Batches!

My two batches are:
1. PORE MINIMIZER SOAP
2. MESTIZA SOAP

PORE MINIMIZER SOAP
30 oz. palm
5 oz. coconut
5 oz. castor

14oz. Distilled water
6.5oz. Caustic Soda

Adiditives:
15ml Witch Hazel extract
15ml Lumina Ultima (glycolic, kojic, & salicylic acid)
15ml Bearberry Extract
5g cocoa butter and shea butter (Superfatting)
2g CDEA
2g Sodium Lactate
2oz. Blue Colorant

Fragrance oil:
Dragon Fruit Scent

MESTIZA SOAP
Since this country is in the hype of skin whitening products, I created this product to satisfy my filipina whitening products addicts and I got a pretty good feedback with this soap.

40oz. Oils
6.5 lye
14 distilled

Additives:
4oz. Papain Crystals (water soluble)
2oz. Puenscrub (orange)
3oz. Kojic acid solution
15ml. Calamansi Extract
15ml. Papaya Extract
15ml. Orange Peel Extract
15ml. Lumina Ultima
2oz. Yellow Colorant (upper batter)
2oz. Orange Colorant (lower batter)

Scent: Sweet Papaya

Silicone Molds

Hi soapers! So I just ordered Essential Depot's RED silicone mold which I have high expectations of. Since I am based in the Philippines, I had it delivered to my boyfriend's place in California. And Im expecting it when he arrives back home.

Ill definitely give you guys a review on the silicone mold once I have it. Although, many reviews from other soapers say it is sturdy so I'll need the box that comes along with it so the mold wont start to open up in the middle. But this mold can actually withstand a thousand uses without it malfunctioning so Im pretty excited about that.

Check out their website at www.essentialdepot.com!

My Cold Process Video Tutorial: Shea Avocado Soap

My recipe:

30 oz. Palm
5 oz. VCO
5 oz. Castor

13.5 oz. Distilled Water
7.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide (Lye)

Additives: (Trace)
1.Shea Avocado Puree:
1 fresh Avocado
10g Shea Butter
2g Phenoxyethanol (Preservative)
-Blend all of these together until a paste is formed,

2. Cucumber Extract
3. Shea Butter

Scent:
Geranium, Cherry Blossoms, Milk

The reason why I put little amounts of Coconut oil is because coconut oil may dry the skin. 
For Castor oil, too much of it may make the soap sticky.

Adding Phenoxyethanol (a non-paraben preservative) preserves the fresh avocado I will put in my soap.
Adding any natural or fresh ingredient to your soaps can actually discolor the soap into brown and
the fresh ingredient may create an odor that may be unpleasant after curing.

Troubleshooting: Cold process

One problem that soapmakers will eventually face is the gelling of the cold process soap batter.

Have you experienced your soap batter upon molding felt perfectly fine but after 24 hours it appears to have gelled and it was extra soft?

This is maybe because of these reasons:
1. Inconsistent temperature of storing the batter
2. Too much superfatted oils
3. Too much base oils

Hot Process

Hot Process is a very tricky process. Hot process is actually an extension of the cold process. Its just that you cook the cold process soap batter.

Pros:
- No need to cure and wait for 3-5 weeks
- Requires lesser amounts of FO & EO

Cons:
- Hard to control aesthetic qualities
- Hard to mold

Beeswax

Just a reminder, when you use beeswax in your soap, always place the beeswax in your melted oils. This is before you place your lye-solution. Never add beeswax at trace.

If you place your melted beeswax at trace, the soap batter will tend to have crumbled parts and the beeswax will solidify in uneven parts of the batter. This is because there is a change in heat from the melted beeswax to the colder soap batter. Your finished soap will have partly solid parts and some smooth parts if you do this.

But the soap batter is hot, right?
Yes it is hot, but it is not hot enough for the beeswax to stay at its liquid form. Therefore, if you put the wax in the melted oils, the constant temperature will keep the wax from solidifying. Thats important.

Why add beeswax anyway?
Beeswax can help the soap harden without the use of Sodium Chloride, Sodium Lactate & Stearic Acid. Beeswax also has claims as having antibacterial qualities along with honey.

What you have to do is melt the beeswax with your base oils. This will even out the beeswax in your soap batter.

