Soapy Hints and Tips
This is a monthly compilation of tips,
knowledge, and just plain old good advice.
Natural Colorings
I found this a few months back... It's a listing of natural
colorants and the expected colors for soaps.
http://www.mullerslanefarm.com/soapcolors.html
~ Denise in PA, list co-moderator
Fresh Pumpkin in Soap
I think I used 6 ounces pumpkin and 2 ounces of cream (cream at trace)
for a 54 ounce batch of soap. I just counted those 8 ounces as
"water" and it's a lovely soap!
~ Marian
Using Tea in Soaps
I make sure it's at least room temperature or cooler, I put the tea in the
container that I'm going to be mixing the lye in and then put that container in
an ice bath and start adding the lye very slowly. The only time I had a
lye volcano was when the tea was still warm. Trust me, you don't want a
lye volcano!
~ Denise in PA, list co-moderator
Cosmetic Info
If you ever need to look up exactly what various
ingredients are, here's a good place to start;
http://www.cosmeticscop.com/learn/dictionary.asp?TYPE=MAIN
~ Denise in PA, list co-moderator
Bath Bomb Molds
I use various molds, similar to Milky Way, however my favorite ones I
can't recall where I got them at, but they are deep, approx. 3/4" and in
the shape of sea "creatures":seahorse, shells, etc. I like using those
types of molds because you can easily change them to the season, holiday, occasion,
etc.
~ Becky, ListMom
Silk Fiber
A one ounce bag of silk fibers is a zip
lock sandwich bag stuffed full. And, I use a pea
sized ball for each 2 1/2 pound batch of soap.
~ Denise in PA, list co-moderator
Gold Sparkle Mica
Are you using this in CP soap? if so, the mica requires light to sparkle
so you don't get that affect too much when adding directly to the soap base
(although you can use it to produce cool veining, etc. when used correctly, so
it is possible to use before anyone jumps the gun and tells me "oh yes you
can!" lol), you're best bet for what you want it to do is to either
stamp the soap with the stamp dipped in the mica or sprinkle it lightly over the
still fresh soap (so it sticks) and blow off the excess, there are many ways to
do this, those are just two, : )
and yes, you can use cocoa although a heavy hand will produce lather that stains
white cloths, etc. and don't add directly to your soap base, incorporate it into
a small amount of base first to remove all the lumps and get a consistent look.
~ Becky, ListMom
Bath Bombs That Stay Together
I like
1 Cup Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Citric Acid
1/4 Cup Corn Starch
2 Tbs. Sea Salt
3 Tbs. favorite veggie oil
Fragrance to suit
Spritz lightly with witch hazel if it needs a bit of dampening to form
tight.....
I also use Iris' and Lori's recipes in the Recipe Nook and sometimes I add cocoa
butter, shea butter, mix and match. Just be sure to make on a non-humid day, : )
~ Becky, ListMom
Shea Butter
From the list? My favourite was the tempering of shea butter. I was
horrified when my first batch of really good, all kinds of goodies, foot balm
turned grainy after about a week in the jar. I posted to the list and someone
(so sorry, I can't remember who!) told me about she butter's behavior problems :
)
~ Bobbie
Keeping Celery Fresh
I've gotten so many good tips from the list, but the one that I say a
'silent thank you' for every time I use it is from Camille and it doesn't have
anything to do with soap! :) It was the tip to wrap your celery in
aluminum foil to keep it fresh in the refrigerator much, much longer.....and it
works wonderfully! :)
~ Carol C.
Xantham Gum
As I mixed up a batch of cream tonight I just had to smile at the ease
of using my xantham gum. For what seems like FOREVER I always had to zap
it with my stick blender to get it smooth. Then one day Becky blithely
noted that if you mix it with glycerin first, it incorporates like a charm!
Every time I do this now, I say a silent thank you for this tip!
~ Marian
Turbinado Sugar
I use the turbinado sugar...you will find it has less of the molasses
scent that brown sugar has, and most grocery stores sell it now. Look in the
sections that have diet foods, and look for a brown box called "Sugar in
the Raw." I think you will be much happier with both the consistency
and the aroma
~ SueK
Using Goat's Milk
The best one was to freeze the milk in zip lock freezer
bags, making sure to keep them thin and lay them flat to
freeze...then all you need to do is drop them on the floor to break up the milk
into pieces that will fit into your lye container!
~ Denise in PA, list co-moderator
