Well here it is. I have been super busy at my day job and haven't had a chance to post my last entry into Amy's Soap Challenge from Great Cakes Soapworks.
This didn't go as I thought it would and I don't think I will try this again. Too messy!!! lol
I had a couple of issues and one of the issues I didn't know I had until I cut into the soap. First problem was how thick I let the batter get. It wasn't as thick as I would let it go if I were making cupcakes or something that needed to be stiff but it didn't quite do what I wanted it to do. As you can see my leopard spots look more like flowers. But it's still pretty.
After I finished putting it all together I let it sit for 3 days before I cut it because I was just too busy to get to it. It unmolded just fine so I made my first cut. To my surprise the leopard spots were very soft and squishy but the rest of the soap was normal. It almost just flowed out like it was melted. Very very strange. So I didn't continue cutting and let it sit for another couple of days. During this time I went over my notes and decided that the premixed black oxide I used from Natures Garden was the culprit. It is mixed with an oil and because I only colored about a cup of batter it was enough to superfat the black too much. I am hoping the oils will absorb or cure out. It cut much better today but the spots are still really soft.
Now I know that I am supposed to account for the extra oil in my calculations. But since I only used a tiny amount and it was impossible to have just the black a bit more lye heavy than the other parts without actually making the soap separate I didn't think it would cause such a fuss. Another lesson learned. I used water with my TD and put the blue mica in the soap batter dry. I will not use these premixed colorants on tiny portions again. I'm glad I found out now before I used the premixed colorants I have for my 4th of July soap.
Anywho... this is the last challenge and I have learned some good lessons again. I look forward to the next round.
Thank you so much Amy for making us step out of our comfort zones and to learn something new. Hugs to you my friend :)
