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Swirl #3 has been put to bed


Louise

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And I even remembered the FO (White Tea) this time :P

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I definately had a better trace with this one, and I know I got those colors down in there. So now we wait....tick, tick, tick.

Question: I used 3 colors, between 6-8 oz of soap each. Do I need to stir these enough to trace also? Don't know why that just popped into my head, but it did, so thought I'd ask for clarification on this. TIA

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Thanks everyone. I have been good and have not peeked at all, even though I'm dying to. Still at least 6 hours to go. Then, maybe I'll peek quick, but will leave it all wrapped up until morning. I can't wait to see what's inside this batch!

Scented, thanks, and you're right, they do thicken up some. I also made the Amber Romance batch last night -- used a log mold --won't unmold until tomorrow a.m. (we won't talk about the coloring right now, but trust me, it wasn't scientific :laugh2: )

No ricing though and didn't accelerate trace that you would notice. So go for it!

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Scented, I'll check out the Amber Romance tomorrow and see about maybe posting a pic. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to get a couple more swirls going to.... ones that will actually BE soap. I've discovered that in the effort to keep everything thin to swirl, that I'm not actually getting trace, so therefore, I'm just making bars of swirled "eraser" type soap, lmbo! So now that I've got the swirling down, so to speak, I'm going for actual soap now! :laugh2:

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Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to get a couple more swirls going to.... ones that will actually BE soap. I've discovered that in the effort to keep everything thin to swirl, that I'm not actually getting trace, so therefore, I'm just making bars of swirled "eraser" type soap, lmbo! So now that I've got the swirling down, so to speak, I'm going for actual soap now! :laugh2:

It should not make a difference if you bring the soap to trace or not. I never do. Soap is soap all the same and it will saponify & solidify regardless turning into just that, soap regardless :) If your soap is doing something funky, like not lathering or falling apart, sounds to me like a recipe issue. I soap everything room temp CP with a 50/50 water & lye solution with about 70% hard oils and butters so no time to waste. My soaps are all molded as soon as the lye and fo are blended :) Still makes real soap :)

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Flicker, thank you for responding to my 'non-soap' issue. I've been soaping for about 5 years, but the last 3 or 4 yrs have been using the HP method. But since I wanted to make the pretty swirls that I've seen here, I decided to do a few CP batches. But these don't feel like soap as much as they do those white erasers, or a bar of clay. They should feel like my HP, only smoother and possibly a tad more dense, if that makes sense.

This is a recipe that I've used over those past 5 years. Hard oils 60%, soft oils 40% (olive & jojoba), lye solution 27% (no water discount).

I bring everything to the same temp (lye and oils), anywhere between 95 and 120. This particular batch I did at 95. The bottoms on this batch feel more like soap than the batch before (which I chucked right in the trash).

If everyone will indulge me, I'll post a pic of this batch cut in a couple hours. I know everyone has probably read things like this and responded to death, but I would love any discussion we could have on this.

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Ya know Louise, I just had a thought....maybe your water level is too high for CP? I don't do HP, can't even claim as I've tried it however it seems that soaping that method uses more water than CP. Maybe that is the culprit and when the soap cures more it will feel more like you are used to? I do a 50/50 but pretty endless swirls can be beastly this way. Maybe for say 48 oz oils drop down to around 12 oz of water and see what happens? It can certainly affect the end feeling of your batch. I have certainly noticed a different "feel" to soap depending on how much water I used initially but in time that goes away. Meaning as the soap cures and the water goes Poof that it changes. Not that the amount ultimately will change the feel in the end. Just initially.

Can't wait to see that cut BTW :) it sure is purdy in the mold ;)

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Sorry about not getting back here sooner with a pic of the cut, but real life decided to get in the way. Dang, I hate when that happens. Ok, so here it is.

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It kinda feels more like soap to me now. But the tops feel like clay, if that makes sense. A totally different feel from the bottom. I run my finger across it and it's like clay moving. Oh, and obviously I have some ash, wonder if that's what it is. Will take a bar in a bit and run it under some water. But, I can actually take some of the colored part off and it does lather up, but it's in loose dry form when I take it off the bar.

Flicker, the recipe is a CP one, it's not one I made up, but yanno, maybe I will try decreasing the water a bit. I haven't had time to whip up another batch yet. Might do that in a bit or maybe wait until tomorrow a.m.

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They look great! Sometimes the ash helps the swirls look better.

My soaps have been doing that chalky thing, too. I wait for a few days until they are set up and then wash them. The only other thing might be to run the tops over a shaver (I want to buy a beveler like the ones on Kangaroo Blue). I am in PA and I think it has to do with the weather.

Steph

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OMG please God let mine look normal when I make mine! LOL And not kill me when I use them. LMAO *praying* :laugh2:

BWAHAHA! Omg, Vio, you just made me spew coffee all over my monitor! Your excitement is infectious woman, I love it! It's given me a boost for today, thank you!

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Steph, I just washed one of the bars off, will post a pic in a bit. I'm also going to cut a bar in half to see how much moisture is still in it. Mind you, they are only about 5 days old. I'm also going to do a batch like Flicker suggested and decrease the water just a bit. Of course I'm sure I'll bring it to trace more also, as it's going to be a natural reflex from my first thoughts.

I'm also thinking I'm putting too much dye in, in relationship to the amount of soap drawn off for the colored portion(s).

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