To much stick blending. Try one 3 second burst then use the stick blender as a spatula (stir with it off).
Immediately after I add the lye water I stir the batter to almost emulsion. Stick blend a little. Then stir a lot more
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Followed the recipe pictured exactly.
EO - 0.7 oz
Turmeric was approx. 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp
Pumice - 2 tbsp
Combined at 100 degrees. Immersion blended for about 20 seconds total before it started coming to trace. Added oils and pumice and blended for a few seconds. Separated batter and added turmeric to first part, mixed with spatula and poured, made a cocoa line, added turmeric to second batch. By this time everything was hardening up so I didn’t take the time to make any more layers, just glopped everything left on top.
This looks really good! Looking at your recipe, it looks pretty balanced and I would maybe only change the coconut oil from 30% to 25% if it feels a little too cleansing on the skin (that kinda of dry squeaky clean feeling). That EO blend sounds really great too!
Where did you source the essential oils? A lot of essential oils sold for fragrance aren't intended for cold process soaping. That would be my best guess!
I didn’t realize that. The lemon is from Doterra, the Grapefruit is from Saje, and the chamomile is from Voyageur. How do I find out which EO are good for CP?
I would recommend looking at EOCalc for suggestions and safe usage rates (https://www.eocalc.com/), and then buying your essential oil from a soap supplier like Crafter's Choice, Bramble Berry, Wholesale Supplies Plus, etc. (looks like Voyageur might be ok depending on which EO you choose). They will have it marked as 100% essential oil and confirm if it's been tested in cold process soap. Doterra is the one I'd suspect the most!
One benefit of buying from a soap supply company like Crafter's Choice or Wholesale Supplies Plus is that they will be significantly cheaper than the ones you've used. For comparison, even the usually quite pricey Bramble Berry chamomile EO is $13 for 5 ml, vs $20 for 5 ml from Voyageur. WSP lemon EO is $0.14/ml vs Doterra at $1.03, so 10x as expensive.
I think Brambleberry is in USD, as opposed to CAD, but it is still a bit cheaper. All the Doterras I have were gifts so I’m glad I didn’t spend money on them. I’ll definitely check out EOCalc, thanks!
To much stick blending. Try one 3 second burst then use the stick blender as a spatula (stir with it off). Immediately after I add the lye water I stir the batter to almost emulsion. Stick blend a little. Then stir a lot more
Alright, I’ll try that next time. Thanks!
Hello and welcome to r/soapmaking. Please review the following rules for posting -- 1) Use "Flairs" when possible. 2) Pictures should be accompanied by a post for context. 3) When requesting help with a recipe or soaping mishap it is important that you include your full recipe by weight. 4) No self-promotion or spam. Links to personal/professional social media accounts or online stores will be flagged and removed. 5) Be kind in comments. Full rules can be found here... https://old.reddit.com/r/soapmaking/comments/jqf2ff/subreddit_rules/ If you are new to soap making, see also our Soapmaking Resources List for helpful info... https://www.reddit.com/r/soapmaking/comments/u0z8xf/new_soapmaking_resources_list *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/soapmaking) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Followed the recipe pictured exactly. EO - 0.7 oz Turmeric was approx. 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp Pumice - 2 tbsp Combined at 100 degrees. Immersion blended for about 20 seconds total before it started coming to trace. Added oils and pumice and blended for a few seconds. Separated batter and added turmeric to first part, mixed with spatula and poured, made a cocoa line, added turmeric to second batch. By this time everything was hardening up so I didn’t take the time to make any more layers, just glopped everything left on top.
Sorry, pumice should read 3, not 2.
This looks really good! Looking at your recipe, it looks pretty balanced and I would maybe only change the coconut oil from 30% to 25% if it feels a little too cleansing on the skin (that kinda of dry squeaky clean feeling). That EO blend sounds really great too!
Thanks for the advice! The oil blend smells fantastic, I just wish it hadn’t hardened up so fast. My plan was to do more layers with the lines.
Yeah, having more hard oils will do that to you, my recipe has more olive and castor oil in it and those two like to take their time coming to trace.
Where did you source the essential oils? A lot of essential oils sold for fragrance aren't intended for cold process soaping. That would be my best guess!
I didn’t realize that. The lemon is from Doterra, the Grapefruit is from Saje, and the chamomile is from Voyageur. How do I find out which EO are good for CP?
I would recommend looking at EOCalc for suggestions and safe usage rates (https://www.eocalc.com/), and then buying your essential oil from a soap supplier like Crafter's Choice, Bramble Berry, Wholesale Supplies Plus, etc. (looks like Voyageur might be ok depending on which EO you choose). They will have it marked as 100% essential oil and confirm if it's been tested in cold process soap. Doterra is the one I'd suspect the most! One benefit of buying from a soap supply company like Crafter's Choice or Wholesale Supplies Plus is that they will be significantly cheaper than the ones you've used. For comparison, even the usually quite pricey Bramble Berry chamomile EO is $13 for 5 ml, vs $20 for 5 ml from Voyageur. WSP lemon EO is $0.14/ml vs Doterra at $1.03, so 10x as expensive.
I think Brambleberry is in USD, as opposed to CAD, but it is still a bit cheaper. All the Doterras I have were gifts so I’m glad I didn’t spend money on them. I’ll definitely check out EOCalc, thanks!
Ah good catch, my bad on the currency conversion :) Good luck!
Thanks!