DO NOT add too much beeswax because the soap will be hard enough that it will decrease the lather of the soap and it will tend to crumble.
Only add 1oz PPO. (per pound of oil)

Happy soaping! :)

Sexy Peel Soap: How

I was inspired by Lush's soap Sexy Peel. Although, I assume their soaps are more of the Melt and Pour process and not the Cold process, I mixed MP & CP together and I am always glad at the resuls of this combination.

What you'll need:
50g melt and pour base
2oz. Lye
5oz. Milk (I used Buffalo's milk)

Oils:
8oz. Palm
2oz. Olive
2oz. Castor

Additives:
5g Lemon Juice
3g grinded orange peel with orange seeds (more of an orange puree)
1g Orange Peel extract
15drops Lemon FO
.5 oz of Titanium Dioxide
5 drops of orange colorant

Steps:
1. Melt MP base.
2. Add 1g of Lemon Juice & Orange Colorant.
3. Pour in mold as base.
4. Prepare Lye Solution.
5. Add lye solution to oils.
6. Reach trace & add the foll:
4g Lemon Juice, 3g Orange puree, 1g Orange Extract, 15 drops of Lemon FO.
7. Once all additives are incorporated, separate half the batch and add the TD.
8. Do mantra swirl.
9. Make sure that the MP base is completely hardened before adding the coldprocess batter.
10. Mold. Harden. Unmold. Cure. Use. :)

Enjoy!

Kojic Soap: How to

In the Philippines, Kojic Soap is at rage in the market. Kojic Soap is known to have whitening abilities in an instant. Here's how to make one:

You'll need:
Kojic Acid
Glycerin Soap Base (Melt & Pour)
Papaya FO
Titanium Dioxide
Orange Soap Colorant

Measures:
2g Kojic Acid
2g distilled water
1kg MP base
8-10 drops of Papaya FO
0.5g of TD
5-10 drops of Orange colorant

Steps:
1. Dissolve Kojic Acid in distilled water.
2. Melt base.
3. Let the base cool a little.
4. Add kojic solution to melted base.
5. Incorporate.
6. Add TD, FO, then colorant.
7. Harden.
8. Use.

Always remember:
Kojic Acid tends to oxidize. Always keep the soap in room temperature. Allow moisture to lock in the soap therefore refusing to allow humidity on it.

Kojic Acid tends to give orange-brown discolorations on the edges of the soap that's why soap companies that offer Kojic color them with an everlasting orange hue. But don't worry, it's just an aesthetic problem and the kojic power is still there. Well, now I know why. A tip to avoid having that discoloration (that your buyers wouldn't want) is to choose soap colors that would hide this discoloration. Example: ORANGE, brown or black.

There is another type of kojic that sells in the market. It's called: Kojic Dipalmitate. Its much more expensive than Kojic Acid but it does not give that awful brown discoloration. It is oil soluble and blends easily and perfectly. But yeah, my pocket doesn't blend easily with it's price.

In the picture, I made an activated Charcoal Kojic Soap and it is one of my bestest sellers!

Kaolin Clay-Activated Charcoal Soap with Apricot Scrub

2oz. Lye
5oz. Distilled Water

8oz. Palm
2oz. Coconut
2oz. Castor

Additives:
1tbsp. Apricot Scrub
1tbsp. Kaolin Clay
2tbsp. Activated Charcoal

Fragrance: Fresh Bamboo
EO: Ylang-Ylang, Patchouli
Extract: Cucumber Extract, Orange Peel Extract

Steps:
1. Disslove lye in distilled water.
2. Let cool.
3. Prepare oils.
4. Add apricot scrub to oils. Mix.
5. Add lye solution to oils.
*Always lye to oils. Not the other way around.
5. Mix lye sol & oil until trace.
6. Add fragrance, EO & extract. Mix.
7. Divide batter into 2 equal portions.
8. First batter: Add Kaolin Clay. Mix.
9. Second batter: Add activated Charcoal. Mix.
10. Mold. Unmold. Cure. Use.

This soap has AMAZING exfoliation qualities. Both Kaolin & Charcoal are good for what other people face as problems. BACKNE. This also helps remove dead skin effectively and lighten dark pigmentations.

