Teach Soap

I am new to cold process and am thrilled to have found such a wonderful group to share ideas and find answers. Well, I know that you will love this one....I got up at 6am to start making these beautiful MP apples that I had an order for 10 of them. I have really come so far on the artsy side of MP with the BB injector tool but guess what happens when you think you rushed through your cancer bucket list and.....hum, now what . Yeah!! I'm alive and aparantly living on the wild side now. I watched every episode of Soap Queen TV over and over again. Read and read and read. It cannot ever prepare you for fast moving CP. I had these flower petals that I dried and this wonderful goat milk that I milked from my goat and all of a sudden I decided to switch gears from apples to goat milk soap. I checked my temps back and forth then went for it. I soaped at 120 and it started to trace fairly quickly ( in my brains picture of Soap queen trace). I thought that I would have enough time to think of how I could make beautiful peaks with flower petals on it.....it looked like I better get that fragrance in there quick or else. Lemongrass and Sage went in then colored half with yellow oxide. Soap Queen in fast speed with fast music. I got it in the the silicone molds, peaks and all, then it felt hot and looked like it was changing in the middle ( gel ??) so I put it in the refrigerator. ( just read that I could do that) So now everything that I have read has happened all of a sudden. What can I expect to see happen next??? If I can figure out how to post pictures, I will.
Thank you all so much.....I hope this was at least entertaining.

Congrats on your batch. Those flower petals will not keep their color unless they are calendula.

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

Thanks Soap Buddy! They are calendula. I grow alot of them. I want to try the pink ones next spring to see if they would hold color. Have you ever tried the pink ones? Now that I put that soap in the frig I am wondering what is happening. It started to warm up real fast and looked like it was starting to gel when I put it in the frig as fast as I could. I can tell that it slowed down because it didn't reach the edges of the mold. What should I be expecting now.....a partial gel....is that OK.....should I have put it in the freezer? I know that I probably sound dumb but I love this and am just trying to figure out all of these things.
Thank you so much ! It is nice to have a Soap Buddy. The excitement runs really high and non soapers wouldn't understand.
Herb Lady

Herblady you sound like me... I can plan it all out in my head and then the soap gremlins rush in and do what ever they want with my soap. My last 3 batches have given me suprises. I am going to try again on Wed. I'm thinking of just winging it Actually I won't be able to do that as the planning is half the fun!

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

Partial gel is ok. If you get partial gel, leave the soap in the mold another day, so it will be easier to cut. Next time you use the same recipe and scent, put it in the freezer after pouring. You can leave it in there overnight. Keep good notes.

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

Thank you for the tip on leaving it in the freezer. Every little tip helps when you are new and the "soap gremlins" come rushing in!! I am trying to make sure to take good notes because it is so easy to forget exactly how it went in the excitement of things. I am really trying to understand about gelling. Have you done a lot of soaps both ways? And in the end, did you see a big difference or impact on the design you were after?
Thanks,
Herblady

Gelling or not is a matter of personal preference. I prefer not to gel as the colors come out lighter and I can use less fragrance.

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