Adventures With The Sage

We have been getting the MAKE magazine at our house since the first issue. I have a stack of all 17 issues at home and the new 18th issue is here at work sitting on my desk. This magazine is a great magazine for all variations of techie geeks and each project is likely to make a geek somewhere drool. Why am I telling you about a magazine that is for geeks? In the 18th issue, which will be released to newsstands on May 19th, there is a soap recipe on page 139! If you get a chance, pick up this issue and read it. This recipe uses bacon fat. This isn’t the best soap recipe out there and there are several issues with this recipe. Issues: 1) This recipe uses volume measurements! Ack! Volume can vary in weight and each person scoops ingredients differently. For example, a cup of flour that has been packed into the measuring cup has a different weight than a cup of sifted flour. Check it out and see for yourself! 2) The author, Tim King, doesn’t discuss the safety measures of making soap. The most he mentions is a brief warning about wearing gloves when handling the lye. He doesn’t mention eye protection at all! 3) He cools his both his oils and lye mixture to 100° Fahrenheit! “The temperature of a hot shower,” he says. Is he inviting people to stick their bare hands into the lye solution? We have found that making soap at that low of a temperature can lead to the soap not being able to produce enough heat to saponify the fat correctly. 4) He handstirred this soap, while this isn’t a bad thing, I’m just not willing to dedicate 2 or so hours to hand stirring the soap just to reach trace. I told some of the gals in the office that I love my immersion blender now and they just laughed at me. 5) He didn’t mention needing to coat the mold/glass baking pan with something that will allow the soap to come out easily. I’ve told many of you before, that in order to have your soap come out of the mold smoothly, use a non-saponifiable oil such as Mineral Oil, Vaseline, or Silicone Spray. This is critical when the mold is inflexible.

Bacon Soap Figure G.

6) The last small picture of the soap being cut, Figure G, has a BIG problem. The soap either is lye heavy, or it didn’t saponify correctly. Both of these problems could have been solved easily. If the soap is lye heavy, using a scale and the Lye Calculator could prevent this easily. Just select Lard and that will be your bacon fat. If the soap didn’t saponify correctly, then raise your temperatures of the lye solution and the oils.

Now that I’ve picked this article apart, I have a challenge for all of the blog readers. It doesn’t matter what kind of soap you make, Hot Process, Cold Process, or Melt and Pour, I want to see your versions of a “bacon soap.” I don’t care what oils you use, or what fragrances. You can make any type of soap, but I want to see pictures of your soap that is better than this soap. Even if you are just a writing soap wannabe, you can participate in our Bacon Soap even. How? Re-write the directions making safety the primary issue.

This challenge ends on June 19th, just in time for you to give your father the bacon soap you have made. I’m giving away a limited number of $25 gift certificate prizes to our participants, so get your entries in now to be a lucky winner!

Submit your photos and text for the guest written Hot Process Soap Week! Submissions will be accepted through May 18th at blog@thesage.com. Hot Process Soap Week will be May 25th through May 29th. Each guest writer will receive a $50 gift certificate. I currently have received one entry from jaspersgarden, so there are only 4 more open slots for gift certificates! This is the last weekend to submit your work!

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Yesterday, I told you that I would show you how to color a Blooming Bath Oil. I was wondering how could you explain to people that the bath oil needed to be shaken before using in a bath? That question got me wondering if I could color the bath oil.

Naturally, the first part of the solving a question like this is the very important testing. I needed to test different colors to see how they worked. I thought that since this is mostly oil, an Oil Soluble Color would be my best bet. However, when I tried my theory out in real life, it didn’t work! I had floating balls of color instead of a consistent color. I decided to try a different avenue of coloring the bath oil. This time I tried the bottles of color that I made on January 12, 2009. This time my attempt worked! I was so excited that I was dancing around the office like I was on a sugar high. Everyone here calls it my Hammy the squirrel impression.

