I’ve created a monster! But, at least it’s a clean monster. 
I am really loving this soap making thing. It’s a lot like baking, but without the sugar. To be sure, I have a long way to go before I’m any good at it, but I’ve started, and now have 4 batches of soap curing, with oils prepped for 3 or 4 more. As I get more familiar with the process, I hope to start adding colors and more molds. So many soaps I see seem to use a standard loaf mold for big batches, like 5 lbs of soap at a time. I’m not making anything like that, so I’m sticking with individual molds for smaller batches. Plus, for some reason, I don’t like the loaf-style mold. I guess it just feels like the bars are sideways from a loaf mold. I have my eye on a slab-style mold for if/when I ever get to a point of making larger batches to maybe possibly hopefully sell some day.
Before I started, I did a lot of reading about the different oils that are available, and I created a recipe that’s designed to moisturize and nourish skin, and fight the effects of aging. I can’t wait to see how it turns out, once I start using them!
The very first batch right after I poured it into a mold.
This was the next day, when I unmolded the bars. These will be shaving bars. For me. They have a very pretty cucumber-melon fragrance my friend gave me.
These are soap bars for my husband. I’m not sure about the smell, though. I tried to do a basil-lime thing, but I’m concerned the lime scent got burned off in the saponification process. The base recipe I used for these bars is the one I made myself, and plan on being my basic recipe.
These are shaving bars for men. I used the same basil-lime scents as I used in the soap for my husband. Right now, they have more of a basil scent than a lime one.
These are shampoo bars. My husband and I have been kicking around the idea of getting rid of the store bought shampoos we’ve been using all our lives, and going to something more natural. The recipe called for a larger batch than I had molds for, so I had to scramble and find something else to use. They’re not pretty, but once they’re cured, they should be good to go, and I know after a few uses, the shapes will smooth out.
And, I made a batch of whipped coconut oil. Actually, this has other oils added to it, so it’s super skin-nourishing and softening. This is an experiment, as I’ve read a bit about whipped oils and wanted to see what they were like. I make a balm, or butter, using most of these oils, but whipping them gives them a lighter and fluffier feel. It feels like you’re playing with frosting, lol.
Do you have a hobby or potential business thing going on?
SoapiNessence 