Many soapmaking oils can be found in grocery store aisles, and after awhile it begins to beg the question — can you really use store bought oils in your soaps? While this may seem like an easy, convenient and inexpensive option, we did a little research to find out. What we found was sadly not surprising.
Search Results for: water discount
Soap Behaving Badly
I started my soaping adventures when I was young (ah, sweet 16), and have learned that not everything turns out perfectly the first time. Sometimes despite your best efforts during a soaping session, you’ll get batches that just don’t quite turn out right. It’s just an inherent (and disappointing!) part of soaping. I’m a firm believer in ‘practice makes perfect,’ and being persistent in mastering your technique will help you achieve what you want in your soap, consistently. While there are hundreds of soaping variables that can cause problems, one huge factor that can determine the success of your soaping session is the fragrance or essential oil you use.
All Bramble Berry Fragrance and Essential oils go through a thorough testing process to ensure they perform well in cold process soap.
INS Numbers for Soapmaking
If you’ve been soaping for a while, you’ve probably heard the term ‘INS Number’ and if you’re like many soapers, you scratch your head, research it a bit and then keep soaping your favorite recipe. An INS number refers to a numerical value that explains or describes the properties an oil will have when reacted with sodium hydroxide to make bar soap. It relates to the degree of unsaturation and molecular weight of the oil. Full disclosure: I don’t use INS numbers. I don’t find that they relate well to a finished batch of soap and how it will be perceived by me (or anyone) in the shower. The Bramble Berry lye calculator does not include INS numbers either. That said, some soapers swear by INS numbers though so like many soaping issues (example: to gel or not to gel?) using INS numbers is a personal preference.
Crazy for Cubes
I know I always say this (um, like a lot), but I think I just found my new favorite mold! There are a whopping 25 cavities in this bad boy. It has a glossy finish, which I love, and the cube shape fits perfectly into the palm of my hands. Plus, they are the ideal size for stamping with our new acrylic stamp line. They’re perfect! Ok…enough gushing about the molds. Check out my specially formulated recipe below. Why specially formulated? The cube mold works best with super hard recipes. Since no air flow gets into the mold, it can take forever and a day to get the soap to release. The Sodium Lactate, low (4%) superfat plus water discount all contribute to being able to get this soap out of the mold with no sticking. Because of this, the recipe will move fast. Experienced soapers will still be able to swirl but if you’re a newbie? Stick to one color.
LabColors and Gel Phase are Friends
LabColors are easy to use and adored soap colorants from Bramble Berry. I’m delighted to show you how to use them in cold process soap to maximize your colorant possibilities. Before reading on, if you haven’t read about the colorants and how to properly dilute them, read about them HERE.
The recipe I used is a favorite for testing colorants. It’s a two pound batch that allows a lot of time to hand stir in many different colors.
Fresh Snow & Cream Cheese Frosting Review
Thank you to Jude at Aussie Soap Supplies for these photos and her review. These two Limited Edition Fragrances are available for purchase here.
Jude made a delightful and creative soap log out of the Cream Cheese Frosting. Cream Cheese Frosting relies Madagascar Vanilla notes (which naturally browns your soap). Other sugar loving notes in this fragrance are freshly churned butter, buttercream, cream cheese and an intriguing finish note of butterscotch for a warm and smooth afternote.
She did a 20% Water discount and reports that, “It behaved beautifully.” While some of the sweet frosting notes disappear with the onslaught of lye, Jude says that it is a “pleasant foody fragrance.”
I especially like that Jude left her “frosting” uncolored to take advantage of the naturally discoloring Cream Cheese Frosting fragrance.
Aussie Soap Supplies also soaped Fresh Snow. Jude says, “It’s unusual and fresh and smells blue to me.” On this batch, she did a 10% water discount and there was little if any acceleration. She even was able to do a 4 portion pour and split with the fragrance behaving well. She says, “It is strong! I used 2.5% weight of the oils and it is strong, strong, strong. It is very similar in the Cold Process Soap as Out of the Bottle smelling and there is no morphing, and it is definitely no shrinking violet.”
Thanks for the reviews Jude! Your soap looks amazing.
Aussie Soap Supplies Reviews BB Fragrances
Thank you to Dave and Jude at Aussie Soap Supplies for trying out some of Bramble Berry’s latest additions. They even sent photos and testing notes! If you’re in Australia and you want to buy soapmaking supplies, Dave and Jude have a great company so check them out here.
