Herbal Essence

 

I saved the fragrance oil that started the herbal quest for last. I'm sad to say I've run out of new fragrances to try but I'm not done making soap. Since I still have some ingredients left, I'm going to be making some oldies but goodies for the next few days.

Here's the plop photo proving that from start to finish this specific recipe has been a winner. 

Tomorrow I've got to change up the recipe to phase out ingredients that I've run out of and bring in some that I didn't use this time around.  It'll be interesting to see if my luck still holds out. As for the Herbal Essence fragrance....it's a big no. It's too sweet and fruity. I can't tell you what the original smelled like but I'd know it if I sniffed it and this isn't it. Too bad.

Swedish Dream Sea Salt

 

I have no idea why I bought this fragrance sample. I didn't know it was a "thing".

While writing this post I just discovered that this fragrance is a knock off of the original scent made by the soap makers at KalaStyle. They describe it as smelling like cool, crisp ocean air. The fragrance people say it smells like cucumber, lavender, balsam, lime and oakmoss with a hint of musk. That's a nose full of scents.  

Sea salt? I've got it. I used to sprinkle it on the tops of all my soap until I realized the salt would draw moisture from the air and make the tops sticky. I gave this loaf a dose of it anyway because how could I not? 

Here's the plop photo before I smashed it all in and gave it a sprinkle. All these batters have been behaving so beautifully. I don't know where all this good juju is coming from but I'll take it. 

Taking it out of the mold the next morning was interesting. After tipping it out I realized the top was covered in water. I had taken the soap out of the cooler and sat it by an open window while we took the dog for a walk. Bad move. I didn't even think about all the early morning humidity coming in on the ground floor. It melted all the sea salt and gave the loaf a nice bath in sea water. I had to hold it upside down for a while to drain before I could cut it.

Each bar then had to be dried off but it didn't seem to be an issue. Some people steam their bars to remove soda ash so a little water never hurts. I'm hoping that's the end of the sea salt drama because I love how these turned out. I've even started liking that strange scent. It grows on you. 

Clementine and Lavender

 

If you guessed that the purple had gone wrong, you'd be right. It turned an ugly gray. Argh....I hate when that happens. I tossed that packet of mica right in the trash.

I had to re-work it with another purple I had and that took time which messes up the timing of the pour. Think instant pudding. Once it firms up there's not a lot you can do. I'm also working in heavy gloves that are covered in batter which means washing them off so I can take them off safely to dig through my stash of colors to find another purple. The clock is ticking.

Oh, dear. No pouring phase this time. The plop phase happened a bit early. Nothing to do now but pound the mold on the floor and hope that it all evens out. 

So far so good. I did manage to scrap out the stiff leftovers from the cups to get some on the top. 

That was a pretty hair raising adventure. It was also a messy one. You don't have time to stop and clean up behind yourself when you're racing the clock. 

Was it worth it? It sure was. Everything somehow managed to do what it was supposed to and smell great at the same time. My favorite new scent so far. A big win. Whew.

And I forgot my usual Wednesday WIPs post because here's the only interesting thing going on. I finished section one of the Hue Shift. Now I have a million ends to weave in before I head to section two. I'm excited because then, we get to start using the blues. 

Apricot and Honey

 

We talked about color yesterday and today we are going to talk about consistency. We should actually still be talking about color because my idea of what an apricot looks like was way off. Pink? What was I thinking?

I have to say I've been very pleased with the way the fragrances have been behaving so far. You know it's good when you get to the "plop" phase and it looks like this. The leftover scrapings from the cups are standing up nicely instead of sinking in. 

It can't stay that way. I have to take the back of a spoon and push it all together. If it stands up like frosting it's a win. If it turns into molten lava I've got a problem.

It doesn't look like much in the mold or even when it's taken out of the mold but this is the exciting part. You never know what's going on inside that two pound hunk of soap you just made. 

Um...well, that's disappointing. Pink and yellow? Ugh. What was I thinking. I wish I had taken the time to research what actual apricots look like instead of winging it on the spot. It does smell nice though. Just like apricots. If I have leftovers at the end of this soap making session, I just might have to make this one over. 

Sandalwood and Amber

 

Yesterday someone asked me about how I choose the colors for the soap. Not very well apparently. I try to match up the colors to the name of the fragrance even though most of them smell nothing like they are labeled. This one does though. It's a trip back in time for us 60's ladies. 

You might remember these. I had the Woods and the Herbs compacts and I loved them. Today's soap smells just like the Sandalwood and Amber from the Woods compact. 

I used some brown and gold mica in the batter but they washed out a bit. There's not much contrast there. The interesting thing about this loaf is that the wooden mold's bottom plate had shifted and I didn't notice it until I went to cut it. The bars are a bit lop sided but they do have a pretty gold sparkle on top. 

Here's what cosmetic mica looks like. I usually buy a selection of color samples whenever I order oils and butters. Every one of them is a gamble because you never know what the color is going to do when the lye hits it. 

I like using natural clay for color too but you can't have much fun moving those colors around to make designs like you can with the mica because they turn to mud. 

I'm two loaves ahead of these posts so I can show you the finished project each day but when we get to Clementine and Lavender on Thursday, I have a real color disaster to share. I'll let you guess which one of these was very naughty.

As for Tiny Needle Tuesday, the only thing that got worked on this week was Funky Flower. I finished the blue flower and am headed up the last few inches of border. I still can't believe I'm going to finish this one. I have a closet full of half finished stitching projects and I was pretty sure Funky Flower was going to join them.

Rosemary Lemon

 

It takes me all morning to get to this stage of the soap making process. There's a lot of weighing, watching and waiting going on. 

You can make mistakes with some DIY projects and have everything come out all right but you can't with this one. I have to take my time and check, and re-check my ingredients over and over. 

Safety is important. You want to make sure you're making soap and not a good smelling skin remover in bar form. Then there's the cost. Soap making used to be a cheap hobby. I could get a box of ingredients like this one for about $50. That same box is now about $150 so you don't want to waste anything if you don't have to. 

Being  cautious and taking your time is important. I remember the time I did this. I was carrying the box I used to put the newly poured soap in and tripped over the dog. What a mess that was. Now I use a cooler and never move it after I pour. 

I'm happy to say that Rosemary Lemon survived all the pitfalls of soap making yesterday. It smells lovely and looks nice too. So far so good with these new herbal scents. If anything is going to make it all go south, it's the fragrances. Fingers crossed my luck holds out. 

Soap Week 2026

 

The transformation is complete. The downstairs craft room is covered in plastic so I can make a big mess. 

If I don't get some soap made now there won't be any in the fall to give away. It's a very long process. 

I've been on the hunt for herbal fragrances and I've got a bunch of new ones including one that claims to be an Herbal Essence knock off. It's not but it does smell nice. They all do. I'm excited about turning them into soap along with the three other new fragrances I posted about a while back. 

First up was Greet Tea. It smells nothing like green tea but it does smell nice. It looks nice too.

Not much else is going to get done around here for the next week or so. I even have to use the sewing table upstairs to hold the newly cut soap until the bottoms are hard enough to go up on the drying shelves without leaving ridges. 

Speaking of drying shelves, the black soap I made last month will be ready to test on Monday. It darkened up quite a bit. I'm happy to say that the fragrance faded a bit. It's not fragrance free but it's close. I might do this one again and make it unscented for myself since that's what I prefer. Of course, that'll be after testing. I'm still wary of that amount of activated charcoal.