Tag Archives: soap

Tea Tree Soap 2018

Posted by xaminmo
Soap is done. It processed really fast, which scares me a little. I did use a much better stick blender. The pH came out a perfect 10 on one strip, and the other kind a 9.9.
 
I worry I’ll have trouble with it slumping whenever I remove the molds. I’m going to let it use up counter space in the kitchen until mid-week, and if it’s still soft, I’ll chill it before freeing it. I should have made this batch in January.
 
Anyway, I’m hopeful, though I overestimated the mold capacity. My old molds have self destructed (HDPE pipe, split), so I have some new, silicone ones. I used three, plus four Solo cups. Don’t judge. This is SCIENCE! 

Note to self, 3L of molds will not hold the soap created from 3L of oils, because, you know, another liter of water, plus some additives, plus the steam trapped in the soap during casting.  (Those molds were domed over with excess soap, and I tapped repeatedly to settle the bubbles.)

 
ps, I only burned myself once with a glob of molten soap!
 
 
 

Soap status

Posted by xaminmo

The bulk of soap5 should be ready on June 1. The three smallest bars are probably okay now, but might still be a little soft in the middle.

I still have some of the three batches from last year, lavender, orange scrubby, and mild-cinnamon. Those are ready now.

My costs are are about 80 cents per ounce for any of them, and most bars are 3-4oz.

The lavender is one of my favorites because of the lather. The exfoliant is almond meal. It likes to soak up water from the soap dish. This lasts a little longer than the others.

The Orange one is Erica’s favorite because it doesn’t aggravate her dry-hands, and doesn’t aggravate her face pores. The exfoliant is salt, so it dissolves a little faster than the others. It doesn’t get as gummy if left at the sink.

The Clove one is more drying/cleansing. I really like it, but it’s too rough on Erica’s hands. No exfoliant. I think this is one you guys liked. The scent is pretty mild, more like raw soap than clove/cinnamon. Lather is a little creamy.

The new Nutmeg+Sandalwood+Patchouli scent is really nice. The soap works well, but the lather is disappointing. It takes just an extra second to rinse it all away vs the more foamy soaps. It’s similar in formulation to the orange bar, but with the salt fully dissolved, so there’s no exfoliant action. I haven’t tested it on Erica yet. For me, I didn’t have any dryness, irritation, or greasy feeling using it on my hands. Once fully dried, it should last longer than the orange soap.