This is Wasabi fragrance in a discount water batch – just the small sample – works a treat and fragrance is top notch. It’s the blue swirl in the pot soap attached. I actually added an ester (*Smack = dumb) so that was why it was accelerated before I even added the FO!
Snickerdoodle in full gel phase
Jude notes: Buttercream and Snickerdoodle morphs slightly IMHO, still pleasant, but more like Warm Vanilla Sugar. It seems to lose the caramel sugar notes in CP. HOT gel, quite quickly. Discolouration tan/caramel colour. Not unpleasant.
Review from Jude: Rhubarb – will *bite* ? You mean seize? Attached are pics – and yes, it was pretty hot and although I had a 20% discount water, it was workable as you’ll see in the picture. It of course set up, so I would put a warning about water discounting, but it didn’t superheat or anything – its luscious stuff. Oh, BTW, warning warning – I made a bright custard yellow background to stand out against the purple/red of the rhubarb, and when the FO hit it, it turned sort of mucous green!!! I touched up the yellow, but it wasn’t looking good, but CP miracle, its as you see the picture. It hasn’t faded out, but its not quite as milk-shaky now. Delish just the same
French Green Clay & Milk Soap Tutorial
French green clay is a popular additive in beauty products. It has a fine texture and light green color that comes from decomposed plant matter and iron oxides. It’s known for its fantastic oil absorbing properties. In this French Green Clay & Milk Soap, the clay adds a subtle color and skin-loving properties.
Rather than water, this recipe uses raw unpasteurized cow milk. You can also use pasteurized in this recipe – we just happened to have raw unpasteurized cow milk on hand. If you’ve never made milk soap, there are a few extra precautions to keep in mind. The lye can scorch the milk if it gets too hot, which can produce a dark color and unpleasant smell. Learn more about how to add lye to milk here.
This soap can be used on the face. It’s best suited for combination to oily skin. Learn more about which clay is right for your skin here. The recipe is made with a refreshing blend of lemongrass essential oil and tea tree essential oil. If you’re planning on using this as a facial soap and you have sensitive skin, you may consider removing the essential oil or using a lighter usage rate. [Read more…]
Chatting with Melissa of Hallowell Soap Works
Melissa of Hallowell Soap Works has built a name for herself in the soaping community with her gorgeous products. Melissa creates a wide range of stunning items, including cold process soap, lip balms, bath bombs and more. In particular, Hallowell Soap Works is known for their signature “strong arm swirl.” The swirl features a pronounced wave-like swirl that resembles a flexing arm. It’s absolutely beautiful! Learn more about Melissa and her soapy business in the interview below. -A.M.
Melissa’s beautiful and unique “strong arm swirl” in the Tall, Dark & Handsome cold process soap.
How long have you been soaping for and how did you get started?
I started making soap less than a year ago, and fell in love instantly with the process. I couldn’t stop watching YouTube videos, reading Soap Queen blog posts, or purchasing everything I needed to make (what seemed) like every type of soap possible. Despite my business education, I am a creative person at heart. The process of choosing fragrances, colors, and oils felt like the perfect balance of science and art. Initially it became very overwhelming, and so I had to set limitations on what I could expect of myself.
A collection of Hallowell Soap Works’ gorgeous cold process soap. This photo was also a #SoapShare winner!
Back to Basics: Simple & Gentle Cold Process Soap
When starting to make cold process soap, it can be tempting to take the “go big, or go home,” approach. New soapers often want to dive in head first with layers, swirls and fragrances. While I completely understand the urge to make eye-catching soap, I always recommend starting with very basic recipe. A great place to start is a recipe that includes no colorants, design, or fragrance. I also highly recommend sticking to the three most basic soaping oils: olive, coconut and palm.
This might sound a little boring to some, but there is a lot to learn when making your first batch of cold process soap. First, you need to learn how to safely mix your lye solution. Then, you need to correctly mix and measure your soap making oils. Sometimes pouring the lye into your oils while holding your stick blender can feel a little funny, and your first batch of soap familiarizes you with this. Your first batch also teaches you what trace looks and “feels” like. In addition, you may need to line your mold.
All of this combined is plenty when just starting out! Don’t overload yourself. I have watched many beginner soapers become discouraged right off the bat, because they attempt techniques that even advanced soapers struggle with. Set yourself up for success, and keep it simple. Trust me =)
Unmolding Cold Process Soap from Plastic Molds
One of the questions we get asked all the time is, “Can I put cold process soap in your plastic molds?” The answer is yes, absolutely! However, the unmolding process is a little different compared to cold process in wood molds and silicone molds. The plastic molds are airtight. While your cold process soap is in the mold, no air is touching the soap inside. That means the soap has to stay in the mold longer. Never fear! There are several tricks to getting your soap out of the mold with all the beautiful details intact.