Collect needed items:
Polysorbate 20 (You can use Polysorbate 80 if you desire)
Sesame Oil
Fragrance or Essential Oil of your choice (I’m going to use Rose Fragrance Oil)
Purple Raspberry Dropper Bottle from January 12, 2009
Scale
Beaker or other container for mixing (optional)
Containers for finished product (I used the 2 oz Clear PET Oval Bottle, Size 20 and 20 mm Black Non Dispensing Caps)

Recipe:
1 ounce of Polysorbate 20
4 ounces of Sesame Oil
.06 ounces Rose Fragrance Oil
12 drops of Purple Raspberry Color

Weigh all ingredients into mixing container, or if you wish, you can weigh directly into a bottle of your choice. Stir ingredients together if you measured into a mixing container or you can cap and shake the bottle if you filled a bottle.

You now have a colored Blooming Bath Oil! Enjoy!

Submit your photos and text for the guest written Hot Process Soap Week! Submissions will be accepted through May 18th at blog@thesage.com. Hot Process Soap Week will be May 25th through May 29th.

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Our recipes section is finally getting an update of all the recipes that I’ve included in the blog since the blog started! You can now find the recipes that were made on the blog in the recipes section. I’ve been working hard on transferring the recipes and they will be released within the next couple of days!

As you may know, I love to challenge my readers. Let me know what your favorite recipes are and why they are your favorite recipes. It doesn’t matter what kind of recipe, because I would love to see everybody’s different talents and abilities.

I have a quick little note about something I discovered today! Remember the Blooming Bath Oils? I’ve come up with a way to color them and I will show you how to do that tomorrow! Isn’t that a great project to look forward to?

I was requested to share different uses for Hemp Butter after I had the Random Hemp Butter Drawing. You can use Hemp Butter in any recipe that contains a fixed oil butter. Good butters to replace with Hemp Butter are: Almond Butter, Aloe Butter, Avocado Butter, Coffee Butter, Macadamia Butter, Mango Oil, Mango Butter, Olive Butter, Shea Butter (Refined or Unrefined), or Soybean Oil. Find your testing notebook and write down your thoughts. Each oil has it’s own characteristics, so find the oils you want to use!

I’m looking forward to tomorrow!

Submit your photos and text for the guest written Hot Process Soap Week! Submissions will be accepted through May 18th at blog@thesage.com. Hot Process Soap Week will be May 25th through May 29th.

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As I stated yesterday, I love to look for crafty things at the local Gardner’s Market. I’ve noticed that some of the vendors have tester cream jars of every scent in just one style of cream! This method takes up a lot of space and uses quite a bit of product. You don’t want people opening every jar of cream just to smell the fragrance. This is where I can help you allow people to smell the fragrances without getting lotion or cream all over their noses and making a mess of your booth. Collect needed supplies: Petroleum Wax Sheep Sachet Cards Coconut Oil Fractions Fragrance of your choice (I’m going to use Freesia Fragrance Oil) Scale Microwave safe container with large bottom for sheep Spoon Recipe: 85 grams of Petroleum Wax 85 grams of Coconut Oil Fractions 1 fluid ounce of Freesia Fragrance Oil Weigh wax and Coconut Oil Fractions into the microwave safe container. Microwave in short bursts until the wax is melted. You will need to stir the oil to help the wax melt. At this point, you can add the fragrance oil. You may need to reheat the mixture briefly. Once the mixture is completely melted, you can start dipping your sachet card sheep. Quickly dip the sheep into the mixture and pull out. You don’t want the sheep to be waxy and if you leave the sheep in the mixture too long, it will absorb too much wax and then be very waxy. You can also get waxy sheep when the mixture has cooled too much. Simply reheat and continue dipping sheep. Now you have excellent scent sample cards or hanging car air fresheners! Isn’t that so much more better than people opening creams you don’t want opened at your booth? Want some sheep cards? Request them in the comments of your order. We’ll include them as long as supplies last. Submit your photos and text for the guest written Hot Process Soap Week! Submissions will be accepted through May 18th at blog@thesage.com. Hot Process Soap Week will be May 25th through May 29th.

Collect all the supplies. Weighing the petroleum wax. Weighed petroleum wax.