Happy Soaping!

💗Millie

Tea Tree Milk Face & Body Soap (Melt & Pour)

Tea Tree is known to fight acne.

Yield: approx. 100g

95g Melt and pour base
2g Goat's Milk
2g Tea Tree essential oil (mixed with Tea tree leaves infused oil/concoction)
1g Real dried Tea Tree leaves
.02 oz Titanium Dioxide

Prepare:
1. Infusion: 1g Tea Tree leaves with 1g of olive oil for 3-5 days.

2. Add 1g Tea tree EO in infusion.

Steps:
1. Melt glycerin base.
2. Add infusion.
3. Add Milk and dissolved Titanium Dioxide.
4. Add green soap colorant.

Do not add scent. Tea tree EO will do the job.

Honey, Milk & Oatmeal CP Soap Recipe

2oz. Lye
5oz. Distilled water

Oils:
6oz. Olive oil
3oz. Coconut oil
2oz. Castor oil

Additives:
(Separate portions of batter each)
1 1/2 tsp. Honey
1 tbsp. Oatmeal Grains
1 tbsp. Goat's Milk
.5 oz. Beeswax

Pencil line: How to

In order to create a pencil line, you must choose a natural powder colorant for your soap. Examples are turmeric powder, cocoa powder and annatto powder.

First is once you have placed your first layer, get a tablespoon of the powder and sift the powder all throughout the top of the soap batter until all the batter is sprinkled with it. Then pour your second layer over the sprinkled top of the first layer.

Leave to harden. Unmold. Cure. Use. :)

Infusion: How

In soap making, there are 2 kinds of infusion.

First: Water infusion.
The water infusion is for the lye-water solution.
Second: Oil infusion.
The oil infusion can be used for the base oils or as an additive.

There are 2 ways to make an ifusion:

1. Heat Infusion
This is the process of boiling the herbs or seeds that are to be infused in the oils or water. You manipulate the heat so that the qualities of the herbs and seeds are extacted.

2. Overtime Infusion
This process requires a length of time. You may not boil your herbs or seeds on the water or oil. In this process, you just let the herbs and seeds extract on its time. Usually around a week.

In my opinion, the best type of infusion jis the overtime infusion, which brings out great results.

In the picture, I am going to infuse tarragon leaves in the oil for my cleansing soap recipe. I am going to infuse through heat because I need the soap asap. :)

Soap making

There's nothing greater than waking up in the morning and looking forward to a batch that is ready to be cut.

Here's a post to all the soapmakers as enthusiastic out there! :)

-Millie

Morrocan Soap

Lye solution: Buffalo's Milk and Lye

Infused oils with Coriander seeds and Lemon tree leaves.

Essential oils used: Eucalyptus, Clove, Cedarwood.

Fragrance: Bvulgari Fragrance oil.

Black base: Glycerin Soap (Melt and Pour) colored with Black soap colorant and Coriander seeds for exfoliation. Unscented.

Finished soap. :)

The base of the soap is melt and pour glycerin soap. You can mix CP with MP. Don't limit your imagination.

Seaweed Soap

2oz. lye
5oz. distilled water
Oils:
6oz. Palm
3oz. Coconut
2oz. Castor

additives:
1/4 cup Real dried seaweeds
1tsp. Avocado oil
2oz. Cocoa Butter
1tsp. Seaweed Extract

Add the Real seaweeds at trace this is to distribute the seaweeds evenly.

This soap is perfect for dry skin and rashes. The seaweeds are very mild exfoliants for the skin. The cocoa butter and avocado oil are for moisture.

Unmolding & Curing

I believe that Curing and Unmolding are the most important parts of the soap making process. These are the times where you'll know if your soap is a YAY or NAY. Soapmakers (the beginners, most oftenly) always look beyond these parts.

What's the difference?
Unmolding is the first 24 hours of removing the soap from the mold.

Curing js when you "cure" your soap after unmolding. Usually take 2-4 weeks.

Unmolding:
Beginners will usually want to remove the soap from the mold upon the first touch of the finger feels that the batter is "hard enough". I tell you from experience, DO NOT. Always be patient and let that soap harden and cure. Let it sit overnight and viola, remove it from the mold but don't use it yet. LET IT CURE. You'll see what you might've expected or not from this point in aesthetic issues.

