Addicted To Soap

How to make your own wooden soap mold.

2012-02-10T23:36:00.000-08:00

I'm a genius, I don't know why I never thought of this before, but I am glad I did. I was running around in Ace Hardware trying to get some things when I ran into the lumber section. I was watching this man buy wood, and I asked him what he was planning on doing with it, he said he was taking it over to get cut so he can make shelves for his home. So I said they cut wood here, he said of coarse, so then it hit me, I could make my own wooden soap mold.

I first purchased this piece of wood. I figured it would make a nice size mold.

From How to make your own soap mold

I got the wood cut into these pieces. I didn't really take measurements, but I did pull out a photo of what a a wooden soap mold log should look like, and that gave the employee a idea of what he was going to cut for me. After that I got some nails so I can assemble the whole thing together. He told me I didn't need glue and that the nails would be more then enough to hold it together.

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So I started off by putting the nails into the piece of wood that was going to be my end piece.

From How to make your own soap mold

Then I nailed it to the base, and repeated the same step again, to get both ends of the mold secured.

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Here's what it should look like when both end pieces are on.

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I kept the mold facing towards me as you see in the picture above, I layed the piece of wood board on top, and began to nail it into the base, and repeated the step again for the other side.

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Wooden Soap Mold

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This whole project was under $20, and I was very happy that it only took me 30 minutes to complete. The mold measure 4x4x25. I was trying not to waste wood, and to make this project relatively very easy. Next time I would get the wider piece of wood, and make a lid with knob for my mold. I might even stamp my name all over the mold, and apply a clear lacquer to give it a more professional look.

I will keep you updated on the other molds I make, because now I'm hooked. This was fun, fast, and easy to do.

Soap Cake Mold with Pictures

2012-01-29T08:22:00.000-08:00

I found this cool silicon cake mold, and thought I wonder if I should get this? Then I ran across Soap & Restless blog, and low and behold she uses this mold to make her soap cakes. They look so yummy. Check her out.

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What is superfat or discount, and why is a minimum 5% discount recommended?

2012-01-28T21:58:00.000-08:00

If you use all the lye necessary to exactly saponify all of the fatty acids in the oils, the soap would have no excess lye or excess oil (next to impossible without a chemistry lab). It would have a zero discount and there would be no superfat. If you discounted the lye, let's say by 5%, 5% of the soap would contain oils that have not chemically reacted with the lye. i.e. all the lye was used up in reacting with 95% of the oils. The soap would have a 5% superfat. These unspecified oils are good for conditioning the skin. A soap with no discount or superfat will clean better. However, other than conditioning the skin, there are other important reasons to discount the lye (or superfat the soap). Please see the next question.

The SAP values used to calculate the amount of lye - in this calculator and in others - is an average. If you purchase oils/fats that have been assayed by a chemical lab, you will know the exact SAP value of the oils/fats. (Your wallet will be a little thinner too). If you weigh these oils and the lye on very precise laboratory scales, you can confidently make a true zero discount soap.

One of my references gives the Potassium Hydroxide (chemical symbol KOH) SAP value for coconut oil as 250-264. The SAP for other oils is specified similarly as a range of values. Why? There are many variables that contribute to the chemical qualities of a carrier oil. Here are a few to give you the general idea:

Species of the botanical used to make the oil.
Geographical location of the source botanical. i.e. variable climate.
Varying types of processes used to create the oil.
Seasonal differences in when the botanical was harvested.
Maturity of the botanical when it was harvested.

The minimum 5% discount/superfat is recommended to allow for these variances so you do not end up with soap that contains unused lye.

Column Swirl Tutorial

2012-01-24T22:16:00.000-08:00

I was on You Tube looking at videos for bath bomb machines that I was considering buying, and found this by accident. All I could say is WOW. Hill Country Haiku does an amazing job with her column swirl. I think I'm going to try this method this week, and keep you guys posted. Now all I need to do if find these wooden dowels so I can do the same. Wish me luck.

How to turn your hobby into a business.

2012-01-13T05:33:00.000-08:00

It's been forever since I last posted, but this is worth he wait. For all of you soapmakers out there, that want to take there business to the next level. This is made for you.

I love to look for other handmade or natural soaps on the market and I stumbled across True Body Products. I went through her website, and was very impressed that she only sold one kind of soap, and she was thriving in her business. I was even more amazed at how The New York Times wrote many articles on her. This is a great read for any one who wants to learn how to turn there business into something big, especially us soapmakers.

How a Low-Tech Soap Maker Raised $400,000 From Investors

A Start-Up Soap Maker Starts to Get Traction

Enjoy

Swirl Soap Tutorial

2011-05-02T19:42:00.000-07:00

I made this tutorial because I love to swirl soap. This is a great way to make swirls in melt & pour soap.

Start by making a soap curl.