First and foremost, patience is key. While soap in silicone or wood molds is ready to unmold as early as 3-4 days, cold process soap in plastic molds can take up to 2 weeks. If your soap is still soft when you try to unmold it, it can leave drag marks or holes. Some of the details may be left in the mold as well. So, if your soap doesn’t want to come out of the mold, let it sit for another day or two.
The recipe you use plays a huge role in determining how long the soap needs to stay in the plastic mold. Soap with a lot soft oils – oils that are liquid at room temperature – takes longer to harden. Soap with mostly soft oils, like olive oil and sweet almond oil, can take even longer than 2 weeks to unmold. Also, some of the details may not be as clear. Recipes with a lot of hard oils – oils that are solid at room temperature – will pop out of the molds faster. Hard oils include coconut oil, palm oil, cocoa butter and shea butter. Read more about hard and soft oils in the Formulating Cold Process Recipes post.
Treat Yourself to a Home Spa
From the cobblestone streets of Paris to the watery canals of Venice, Bramble Berry is bringing the treasures of old world Europe a little closer to home this summer. Starting tomorrow and going through August 2nd, we’ll introduce a variety of new tutorials that make up our Home Spa collection. Expect plenty of soothing, exfoliating and skin-pampering items with artisan ingredients such as Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, Evening Primrose Extract, Mango Butter and delicate blends of fragrance and essential oils. Escape and indulge without leaving home!
In addition to newsletters and tutorials, look out for special Mid-Week Mayhem coupons and exclusive offers. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout the promotion, we’ll release a coupon code good for just 24 hours. Find out about the day’s discount on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, Bramble Berry’s home page and the Soap Queen Blog.
Newsletter subscribers will receive bonus tutorials and get the full schedule of Home Spa-related sales in advance, so if you aren’t signed up already, head over to Bramble Berry and enter your email address on the right hand side. Don’t forget to click through the confirmation email to activate your subscription, and be sure to check your spam filter for emails from info(at)brambleberry(dot)com.
We’ll be tagging all Home Spa projects with #HomeSpa, and we encourage you to do the same! As you create projects, tag them with #HomeSpa then share them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest. We will add our favorites to our Bramble Berry Home Spa board on Pinterest.
We’ve created a unique fragrance oil blend and a unique essential oil blend to choose from for each Home Spa project. Each recipe below makes enough for all six projects, and we encourage you to experiment to see which blend (or blends!) you like best.
Scent Blends
Spring Meadow Blend (about 4.5 oz total)
2.0 oz. Spring Meadow Fragrance Oil
1.0 oz. Orange Peel Fragrance Oil
1.0 oz. Lavender Fragrance Oil
0.4 oz. Patchouli Fragrance Oil
Click Here to get everything you need to make the Spring Meadow Blend.
Essential Oil Blend (about 4.5 oz. total)
2.0 oz. Red Brazilian Mandarin
1.0 oz.Grapefruit Essential Oil
1.0 oz. Hungarian Lavender Essential Oil
0.4 oz. Patchouli Essential Oil
Click Here to get everything you need to make the Essential Oil Blend.
If the Patchouli in either blend is too strong for your taste, reduce the amount to .2 – .3 oz. Don’t forget that this will yield less total oil, so factor that in when scenting your recipes!
We are stirring up a little mayhem at Bramble Berry – so relax and enjoy it! The fun starts tomorrow…
HSCG Conference Guest Post: Kevin Dunn AKA Dr. McSoapy
Who would have guessed how entertaining a chemistry lesson on molecular structure could be. We soap makers sometimes think of ourselves as mad scientists. We get a kick out of the chemical reactions that occur during the process of saponification.
Kevin Dunn, PhD is the Elliott Professor of Chemistry at Hampden-Sydney College. He has done and continues to do research projects on the chemistry of handcrafted soap. He is the author of Scientific Soapmaking about the chemistry of cold process soap.
Dunn received a nickname at the session. He became known as Dr. McSoapy.
Hello, Dr. McSoapy! [Read more…]
What’s New for the Winter Season
We’ve got so many new goodies that will make your winter soaping a blast! Everything from adorable new kudos silicone molds to our S.O.A.P. 2012 fragrances and a brand new e-book by Jeanee of Dirty Laundry. Check it all out!