Teach Soap

Hi there!
I'm new to soaping, been doing it about a month. I've done TONS of research and watch bunches of videos. I've made 7 batchs, 3 in the last week. I just got some colors and was trying to do the swirlys, but for the life of me I cant not get my color to go down to the bottom of my log mold. I've poured from high, I've poured from low and NOTHING it just hangs near the top. I got a stick and swirled and figure 8'd and nadda. Anyone have some tips? When you superfat do you do the lye reduction and add some superfat at the end with trace or just one or the other? I'm sure I will have more questions later but this is it for now. Thanks for any help you can offer.

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ASH

Let's say you have two colours, blue and white.

I'd mix the blue in a bit of the soap mix at trace while it's still nice and runny and pour that in first. Then I'd beat the white for a bit longer until it was getting some firmer peaks and spoon that on top of the blue. Then, with a spoon, I reach down into the blue layer and lift it up, folding it a few times along the length of my mold. This gives me swirls and forms nice peaks at the same time.

I find if I alternate colors as I pour into the mold, I get a better chance of swirls. I also need to pour at a very thin trace. So find what works best for you.
There is no need to add any oil/butter at trace. The lye is still quite active at this point and it will take whatever it wants. There is no way to know that your superfat oil or butter will actually end up as your superfat. The exception to this case is if you hot process the soap, and then when done, add the oils or butter then. Lye reduction is the same as superfat. Calculate all your oils and butters at one time. Then depending on which lye calculator you use, enter your superfat, or let the calculator figure that out for you.

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

Have you tried to swirl "in the pot"? Before I pour into the mold, I add my colors to the soap in the pot - I usually pour it into 4 spots, then when I pour the pot into the mold it does a natural swirl that covers from top to bottom.

Thank you for all the suggestions! On the last batch I did alternate the pours and that help a bunch. What method do you use to get the peaks? Ive seen them in pictures but I imagine that the soap needs to be pretty firm for that...

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ASH

To get the peaks, the soap need to be thick. Then use a skewer, a fork, spoon or spatula to create the peaks on top.

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