Monday 31 July 2017

Lard and three oil soap

What a sad and sorry week it has been! I was hit by the flu last Monday and have absolutely wasted a week lying in bed, staring at the wall, issuing orders to the menfolk and being generally bored out of my brain. I take my hat off to those who have to endure long term illness as I think I would be a bad patient. However, today I have remained upright for an hour or so and am trying to get back into some kind of normality once again.

 

 Three friends and I had planned to drive to Warwick for the Jumpers and Jazz Festival last Wednesday where we would meet up with three other friends and enjoy the day together. As I had borrowed the moulds from one friend to make the soap pictured above I thought I would make a batch of soap on Monday and give them back to her when we met up. I was starting to get achy as I made the soap and I could feel myself getting scatty and unable to concentrate but thankfully I was able to complete the job without too many mistakes, cleaned up and took myself to bed with instructions to the menfolk that they would have to get their own dinner. Little did I know I would be saying that to them for the next week and I don't think they have starved as yet :-) I however was kicking myself for not having some chicken broth in the freezer ready to heat up if sickness struck which it rarely does.



 The plan was to divided the batch of soap into three. I left one third uncoloured and used that portion to make little hearts for embeds in future soaps.



Another third was coloured with pansy mica which turned out nicely.
 

The remaining third was coloured with Pastel Pink Australian Clay. I had planned just to add a little clay at a time to get the right colour but was getting too sick so just threw it all in. I think it was 1t mixed with water....but it turned out a lot darker than the pink clay I have used in the past and I ended up with a brown colour unfortunately. However, at the end of the day it doesn't really matter as it all goes down the drain anyway. The colour was the least of my problems at that stage. 

I used the following ingredients for this soap:

500g  Lard
250g  Olive Oil
250g  Rice Bran Oil
250g  Coconut Oil (Copha)
Lye    172g
Water 412g
Pansy Mica
Pastel Pink Australian Clay

This is my second batch of lard soap and I still have enough left for a couple more. I haven't tried the first batch as yet but it should be ready to use by now. 

By the way, as it turned out, the three of us who were travelling from Toowoomba last week were all sick on the day so had to cancel. I believe the city has been hit by the lurgy. I hope everyone reading this is keeping well. Now...my bed is calling me once again :-)

31 comments:

  1. Chel, your soaps are a sight to behold! I love love love the purple ones. The moulds must have been incredibly intricate. You did a beautiful job, flu onslaught and all. I hope the next week is better for you. Love, Mimi xxx

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    1. Mimi, the pansy mica is a lovely colour. Yes the moulds were intricate but the soap came out of them really easily thankfully.

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  2. I am so sorry to hear how sick you are. I feel for you and send you my good wishes for your recovery.
    Thinking of you.
    Take care,
    Kylie xx



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    1. Thanks Kylie. I am well and truly on the mend now.

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  3. Beautiful soaps. Hope you are feeling better soon. I want to try embeds and there's still the floating soap that I have been putting off making as it needs to be done in two sessions.

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    1. I am thinking the embeds would be nice in a black activated charcoal soap, Robyn.

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  4. Your soaps are so beautiful.
    I'm glad to hear that you are feeling better. Hope your friends have recovered as well.

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    1. Thanks Nil. I think my friends recovered quickly. A pity we all got sick and missed the festival.

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  5. Sorry to hear you have been so unwell, sounds like you are over the worst though. I love those mauve soaps they are really lovely & would make beautiful gifts, you did a great job considering you were becoming sick.

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    1. Thanks Karen. The moulds make pretty soaps. The pansy mica is a really nice colour.

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  6. Sorry to hear you were sick (I can't stay in bed for long either). Your soaps look fantastic, what are your plans for the embeds!? this is getting fancy. Looking forward to reading what you think of the lard soap when you try it. I made more 100% tallow soap on Sunday as I've had an order for 20 bars!

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    1. Liz, I wondered what the embeds would be nice with a black soap. I have some activated charcoal to use one of these days. Will let you know what the tallow soap is like.

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  7. I really like your 'brown' soaps. I had that flu a while back, it really knocks your socks off. Hope you're on the mend now.

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    1. Nanette, the brown was quite unintentional :-) I think a soft pink was the plan. LOL!

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    2. Well, unintentional or not, I still really like it :)

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  8. Sorry to read that you have been so sick; that bug sounds horrible!
    Love those beautiful soaps.

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    1. Maria, it wasn't a nice bug to have and I am glad it has decided to leave. I just hope nobody else here gets it.

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  9. I spent so much time in bed last year with chronic fatigue it was depressing. This flu thing going around is the worst. The children had it the whole holidays. Lots of rest and vitamin c and zinc and yummy soup for you. I never tire of your soap making adventures. Have some been more softer or moisturising on the skin than others. I get dry skin especially in winter.

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    1. Zena the 'Castile Bubbles' soap is a really lovely soap to use. It is just olive oil and castor oil and seems to last forever.

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  10. Nanna Chel, I hope you are feeling much better! That lilac soap in the gorgeous moulds they are the most beautiful soap I have ever seen. Oh my goodness. I am so inspired! xxx

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    1. Yes the moulds produce a really pretty soap, Annabel. I am feeling a tad better each day.

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  11. I hope you are feeling better, Chel. It's horrid when those Winter lurgies get ahold and keep you out of action for a while. I can completely relate to that boredom as whenever I get sick, I seem to have even more time to think of jobs/projects I want to do and then I start itching to get stuck into them. Very frustrating! Your soaps always look lovely, you must have lots of pretty moulds to use. Meg:)

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    1. Meg the moulds aren't mine. A friend and I borrow each others 'pretty' moulds.

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  12. So sorry to hear you have been so ill Chel. I am doing everything I can to keep my immunity in good shape. Your soaps always look so clever and pretty. I'm sure your friends and family look forward to receiving some for Christmas. Take care and keep resting. Pauline:)

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    1. Pauline while at the coast I wasn't having garlic like I usually do as I use it in cooking daily here. Perhaps my immunity wasn't as good as it normally is as a result.

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  13. Sorry you were sick! You soap is pretty neat looking. I like the molds. I have made soap once (by myself and then helped a friend another time) and I would like to do it again.

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    1. Welcome to my blog, Abbi. Yes, do make some more soap. It can become addictive though :-)

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  14. Your soap making is incredible, the inticate molds look great. So pleased you are feeling better. Never ended up with lard, the smell was making me extremely nauseous, so it got chucked. Beef and lamb doesn't cause a problem.

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    1. Deb, that's funny about the lard as Phil said the same. I never had any problems with the smell for some reason. I rendered mine in the crock pot and had the window open beside it.

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  15. So happy to hear that you're well again dear Chel. Those soaps are just amazing! You've become the official "Soap Lady". ;)

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    1. 'Soap Lady'...LOL! That's funny, Sally. You obviously didn't see the air bubbles on the soaps. Oops!

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