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My collection of soaps. In my eyes, it is officially growing season now, even though I’ve already started my tomato seedlings in the house weeks ago. Why is now growing season? Saturday was the first day that our local Gardener’s Market was open for the year. I always love to go and see what crafty things and produce can be found. I found some adorable soaps that I just had to buy. (I need more soap at home like I need an extra hole in my head.) I brought these soaps to work with me today to show how cute they are! Soap #1 I’ll admit it, I bought this soap because it smells good and because of the cute fabric wrapper! The soap is scented with a mixture of essential oils and is call “Soap Shop,” because it smells just like the soap shop it was made in. Soap #2 This soap smells so yummy! This one was made with fresh coffee grounds and a vanilla fragrance oil. The soap is a dark brown color and I think it almost looks like a bar of dark chocolate. It was beautifully wrapped in baking parchment. Soap #3 This soap has some of the cutest layers ever! The fresh citrus and fruit blend of the fragrance makes this soap energetic and refreshing. I’m amazed by the work that was put into making these adorable layers with Cold Process Soap, especially since this is a Goat’s Milk soap! Soap #4 Naturally, I had to save my favorite soap for last. This soap smells like Honey Harvest and my oh my, is it yummy! We keep bees and the top of this soap looks like filled honey comb at harvest time. These two layers are beautiful and I don’t want to use the soap at all! The bottom layer is a cold process soap and the top layer is Melt and Pour soap, so they won’t stick together for long. Oh well! It is a fantabulous looking soap anyway. I hope my little excursion to the local Gardner’s Market will encourage you to go find your local Gardner’s or Farmer’s Market! I’d love to see pictures of what other people find! If inspiration has knocked you over as you looked at these adorable soaps, then feel free to have fun! Happy Crafting! Submit your photos and text for the guest written Hot Process Soap Week! Submissions will be accepted through May 18th at blog@thesage.com. Hot Process Soap Week will be May 25th through May 29th.

Soap #1. Soap #2 Soap #3 Soap #4. Soap #4 close up.

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Yesterday I showed making a creepy critters soap and I thought I would expand on the embedding objects in soap. Today I’ll show making a soap that will have any pirate running off with your soap to hide the treasure. Collect needed supplies Transparent Melt and Pour Soap White Melt and Pour Soap Plastic Pirate Coins Fragrance Oil of your choice (I’m using the Sunflower Fragrance Oil) Mold of your choice (I’m using the Wave Mold) Transfer Pipettes Brown Oxide Yellow Oxide Microwave safe containers Isopropyl Alcohol in a spray bottle Plastic Wrap Scale (optional) The mold that I’m using needs about 14 ounces of soap and since I’m using two types, I need to calculate how much soap I need per type. I need 2/3 Transparent Soap (9.5 ounces) and 1/3 White Soap (4.75 ounces). After weighing the soap into separate microwave safe containers, microwave until melted. Once the soap is melted, add fragrance oil. I’m fragrancing the soap at a 1.5% rate. The White soap needs 2.2 mL of Sunflower Fragrance Oil and the Transparent soap needs 4.4 mL of Sunflower Fragrance Oil. Pour the Transparent soap into the molds dividing evenly between the four cavities. Allow the transparent soap to cool a little until a skin forms on top of the soap. While the transparent soap is cooling, add 1/8 teaspoon of the Brown Oxide and 1/4 teaspoon of the Yellow Oxide to the white soap to make it look a sandy color. Stir and make sure the color is blended well. Return your attention back to the transparent soap that now has a skin on top. Spray the coins with alcohol and gently stick into the transparent soap at angles that you desire. After you have inserted the coins, allow to cool a little longer. Spray the coins and soap with alcohol and then pour the colored soap over the coins and fill the mold. Allow the soap to cool completely and then pop the soap out of the mold! Enjoy! P.S. Remember, you may have pirates raiding your house in search of your treasure stash! Notes: When I sprayed my coins with the alcohol, the some of the color came off the coin as I poured soap over it. One way you can prevent this is to dip the coins in transparent soap and allow the dipped coins to cool. Submit your photos and text for the guest written Hot Process Soap Week! Submissions will be accepted through May 18th at blog@thesage.com. Hot Process Soap Week will be May 25th through May 29th.

