Soaping Marathon turned Soaping Sprint

On the weekend, when Daddy’s home, Mommy gets to play! I have more time to make a mess all by myself since he can help keep the kids at bay. I started getting my supplies out while the little ones were eating lunch, and then I was able to get started right after the triplets went down for a nap. And amazingly, the baby went down for a nap at the same time! I made three big loaves while they were in bed (which is a lot at once for me)!

Three loaves made during my soaping marathon!

First up was Baby Bee Buttermilk. Check out my previous post to find out about that awesome creation! Next was another batch of Black Raspberry Vanilla soap. That’s a super popular scent that I can’t keep in stock, and it’s one of my personal favorites too. Here’s a peak at this batch.

Black Raspberry Vanilla Soap

After making 2 big loaves of soap, I knew that I’d have to work really quickly to get in another batch before nap time was over. I’ve been wanting to try out the Holly Swirl technique (named after Holly of Missouri River Soap Co) that was last month’s Soap Challenge Club challenge. Though I missed out on the actual competition, I would love to master this beautiful technique.

I knew it was risky to try out a new fragrance and a new technique at the same time, but I only have one day a week to make soap while the sun’s still up and I’m not bone tired! It seemed like an OK idea at the time, but things never seem to go as planned. Green Aloe & Clover was the scent of choice, and I planned to create a light green main batter, then make some dark green and some white to swirl together. The plan was to pour about two-thirds of the light green soap into the mold, then pour in the dark green/white swirl, then pour in the last of the light green soap to finish it off.

Here’s what actually happened. I added the lye solution to the oils with fragrance. About 5 pulses of the hand mixer, and trace was already reached!!! Oh no! Must work faster! I poured off two cups into two containers and colored one dark green and one white in all of 20 seconds. I glopped the white soap into the dark green and had to stir with a heavy spatula to mix it. Then, I turned the main batch light green as fast as I could and slapped it into the mold.

First layer of Green Aloe & Clover, still almost fluid.

Second layer of Green Aloe & Clover, sitting firmly on top of the first layer.

When I pushed the dark green/white mixture into the mold, I knew immediately that it was going to be a stripe instead of a beautiful fluid swirl. And then, I had to spoon in the rest of the light green on top. It nearly seized in my bowl! Since it was already so set up, I made some peaks on top to give it more character. 

Final layer of Green Aloe & Clover being pushed into the mold!

Did I soap it at too high of a temperature? Was it simply this fragrance? I’ll have to try it again and see what happens next time. Making soap is always an exciting experience! Prior to making this batch, I had asked Matt to take some action shots for me. He was quite befuddled at my muttering and frantic movements. Am I the only one who talks to the soap as I’m making it?

Even though it didn’t work out like I’d hoped, I think the final creation is actually pretty cool. The dark green and white swirl turned into rolling waves, and the scent is fresh and clean. 

I’m sure that other soaper’s accidents like this one have turned into new techniques. Or maybe that’s just how I console myself when I have a big fail! But at least it’s soap. It’ll still get me clean! Now I’ll be trying this technique with a scent that I know doesn’t accelerate trace.