Hi. Ok, so this will be my first post in a month, as I was studying for the LSAT during September. Now that the (effing) test is through I’ve been able to get back to the soap thing.
The batches I made this week were frustrating but awesome. All the soap I’ve made in the past has been exclusively through the Hot Process method, which calls for cooking the soap through the saponification (chemical reaction) process, so that when you’re done you have usable soap as soon as it cools. I’ve talked about this method before, and I still love it, but I’ve been wanting to try my hand at the Cold Pour method.
Rather than cook the soap, with CP (Cold Pour) you generally mix all the ingredients at room temperature, and while the soap batter is still thin you pour it into the mold. This way you get nice finished soaps that aren’t rough or crumbly like some you get with HP (Hot Process). It is also what the majority of soapmakers out there tend to use, and it’s more complicated than HP (so I feel), because you have to factor in conditions like temperature of the oils and lye solution. If the soap overheats it can rise like bread and crack in the mold, among other things. Also, you REALLY have to pay attention to the consistency of your batter during the process. If you don’t, you run the risk of letting the batter thicken up too much and not having nice, finished looking soaps. Or getting air bubbles. Or not being able to mix your colors the way you’d like. There are a number of things to think about.
A downside, of course, is that the soap sometimes takes a few weeks for the chemical reaction between lye and oils to finish completely, so you can’t use CP soap as soon. That being said, I did four batches this week and these two I’m posting were the successes. The other two (another lemongrass and a pumpkin) didn’t turn out so hot for various reasons. But, that’s how you learn eh?
The first one I made was the lemongrass. I actually had tried to make an infusion of dried lemongrass and coconut oil a few weeks ago by combining them in a crockpot and leaving it on warm for a couple weeks. But, unfortunately, it never smelled like lemons. I didn’t figure out why until I put some dried lemongrass into a coffee grinder and ground it up. As soon as I opened the grinder it was boom boom lemon time.
You can’t really tell from the picture, but I added the ground lemongrass to the oils, and during the mixing process I used gold colored mica to add some swirls before I poured into the mold. This gives it a nice textured look. I think this is my favorite soap so far, as I just think it turned out very classy looking. I like the marble look the gold swirl gives to the soap, and you can’t tell from the picture but the swirls glint in the light really nicely.
I tried the swirls again with the lavender rosemary soap. I had actually originally planned for the base soap to be green and have some lavender marbled in, but as soon as the green mica mixed with the lye it turned doodoo brown. I was making this batch with some friends to show them how, and was a little embarrassed to be honest. Since I was like, supposed to not suck at making soap and all. But when I checked the batch the next day – voila! It had turned from brown to a deep purple, with the lighter swirls in it. Not what I was going for, but I really like it.
They both smell amazing. I actually mixed rosemary with the lavender just to see how it would go together, and it is a crazy good smell. Well, for me. My dad said not to send him any of that batch, due to rosemary angst apparently.
Last but not least, I got a soap beveler a few weeks ago. It’s a little tool that takes the sharp edges off the soap and gives it a more professional look. There was definitely a learning curve, but once you get the hang out of it it’s not hard at all. And I love the way it makes the soaps look finished, like you’d find in a store or somesuch.
Now I just have to think about some packaging. ☺