Collect supplies. Adding fragrance oil to transparent soap. Pouring transparent soap into the mold. Stirring color into the white transparent soap.

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Have you ever looked at melt and pour soap and seen the embedded objects in soap and wondered how it is made? Today I’m going to show how to embed objects in melt and pour soap. Today I’m going to show snakes and frogs in melt and pour soap for all those that love these cool creepy crawly critters! Collect needed supplies Transparent Melt and Pour Soap Snakes and Frogs or other critters Fragrance Oil of your choice (I’m going to use Earth Fragrance Oil) Mold of your choice Transfer Pipettes Microwave safe container Isopropyl Alcohol in a spray bottle Plastic Wrap Scale (optional) I need approximately 15 ounces of soap to fill these molds. After you have weighed the soap into the microwave safe container and melted the soap, you can add 5 mL of Earth Fragrance Oil to scent the soap with a subtle scent. Pour a thin layer of melted soap into the mold and allow the soap to cool. Now the soap is cool, we can place the critters on top of the soap in the mold. Hold on for a minute! The snake is 6 long ,but I only have space for a snake 4 inches long. How do I make the snake fit in the mold? It is actually a very simple problem to solve. Fold the snake to fit in the mold and then use a few drops of the melted soap to glue the snake into the shape you want. Spray the layer of cooled soap and the critter you want to embed with the alcohol to prevent bubbles from forming between the layers or on the critter. Those bubbles are rarely desired on embedded objects. (Unless you are wanting to portray under water objects.) Once you have sprayed the critters with the alcohol, gently pour more melted soap over the critters and fill the mold. Be careful! If the melted soap is too hot, it will cause problems with critters or snakes floating to the top of your second layer. If you are concerned about this, you can pour multiple thin layers until the critter is firmly anchored in your soap. Just don’t forget to use the alcohol. After the mold has been filled, cover the molds with the plastic wrap to make a smooth bottom of the soap. Allow soap to cool completely. Remove the soap from the molds and give to the biggest creepy crawly critter fanatic you know! Submit your photos and text for the guest written Hot Process Soap Week! Submissions will be accepted through May 18th at blog@thesage.com. Hot Process Soap Week will be May 25th through May 29th.

Chunks of unmelted M&P Soap. Melted soap. Critters on bottom layer of soap. Frog "floating" in the soap.

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I was given 12 jars of the Hemp Butter in a 4 ounce size and told I could give them away to 12 people that comment on our blog. I still had my comment list from the Mother’s Day Gift Basket Drawing, so I added all the comments we have received up to now. I used my handy-dandy random number generator again to pick the comments.

Comments

From sincerelyemily on Cold Process Soap, Day Three “Andee, thank you so much for all the help you have given me and for answering my questions. What are your thoughts on the white residue on the coffee soap that I made? it was not there when I took the soap out of the mold and cut it but was starting to appear in the next day and is still there 10 days later. The soap feels hard and I have been using a little scrap piece and it lathers nicely. The residue is unsightly so I can’t give it as a gift just wondering if there is something I did in the process that would cause this….thank you again. Emily”

From Julie on Cold Process Soap, Day Five “Hi Andee, I have another question: Do you have a set time table that you use for melting the oils in the microwave? I noticed that for the 16 oz batches, you microwaved the oils for 2 minutes, and for the batch on day five, 80 oz of oils, you microwaved for about 8 minutes. I typically make 40 oz batches- what would you recommend for time? I don’t want to overheat and/or catch my oils on fire…. Thank you! Julie”

From sarakate on Saint Patrick’s Day Mint Balm “These are great, I love the green!!!”

From Beauricua on Lip Gloss “Hey Andee, Have you ever considered using Jojoba Seed Oil, Carnauba Wax and Vitamin E Acetate for a lip gloss? It’s great! Give it a try. Betty”

From gentlegranny on Botanicals in Soap “I love to use calendula petals in soap scented with Pina Smoothie or anything Pineapple and it looks like Pineapple is in it. Or ground oatmeal in my signiture soap is very invigorating. Grins, Gentlegranny”

From Lauri on Light Facial Cream “This looks like it made a lot. What size jars did you use with it?”

