Teach Soap

Howdy...I only saw one thread on seaweed...but not the powders so I was wondering if there is anyone out there with knowledge on Seaweed soap using powders.

Is it safe to say stick with 1 TBS per pound of oils?

Also when to add?

I was thinking about re-hydrating in water overnight....(also to check to see if there is a smell as well before adding to oils)
But also when is the best time to add? To cooled lye water before adding to oils? OR at light trace.... of which of course I would then probably have to hydrate with oil instead of water.

Any advice is appreciated

I used kelp powder. My very first batch (not counting the one we did in class). Use 1 tablespoon to 32oz of oils. I DID NOT like the smell it gave to the soap. I used a very light FO and it did not blend well with the kelp and did not even come close to covering up the odor. The kelp powder was added at trace, just before the FO. So my recommendation would be to use a strong scent to mask the kelp. I did not color this batch and it came out a funky green. And if there is anyone who lives near me and would like some kelp.... I have 1.9 jars of it you could have!!!

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

I use dried seaweed instead of the powder. Yes, it does have a smell, so don't use too much.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Would spirlina work better?

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~bytheSEAsoap~ Mella bythesea, bythesea, bythebeautiful sea

海の皂

Spirulina doesn't add much smell, but it does make your soap a nice green shade (according to all the youtube videos anyhow hehe). They all suggested using an oceany FO.

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

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~bytheSEAsoap~ Mella bythesea, bythesea, bythebeautiful sea

海の皂

I have used both and do not like the smell in either, nor the color to tell the truth, the color is not always predictable with oils and FO, etc. Would try playing around in small batches. I used 1 tsp per pound of soap and less when I tried them out.

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Four Seasons Fine Handcrafted Soaps
& Specialties, Inc.
Laugh, Love, Live!

I used about 1 T per 3 pounds. It gave the soap a gray-green color. I also added some ginger and rosemary essential oils, which went well with the scent. Still, it's pretty "oceany" and the smell is definitely not for everyone.

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Lesli Sagan
Avital's Apiaries
Like us: http://www.facebook.com/AvitalsApiaries

Sounds nice.

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Four Seasons Fine Handcrafted Soaps
& Specialties, Inc.
Laugh, Love, Live!

That combo sounds really nice!

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~bytheSEAsoap~ Mella bythesea, bythesea, bythebeautiful sea

海の皂

None of the videos said how much PPO they used, just showed them pouring it in from various cups.

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

Thanks for the input ladies!

I had to get the bars started this morning so, I decided to cut back my powder from a full 1TBS each to 1/2 tbs of Kelp and 1/2 of Bladderwrack along with some other modified goodies (2TBS H Sea Salt, 1/2 tbs shavegrass, 1/2tsp adzuki bean powder 1/2tsp rosehip powder & 1/2 tsp dea sea grains) for the total batch of 32ozs. I mixed it in with my 2 ozs Grapefruit EO (which is supposed to be good for cellulite bars too) but...it was still smelling a little too much "sea". I was only making 36 ozs but increased the EO to the full 4 oz and I can still smell the 'sea' I guess they won't be gifts....

I wonder how Bliss Spa makes their seaweed cellulite soap and it does not smell like the ocean...and they add 4 types of seaweed! Of course they also make the 'fat girl' soap which lists caffeine, yet smells nothing like coffee... which will be my next bar...I wonder if I should add Loofah? Hmmmmm

Caffeine is in many things other than coffee I suspect they purchase "wake-ups" and crush them into the soap. These are tablet form caffeine which were first created for medical interns for their 36-48 hour shifts, lots of folks use them for exam time cramming etc now.

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Where does one purchase the caffeine powder? )))