So the soaps from 3/25/10. 

I LOVE how the cupcakes came out with their whipped soap topping!  The multicolored jojoba beads just completes the look!  Even though my whipped soap went a little flat it still looks delicious!  The remaining whipped soap I put some color and fragrance and put into oval molds.  I wonder if I whipped it enough to make the soap float on water?  Air, that's what makes Ivory soap float.

The milk carton made a great rounded square shape when the sides bowed out.  I really like it.  Fits in the hand well. 

The eye shaped hair colorant packaging didn't fair as well.  It warped in the heat and some of the packaging ink came off onto the soap.  So I had to shave off some of the outer sides of the soap to take the inked soap off.  I still got an eye shape, although a little warped. 

The pomegranate and black currant soap is weeping oil.  I have read that sometimes the oil will absorbe back into the soap.  So I'll wait and see in a few weeks.  The swirl color with the burgundy and purple came out nice.

The rice flower and shea fragranced soap is an example of how colors can morph in the heat and high pH.  I used violet oxide which looks like a wonderful purple violet color, but when it hits the soap batter it turns grey.  So I heard that if you mix in some blue oxide it will become a nice slate grey.  Well,  I got sort of a dark brown black.  Also when I added the fo and colorant I got an ammonia burning smell.  Maybe something happened to the fo?

The 100% coconut oil soap I swirled with a light sky blue.  Came out real pretty.  But it too is a bit oily to the touch.  I did do a 20% superfat though, so maybe that's expected. 

Superfat is the amount of oil you put in on top of what gets used up by the lye.  0% superfat is just the amount of oil that will use up all of the lye to make soap.  If you put more oils in than that it will not saponify and have more moisturizing qualities as more oils are left in the soap.  I usually superfat at 6%, so 20% was a huge departure for me. 

The smallest of the Staples boxes produced a blockish bar that seems a bit awkward in the hand.  If I cut it in half it would make a nice guest soap size. 

I did 5 1lb batches today.  Again all different recipes.  I got in the 100% coconut oil with 20% superfat as well as experimenting with whipped soap.  The whipped soap was interesting.  I don't think I let my lye water cool enough.  Once the lye water went in it went from stiff peaks to very soft peaks.  I was still able to ice my prior gingersnap cupcakes, but I didn't get the piped look I was going for, but they still look really cute.  I got some colored jojoba beads yesterday and I mixed a bunch of colors and made “candy” sprinkles for my cupcakes.  I think they are perfect as a finishing touch.  I thought about fragrancing the whipped topping, but decided against it.  Some fragrances change the soap color and I wanted to keep the icing white, and I really like the gingersnap fragrance.  The remaining whipped soap after I iced the cupcakes I added a fruity fragrance and separated the batter and colored with yellow, blue, and green which I then swirled into individual oval silicone molds. 

Hopefully I'll get some photos of the soaps posted this weekend.

From reading various soapmaking forums most soapmakers seem to define Castile soap as 100% olive oil.  Anything less than that I have seen as “Bastile” soap; a bastardized Castile.  Not everyone uses this definition; some people consider OO above 70% to be Castile.  But if you are using the 100% OO definition I have seen many soapmakers be very annoyed with soaps being sold as “castile” when they have a bunch of other oils in them.   Dr. Bronner is a particular brand mentioned.  Here's what Dr. Bronner's website says:

“Dr. Bronner's Magic Pure Castile Classic Soaps

Unlike any you’ve ever used. A combination of organic extra virgin coconut, olive, jojoba and hemp oils, together with pure essential oils, creates a unique soap that cleans effectively without being aggressive and produces a velvety-lather that leaves the skin silky-smooth and refreshed.”

So OO is not the first oil mentioned.  It's coconut oil.  So obviously it can't be over 70% OO.  I haven't tried Dr. Bronner's soaps myself so I can't comment on it's qualities.  I'm not saying it's a bad soap or anything of the sort.  I just find it interesting, every company has it's marketing ploy.  And like I said there are differing definitions of “Castile” soap.  I personally use the 100% OO castile soap definition.  I've made some castile and bastile (94%OO, 6%caster oil) soaps no color no fragrance and it's curing/drying.  It's supposedly the mildest soap.  I've read that it gets better with age; 1 year or so.  I made some at the beginning of this year so, I'm trying to forget about it until next year.  I'll probably have to try some before then, but that's when it starts to get good.  I hear the younger it is when you use it it's sort of slimy.  It's a low lather gentle soap.  So no big bubbles, but a creamy lather.  We shall see.  A year is a long time to wait.  What if I really like it?  If I make another batch I'd have to wait another year!  Sheesh!

One of my co-workers gave me a plastic box that held hair colorant.  She thought it might make an interesting mold.  I totally agree!  Hopefully it will produce interesting eye shaped soaps. 

Who needs fancy smancy expensive molds when there are so many other things that can be used as molds.