A Fitting Beginning

At the end of 2009 I posted a quick thank you to everyone out there who's been joining me on my Sandbar Soaps adventure. I'd like to do the same as we crack open 2011. 2010 was simply amazing. I learned a lot about myself, my business and of course, my soapies.

When I'm busy though, the first thing to go is the blog. It's not that I don't have anything to say... it's just that once I start this conversation with myself, I'd like to offer myself a seat. And some coffee. And probably a cookie. Pretty soon we're having a good old time and I'm behind in most of the rest of my endeavors. (Have I mentioned that I am never bored?)

So that is a long and round about way of saying "thank you." You're the best. And I'm sorry I haven't posted since the month of April.

So let's get this party started:

Chipotle Caramel Hot Process. Oh my.

Everyone like this one. It's got cocoa butter which compliments the deep sweetness. Cranberry seeds visually simulate the redness of chipotle peppers.

Oh. And look out. I now have a Dremel. Just you wait.

Surprisingly productive.

I'm not going to gripe about the weather (right now) but I will say that it has been HOT!

Funny thing about soap and temperature... if you have the temperature wrong... bad things happen.

Have you ever seen a bar of soap sweat before? It ain't pretty. It's natural and all, it's just not aesthetically pleasing to most people. So making soap (and other things that melt really easily) was out of the question for part of this week.

Today, I put together some baby shower favor soaps for a friend of mine. I think they turned out pretty well.



Side view. So important.


My neighbors must think I'm so crazy. Always taking pictures of plates in the yard.

On Tuesday, I made up a batch of Oatmeal, Milk and Honey Soap. I cooked this one up this time so that it can be used right away.


Turned out really nice. - H

Panda, Peppermint and comparisons.

I had a good soapy day on Friday.

So kids, this is a great picture to point out the differences in soap types. Clearly, the panda is a different kind of soap altogether. It comes from a glycerin base, and although, there's still work involved, it's much less toxic when you're making it. I hate to compare it to fimo... but that's my mental comparison. The polymer clay of soaping, if you will. You can do a lot creatively with it and the end product depends on the individual making it. I make skeleton guys and pandas. There you go.

Now notice there are three bars of green soap in the picture above. The two on the left are a cold processed peppermint soap.

I mixed a lye/water mixture with palm oil, coconut oil, shea butter, olive oil and apricot kernel oil. Then I blend it until it reaches a thickened state.


I do this when the kids aren't around. Once it's the right consistency, I add peppermint essential oil colorant, and poppy seeds for mild exfoliant. then they get poured into molds.

After three days, they look great like in the first image. They come out of the molds and dry out for about 4 weeks. I've tested the pH levels and they're good! They drier your bar of soap is, the longer it will last. And make sure you have a good draining soap dish. Nobody likes a soggy bar of soap.

The soap on the right side of the image was cooked instead of being poured into molds. Hot Process. Once it reached the right consistency and pH levels, I put it into a paper lined mold. It's a pain to mold. It's really thick and sticky... and I have to pound the mold against the floor for a while to get as much air out as I can. I bevel the bars once they're done & they can be used right away. But they aren't as fine grained as the cold processed bar. Still great, just different.

So there you have it. Soap 101. - H