From timtoys on Room Sprays “What would the recommended percentage be for a preservative? It would most definitely need one. Thanks!”

From jrdgarrett on Monster Away Spray “I gave the challenge of writing a story about Monster spray to my daughter who works at the library and loves children’s stories. She is in the process of illustrating her book for me so I can give a copy along with a bottle of spray to my grandchildren. Thank you for the great idea!”

From kathyjane on Flavor Testing at MMS “So, how do i get a sample?”

From PEscapes on Precious Cuticles “I just got this in my order. How exactly do I use it?”

From jaspersgarden on Blog Readers Challenge Questions Answered, Part 1 “Oh Andee!!
I would LOVE to be a guest writer for the Hot Process Soap blog ;o) What do you need? Recipe, equipment needed, step by step, times? I alread have the pics too (2 different batches) and thanks to my digital camera – they show what time it was at each stage – cool beans!! I’ll need a few days to organize my pics, get out my recipe (I save ALL of my recipes – complete with my little notes) Where should I send the pics and verbiage? Via email? Just let me know Andee!! OK – on to the “test batches” answer you so graciously gave – LOL! The reason I don’t do test batches is not b/c it’s a waste of ingredients. No no no, it’s b/c of the clean-up ~ I HATE doing dishes!! I don’t have a sink in my soap shop, so everything has to be carted into the house to be washed…such a pain! So when I make soap, it takes the same amount of equipment/dishes to make a 1 # batch as it does a 4 or 5 # batch. But with a 5 # batch, I get more bars of soap, hence it’s worth carting all my dirty dishes into the house to wash them!!! That’s my excuse – and I’m stickin’ to it!! But on the serious side, I have heard/read that it’s more dangerous to work with a small batch as it is to work with a larger one – I’m talking about the small amount of lye needed for a test batch. I heard/read this way back in the day, and unfortunately – it stuck in my head….I have made one test batch in 10 years and I was sooo nervous!! I was dropping things, second guessing myself, etc. It was a nightmare – ALL b/c someone put that in my head. It’s funny what sticks in your head, then trying to change your ways later. Thank you for the opportunity Andee! I’m very excited! Kathy”

From terrylynn22 on Coffee Butter Latte Cream “I have been making a whipped olive oil cream and it is a little difficult to put in a bottle. I will put balm in a jar and lotion in a bottle, but what about a whipped cream, should it go in a bottle or jar? It is easier to put in a jar, I just thought it would stay cleaner using from a bottle. What do you think, is one better than the other, or is it just individual preference? Thanks, Terry”

Congratulations to the winners! I will be sending you an e-mail to get a shipping address to send you this 4 ounces of Hemp Butter.

Many of you have been clamoring for photos of the Cold Process Soap with Rose Hip Powder after it came out of the mold, so here are the finished results of this batch. As you can see, these soaps are beautiful. I used a bench knife to cut this into small bars.

Soap in the mold. Cutting the soap.

Soap popped out of the mold. All of the soap cut up.

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I’ve gotten a few responses from my questions on last week’s challenge. Today, I’ll answer a question from tamithornton with help from Technical Support.

1) I would love to find an awesome recipe, helpful tips, and packaging ideas for body butter.

Body butters are generally all oil mixtures, not always, but as a general rule. This means they are much like a lip balm, maybe creamier, but still a firm product.

I am starting a thread on this topic in our forum. Go here to see the forum. If anyone would like to weigh in on what is a personal preference on packaging, tips or use of a body butter, please comment in the forum. I am sure we can find lots of ideas for Tami.

The recipe I would start with is the Lotion Bar. Once you have made it, make some comments on “too firm,” “too oily,” “too dry,” or other comments. This way we can manipulate the recipe to be like the desired product.

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Submit your photos and text for the guest written Hot Process Soap Week! Submissions will be accepted through May 18th at blog@thesage.com. Hot Process Soap Week will be May 25th through May 29th.

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