Teach Soap

I made my first batch of soap this weekend, and I wanted to share! Everything went pretty well, I think. It got to trace well enough, and then it got thicker faster than I planned, so I had to kind of glop it in the mold. I tried to do a purply/white swirl, but it didn't quite work. It's scented with Brown Sugar and Fig from Nature's Garden.




In the last question, you can see some white spots on the soap. I added titanium dioxide and palm oil in my recipe. Could it be either of those? I didn't mix the TO in water before I added like I meant to, things moved a bit faster than I thought it would. And it could be lye too, right? I haven't been brave enough to see if it zaps yet, but it didn't burn my fingers when I touch it.

Did you stir your lye till it was clear and completely dissolved? To me it looks like unmixed TD but I would do the zap test to be safe. It's not that scary and it doesn't really hurt. It feels like the zap you get when you lick a battery. Just get the tip of your finger lightly damp and rub it on the soap and the white spots and then stick it to the tip of your tongue. If there is no zap and just a nasty soap taste then you should be good.

Very good job with the swirls considering it moved so quickly on you. Did you fragrance the entire batch? My brown sugar and fig went tan on me... but it is not from NG.

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

The white spots could be from lye (check for zap) or from the TD or palm. The key to palm is to melt it all and mix it super well before you measure your portion. The trick to TD is to combine it early and mix it every so often to make sure all of the clumps dissolve. I like to pre-mix mine in a jar with glycerin so it is ready whenever I need it!

Looks great by the way!

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

Looks good. I hope this is a successful batch for you.

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

I had streaks of TD in one of my batches that looked just like that, I wouldn't worry about it once you do a zap test.

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Just call me "Apo"

I'm 97% sure all my lye dissolved. The lye is micro beads and I stirred until it was clear, and then some more.

I haven't ever actually licked a battery, so I'm not quite sure what that's supposed to be like.

Bubbles2 - I did fragrance the entire batch. I'm not sure if it moved quickly because of the fragrance though, I may have mixed too much when adding the fragrance/color.

Hestey - I tried to melt the palm before, but it came in really inconveniently shaped bottles, so I don't think everything got mixed as thoroughly as it should have. I also didn't mix the TD beforehand because I forgot. Oops.

Thanks everybody!

Ok, if you have never licked a battery....have you ever snapped a rubber band by accident on your skin? It's similar.

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

I have done that! I'll try after dinner tonight, and report back.

Can you place the palm in a sink or tub of super hot water? If you can you could melt it, mix it, and separate it into smaller sized containers that are easier to re-melt!

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

You mean you've never licked a battery ever? Isn't that like, one of those things everyone does at some point? You only really get the zap feeling if either you touch your tongue to both terminals of a 9 volt or if you wet your finger and close the circuit while licking the other end of a cell battery.

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Just call me "Apo"

Great job, morgansoap! Keeping my fingers crossed that the spots are just TD.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

That's a beautiful soap and swirl! Did the white drag down at all when you cut it? My TD does that sometimes.

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Soap Blog:

Soapcakes - Thank you! It didn't drag all the way down, but it did drag a bit.

Hestey - I did stick it in a bowl of hot water, and most of it got melty. I'll have to remember to put it in smaller bottles when I order more.

Apothacer - nope, never licked one. I've been too nervous to try?

ljm1180 - thanks!


I did a zap test and there was no zap, so I guess it must be the TD. I'll definitely mix my colors beforehand next time.

Very pretty . That FO is one of my new favorites....yum!

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Carrie
Wife to my Best Friend and Homeschool mom to 7 beautiful gifts