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Then you make your base on let kool.

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Then you pour your base into a round mold, I used a pringles can. Spray your soap curl with rubbing alcohol, so it can stick to the base, and just insert it in. Let it completely kool, then you can tear away the can, and you will have a perfect round loaf of soap.

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Blood Orange Soap

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Yeah I got featured.

2011-04-26T02:46:00.000-07:00

I got featured on www.craftster.org and for all of you who don't know what that is, it's the best crafting forum on the planet. You guys should check it out. You can find inspiration for everyday crafts, and even take up a new hobby. See other people creations, and start creating your own works of art.

From Silly Soaps Tutorial (Silly Bandz Soap)

New Soap Mold

2011-04-15T20:03:00.000-07:00

I have this great soap student who made her husband make her a mold after taking my cp soapmaking class. I was seriously impressed with this soap mold, I know this was hard to make, and it was very well made. I told her I was going to post it online to show everyone how wonderful it. Great job Lani, your great student.

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How to make liquid soap (the easy way).

2011-04-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

How To Turn A Bar of Soap Into Liquid Hand Soap

Ingredients:
1 c soap flakes
10 c water
1 Tbs glycerin

Equipment:
Cheese grater
A large pot
Measuring cup and spoons
A spatula for stirring
A soap container with a hand pump
A container to hold excess soap
Funnel

First, grate the soap. Get out your cheese grater and get grating. I found this to be surprisingly easy, but time consuming. When you’re done, the soap flakes look like grated Parmesan.

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One bar of soap yielded a little over 1.5 cups of flakes. The recipe only uses one cup of soap flakes, so I put the remaining soap in a jar for later use.

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In a large pot, combine 1 cup soap flakes, 10 cups water. Turn on medium-low heat and stir until the soap dissolves. This happens fast, about a minute or two.

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Let the soap cool completely, then and 1 Tbs glycerin. This will make your liquid soap extra moisturizing. When finished pour into the containers using the funnel. That’s all there is to it!

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This recipe makes a lot of soap, I put the excess in a large bottle and I'm storing it for later use.

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You can also use this soap as body wash. To make it smell nice, add a drop or two of color and essential oil to the mix.

The kind of soap you use could make a difference in the end result. A higher quality soap will probably yield better liquid hand soap.

I think for my next project I will make liquid soap out of cold process soap. Stay tuned for the tutorial.

I'm in Esquire, Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

2011-03-02T23:44:00.000-08:00

I got a text one morning from the editor at Esquire magazine in Malaysia, saying he wanted to talk to me about something that might interest me. You know I was so curious that I couldn't wait to call him to find out what he wanted. He told me he got my number from a friend in Kuala Lumpur (Antonia thanks so much for the referral) and he wanted a custom bar of soap to be made for article they were writing. So I went to there offices, and we discussed what they wanted, and I had only 4 days to do it. It was a lot of fun working with the Esquire staff on this project, and I hope there will be more to come. Read more about me, and see the soap I made for them in the Esquire Malaysia.

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Going Green (Soap & Candle)

2011-02-26T00:48:00.000-08:00

I got a piece of bamboo, and some sand from a friend and she asked if I could make a candle, and soap out of this stuff. So I said I'm sure I could, and I couldn't wait to try. All of these materials came from her beach resort, and she has plenty of it. She wanted to utilize all of natural sources on her property, and she did just that.

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Solid Bubble Bath Bars Tutorial with Recipe

2011-02-10T04:56:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to make solid bubble bath bars, so finding this tutorial was like heaven on earth. Thanks Lovin' Soap.

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The recipe:

100 g arrowroot powder
100 g baking soda
50 g SLSa
100 g liquid surfactant*

* I prefer to use Super Mild Surfactant Blend™ from Ingredients to Die For
INCI: Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (and) Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate

Depending on what liquid surfactant you use…you might have to modify the recipe a bit. You’ll just have to give it a go. Using the Super Mild Surf Blend, I get a mix that is like bath bombs. If I wanted more of a dough then I almost have to double the liquid surf. I’ve also used DLS Mild from The Herbarie and at the usage rate above the mixture was more dough like. You’ll just have to play with it.

Here’s a video!

Confession: I so didn’t let mine sit long enough before unmolding because I wanted to finish the video so they crumbled a bit. Let yours set up and you shouldn’t have crumbles! :)

Silly Soaps Tutuorial (Silly Bandz Soap)

2010-12-07T00:03:00.000-08:00

Kids are obsessed with these Silly Bandz, so it was only obvious that I had to make some soaps with them. I was putting it off for a long time, but my friend finally pushed to to do it, telling me what are you waiting for? She was right, I was just too lazy.

