GrandmaArial

... I'm speachless....

I prefer the feel of gelled soap, though most people say after a month or so they feel no difference. I think those are all beautiful soaps.

Such adorable little hearts! They are wonderful!

My latest experiment. Hubby says this one looks amazing; he spent 20 minutes last night sitting looking at the grain of the wood on the table through it. I colored it with a little FDC color, the cheap stuff we use for coloring eggs. I think color seems to make it brighten, look lighter and clearer than plain (no, that doesn’t make sense, but it’s what it seems to do). This is 0% superfat (-10 on soap calc). I cooked this batch down to 1 part oils to 1.25% water, and I think I need to concentrate it a bit more; I still don’t like the lather. The addition of 4% of 50/50 sugar solution and glycerin helped lower the cloud point nicely and I think makes it less drying than anything else I’ve tried. However, I know Failor says glycerin boosts lather, but it seems to kill mine. I used borax to lower the gel point (and “neutralize”). The second picture I added a tiny bit of gold glitter just cuz… and a drop (to much for the sample) yellow FDC. I think my grand daughters will like this! Thanks for looking

I am NOT an expert, only made about a dozen batches of LS so far. Right now I am experimenting sequestering agents as suggested in Failor’s book. I, too, find LS on the harsh side, and supper fatting (2 to 3% does help slightly but leaves the soap cloudy. My latest experiments have been with 0% superfat and sequestering agents (alcohol, sugar, glycerin, though I do not use the alcohol). Failor states that glycerin works best for softening the soap, though sugar works best for clarifying, my experience is that a 50/50 solution seems to make the LS least drying with the added benefit it helps to clarify nicely (lowering the cloud point to about 60F at 4%). The addition of borax helps even more, but be careful, too much borax will actually increase cloudiness. Borax also allows you to concentrate your LS solution which helps both with viscosity and lather (which you will need as the sequestering agents are lather killers). But… to the question here, supperfatting. I have tried superfatting both before saponification and after dilution, no real difference in clarity. I have not tried sulfonated castor as sulfur is another chemical I react badly too. As for hot v cold, I have tried both, no real difference except cold takes longer to react, that’s all. About 90F seems, to me, to be an ideal temperature to play with the LS at. Easily achieved by simply putting your jar of soap in hot tap water and is warm enough you see what kind of reaction you will get relatively quickly. This is nothing but my opinion and experiences, hope it can help a little.

Your colors are so dramatic now, beautiful soaps!

What a sweet husband! Sweet soap too!

Beautiful soft color! So serene...

Beautiful! Both of them, such bright vibrant colors!

I especially like the passion fruit and guava, beautiful swirls! Very pretty!

Coming along nicely! Your soaps are developing a character and style of their own, very nice. I like the way you’re using color, rustic with out looking crudely crafted. Nothing wrong with letting them set for a week or two. My experience is even HP benefits from a bit of curing however isn’t it difficult curing them on the kitchen counter? LOL. You learn something new with each batch, each new ingredient you try. Keep up the good work.

Those are so cute! A great job!

Yeah, I’m still working on the drying thing. I personally prefer the 3% superfat for feel. And 3% doesn’t seem to hurt the lather to much. The addition of the glycerin and sugar also seems to help, both in moisture and lather. Not a lot, but a little. Of course it’s not as clear and pretty as 0% superfat, but everything is a trade off. I used the CCO LS to clean my bathroom the other day. Yes, it’s very drying to my hands but compared to commercial cleaners its much better, and cleans better too. No scrubbing needed! And rinsed easily too. Left all surfaces sparkling! And a couple weeks ago I spilled about an ounce on the kitchen floor… wound up mopping the whole kitchen with it. It did a fantastic job, though was a little hard to rinse, just kept foaming. Now I’m using ½ ounce (I have about 200 sq feet of floor space in the kitchen). It does a good job. I’ve also tried it on dishes, and won’t be buying dish soap anymore. A little goes a long way; it rinses easily, and gets the greasiest pans clean. It is thin, you can’t thicken it like you can soft oils. I have been using the soft oil LS for about a month for shampoo, and I like it. My hair is very fine, so I was worried the alkalinity would be a problem but it’s leaving my hair nice, no vinegar rinse necessary. I forgot to refill the bottle the other day and used the Pantene… my scalp definitely knows the difference. After just a few hours my hair was feeling like it needed to be washed. The recipe needs tweaking but I feel like I’m on the right road with it. My next project is bath gel.I’m thinking castile will be best for it. LS will never replace bar soap for me. I prefer both to make and use bar soap, but I am learning that LS does have a place in life.

I love Salty Mariner! Those look great, and your stageing is supurb!

You pay shipping... I'll send you one when they are done curing.

Pretty pretty soaps!

Ok... "Avacodo Blossom" it is!

Those are realuy nice soaps! Especialy for first trys and HP to boot! Good going!

Thank you everyone So do I, but I don’t want to bathe in it, LOL. My biggest disappointment is that I asked my husband to pick the avocado up, because he NEVER buys just one of anything. I was planning a big bowl of guacamole! But all he brought home was one little avocado… Ladysj, your soap is lovely, nothing wrong with it at all! Well, except its almost gone now.

These have just been cut and trimmed, need to be cleaned yet. I fell in love with Ladysj’s avocado soap she sent to the Essence of Nature swap, so had to try my own variation. Scenting was a problem, I was considering an herbal/citrus blend but didn’t want it smelling like guacamole so wound up blending some violet, lotus, rose, and musk. I asked my husband abut the scent when I first mixed it… his response was “it smells like soap”… so I’m guessing it smells clean, LOL. It needs a name, and sugestions? Thanks for looking

What a pretty baby!

I got my own copy of Failor’s book so I don’t have to rely on my faulty memory. This week I am concentrating on sequestering agents (page 45). As my skin reacts badly to alcohol that leaves sugar and glycerin. The first picture is of samples made at 3% superfat (-7% on SoapCalc). From left to right, the first four are all soft oils. First (blue, looks rather green) has 1% glycerin, second (red but looks orange) has 1% sugar solution. Third (yellow but looks golden) is .5% each of sugar and glycerin. Fourth is untreated and far right is plain coconut superfatted @ 3%. This one was actually colored green… but looks yellow in this picture. I used FDC colors to keep track of them. The colors did morph a bit but mostly it is just the picture, or maybe my monitor… what you can't see in these pictures is the pearlescent look the unsaponified oils give them. The second picture is the newest batch. I used 30% castor in this one, easy on the coconut. OO and safflower make up the bulk. Not superfatted at all (KOH calculated at -10% on SoapCalc). This has not yet been sequestered, so may brighten up a bit more. Opps... for got the pictures! Here they are.

I can't wait to see the cut pictures! Those look great, I love the idea of the jelly roll soap, though probably to much trouble for me to do, LOL. Well, maybe for gifts for my grand daughters...

Those are really cute!

OMG! BEAUTIFUL! Particularly the white lilac. You have the gift...