More soapmaking

 I bought some Shea Butter last year and I thought I had better use it up in case it 'went off' although I was keeping it in the fridge. As a friend had given me a wire soap slicer last year which cost a small fortune I thought I would make a batch of soap using the Taiwan Swirl method. The soap slicer enables the soap to be cut horizontally instead of vertically. Unfortunately it didn't turn out like it did on the tutorial but it will do the same job regardless. 

As I really need to write down my soap recipes when I make the soap I am trying to remember to put them on my blog for future reference as often someone who has taken some from our Simple Living Toowoomba giveaway/swap table will ask me which fragrance I used and I can never remember. 

The recipe was based on Jan Berry's 'Palm Free Soap with Butter' in her book Simple and Natural Soapmaking

184g    Coconut Oil

113g    Shea Butter

 30g    Castor Oil

340g   Olive Oil

100g   Sunflower Oil

292g   Water 

106g   Lye

24g   Bohemian Dream Fragrance Oil

         Blue and pink micas

As it turned out I poured in too much soap for the bottom layer which resulted in the chopstick I was swirling with not being able to move the top two coloured layers down far enough. Still it was yet another learning curve and, as I said, the soap will still do its job regardless of its appearance. LOL!

The weather is turning cool here on top of the mountain which I really like as I am over summer and the weather events it brings with it. Although this past summer wasn't as hot as it usually is, the constant rain caused a lot of heartbreak to thousands of households here in Queensland and New South Wales. Now I think we are due for some calm weather for a few months so that people can recover.  One can only hope I guess. 

I pray that everyone is keeping well and happy despite the goings on in the world around us.