Hibiscus

pretty soaps for a first attempt. I agree with making soap balls with the scraps or just rebatch them. It looks like you have a lot of scraps.

Hey I think I did something like this by mistake yesterday. It looks to be three different shades and I used a turkey baster. I really like swirling with the baster. I haven't tried it in my round molds yet but that's next.

That's so pretty!

I love the rounds too in fact I will be making some this evening. Yes, the more times you use the mold the easier it gets and theres always the freezer and a good shake. When I made the first one I had to cut it out of the mold and that wasn't any fun. I also like not having to trim them. Maybe cut the bottoms off and seal it. than push the soap out..ahh I might experiment with it later but for now i'll just keep doing what's worked for me. I think I will try swirling with a turkey baster tonight lol. I practiced with dyed pancake batter and it was pretty let's just see how that works with the round molds and real soap!

That green makes me think of early spring when everything is waking up and everywhere you look theres all these bright green sprouts of something or another(sigh) I love spring...very pretty soap!

hmmm well I have seen nice pics in the gallery as well. Hey, i just like to keep things as uncomplicated as I can and if a scrub does the same thing as a bar ( I use all the same oils) I will certainly be making the scrub:wink2: oh I have considered using some of my sea salts for the scrub they don't behave like sugar in my recipe.

Well, I understand the scrubs/exfoliators. I don't use salt in mine but I'm sure they work the same as sugar. They are a lot simpler than making a bar of soap.....sooo I was wondering if the benefits are worth the time it takes to make a batch of soap...:undecided

I've only read a little here and there about salt bars and would like to know exactly what are the benefits? it sounds drying to me but then I don't know a thing about them.:undecided

I put it in a double boiler and held it at about 175-180 for the 20 minutes and then put it into a clean container. Let's see what happens.... (takes 2 days to harden here though cause I don't have the AC on yet! I read that heating shea at high temps will destroy most or all of the vitamins and good stuff in it. Read that shortly after I started working with it. So, when I warm my other oils I add the shea and emu after they have all set..and then I beat the crap out of them!. Honestly I never used a thermometer until I started soaping. It's not hard to tell the difference between hot, warm and cold by touch:D I never have issues with grains and I've used agbanga shea and OBN. unrefined. don't bother with refined. I understand about the storage issue. i found some pretty large plastic canisters at the family dollar and used those after my supply got low. But to start I used old laundry buckets.

Thanks I surprise myslef with each batch..lol it's mainly the colors that surprise me. I was actually trying for pink with babydoll and the orange was the desired shade..but the others were nice surprises not what you would expect from the fragrances. My daughter says the ylang ylang looks like cheese cake and I agree!..lol

Hibiscus, you take bottles and just cut the top off?? Yep. and they work very well for me. I am now thinking of using my 32oz lye bottle because the plastic is even harder than the others. I also have shampoo bottles. I love making round soaps and I don't really care for potato chips all that much..LOL I am a mad recycler too...

But what will they think when they get it home and it melts and turns grainy? I suppose you can always suggest to keep in a cool place.

you're right about this being a different company. The supplier I am referring to is the candle makers store. I order from several suppliers and without the info right here in front of me..well..the aliens steal my thoughts and I got the threads mixed up and obviously the suppliers. However, it doesn't matter what I say or anyone else concerning either of the suppliers because it is a matter of preference and the best suggestion anyone can make is to do the one thing I hate and that is to SAMPLE. As much as I hate doing it, I neglected to sample(for the first time) the products I was referring to and well ya see what happened. Yet, there are some who like this base and maybe the fragrances too..ahh I guess it depends on what YOU are looking for. Good Luck!

It does look like ice cream bars..that's the first soap that makes me wanna forget I'm lactose intolerant.:highfive:

When I first started with B&B, whipped shea butter was one of my first experiments and whenever the temps rise the butter falls. I had a few people test it and unless they kept it at room temp somewhere around 72-74 the butter would melt. I make it only for my personal use because shipping it will eventually become a problem. I do believe that you can make a simple body butter and whip the crap out of it and tweak here and there with fco, beeswax, cyclo, ect and come up with something very close to a pure whipped shea. If someone else knows how to make it totally pure and keep it from melting in high temps perhaps they will chime in. I do think you can melt it and allow it to set and whip it again..I don't have my notes with me...try it is the best way to find out:D

I purchased some of their spray but I am still testing it. I also purchased two fragrances from them, babydoll and angel wings. I can barely smell the angel wings. that frangrance has got to be the weakest fragrance I have ever purchased anywhere. Babydoll was ok oob but still not very strong. I soaped with it and may as well left the soap unscented because it is barely noticible..I don't know perhaps it will become stronger as the soap ages. I have had some FO's do that. I tested babydoll in their body spray and that was ok, nothing to get excited about. I will be testing more fo's and eo's tomorrow. the alcohol smell is strong and I suspect I need some oils that are stronger than what i have to make this work and mine are pretty good.

um yeah because it really is hard to get them that way with my jason knife!..LOL...the round ones are never a problem:D I did manage to get them(rectangle) right on my last two batches..I'm just about on batch #8..wooo hoooo! I guess I can breathe now and order some cutters and perhaps those select shades will stop my colors from changing.

I tried the pringle can twice and I didn't insulate it. The last time I used one I got dips in the sides of a small portion and I don't really know if it was the can or not. I don't see any reason to use them now that I use plastic bottles and I don't insulate them either. Oil them and they slide out. I have used only the 32 oz bottles. They are reusable and there is no warping or explosions or anything. I've got some pics in the gallery of the round soaps made in those bottles. ...give it a try:D

Your first two look edible. The peppermint reminds me of spinach dip!. Nice job cutting and coloring.:highfive:

Thanks...round molds and square are so easy when it's time to cut. There is very little left over scraps but just enough to make a ball or two. I'm thinking it's time to get a soap cutter and stop using my jason knife!..LOL I should have one by the next 4lb batch:cheesy2: kinda like those wavy bars too:D

Nope, no warping but when I first used them I had to cut the soap out because I didn't oil it. Of course the next time I oiled it and there was no problem. The shampoo bottles are thicker and I suspect they will last longer. I don't expect the bottles to last for a very long period. I was even considering the lye bottle:wink2:

A plastic 32 oz bottle it holds about 1 1/2 pound of soap and I really like round soaps:D I save all of my plastic bottles of that size I had some from shampoo and oils. It's hard to get the swirl going but I think I have an idea for that and will gladly share it if it works. Thanks!

That took awhile lol I'm always struggling with reducing my files..or I'm just really slow today...anyway I really enjoyed making these and I didn't post the one I made yesterday and there is one other batch of oatmeal...sigh... I'm officially out of curing space and I need to shop for shelving...and I haven't even started the cphp...arrrgh gonna make my husband move to the garage verrry soon:D

This is where I am now and still very excited. Babydoll was made for my daughter because that's my nick name for her and of course I tried to scent it with babydoll from the candlemakers store but it didn't really hold up very well. I hope to find a stronger version or I'll blend one. I called the other one bird soap because I sat it on the window sill to photograph it and shortly after, these birds came to the window and one started chewing at the screen...they sat there looking like they really wanted to get in..lol it was scented with four musk fragrances. I really hope it doesn't have that affect when I test it;) then theres orange spice and ginger lily.