Charcoal Swirl with Hemp Seed Oil

Soap making is always full of unexpected surprises, and this time, the surprise is more than pleasant!


I've tried a few "in-the-pot swirls" before, but have never been one hundred percent satisfied with the look.  This time I'm actually pretty happy with the way it turns out, but when I made it, it looked so bad that I was even considering putting these in the "failed" box.

The reason why I thought it would turn out to be disastrous was because the soap came to trace literally in less than 3 minutes.  I turned around to grab my charcoal powder and that's when the soap caught me off guard.  I decided to move quickly and mix in the colour anyway because that was what I had promised to make.   By the time I had the colour ready, the soap was thicker than yogurt.  I scooped the soap into the mold and feared for the worst.  

I let out a small scream of joy after making the first cut.  Sooooo, THIS is how you make in-the-pot swirl!  No wonder I haven't been successfull.  I have to wait a little longer before I swirl!  Isn't it funny how we learn our lessons from the most unexpected "mistakes"?





..

Funnel Swirl - Hot Pepper!

After my very first funnel swirl, I've had several questions constantly spinning in my head - what can I do to make it better?  What should I do differently to get that beautiful look I've been dreaming of?


I decided to take my next batch of laundry soap and "funnel it", and the results came out so different this time!  Instead of parallel parentheses, I got concentric circles.

I cut these soaps extra thin so I could get a better look at the way patterns form in this type of swirl.   I think I'm getting a better understanding of the funnel swirl secrets.  Now you all know what that means - have to make another one just to see if these ideas really work!

So, where's the hot pepper?


See the pinkish orangey colour?   That's from *real* hot peppers!  I once ordered a spicy dish at a restaurant and ended up getting a mountain of hot peppers.  I packed them up and rendered my pork lard with them.    The lard turned out to be this bright orange colour, and to my surprise, the colour survived the soaping process and became a soft, dreamy pinkish orange.  


The crazy scientist in my head has been dying to find out if the heat of hot peppers comes out in the shower.  Will this be a good soap for the cold cold Canadian winter?



..

My First In-the-pot Swirl

I found this great video about swirling, and the video had been replaying non-stop in my head ever since.  I had to try the swirl to get it out of my system!  Unfortunately, the result isn't quite I expected.

I was hoping for more fine lines and more curves, but this is what I got.
Sometimes I wonder if "good" swirling requires a large mold, either a long and narrow log mold, or a wide and flat slab mold.  All my molds are small, the largest one can only take up to 800g of oil.  I've been wishing for a nice wooden mold, but it's so hard to find an affordable mold here in Toronto!

I n g r e d i e n t s :
Olive oil, Lard, Coconut oil


Made on 2010-06-09

The one that got away

Last year, a friend shared a great book with me on how to be happy, genuinely happy.  One of the great way to stay happy, according to the book, is to write letters of appreciation. 


I then started to write a few letters to those I'm truly thankful to, and I also made these soaps as a token of my gratitude. 


Now I wish I had made more because I just gave away the last one from this batch and I haven't had a chance to try them yet!


This doesn't happen very often.  Usually I try my soaps before I give them out, it's my kind of way of saying "I know this is good for you!".  

Olive oil, Coconut oil, Palm oil

Castor oil, Sweet Almond oil, Cocoa Butter

Made on 2009-09-13

G20

When the world (at least the city of Toronto) is getting ready for FIFA World Cup, my hubby is getting ready for G20.  

In 2 weeks, world leaders will descend on Toronto, and security is on top of everyone's list.  Special task force units are flying in from all major Canadian cities, there will be military presence, the marines, the mounted police, and some private security staff. 


 This might be the biggest event yet for Hubby's career, but those riot videos on YouTube really scare the hell out of me.  I pray that all crazy fanatics are all glued to their TV to cheer for their own soccer team, too busy to come to protest!

Since I learned that corn oil can be used in place of olive oil, I've been using it and like the results. 


Late last year, I took out an one-year-old, 100% olive oil soap to use, and I was pleasantly surprised by it!  I wondered if corn oil could produce similar results, and hence this batch.  


Now it's been more than 6 months, I take out one just to see how it's doing. (More like my curiosity is killing me.)  It turns out to be pretty good!  It lathers quite well (which is very important to Hubby), and leaves skin a very soft feel. The real test will come in another 6 months when it's dead cold here in Toronto and the weather is super dry.  Can't wait to see how these soaps perform!

Made on 2009-11-08

Charcoal Swirl

can't remember, lost that mysterious piece of paper!

Made on 2009-09-27

Cocoa Swirl

Cocoa Butter, Palm oil, Corn oil, Coconut oil
Cocoa Powder

Made on 2009-05-28

Charcoal Swirl

Coconut oil, Corn oil
Charcoal powder, tea tree essential oil
eucalyptus essential oil, peppermint essential oil

Made on 2009-04-20