From the Soap diaries of September 7th, 2021
I have not been in the mood to make soap lately. I have found my sewing machine more interesting than the stick blender. Yet, because I signed up for a show for November, which being in Texas means that it will probably happen not matter what, I feel the urge to make soaps for it. I have made several already but the most important ones, the Christmas ones, I have not tackled yet. I think it is because I have not had closure. With summer, that is. With temperatures in the 90’s and heat index in the 100’s (F), I cannot fathom Christmas yet, no matter how much of a push stores and advertisements make for it.
Instead, I wanted to make one last summer soap. An ocean soap. Because I have this summer fragrance that I bought a while back and I have yet to try (sadly the fragrance was a disappointment for me). And I had an idea that I wanted to test right away instead of adding it to the list. My idea was about making the sea foam effect with clear melt and pour. And I did try my idea but I did not like how it turned out and how long it took. So I abandoned the project and I think that was why I have not attempted to make soap since then. I also have another soap project in the works that is also halfway there, and I feel I cannot start Christmas soaps until I complete these half baked soaps.
Some days later…
The good news is that I made the soap. The bad news is that it did not turnout well. The batter got too thick too fast (my fault for not testing the fragrance prior, and perhaps got too cocky about my ability of “making it work” despite my recipe.
The good news is that at least two of the four bars show promising results, so it could be a 50% success rate. And since I made a small batch, I do not feel like I wasted materials or effort; instead, I have ideas of what needs to be done to improve on this:
- Choose another fragrance or adjust recipe (water content at least) to accommodate for a fast moving fragrance
- Make a thicker, sturdier pull screen
- Make the sea foam with another method
Below is the recipe, video and supply links which are affiliate links.
My affiliate links:
Several of the links above/below are affiliate links, as the ones below. If you buy from them, it will not cost you any more, and I would get a tiny commission on it. As amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Colorants:
1/4 tsp Titanium Dioxide from Nurture Soap
1/2 tsp Turquoise teal mica for 6 oz of soap batter
1/4 tsp Synergy Mica for 6 oz of soap batter
1/4 tsp gold mica 24k
Mold:
10″ Silicone loaf mold from Nurture Soap
Fragrance:
1 oz of Coco Cabana from Crafter’s choice. I personally did not like this fragrance. I will not use it by itself again but I might try it blended with something strong. (For reference, I usually do not like florals, but I like lavender, I like single fruit fragrances like pineapple or strawberry, but not a fan of too many fruity blends, I also like powdery notes. I am not saying this fragrance smells like any of that, just what I generally like to give you an idea). I could never put my finger on what this fragrance smelled like, but it was not coconuts.
Equipment
Embeds
- Crystal Clear MP
- White Melt and Pour (get the same brand so they stick to each other better)
- Blade set (including the flexible one)
- Vegetable peeler to smooth out the cuts of the blades
- Hobby knife with interchangeable blades
Safety Equipment:
- Nitrile gloves
- Facial Shield (I use either a facial shield or the goggles below)
- Safety Goggles
- Respirator (I use this when mixing the lye, I mix the lye in the window sill, window opened, with a pedestal fan blowing the fumes away, better yet, freeze your distilled water prior) I also try to wear long sleeves, pants and closed shoes. In my personal experience, most of my near misses (when I feel my skin itching or a slight burning sensation), or when I come contact with the soap batter, have happened when I am wiping down the containers, when I am almost done.
Recipe Totals
Please note that this recipe has a a very low superfat* percentage, dual lye and a considerable discount-lye water concentration*. If you are a beginner, a recipe like this one might be better.
Recipe Totals
| Liquid Required | 4.64 oz | 131.62 g |
| NaOH Weight at 99 % Purity | 2.21 oz | 62.66 g |
| KOH Weight at 90 % Purity | 0.18 oz | 5.14 g |
| Lye Weight | 2.39 oz | 67.8 g |
| Oil Weight | 16 oz | 453.59 g |
| Super Fat | 2 % | |
| Total Batch Weight | 23.04 oz | 653.24 g |
| NaOH / KOH Ratio | 95 % / 5 % | |
| Lye Concentration | 34 % |
Recipe Oils, Fats and Waxes
| Oil | % | Ounces | Grams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 30 | 4.8 | 136.08 |
| Tallow Beef | 30 | 4.8 | 136.08 |
| Coconut Oil, 76 deg | 25 | 4 | 113.4 |
| Castor Oil | 8 | 1.28 | 36.29 |
| Shea Butter | 7 | 1.12 | 31.75 |
| Total | 100 | 16 | 453.59 |
Custom Additives
| Add with the Fats | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rosemary oleoresin | 0.01 oz | 0.23 g |
| Add at trace | ||
| EDTA mixed with water | 0.23 oz | 6.53 g |
Fragrances
| COCO CABANA from Crafter’s choice |
Soaps by Glenda 