The Great Cakes Soap Challenge for January 2016 involved a technique called the Circling Taiwan Swirl that produces a lotus flower when the soap is cut horizontally. I went with natural colorants and tried out a new blend of essential oils. I ended up making 3 attempts at this swirl technique. The best part is cutting the soap and having absolutely no idea what you’re going to see. :) Continue reading
This month’s soap challenge involved the use of impression mats. We were given the option to either make our own impression mat or use something like a fondant mat. I chose the latter and decided to go with a Valentine’s Day theme using my favorite natural pink colorant. Thankfully, Amazon.com had a pretty fondant mat with hearts. :)
The soap challenge this month involved learning a fun new technique called the Tall & Skinny Shimmy. In my first attempt at this technique, the soap got a bit too thick on me. And thick soap just doesn’t shimmy. In my second attempt, I used natural colorants and essential oils that were more conducive to a slow trace along with a really slow tracing recipe. :) Continue reading
Before I became a hobby soap maker, I would buy handmade soaps from anywhere and everywhere. My favorite bars always seemed to contain silk. So, when I started making soap, silk was one of the first “extra” ingredients I knew I wanted to use. I thought I’d do a post to explain how I add it to my non-vegan recipes. :) Continue reading
In order to make soap, you need three ingredients: oil, sodium hydroxide (lye), and a liquid (water, milk, etc). A lot of soap makers use milk, beer, coffee, and teas instead of just plain water. Each of these various liquids can lend different properties to soap, like a boost in lather or actual skin care benefits. The soap challenge this month focused on the liquid we use. The challenge was to use an alternative to water and discuss the benefits, if any, to the skin. We had to use all natural colorants and only essential oils for fragrance, too. This was a very interesting challenge and a lot of fun to research.
The very first idea that popped into my mind – Elderberry :) Continue reading
Kápia Méra 