A few weeks ago I made a pretty little soap on a day that I should have listened to that quiet voice telling me it just wasn't an auspicious day for soaping. My place is usually pretty boring and quiet but that particular day it was the phone, the dogs, the door - one interruption after another. After playing off and on with soapcalc, I finally got a one-hour window of uninterrupted time and did some soaping. Take it from an expert: do not soap on days like that! Listen to that little voice in your ear!
Everything went great, I loved the way the soap came out, and as I typed in my notes, I saw a flaming huge mistake on the recipe. Can you say, "ZERO superfat?"

How the heck did that happen? You have to purposely change that field in soapcalc and the only thing I ever do is either leave it at the default 5% or increase it a bit. I could have cried. Maybe the soap gremlins that set my oven on fire returned for revenge? After finally overcoming my shock and dismay, I got started on my first rebatch. Off it went in little chunks to the great crock pot in the sky, all its beautiful spring colors melting slowly into a dismal gray. I added a tablespoon of milk and 4% shea butter, and cut it the next day. The only moniker that comes to mind is "Cat Vomit." My husband can't stand the sight of it.
I finally tried it this week, and while there isn't a whole lot of lather, this soap is doing some marvelous things for my skin. Honestly, I've never been so happy with a soap in my life and think I'll selfishly hoard the entire batch. Did I just unwittingly make some kind of a lotion bar? I've never used one before, but that's the effect of this soap. I haven't had to use any lotion at all this week, which is a flat-out miracle. Who knew?!