Camo Soap and Single Oil/Avocado Soap

So I had the most wonderful experience this afternoon. I made soap! I'm so excited that I finally got some soap made that I want to make more tomorrow. I know exactly what I want to do already. So watch out!

I am so giddy over my camo soap. It turned out exactly how I imagined it. It's a cloudy old day once again so the best picture was the one with the flash. It shows the color really well. I mixed my own fragrance (it's so manly) and sprinkled some "dirt" on top. The lighter color should turn tan or brown. I wanted to name it Capt. Awesome Camo soap but hubby informed me that was weird, odd, and lame. So Capt Awesome it is! Just kidding... :) It is kind of funny that as I was making this one that my husband was playing a hunting game on the xbox.

Edited to add: This soap is for a challenge on the best soap making forum ever! I will probably wait to show pictures of the cut soap when we have our big reveal in a couple of weeks.


I am incredibly happy that I have more of the silicone molds at this point because I do believe my single oil experiment soap is going to be occupying the mold for several days. I am trying a strip of freezer paper in my mold to help lift the soap out when it is time.

Edited to add: I seemed to have left out a couple of interesting details in this post! At this same awesome forum, I am joining in on an single oil soap experiment. We know it has been done before but we have decided to do this ourselves and share a piece of each soap with the members so that we can each test the result.

The oil I chose to use was avocado. I love to use avocado and I also have a lot of it. Kellie's post on the shelf life of oils got me to thinking that I better be using my avocado up. Last fall I bought a gallon container of avocado from WSP. I use it at only 10% in my recipes and I obviously don't soap as often as I'd like. Anyhow, the soap took a good long while - or so it seemed - to come to trace and I think it will be very soft for quite a while. I chose not to prevent gel and not to force it either. I'm going to let it do it's thing. It turned out creamier colored that I anticipated. It's quite yummy looking.

The Winning Combo

I have finally found what I need for my skin to help control the oil. It's been quite a battle but I'm happy to have found a routine that works for me.

Although all of the products seem to be necessary to keep the oil at bay, there is one product that has helped me the most. After one use, the oil on my face was noticeably reduced. It is amazing!

TA-DA!

Tomato Tea Tree Facial Soap by Silver Maple Soap Company.

(Photo from the Silver Maple Etsy Shop)

I also use my Yogurt Berry Facial soap but I use it every couple or few days. This recipe was given to me from my friend Tanya. It does help with the oil but I think I varied the recipe too much from Tanya's. I bet if I'd followed the recipe exactly that it would have been so much better. But as it is, it is still crucial to my routine.


On a bi-weekly basis I am using a Tea Tree and Papaya Facial Scrub from Spa Therapy. I have found that I prefer the feel of baking soda and clay in my facial scrubs. I love the smooth paste as opposed to a more gritty consistency.

(Photo from the Spa Therapy Etsy Store)

On a weekly basis, I have been using the Dead Sea Mud Facial Mask from Great Cakes Soapworks. It works wonderfully at clarifying and tightening my skin. After using the mask, my skin feels so smooth and clean and fresh.

(Photo from the Great Cakes website)


One more "unnatural" product that I haven't been able to move away from is the Oil Control Lotion from Mary Kay. Wearing make-up puts the oil production into overdrive and this is the only oil-control lotion that I have found that works well.

(Photo from the Mary Kay website)

I have tried so many wonderful products and they are really all fabulous. There are so many skin types and skin problems our there and we need all the options available to try and find what works best for us.

So if anyone out there has oily skin such as mine, maybe try this routine out and see if it works for you!

Soap Queen Video: 2nd Installment

More great info on CP soap making.

How to Make Cold Process Soap: Basic Terms, Episode 2 from Soap Queen on Vimeo.

Been Busy But Not With Soap

We repainted the kids bedrooms this weekend and that is why I didn't get any soaping done!

Julie's room before (taken from the online real estate listing):


Julie's room after:



Gabe and Ben's room before (taken from the online real estate listing):


Gabe and Ben's room after:



The kitchen and our bedroom is next!

A Grumpy Girl Christmas

If felt like Christmas anyway. Except that I paid for my own gifts. Hmmm....

Anyway! It took almost a month to get this package in but it's very understandable as I do believe they were flooded with orders, and then an injury of some sort also occured. It just made me more giddy when the package finally arrived today!

I love Grumpy Girl's website. The font and colors really catch my eye. I've heard great things about them and finally had to try them myself.

Here is what I ordered:

A deliciously scented coffee sugar scrub:


Banana scent:


Strawberry Scent:


Orange Creamsicle Scent:


Vanilla Scent:


A Different Strawberry Scent:


Look at the pretty glitter!


