Energy Bars ..

~ Energy is a stimulating blend of Citrus, including Grapefruit, Lemon and Lime, with hints of fresh Cucumber and Jasmine, and a touch of Pineapple, Blackberry and Champagne ~




These bars have my whole house smelling great!

Science or Soap Gremlins ??

Things don't always go to plan when making soap, so here's some photo's from batches that I chalk up to experience ..

The most worrying to any soapmaker is DOS (dreaded orange spot), which is when the free oils turn rancid .. This seems to be most common when working with oils that have a short shelf life, or when soap is exposed to heat for periods of time, like being left in a car etc ..


Ash is purely an aesthetic issue creating a thin surface layer on the soap .. It can be washed off or left to naturally dissolve during use - it won't harm skin! As yet we don't have a definite understanding of why this occurs on some bars, though there are a number of theories about Lye, Salts, specific Fragrant & Essential Oils, &/or Exposure to Air ..


Partial Gell is also an aesthetic issue where the centre of the soap gells during the saponification process (*gelling is when the soap turns transparent and a Vaseline like consistency in the mould)but the outside edges don't, causing a 'picture frame' look on the bar .. Some soapers prefer to fully gell their soap and thus insulate or even cook their batches, others try to reduce any chance of it gelling by putting their moulds in the freezer ..


Goats Milk soap is very popular for it's luxurious creamy lather and gentle cleansing ability, however when making it precautions need to be made to make sure the milk doesn't burn when the Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) is added, or it will turn a dark orange colour and give off the horrible smell of Amonia .. It's common practice to freeze the milk and sit it in an ice bath as you slowly add & stir in the NaOH .. 90% of the soap I make uses Goats Milk for the total liquid, and I've not had a problem with it before this particular batch .. I showed this picture to a number of soapers and our best guess is that it's burned milk solids .. On reflection I was using up the last of the GM I had in the freezer (which had been in there for a couple of months) and had some lumps of fat/cream on top ..


Discolouration is another issue soapers must face when using specific fragrances, especially those containing Vanillin as this will darken over time, sometimes even causing the soaps lather to be brown! Other fragrances will turn the bars yellow, and some have no effect on colour at all .. This picture shows the same bar of 'Very Vanilla' soap and was taken over a week:


Weeping can be caused by poor or unbalanced oil choice when formulating a recipe, or high humidity .. It is not generally a dark colour such as in this image, but as I mentioned above this soap used a vanillin rich fragrance that caused discolouration and thus the weeping too is brown ..


Salt bars often show this weeping/sweating too due to the humectant quality of the soap combined with humidity:


Wet cracking is not that well known in soaping circles, so from my limited research I've discovered it can be due to formulation (My experience was with a high Tallow/Coconut blend) and occurs when bars of soap dry rapidly after a good soak ..


The following two photo's were sent to me by Sharon of { Platypus Dreams Gourmet Bodycare } - Thanks Heaps for sharing these and allowing me to post them Sharon! {{hugs}}

Lye Spots/Streaks – soap not being mixed enough in the soap pot or mixed in properly .. (pictures taken 03-2007 used with permission from Platypus Dreams)


Overheating can occur with certain fragrances (FO's & EO's), if Honey or Milk soaps are insulated, or when the soap gremlins are just plain feeling mischievous! The result can be anything from darkened looking soap, crust and cracks on the surface of the soap, or even a volcano like spewing out of the mould!


So these are just some of the challenges soapers face .. Most are purely aesthetic issues and with a bit of creative thinking can be played up to look like they were meant to be (discolouration/ash etc) .. Yet others, like the Lye Streaks, well blame it on the Soap Gremlins and consider it a lesson learned ;)

Desert Rose

Desert Rose is as mild as it gets, pure Olive Oil & Goats Milk mixed with Australian Red Clay,finely ground Oats, and premium quality fragrance of Fresh Cut Rose ..





~ A personal favourite of mine!

Pineapple Delight (vegan)

~ Oils of Olive, Coconut & Avocado
Coconut Milk for extra bubbles and Moisturising
Scented with Pineapple Cilantro ~

The Gift Is In The Giving

Some went to friends, others to charity, and I felt wonderful to be giving back ..

Coffee & Tea Hand Soap

Fresh Black Tea

I've a preference for kitchen soap with a little added Tea Leaves as it's exfoliation action helps remove sticky dough and pastry .. I also included some crushed charcoal for a natural colouring, and scented with premium quality Black Tea fragrance oil ..







Also delightful in the shower!

Coconut Coffee Castile

A Castile is soap made with only one oil, that being Olive .. It has a unique lather in that it's not especially bubbly, and more like spreading lotion over yourself ..

Similarly it is one of the gentlest soaps available as it cleanses without stripping the skin of it's natural oils, and many people find they no longer no longer need to apply lotion after their shower ..

It is also the soap most recommended for babies, young children, and any one with sensitive skin ..





~ Olive Oil, Water, NaOH
Fine Ground Coffee, & premium quality Coconut Bay fragrance ~

Making lotion is really easy ..

Small saucepan with a steamer insert into which I place my stainless steel mixing bowl, and a thermometer ..

I make small batches (about 3wks worth at a time) & whisk by hand

This is all the mess so I wash up as my lotion is cooling

and finally we have the finished product:


Green Tea & Honey Lotion

Aussie Swap Loaf ..

Trying something a little different this time - design, scent blend and soap formula were all my own and totally unique to this batch ..







It turned out so well I only hope I can repeat it!

7Up Cake (smells just like the real thing)

I had a few issues with this batch and afterwards realised using 7UP soda for the full Lye Liquid was probably not the best idea .. It also Ashed terribly, but I liked the textured tops so decided to just embrace it!

Oatmeal & Honey Castile (unscented)

This is only unscented in that I've added no fragrance, yet the natural sweetness of Honey comes through and I get lots of comments on how nice this is .. The addition of Oat Milk improves the lather, Oat flour for gentle exfoliation, and a pinch of Local Organic Pollen makes this a real Health Food Bar for your Skin!

Spicy Stars ..

Citrus fruits and warm spices blended together into a delicious unisex fragrance!