Silly Soaps

From Silly Soaps Tutorial (Silly Bandz Soap)

Get your supplies ready

From Silly Soaps Tutorial (Silly Bandz Soap)

Fist we need one ounces of clear melt & pour soap base. Microwave, pour into the mold, then place your Silly Bandz inside the mold, spray with rubbing alcohol. I don't add fragrance here, because it could cloud up your soap. Let it set, or at least get hard enough before you pour the next layer.

From Silly Soaps Tutorial (Silly Bandz Soap)

Then when it's finally set, melt three ounces of white melt & pour base, then add fragrance when slightly cooled down. Spray rubbing alcohol on the clear, and then pour the white soap base on top of the clear base. Spray rubbing alcohol again to get rid of any excess bubbles.

From Silly Soaps Tutorial (Silly Bandz Soap)

Silly Soaps (Silly Bandz Soap)

From Silly Soaps Tutorial (Silly Bandz Soap)

This is what is looks like when you add fragrance to the clear soap, it looks cloudy.

From Silly Soaps Tutorial (Silly Bandz Soap)

Soap Popsicle Tutorial

2010-11-24T05:23:00.000-08:00

I was asked to do a tutorial on how to make soap popsicles by many of my customers, now I don't have too. I was reading through green bean's crafterole and found another great tutorial she has made. I thought everyone would enjoy this one.

Green Bean's Crafterole

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Leaf Soap Tutorial

2010-11-24T05:08:00.000-08:00

Wow I can't believe how time flies when you are making soap. My sister told me that it has been a while since I last posted so my next post had to be great. She sent me this link and thought this was a great idea, I definitely agree. The tutorial is too long to post, and I'm just too lazy but I will leave you a link to check it out for yourself.

The Green Beans Crafterole

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You Could Win 10 Pounds of Soap

2010-10-01T02:58:00.000-07:00

That's right www.SoapPlace.com has a contest going on right now. Submit your project to them, and you can be featured on there site, and win 10 pounds of soap. Now that comes with some serious bragging rights. I already know which project i'm going to submit, what are you going to do?

Check out how to enter, and contest rules.

Spooky Cutout Soaps - Project Idea from Life of the Party

2010-10-01T02:44:00.001-07:00

I've recently signed up for news letters from www.SoapPlace.com, and i'm sure glad I did. I just received this tutorial on how to make Spooky Cutout Soaps. This a great tutorial, I learned that you can mix equal drops of red, blue and yellow color and stir until you get a dark black (they recommend using 5 drops of each color). I always wondered how to get the color black in your soap, and now I know. Thanks Soap Place, keep up the great tutorials.

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Get Creative People

2010-10-01T02:27:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for this tool for a long time at Ikea. They have been out of stock forever, and they finally just got them in. PRODUKT Milk-frother sells for only $1.99 originally used to froth your milk for lattes, and cappuccinos, now has a even better use. KB Shimmer first used this milk frother to mix her mica's in the her soap, making the best swirled soap tutorial on the planet. Now that is some seriously creative thinking.

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Gooey Brain Cupcake Soap

2010-09-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

I just found Sun Basil Garden making Gooey Brain Cupcake Soap, using my favorite mold that I mentioned in my earlier post. Check her shop out, she has great stuff.

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Sale Sale Sale

2010-09-29T02:38:00.000-07:00

I'm clearing out my soap closet to make way for new products, and scents. I have 5 Christmas bazaars coming up, and I want new stuff to sell there. I listed everything on Ebay really cheap. I posted the link below. Good Luck

Addicted to Soap Ebay Store

Silicon Molds

2010-09-27T00:34:00.000-07:00

Wow it's been forever since I posted. I promise not to keep you guys waiting so long.

I'm always on the look out for silicon molds. I love how easy it is to use, and the soaps always come out looking great. I found some great molds on Amazon.com. You really have to check them out, they are great for making novelty soaps. It's hard to say but my favorite would have to be the brains.

3 Color Swirl Soap

2010-07-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

My husband was running out of soap, so he asked me to make some more for him. He wanted something manly of coarse, but he also wanted it to look good. I finally tried KB Shimmer's swirling in the pot tutorial, and I'm glad I did. Swirling is a lot of work, but it's so worth it. The soap speaks for it's self.

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How to Make Your Own Soap Stamp

2010-06-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

I don't know how I found this blog, but I'm sure glad I did. Soaphora shows you how she made her own soap stamp using very simple tool from Making Memories.

Making Memories Stamp

From How To Make Your Own Soap Stamp

How to stamp your soap.

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Tada, your soap is stamped. It's that easy.

From How To Make Your Own Soap Stamp

How to Make Wood Wick Candles

2010-06-01T05:36:00.000-07:00

I found this great tutorial at Lone Star Candle Supply it shows you how to make candles with wood wicks. This is the new craze in candle making, and I am so excited that I found a tutorial to show me how to make it myself.

Start by gathering all the items that you will need. The candle making process will go much more smoothly if everything is readily accessible.

