Just finished the last 13 lbs of soap. Wow, I almost didn’t make it, my back is on fire. 52 lbs of soap in 4 days. I know that’s small potatoes to some soapers, but it’s gigantic for me, the soaper who hasn’t soaped in a year. On tonight’s menu:
- Dragon’s Blood FO with some alkanet root to darken it (classic fave of mine, I will be hoarding at least 3 bars as this was the last of this FO and I have NO idea where I got it…. *sniff*). Swirled with some plain soap.
- Clove FO/Vanilla FO/5x Orange EO blend that nearly seized on me. I attempted to swirl with some plain soap I pulled out, but that was a near disaster. Eventually it gelled in the oven so as long as it looks and smells fine, I’ll be happy.
- Bonsai FO that I had a sample of from Brambleberry. Nice and crisp. Reminds me of a boy I once liked the smell of.
- Lavender/Lemongrass EOs – nice clean smell… not sure what I’ll call it yet. Pulled some plain soap out, added the EOs to the main part and added Alkanet root to the plain soap. Then I added the alkanet soap to the main part for a gentle purple swirl in a buttery yellow soap. Can’t wait to cut it!
I cut all the batches from last night too. The corn/castor addition to the recipe may not have been the best choice when making soap for a fair 4 days away. On cutting it’s a bit more tacky than my olive/coconut recipe. The bars I cut 2 days ago are rock hard already. I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Castor does add a nice texture to the bubbles, so maybe it’s worth it.
The Frank & Myrrh/Vanilla/Black Pepper EO blend is very very nice. I couldn’t put my finger on what it reminded me of. Sort of like incense and cookies – but in a good way. Then suddenly she flashed into my brain. The slanting walls of her apartment framed by the deep wood molding and all the smells of her and that time of my life. Such a dear old friend who was so important to me at such an important time in my life. (Alexis Paige, if you’re out there, e-mail me 
Sometimes I ache so badly for the simplicity of this time of my life. Maybe I won’t keep a bar of this one.
And on that note, and it being 2 am, peace out.