Apple Scent:



You all know that I LOVE glitter on soap and most of these bars have glitter of some sort sprinkled on the top! I really like the packaging as well. I liked that it was wrapped up nice and not making any messes but yet I could see the soap. I received a few fun samples including a lip balm. They also packed in a small game thing and a big toosie roll. Woo-hoo!

I am apparantly on a mission to not use any of my own soaps! :-)

Sparklebrook Soap - Before and After

My purpose of this post was to show you how the green color in my Acai Berries soap that was supposed to be blue had morphed back to blue. It's so pretty now and I've decided this batch can indeed be my "signature" soap. However, upon review of my photos, I see that the blue/green color looks the same in both photos! Now has does that happen? Either way, I took the time to take new pictures of the soap and so I'm just going to post the photos anyway. :)

Before:


After:

Sweet Oatmeal Goats Milk Soap

My Sweet Oatmeal Soap...


I am having a battle with the Chamomile Lavender soap. It is stuck in the mold still. I used mineral oil to coat the molds which has worked wonderfully in the past but since this is a tray mold...well, I don't know. I imagine my next route is the freezer to try to get it to loosen up.

Goats Milk Soaps - In The Mold

It's been a productive day...soaping and otherwise! We haven't had any showings this weekend and it's been amazing the amount of work we were able to get done around the house!

The first here is Sweet Oatmeal Goats Milk Soap. I really wanted to use fresh goats milk but our "city suburban" Walmart doesn't carry it. I can find it at a Walmart in the middle of nowhere, but not in a big city. Go figure. So I used canned goats milk again. I really do love it and have also used goats milk powder with great success.


Did you notice that my green molds multiplied? :) :D I made my biggest batch ever at 84 oz. I was all set up and doing great until I realized that I didn't have a container big enough to mix my soap in! I did have an old 1 gallon bucket that my coconut oil came in and so I was quick able to go to that. It was almost too full but I made it work. Whew!

This batch is my Chamomile Lavender Goats Milk Soap. This is the third time that I've used this essential oil blend and it has become a staple for me. I used my new Milky Way "Goats Milk" molds and my new bug molds. It came to such thick trace it was very "seize-like" in texture and I had a heck of a time getting it into the molds. It may not end up the prettiest but by golly I love that stuff and so it won't matter one hoot to me!


I guess these tray molds are going to try to gel unless I force them one way or another. So I put them on a heating pad and they have been covered with a small inverted tub but the buggers just won't gel any further! So once again...they aren't gonna be pretty!


The Sweet Oatmeal is still in the freezer. I am going to let these sit until Wednesday to cut them. I'm finding that 48 hours is too soon and I can't get a clean cut.

I don't know when I'll work with the Chamomile Lavender. I guess we'll see!

Today I Make Soap

That is all. :D

ETA: Sorry for a boring post. But pics will be coming along later. I haven't made soap in weeks and I'm super excited!

Interesting Video

Here is a great video about lye safety and a brief introduction to soapmaking.

How to Make Cold Process Soap : Lye Safety & Ingredients, Episode 1 from Soap Queen on Vimeo.

Look What Else!

I had a fun weekend away from home and now I'm back and I REALLY want to make soap. I have company for a couple of days so I probably won't get to it still but I have my ideas and I'm ready to go when the time comes!

Here are a couple more products that I ordered in. They are from Great Cakes Soapworks. This bath and body product maker is in my local area and she is so sweet and friendly. I am eager for the warmer weather and the beginning of the Olathe Farmers Market so that I can go visit her again.

I am on an endless quest to find a product to help my super-duper oily skin. I can't do a thorough review on the products I have received quite yet but I wanted to show you what I have....so that I have something to blog about! :)

Dead Sea Spa Bar This one has patchouli essential oil in it that I was very unsure about because I have not liked it in the past but I didn't mind it! This bar is really pretty too!

Edited to add: These pictures are the actual product photos from Great Cakes.



Dead Sea Mud Facial Mask I haven't tried this one yet but I am eager to. I like that it's all mixed up for me already. I also like how it is packaged in packets and I can get what I need and then clip it with a paper clip.


Great Cakes Soapworks

I have so many products to try and give feedback on but I don't have that much room in our shower! Since our house is up for sale, we have to keep the products to a minimum. You can bet I'll get to everything though. I'm eager to try everything I've received over the last couple of weeks. I have to admit that I have a Grumpy Girl order coming in as well. :p

I hope everyone had a great weekend!