The problem with removing the soap from the mold in less than 24 hours is that you might get the shape you would not have wanted. It might be opposite the shape of the mold.

Here's an example of what I meant when I said that always let the soap harden for 24 hours. I removed the soap from the mold after 2 hours when I thought it was hard enough to be out of the mold. When i came back to my workplace, the soap was flat rather than barred in the rectangular shape. Lesson learnt: BE PATIENT.

Curing:
After you have unmolded, this is the part when you let caustic parts of the soap settle. You wouldn't want to be using a soap that is caustic! That would irritate your skin. So, curing is vital to the usage of your soap.

Always remember that only cold process soaps require curing. Hot process soaps only require a small span of time for "drying" because the saponification of HP has already been completed unlike CP.

Replacements for Distilled water

Don't you ever feel like its too plain to just use distilled water for your lye-solution? There are other more alternatives for distilled water!

1.) Milks

You can use Cow's Milk, Goat's Milk and even Breast Milk. Milk soaps are creamy for the skin and really moisturizing. The problem with using Milk is that it tends to make the soap crumbly and it creates discoloration over time. Not only does it damage aesthetic qualities of the soaps, it also creates an odor that mixes with your fragrance oils then turning the soap into spoiled milk ala (your fragrance oil here). This is the problem: Milk is comprised of proteins that are actually unsaponifiable. Therefore, there are proteins and fibers from the milk that don't turn into soap and in turn, go rotten inside your soap. You would not want that!

In order to prevent the aesthetic and aromatic features and rancidity of your milk soap, here are tips:
1. try mixing the milk with a little distilled water. This way, you do not fully make a solution made from 100% milk but you still get its qualities. Try 40% Milk and 60% Water.

2. Try using POWDERED MILKS. This way, there are not too much true of the fibers. Always remember to fully dissolve the powder. Always.

3. Add sodium benzoate to your lye-milk solution.

4. ALWAYS freeze the milk before adding the lye. In this way, the milk doesn't get burnt and it wont create that unpleasant odor.


Best Milk solutions:
Coconut Milk-Lye Solution: Creates a moisturizing bar and has a creamy lather.
Goat's Milk-Lye Solution: Creates an extra moisturizing bar.
(this is because, the goat's milk has an almost identical ph level to human skin)

2.) Tea

Tea is known to be very cleansing and has anti-acne agents. The problem with tea is that your soap batter will most likely have a light brown discoloration.

How to use:
1.) Make tea solution then add lye.
Ta-dahh. Thats it, actually.

Always make sure that no leaves get left behind the actual tea.

3.) Fresh Juices

Examples are Apple Juice, Carrot Juice, Orange Juice, you name it. But always make sure that no pulps, fibers and meat are left behind the juice. This is in order to have a smooth soap. Unless you want exfoliation through the fruits.  

Chemical of the day: EDTA in soapmaking

One of the problems soapmakers face is the bound-to-happen dreaded orange spots (DOS) that appear on the soaps usually 2-4 days after molding. These spots are caused by one of the following:

a.) Too much superfatting

b.) Rancid Oil used
c.) Short shelf life of oil
d.) "Soft" oils (olive, canola, sunflower, e.g.)
e.) High temperature curing

Another problem soapmakers face is the production of soap scum which unpleasantly creates mess in the bathroom and even in the soapmaker's workplace. 

Soap scum and DOS can be prevented by using EDTA.
EDTA is white and is in powder form. 

How to use:
OPTION A:
1. Dissolve EDTA in distilled water with Sodium Chloride (Salt).
2. Add during light trace.

OPTION B:
(AFTER LYE SOLUTION)
1. Dissolve EDTA in lye water.

OPTION C:
(BEFORE LYE SOLUTION)
1. Dissolve EDTA in Distilled water before adding lye.

Always remember that you can't state your soap as "Organic" once this chemical is placed. In order to avoid using EDTA, always check your measurements and check the shelf life of your oils. To prevent soap scum without using this chemical, you can use hardening agents that are natural like Sodium Chloride (Salt) or Cera Alba (Beeswax). These natural ingredients can hold the bar together stronger and it can help reduce soap scum.