topofmurrayhill Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 OK maybe that should have been a question mark instead of an exclamation point, but I'm optimistic. We liked the original version of this soap (posted here) so I made it again. This one has more changes than my last re-make, but I did stick to the basic outline and spirit of the recipe.The most obvious change is the appearance. What you see is mostly undyed. There's a fair amount of color from the tamanu oil and some olive pomace, plus the Fresh Sugar Cane FO is supposed to discolor slightly golden. I just rolled with all that instead of fighting it (besides, I couldn't deal with making yet another green soap). There's a small amount of brown swirl to add visual interest.Last time I had only a 1 oz sample of the FO, so I had to settle for 0.5 oz ppo. That actually worked pretty well, but this time it's bumped up to 0.7 oz, which should be real nice! We also wanted a bit more scrubbiness so the apricot kernel meal is increased by 25%.I've moved away from playing with FCO and stearic, so I reformulated to eliminate those. I'm also going for a harder soap to stand up to scrubbing. Part of that involves using cocoa butter in place of shea. The OO is partially pomace this time and the safflower oil is now high-oleic. Of course it still has the tamanu oil.You'll find out how it came out as soon as I do. This photo is from when I poured it last night. This morning it was in gel. Next photo will be tomorrow when I unmold the log, but I probably won't cut it until the day after that.As always, thanks for looking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBE Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 Love that golden color! And the look of the Apricot Kernel Meal in there! Visually appealing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecandlespastore Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 That looks like a delicious custard just waiting to be devoured! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 Beautiful in the mold, and it's going to be beautiful when cut!Love the color and soft swirl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sally Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 There's something rather comforting about the look of that soap Top, must be the softness of the colouring.Sally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meridith Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 It looks very pretty in the mold. I can't wait to see it unmolded. Your soaps are always so beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted September 3, 2007 Author Share Posted September 3, 2007 OK this is not what I was expecting!When the soap gelled yesterday I wasn't surprised to see it turn an odd color. What surprised me is when it didn't turn back.I don't have good photographic lighting in the new workshop yet, so the colors are a little off. It's something like this though. Kind of a weird greenish shade except in the corners where the gel didn't quite reach. In those spots it's quite yellow.The supplier says the FO can discolor slightly golden but that doesn't seem to be the only thing going on here. I suppose it could be the tamanu oil. I think this may have happened in the original version too because I saw some interesting color morphing, but it was largely masked by the titanium dioxide and dye. Maybe I should have stuck with that color scheme.LOL, don't that beat all. I said I was tired of green soaps and it discolors to green. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 It's still a very beautiful bar. Could be the tamanu and pomice are showing through in the gelled soap. It would be interesting to see what it would look like if it weren't allowed to gel at all. You just never know for sure exactly what will happen with a soap recipe until it does! I can make a prediction based on my recipe, colorants, and gel/not gel, but I never really know for sure. That is part of what I enjoy about this craft. And, I'll say it again... it's a very beautiful bar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted September 3, 2007 Author Share Posted September 3, 2007 It's still a very beautiful bar. Could be the tamanu and pomice are showing through in the gelled soap. It would be interesting to see what it would look like if it weren't allowed to gel at all.Thank you. That's actually the entire loaf. I think the bars will look nice, even if a little oddly colored.Yes I think it's the tamanu. It's a relatively strongly colored oil, deep yellow with a greenish tinge. Apparently I underestimated the impact 5% would make on the color of the soap. The ungelled corners of the loaf are a surprisingly intense yellow, whereas gel seems to have brought out some greenish strangeness in the rest of it.And then there's the fragrance oil. Who knows what color this soap will be in the end, LOL!Tomorrow, probably some cut pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda Posted September 3, 2007 Share Posted September 3, 2007 Tomorrow, probably some cut pics.Goody! Then I'll get to see an actual bar, and not the whole loaf... I must be laboring too hard on this Labor Day. Sorry about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted September 5, 2007 Author Share Posted September 5, 2007 Well I'm counting the re-make of this soap a success. Lather, fragrance and hardness all seem to be improved.The appearance is quite different from what I envisioned. By leaving it mostly undyed I discovered that tamanu oil does some interesting things to the color of soap. The ungelled parts are very yellow and the rest (apart from a touch of brown swirl) is some kind of greenish shade.In the end, I really like the look of it! Definitely my most earthy looking soap so far. Maybe next time I'll try to intentionally get a partial gel to make it more colorful. That yellow is nice.Here are the finished bars. They're planed but I'm definitely not gonna bevel them. I think leaving them this way maybe accentuates the natural look a little bit.Thanks again for checking out my soap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasterBaker2 Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 I think I'd try to make it skip the gel stage, that yellow is very pretty. JMO though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbuddy Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 What a great looking bar!Irena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbren Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 I LOVE that! I'd buy it in a heartbeat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firegirl Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 Top.. I love the look of that bar! Great job!Teri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryann Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 I agree with you, this looks like a success!!! All your bars look wonderful that you've posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kymber Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 WOW! Very very nice looking soap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelenW Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 I really like the looks of that soap. Gives me something to strive for. Thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaArial Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 Although it doesn't lok green on my monitor... green must be your color. Those are beautiful. I love the visual texture... make me want to touch it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.