My first soaps! I've been lurking here for a bit while I read up on soapmaking (I actually made it a point to read this entire thread before I got around to making anything) and now I finally have something to contribute.
I made both this and the next batch from Brambleberry's Beginner Cold Process kit. This was my first batch, I didn't insulate it enough so it didn't gel, and the oddly-sized mold that came with the kit resulted in lots of oddly-sized little bars, but it's a pretty good first go! I skipped color but couldn't resist scenting it with the Cranberry Fig that came in the kit.
This is my disaster batch. First I had to modify the recipe, because the kit didn't come with enough olive oil for two batches with the recipe it included (I wasn't going to try my own recipes until I had a few more batches under my belt). Then I soaped too hot (I was hand mixing, so I wanted to speed trace up a little, but I overdid it. I have a stick blender now!) and didn't mix long enough so it separated in the mold. So I rebatched/hot processed it, and while I was preparing the mold ran out of tape and had to scramble to find a good-sized tupperware I could substitute in for the cardboard box. That was even wonkier than the cardboard mold, so I wound up with four large bars and lots of little odd pieces.
I'm still pretty happy with it, though. Scented with BB's Pumpkin Pie, which at first discolored to a lovely roasted-pumpkin orange and is settling into a nice tan roughly the color of actual pumpkin pie.
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