Soap Experiment - Want to Help Me?

If you would like to participate in an experiment of mine, come on over to my other blog and read more about it!

www.naturalmentemediterraneo.com

xo Jen

Soap Experiment - Prickly Pear Soap (Jabón de Chumbo)

A friend of mine gave me a little bottle of Prickly Pear Oil from Morocco and told me that was supposed to be even better for the skin than Argan Oil. 

Then on the way home from the farm where I get my fresh goat milk, I was captivated by these… so I began creating a Prickly Pear soap in my mind.

Difficult to work with! I didn’t realize how many invisible little cactus pricklies are in the fruits! They even went right through the rubber gloves into my fingers! Next time I will soak the fruits in warm water first… as I have now been told.

Blended up the fruit with some water to make the juice and used the juice as the water part of the soap...

Superfatted with Prickly Pear Oil.  I have since learned that the most valuable Prickly Pear Oil is Prickly Pear Seed Oil.  Trying to buy some of this valuable oil, the best quote I got so far was €650 per litre!!  I don’t think I will be able to work with that oil any time soon…

Batch One

The first batch has an interesting Essential Oil blend (haven’t decided if I like it yet… but it intrigues me) of Rosemary, Frankincense, Cedarwood, Fennel and Grapefruit.  This batch ended up with the seeds in it, which might be kind of exfoliating. 

The seeds all settled to the bottom.  If I wanted do re-do this batch but have seeds throughout, I think I would bring the soap to a thicker trace.  Not sure if I like the seeds yet as I am still impatiently waiting for the soap to cure to try it out!

Batch Two

The second batch I strained the juice, and it turned out a really nice colour, rich and thick almost like a milk soap.  The Essential Oil blend is Bergamot, Cedarwood, Frankincense.

Can't WAIT to try them out!!!

Happy soaping and experimenting everyone!

xo

Jen

Pictorial Soap Story Continued... Packaging

My Orange Poppyseed soaps are finally ready for packaging!

 

First I cut the paper in strips...

I line up the soap and start folding to size...

Rotate...

Crease...

 Cut..

Remove and crease again... EXTRA crease... I love sharp lines... (please excuse the thumb bruise)

Tape up the bottom...

Check out my super-duper automatic tape-cutter!  This was a Christmas present from my daughter and I use it almost every day.  It takes any size tape-roll and cuts the peices automatically to the size I want.

Fold the ends like gift wrapping...

Tape them...

Cut the cigar bands...

crease, crease, crease...

Stick ingredient label sticker on bottom to hold cigar band together...

Would love to see how you all go about your packaging!  Hope you have enjoyed the series on my processes.

xo

Jen

Soap Experiment - Potpourri 3

I wanted a coloured soap, and I wanted to try something new, so for the liquid I used half water/ half coffee. 

 

This time I also threw in some soap balls made with left over soap. 

The scent is a dud. Sounded great – Lime, Sandalwood, Vetiver, but unfortunatlly I can only smell Vetiver, even though it only made up 8% of the scent blend.

I must say that Potpourri 1 is still my favourite, but when I make it again, I will add the scent from Potpourri 2 and soap balls. 

Happy Soaping to all!! xo Jen

Soap Experiment - Potpourri 2

I remembered the Castor Oil and I remembered to put the Essential Oils in this time. The EO blend is a nice one I have used before (Lavender, Ylang Ylang, Fennel and Lemongrass).



Instead of dropping the shavings into the mould and pouring the batter over them, I dropped the shavings into the batter.  I think visually, the first Potpourri turned out nicer.

I realized that a lot of my soap shavings are very light in colour so maybe they would stand out better in a darker soap?

Potpourri 3 will have a darker colour and some of those soap balls that Holly at Missouri River Soap   http://missouririversoap.blogspot.com/   has been teaching me to make...

Happy soaping and Happy Thanksgiving to all you Canadians!!

xo
Jen

Soap Experiment - Potpourri # 1

In trying to use up my soap shreds, I created "Potpourri". This is the first attempt.  In the background you can see second attempt which will be another post.

pouring soap batter...  Please note the little stainless steel pot behind the mould which contains my Essential Oils and Castor Oil.  Yes!  I forgot to include them.  Didn't realize until too late.  So this batch turned out to be odourless and Castor Oil-less!  Ooooops.

adding soap shreds...

topping up...

straight out of incubation...

Happy Soaping!! xoxo Jen