GrandmaArial Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 For my 5th batch I decided to try to recreate another childhood memory. When I was very young my Mom had some soap (don’t know what it was called or what company made it) but it had a lemon/floral scent. So I infused OO with lemon peal, lemon grass and hibiscus with a little lemon oil for good measure. I may have over done a bit with the lemon oil… it smells a bit sharp of lemon but is very close to what I remember. A very fresh clean scent. I used Crisco for this one, after reading so much about the new formula and curiosity on how it will affect the soap. I cant compare it to the old Crisco but didn’t have any problem with it, and it seems very nice. 20% coconut and superfatted with3% each shea and grapeseed. The orange spots are the pigment I used… a piece of color block I picked up at the hobby shop awhile back for M&P. I don’t know if it was old or what but it didn’t melt in the oil like I expected it to. I’ll be getting some more yellow iron oxide tomorrow, I should have waited… yeah, right… I’ll just do another one tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meridith Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 You are doing great!! And your soap looks awesome. I love your creativity and wish I could smell your soap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaArial Posted July 3, 2007 Author Share Posted July 3, 2007 Thank you. I couldn’t do any of it with out all the support and advice from everyone here. Even if not directly given to me the weeks of reading these boards and learning from the difficulties and successes of others has helped me to understand soap making better than all the help books. Give me a few more weeks… to tweak the recipes, get it perfect (or as close as I can) and I’ll try joining one of the swaps. But first I have to get them right, and figure out packaging, names, etc. I am beginning to think about selling them… to at least help pay for the habit. It would be nice to have an addiction that could support it’s self. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBE Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 I like this one too! I wish I could take a big WHIFF of it!! I love lemon. I tried my Lemon Sugar Soap the other night... I thought it smelled divine... but my seven year old told me I smelled like PLEDGE!! LOL He asked if I had the dust cleaner in the shower with me. :rolleyes2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruina Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 These look really great. I just love the smell of lemons. Yeah it would be great for the addiction to pay itself. Same problem here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaArial Posted July 3, 2007 Author Share Posted July 3, 2007 I like this one too! I wish I could take a big WHIFF of it!! I love lemon. I tried my Lemon Sugar Soap the other night... I thought it smelled divine... but my seven year old told me I smelled like PLEDGE!! LOL He asked if I had the dust cleaner in the shower with me. :rolleyes2That is funny… though it seems I get the most compliments on how good I smell after I’ve been cleaning. Well, it saves on expensive perfumes I guess.You’ll just have to wait til I’m good enough to join a swap… or make it yourself. It’s easy… I used ¼ tsp each dried lemon peal, dried lemon grass, and lemon oil, and ½ tsp dried hibiscus to 1 oz OO. When infusing botanicals you’ll have to adjust amounts as the strength of the herbs will vary depending on growing conditions, whether fresh or dried, how they were dried, and how old they are. Use your nose as a guide. I used 1 oz of the infused oil for a 2lb (oil) batch, added at trace with the oils I’m using for superfatting, and the “grounds” saved from the infusion to swirl with. For people who don’t grow your own herbs don’t bother buying those little packets of “fresh” herbs at the super market. They may look nice but there is no way to tell how long ago they were cut and will loose their volatile oils, which is where the flavor and scent come from. Dried herbs are often fresher in taste than the “fresh” grocery store herbs. Also, if using herbs right from the garden you’ll still need about twice as much (by volume) as you will dried, as much of the fresh herb is water. I just tested a sliver of this soap… and I think I like Crisco. Could have more lather, it has a fair amount of bubbles but you have to work to get much creamy lather, but very soft to the skin. Maybe I need to try this again with some castor oil. Whatever, Crisco is a lot cheaper to practice with than olive oil. The scent is pleasant; a lot of the tartness has mellowed out over night. Either that or my nose has become dead to it. The scent didn’t stick to my hands much, barely perceptible, which I like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carriegsxr6 Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 looking good. bet you cant wait to use them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbren Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 You're doing great! I personally prefer a creamy, dense