Antique Lilac Soap Remake, Part 3 – the end.

Antique Lilac Soap Remake, Part 1
Antique Lilac Soap Remake, Part 2

Here are a few bars from the small batch of soap I made yesterday with the embedded soap scraps:

Antique Lilac Soap - The Final Reveal

Before you go jumping up and down and raving about how great it turned out, I have to tell you something. I’m a big fan of books and movies with happy endings. I want all the loose ends tied up, and everyone to live happily ever after. I think this is part of the human longing for heaven – a place where all is perfect and lovely and pure. So, while this soap looks good on the outside, I have a feeling that I won’t be using the same embeds for a regular-sized batch this week as planned. There is no perfect ending to my plan to salvage the lilac soap.

The voice of reason came through my friend Sharon who pointed out that the only way to fix this soap is with more lye. Otherwise, the risk of DOS (dreaded orange spots) will probably be pretty high, considering how much extra oil is in the soap. For the non-soapmakers reading this, DOS is really just one way that rancid oils manifest themselves in handmade soaps. Without knowing exacting how much excess oil is in the soap, I really can’t know how much lye to add. Besides the fact that it would require rebatching the soap. Something I’ve long since given up on. So, I’ll keep an eye on this batch to see how it fares over time, but I won’t be selling it.

I will, however, make up a brand new batch of Antique Lilac soap this week that I will feel confident about selling. And quite possibly, at some point, I will try this method again with perfectly good soap shreds in a different soap, because it really does look good, doesn’t it?

Page with Comments

  1. Amy, your soap blog is just so great. All around great and possibly my favorite for now. Kudos for all the work you put into it, all the experience you freely share with us!

  2. @cocobong – Wow, thanks! I figure the more we share, the more we grow as an industry. I just love the process – even when the outcome isn’t what I was hoping for.

  3. Isn’t it a bummer when it looks so great, but you know it isn’t quite right. Oh well, you should try this technique again – it looks like Spring! :))

  4. Hello Amy,

    It is always good to experiment in this creative art form. And learning along the way makes it worth it, in addition to stumbling upon successes you never could have planned.

    Great advice from your friend on the idea to add more lye to lesson the likelihood of that dreaded orange spots.

    All great creations originate from bold dreams. Reason can step in at any time to hone and refine an ambitious concept. Congratulations on your ability to dream and strive for what is lovely and pure. And it really does look good:)

  5. This is soo beautiful! I totally feel your pain regarding how much time you’ve put into this. I am a new soaper so I’ve already experienced the same thing but my final outcome was not nearly as attractive as yours 😉

    This soap happens to be my favorite color. Can you tell me where you got this color? I’d love to try some in a future batch of soap.

    Thanks!

  6. Did you get it from a certain company? I just want to make sure I buy that EXACT shade because it’s so pretty!

  7. It’s a pretty standardized color. I’m pretty sure any supplier that carries it will have the same one. The color of your soap base, the fragrance you use, and the amount of colorant you use will all affect the final outcome. You may have to try different combinations to get the color you want. 🙂

  8. Ahhhh . . . okay. I’ll see if Bramble Berry or WholeSale Supplies Plus has it. I guess the rest will be experiment, experiment, experiment! Thanks for the help and I hope your beautiful soap doesn’t develop DOS!

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