Handmade soaps

This month’s Amy Warden soap challenge involved the word pipe which caught my attention pretty darned fast. I couldn’t imagine how a lead pipe might be involved in soap crafting. Since 1999 when after much research at the library(didn’t have the convenience of google or internet much back then) I attempted my first batch of soap which ended with success…but I digress.

So one of the things about soaping is you, me and whomever it be, cannot make “real soap” without the addition of lye aka sodium hydroxide if’n you wanna get all persnickety, smile. Lye is corrosive and does not play fair with most metals except for stainless steel. So I soap in safe thick plastic buckets or my ceramic lined crockpot that is dedicated to my soap crafting hot process batches.

See why the word pipe had me sitting in the lap of wonder with a big ole tiara decked with dancing question marks circling my head? Hardy Ha Ha and HA!

I signed up for the challenge because this one spoke to me like a …well, like a lead pipe!

A gander at the links provided shed light like dawn on a fresh new day. I thought to myself as I watched the fun “Oh yeah, this ones for me”. Sometime later, off I skipped, ahem okay I drove but in my head I was skipping, to the hardware store to buy little round doohickey thingies from the plumbing section. They are made of strong plastic and are indeed pipe shaped. My pan which is from BB&B was a lined textured drawer bin. It cost under $5.00 and was an impulse purchase after getting my mitts on the pipes!

With my basic recipe I am ready to pipe play.

Traced soap split into 4 cups colored and ready to begin pour

I liked the pipe pouring play. It takes focus and careful speed.

Pulling of the pipes was interesting. I was crossed my fingers hoping I didn’t accidentally drop a pipe back onto the soap.

I found the skewer action quite fun!

Super busy with upcoming holiday activities this soap was in the mold for several days. The log was poured from leftover soap batter in the cups.

A few days after releasing from the mold the bars were cut and trimmed. They smell incredible. I made a blend of essential oils using lavender 40/42, lemongrass, 10 fold orange and a pass of the pot with eucalyptus.

When all was said done and done this batch is one I’m happy with. Though still curing I have had non-soapcrafter folks sniff and ooh la la this soap. The blend in this batch makes the bars smell like sweet summertime. Perhaps that is what I’ll name it. Thanks for reading along. I welcome your comments.

Pipe swirl soap trimming

Wasted days and wasted nights!

Those words from Freddy Fenders song rang over and over in my head as I finally got off the soapbox and scooted it out of my way for some soaping therapy play.

Perusing the web I stumbled upon the teardrop video of Sergio Masala a few months ago and talk about eye candy, jumpin’ jehosaphat the soap he created was one masterful artistic cake.

Quel Surpris when Amy Warden announced the May 2016 Monthly Soap challenge would be the teardrop swirl. Signing up for the challenge I read all the information I could find on this technique and was again surprised to learn the technique had actually been introduced by a soap craft artist known as Sweetly Sweetly Sweetly. Between Amy’s teardrop swirl demo, Sergio’s and Sweetly3 I spent some good time checking out this method. I also found Kevin Devine’s teardrop swirl video on youtube to be helpful.

Following Amy’s advice on the challenge page I wanted to design a recipe that utilized a lesser percentage of hard oils and leave out butters and clays that could possibly excellerate trace.

For my slow moving recipe I designed a 25/75 oils ratio. 25% hard oils to 75% soft oils. I went with Avocado, Grapeseed, Coconut, Olive and Sunflower oils. My temps for oils and lye water were under 100 degrees. I used a 33.333% lye concentration with 2 to 1 water to lye ratio.

Let’s get this party started! Oils, Lye water, micas and scent blend ready to rock, roll and soap!

For this session I used all Mad Oils micas. Wicked, Silverfinblue, 3 Olive martini, Twilight,Phyllis Diller and Tangering. For my scent blend I used 80/15 Lavender 40/42 to Lemongrass essential oil with 5% a mere whiff of the awesomely scented Black Raspberry Vanilla from Brambleberry.

Oils temperature

: 33.333% lye concentration. 2 to 1 water to Lye/Sodium Hydroxide ratio.

I cut up a half a cotton ball size of tussah silk in the lye water and added 1 tsp ppo, to lye water as well.

The hardest part of this method is keeping a steady hand. My first few runs were wobbly. It takes a moment to figure out which direction to start the cups pour. A slow steady hand helps.

After filling the mold I finished by scraping cups onto of soap in horizontal lines then running a chopstick side to side vertically.

After 24 hour saponanap!

Phyllis Diller’s Delight!

How I made this soap

mylifewithpieces

It’s All About the Pipe, Baby!

When Suds Lye…

Wasted days and wasted nights!

For this session I used all Mad Oils micas. Wicked, Silverfinblue, 3 Olive martini, Twilight,Phyllis Diller and Tangering. For my scent blend I used 80/15 Lavender 40/42 to Lemongrass essential oil with 5% a mere whiff of the awesomely scented Black Raspberry Vanilla from Brambleberry.

I cut up a half a cotton ball size of tussah silk in the lye water and added 1 tsp ppo, to lye water as well.

The hardest part of this method is keeping a steady hand. My first few runs were wobbly. It takes a moment to figure out which direction to start the cups pour. A slow steady hand helps.