lather to bubbles!ETA...and I also like Crisco in soap...it gives it a translucence of sorts, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaArial Posted July 3, 2007 Author Share Posted July 3, 2007 You're doing great! I personally prefer a creamy, dense lather to bubbles!ETA...and I also like Crisco in soap...it gives it a translucence of sorts, I think.So do I... but I'm new to this and just learning the propertes of different fats. It's one thing to read about it, another to experence it. The Crisco will help me cut costs as I play with scents and colors and other additives... And Carrie... yes, this one keeps calling me! So i have them shoved in a cabinet in the basement where thier little crys are muffled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayshapooh Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 Oh your soap looks so good. I bet it smells awesome! Sandy~WI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Girl Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 Crisco makes a damn fine bar of soap. Nice job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybyrd Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 Yet another success, G'ma! I absolutely love your approach & the way your soaps look. You've got a really distinctive style, and it's certainly an aesthetic that would attract me in any store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaArial Posted July 5, 2007 Author Share Posted July 5, 2007 :yay: Yet another success, G'ma! I absolutely love your approach & the way your soaps look. You've got a really distinctive style, and it's certainly an aesthetic that would attract me in any store.Oh good, cuz I have decided I have to sell this stuff if I’m going to be able to afford to buy more supplies. LOLI am glad you like it, I have been trying to make my soaps more like others here, and nice soft looking, polished… but it’s not working. I can’t get the beveled edges, and when I try to smooth them, well… it’s just not working. They look like chunks of (really good smelling) stone. Maybe “soapstoned” would be an appropriate name after all! I think I’m beginning to understand how a junky feels… figuring out how to scrap up enough cash to go score another jug of olive oil…. And maybe a bottle of grapeseed oil, and a few jars of coconut oil… coco butter… I WANT IT ALL! Hubby wouldn’t let e go shopping today… said he’s putting me on an oil allowance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meridith Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 Oh good, cuz I have decided I have to sell this stuff if I’m going to be able to afford to buy more supplies. LOLI am glad you like it, I have been trying to make my soaps more like others here, and nice soft looking, polished… but it’s not working. I can’t get the beveled edges, and when I try to smooth them, well… it’s just not working. They look like chunks of (really good smelling) stone. Maybe “soapstoned” would be an appropriate name after all! I think I’m beginning to understand how a junky feels… figuring out how to scrap up enough cash to go score another jug of olive oil…. And maybe a bottle of grapeseed oil, and a few jars of coconut oil… coco butter… I WANT IT ALL! Hubby wouldn’t let e go shopping today… said he’s putting me on an oil allowance. An oil allowance?? What's up with that?? Damn him!!! You need to retaliate and "cut him off." You tell him, "No oil, you will not partake in any of my precious treats!" And then you close that playground down. lol Oh yeah and if you add "dammit" to the end of your demand it will let him know you mean business. Something like this, "No oil? No fun for you, dammit!" Or "No oil, no fun for you!" See the difference. You can say it as seriously as you want but the word "dammit" in there makes all the difference in the world. :laugh2::laugh2::laugh2:Oh yeah and I had to add that to further send home how serious you are, you tell him that you are NOT playing, and then you tell him you quit 5th grade cuz of recess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaArial Posted July 6, 2007 Author Share Posted July 6, 2007 Good advice but too late. I already said the “F” word. His eyes opened WIDE! And cutting him off doesn’t work… he kisses my neck… and I fold… you know how it is, LOL. He will buy me some oil… I just made a batch of extra sudsy, extra hard soap… used Biggalow’s vanilla chai tea as my inspiration, I just love the smell, so earthy. Swirled it with green and the spices… looks kinda fancy. My plan is to get him addicted to it (the man LOVES a good hard, sudsy bar of soap) and then blackmail him. I will have 3 of our grand daughters here tomorrow for 10 days, so won’t be able to make CP anyway (we will be making MP), and then if I’m lucky we will have 3 others here for another week. By the time they are all gone the soap will have cured enough to give him a small slice… then if he wants a real bar he has to bring me oil! LOTS OF OIL! I’ll convince him soap is like cheese, takes 8 oz of oil to make 1 oz of soap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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