Groovy Man...Soap!

One of my blog buddies, CC Groovy, who happens to be a man, commented on one of my blog posts the other day something to the effect of, "Why don't you make any stuff for men?" Well, CC, this one's for you...and all the other mens out there.

After inhaling the scent for a few days, this one could actually go both ways. It's very clean and fresh-like sun-dried laundry, but it definitely has a masculine edge. I chose blue as the color because, well, I wanted the soap to be as "masculine" as possible. It looks like a pair of well-worn denim jeans. Sadly, I doubt I'll be able to make another batch of this one because the fragrance has been discontinued, and I don't know what all the notes were. Anyway, CC, hit me up, so I can send you a bar...on me!

The Morning After Soap

 (I'm in love with these little rubber duckies...)

I'm so naughty. Now use your imagination....


I love the look of this white-ish soap. The poppy seeds really make it-pop. These bars are refreshing and invigorating. I named it The Morning After because it's the perfect soap for purging all the evils of the night before...I scented them very lightly with pure peppermint essential oil, and the poppy seeds really provide a scrubby boost. I hot processed these (Yes, I turned a method of soap making into a verb) which is becoming a major obsession. My technique is getting better and better because the finished bars aren't all choppy and gunky-looking like some traditional bars look (And, no, that's not an insult, just an observation.)

I'm going to dig into my Saponifier archives and attempt a hot processed swirl. I just got my order in from Soaper's Choice, so I have a little room to play and experiment!

And the Obsession Continues...

Here's a flick of my latest HP soap scented in Cafe Mocha. As much as I do not like to drink coffee, I love the smell of it (Hi Misty!) The mocha really balances the coffee nicely, and I added some coffee grounds to it for added texture and exfoliation. And that's about it....It's going to be a slow week, lol!

Cool Hand Cuke Is Back!

When will I learn to never say never or only when...? You can tell by looking at this soap that it is hot processed (or possibly even re-batched, but I aint even going there...) When I learn something new, I tend to obsess over it til the newness wears off, and it hasn't yet.

This batch is scented in a very fresh-smelling cucumber and mint. It's a delightful soap fragrance and I'll probably add it to my spring/summer lotion scent lineup. I sprinkled a little gold glitter on top to jazz it up a little, but it really didn't need it. Up next-coffee soap-hot processed of course!

Only 4 more days til Christmas! I'm such a big kid:)

Hot Cinnamon Buns Coming Right Up!

Look at my buns! Aren't they hot? I made this entire batch of soap in my microwave!  I didn't change my regular formula at all-rice bran, avocado, palm, coconut, and castor oils. I used cocoa powder for the coloring and sprinkled cinnamon on top. The "icing" is actually white melt and pour soap. The good part about hot processed soap is it's practically ready to use. I'll let it cure for about 2 weeks before I test it.
 
I have never had the desire to make hot processed soap for many reasons:

1. They're ugly (at least in my biased opinion)
2. The process was intimidating to me.
3. They're ugly.
4. They're ugly.
5. They're ugly...

Then one, little blog post changed my mind... and here's my journey in pictures:

Step 1: Prepare your soap as if you're making it the cold processed way only you want to bring your mix to a very, very, thick trace.

(Makes me crave banana pudding)

Step 2: Set microwave to 50% power and zap in 2 minute intervals until the soap begins to turn translucent. It was still very thick after the first 2 minutes. It takes a little elbow grease to really work it all together.

 (Excuse the poor lighting, but you can see that it's super-thick and mash potato-like.)

Step 3: You want to stir the mixture after each interval making sure it doesn't bubble over in the container. It took me four, 2 minute intervals before the soap begins to become translucent which is the tell-tale sign that it's ready to be colored, scented, and poured into the mold. It's advised that the soap should have a waxy consistency, and you should do the tongue-zap test. I broke down and did the zap and thankfully I didn't get zapped, so it was ready.

Step 4: I colored, scented, and literally plopped the thick mass into my mold. After about 2 hours, it was pretty much hardened, but I did let it set overnight before I sliced and iced it. Here's a final shot of the soap after I plopped it into the mold. It's very important that you plop it on the counter a couple of times to eliminate air pockets or you'll end up with gaping holes throughout your soap.

Gratuitous Shot: This is a pic of the bowl as I ran hot water in it to rinse it. Look at those bubbles!!!

So, in conclusion, while I've conquered my fear of hot process, I won't be doing this method very often. I just don't care for the look. I think I'll reserve it for my bakery-scented batches because I do kinda like the rustic appeal of a dessert-themed soap, and they aren't as ugly as I once thought they were. I'm now thinking of my next dessert-themed soap because even though I just said I won't be doing this method very often, I get kinda obsessed with new things....