't use diffusers, scented candles, etc, as I have a real sensitivity to it (asthma). Most of my soap just smells like soap, without fragrance. It smells good, like soap of course, but not "smelly" with fragrances.
Most people DO like smelly things. I can't even go into a mall where there is a fragrance counter or someplace like Bath & Body Works, without wheezing. Melana is more of an expert on what people like than I am, although about a year ago I did take her daughter a bar of chocolate/white soap slightly scented with orange essential oil and there was a hint of fragrance to it I think.
I'd make sure to only buy things that are ok for skin application (some EOs are NOT), ok for soapmaking/being heated (again, some have a low flashpoint), and so on. I guess one of the advantages to buying fragrance oils designed for soap (and not candles) is that you know that they are meant to be used on the skin as well as heated. Essential oils take a lot more research to use them properly.
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You can buy Columbus Foods Coconut oil when it's on sale at Big Lots for $9/gallon.
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Redtab78
Well-Known Member
just curious here, but can you use hemp seeds as a scrubbing additive like these here? I have been wanting to make my own soap for a long time, as it seems to be a very popular thing around here (as evident from all the farmers markets and what not having booths set up), and I can never find the exact smell I like.....which is coconut!! so I want to make a strong lasting coconut smelling soap, with some sort of scrubbing "grit" if you will, in it
Hemp seeds look almost too 'scrubby'. Try poppy seeds (they are very popular) for 'grit'. Brambleberry makes a FO called 'Island Coconut' and it is VERY nice. Alternately you can use coconut milk instead of water and the soap does retain a faint bit of coconut smell.
thunderwagn
Well-Known Member
I use poppy seeds in some bars, but my wife isn't a fan. She says they go in her belly button...I like them though. I also use oatmeal ground up really fine in my coffee grinder and actually prefer that to just about anything I've used. I've tried spent coffee grains and that's way to coarse.
JONNYROTTEN
Well-Known Member
So My first attempt at fancy.I was going for a teardrop in the center.The colored cups were to watery and ran flat hence the line across the bottom.I used the batter pre mixed with lye for the color cups. How can I get the color cups to thicken up before the regular batter so it sorta stays to form while the main batter around it stays a trace to pour around the colored center??
@JONNYROTTEN it may not have finished the way that you wanted, but it still looks great. I saw it before reading your comments and thought Wisteria Tree.
JONNYROTTEN
Well-Known Member
Thanks so much,I made another batch today that was thick as molasses.I needed a spoon to scoop it out of the cups and bowl.I was going for the same teardrop and it will be WAAYY off. Will post a pic tomorrow.At the end of the day I have soap,nothings going to waste so its all good
I thought the same thing - it's beautiful!
That, to me, is the fun thing about homemade products - sometimes, even if you don't get exactly what you were hoping for, you get something even MORE spectacular. I love that bar - it's very unique!
Great soaps @JONNYROTTEN - That teardrop soap is like a unicorn...
OP
OP
Those are great!
JONNYROTTEN
Well-Known Member
How does time help soap? We've been using my 2 week old soap and it seems perfectly fine Yet I've read it gets "better" with time. What gets better?
Does it just get harder and last longer which doesn't seem like that big of a deal as I'm already overloaded with soap in the first 2 weeks of soapmaking
Does it just get harder and last longer which doesn't seem like that big of a deal as I'm already overloaded with soap in the first 2 weeks of soapmaking
OP
OP
It gets harder, but mostly it gets milder.
JONNYROTTEN
Well-Known Member
Could you explain milder.
Do you mean the fragrance mellows out or something different. Fragrance is almost non existent already. Wont be using essential oils again I don't think. Expensive with minimal payoff
OP
OP
Milder means that the soap finishes the little bit of saponification that might be left. As it cures, it gets gentler, and feels better on the skin. The lather is richer, the bar is harder, and it lasts longer.
Isn't that what we all really want?
OP
OP
Since I have an overabundance of soap, some of it quite old, I've had the chance to test it myself.
The difference between a new castille bar and a 2 year old castille bar is amazing. I made 'baby soap' about 3 years ago, and used the last of it recently. It was fantastic. That chocolate/orange soap I gave Melana's daughter a year ago is still around here, and it was nice when I gave it to her but it's even better now. (It's primarily deer tallow).
I would suggest that just like with aging beer that some of a batch is set aside in a cool dry place, and tried again in 4, 6, 10 months so that it can tried so that the differences can be noticed. If you have an overabundance of soap, it's a nice way to compare later.
Soap continues to modify. It loses weight as moisture evaporates, it hardens, and excess alkalinity is neutralized by the carbon dioxide in the air. It is this last part which makes the bar gentler on your skin.
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