Materials Needed:

* Single Pour Container Candle Wax
* Candle Jars or Containers
* Fragrance Oil
* Candle Dye
* Wood Wicks with tabs
* Pouring Pot
* Thermometer
* UV Stabilizer (Optional)
* Glue Gun or Glue Dots (Optional)
* Caution Labels (Optional, but highly recommended)
* End Nipper Pliers or Nail Clippers
* Butcher Paper or Newspaper
* Paper Towels
* Cookie Sheet or Pan
* Metal Spoon or Stir Stick
* Sauce Pan
* Metal Cookie Cutter

Cover your work area with butcher paper or newspaper. Spills or drips are most times unavoidable, and clean up is much easier if you don’t have to clean wax off of your work surface.

Step 1 - Preheat containers

First, you will need to heat your containers. Preheat the oven to around 150o - 170o, or the lowest temperature setting. The “Keep Warm” setting will work if you can not set the temperature that low. Place the containers you will be using on a cookie sheet or pan and put them in the oven. The containers can stay in the oven until you are ready to use them. Heating not only helps eliminate jump lines, but it also helps prevent possible breakage when pouring hot wax into a cold container.

Step 2 - Prepare the wax mixture

For instructions on preparing the wax, please see our How to Prepare Wax for Pouring guide. You can continue with the following steps while your wax is melting.

Step 3 - Wick the containers

The tabbed wood wicks will stand straight in the jars without gluing them, but they may move when the wax is poured. Add a small amount of hot glue or a Glue Dot to the bottom of the tab. Press it firmly into the container, but don't press too hard or the prongs on the tab can move. Make sure the wick is as close to the center as possible.

Step 4 - Pour the wax mixture

Slowly pour the wax into the container making sure not to fill past the widest part of the jar. (There are exceptions to this, such as the tureen jar.) If you pour too quickly, the wax may splash up the side of the jar or form small air bubbles on top of the wax. Avoid pouring wax directly onto the wick. You can adjust the wick slightly if needed, but don't move it around too much; the prongs on the wick
tab can easily bend allowing the wick to lean to one side and be off center.

Step 5 - Allow to cool

When the candle has completely set, you will be ready to trim the wick. Trying to trim the wick too soon will disrupt the wax around the wick.

Step 6 - Trim the wick

Trim the wick to 1/8 length using end nipper pliers or nail clippers. Be sure not to trim them too short because they would not burn properly. (The wick should have the double thickness of wood exposed for lighting.) You may then put the lid back on the container.

Step 7 - Apply caution label

It is highly recommended to add a caution label. You may also choose to add labels unique to your business, fragrance name labels, or a special label for your line of wood wick candles.

That's it!

Now you can enjoy the crackling sounds of a fire without the hassle or mess while enjoying your favorite scents! Are you ready to give it a try?

You may order everything you need by browsing our selection of candle making supplies.

Here is some more places that stock wood wicks.
http://www.herbalhut.com/detail.aspx?ID=20953
http://www.candlewic.com/Store/Category.aspx?q=c164

Pillow Box Tutorial For Your Handmade Soaps

2010-05-24T07:48:00.000-07:00

Give this easy craft project tutorial a try. Make these cute pillow boxes and use them for packaging up your handmade soaps or other bath and body products. I found this great tutorial at Soap Making Essentials, check them out.

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Assemble the following supplies to make this pillow box craft project:

* 1 - 8.5" x 11" sheet of decorative cardstock (or 1 sheet of plain cardstock and 1 sheet of decorative paper)
* glue stick (to glue cardstock and decorative paper together)
* doublesided tape (or regular scotch tape)
* scissors
* blunt object for scoring on dotted lines...I used a mechanical pencil with the lead retracted.
* ruler
* raffia or ribbon
* labels or tags

Craft project instructions:

1. Begin by saving this template to your computer.

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2. To save the template, click the link above, right click on the picture, select "Save Picture As..." and save to your desktop or desired location.

3. Print the template onto the backside of your decorative cardstock or plain cardstock, depending on which you are using.

4. If you are using the plain cardstock and decorative paper, use the glue stick to bond the two pieces of paper together. Make sure to glue the decorative paper to the blank side of the cardstock.

5. Cut the template out along the solid lines.

6. Using the ruler and scoring tool, score along all the dotted lines of the template.

7. Firmly fold and crease the straight lines.

8. Apply a strip of doublesided tape to the decorative side of the tab, fold
template and seal shut.

9. Gently crease and fold the curved dotted lines.

10. Tape one end shut.

11. Fill the pillow box, close and decorate with ribbon and tags or labels.

These boxes are perfect for packaging soaps that measure up to 3" x 2.5" x 1.25". Try using them as stocking stuffer or sampler packs and filling them with guest sized bath and body items.