Soapmaking - Day 2

Still with me?  :)

We last left off with one soap layer poured and a smattering of cocoa sprinkled across the top.  So let's get started on layer 2!  First though - how 'bout we check out my haul from Nature's Garden that arrived today?!   Weee!

Okay - focusing....

The drill is pretty much the same as yesterday.  Measure ingredients, melt, add, stir, wash, rinse, repeat.  The only difference in this small batch is that I added some white kaolin clay which helps stimulate circulation and gently exfoliates.  It also helps to fix the scent.

Excuse the blur-fest photos.  I was without my lovely assistant today, so I had to try to stir and take them myself.

So, I added my goat milk and lye mixture to my oils, and hit it with a stick blender.  Then I added a beautiful lemon colorant, my fragrance, and took it to a light trace. 

The kaolin caused it to set up a tiny bit faster, so I poured it a smidge thicker than I would have liked. With the wonders of planers and doodads though - I'm not gonna sweat it.  If you're pouring the same day as the first layer, I recommend pouring onto a big serving spoon and then letting it fall into the mold.  This prevents boring a big hole into the previous layer.  Again, ask me how I know....  ;o)  Mine had plenty of time to set up overnight, so I just poured directly into the mold.

I gave it a li'l szush...tapped it a coupla times on the counter to get rid of any bubbles that may in there, and I'm gonna let it sit overnight again before I de-mold it and see what we have.  So far the lemony color looks really pretty and it smells sooo good in here!

This recipe can sometimes be a little softer than I'd like, so we'll see if I can cut it tomorrow.  I'll post it here when I do.  Keep your fingers crossed and thanks for reading!