An update

I have another event coming up on the 3rd of March. I seem to be getting quite a few invites, thanks to my Facebook page. It pays to be out there. People do sit up and notice. I enjoyed my last event and it is a very heady feeling to know my soaps, that I have become so passionate about, are going to be exhibited to people I don't even know. I enjoyed the questions that came my way. Loved explaining my soap-making process  to complete strangers and hopefully have developed some repeat customers. Whilst it is very easy to make that initial sale to people who come to your stall out of curiosity and pick up a bar or two, the true test would be when I start getting repeat orders. Can't wait for that day........

Here are some of the soaps that I have not shared with you guys as yet. I hope you enjoy them..

Lavender Mint Soap with soap ball embeds

Yogurt & Aloe Vera Soap scented with Vanilla (hence the colour)

Coffee Creme Soap scented with Mint & Clove

Layered Milk & Sandalwood soap. Poppy seeds added for exfoliation

Confetti Soap made out of shavings of previous batches

Red Clay & Shea Butter Soap scented with Strawberry

Papaya with Milk Cream & Shea Butter. Smells lovely

Green Tea Soap with honey

Another Beer soap, this time with Kaolin Clay

Swirl Soap with Lemongrass

Soap for Dogs. Flea & Tick repellent

Yogurt & Clay Soap with a mild floral smell

Geranium & Cedarwood sample bars

I agree with all the soapers out there who swear by clay soaps. I love them too. Though, they have not completely cured as yet, I enjoy using them for my hands in the kitchen. My hands feel so soft and smooth. I can't wait to use them in the bath. 

I hope you enjoy all the photographs I have posted here. I would love any comments that you guys may have.

Current lot of soaps for sale

This is the current lot of soaps that are available for sale. I do have more bars of each type. If someone would like to buy them, they can get in touch with me at soapsbysangi@gmail.com. This display is not the entire lot. I have around 10 bars left in each. I am giving below a list of the ones that are cured and currently available. All the bars are around 65-75 gms in weight (approx.). There are about 6-7 batches that will be ready for sale by the end of February.

The current batches availabe are:
1. Red Clay & Shea Butter scented with Orange & Ylang Ylang - Rs 140/-
2. Carrot, Honey & Coconut Milk scented with Orange Cinnamon - Rs. 110/-
3. Milk & Cocoa Butter - Rs. 110/-
4. Yoghurt & Aloe Vera with Vanilla - 120/-
5. Thyme, Vanilla & Cedarwood - 140/- 
6. Beer, Honey, Cocoa & Shea Butter - 150/-
7. French Green Clay with Lemongrass - 110/- (not in pic)

Honey, Beer & Butter Soap

Based on the rave reviews of my previous batch of Beer & Honey Soap, I decided to make another batch with a few improvements……..I think. In any case, I have just 3 bars left of the previous batch and they could be on their way to Dubai soon as someone wants to pick them up as a Christmas gift for the family back there……….

This time, I added my recently procured Cocoa & Shea butters to add that extra luxury to the soap. I scented them with a mix of Orange and Cinnamon fragrance oils and a few drops of Fennel and Nutmeg essential oils. I had recently visited a micro brewery with my DDs. They had some real good home grown beers flavoured with different herbs like fennel, coriander, cardamom etc. That is where I got my inspiration from. I must say, the soap smells divine. I am sure a lot of the smells will grow milder as the soap cures. Will be interesting to note which smells last. Will keep you posted. Any guesses?

Fresh soap in mould

There is no colour added to this soap and for the life of me I cannot imagine where the this lovely rust colour came from. I wonder if it was the reaction of the FO with, probably, honey. I think it looks good. It definitely does not look anything like the beer & honey soap I made earlier.

This is also the first time I have had Soda Ash forming on my soap. I wonder why? The internet tells me that it could be because I did not cover my soap enough while it was in the mould. Soda Ash is basically your Sodium Hydroxide coming into contact with the Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere. It does not impact the soap in any way, except, aesthetically. I seem to quite like it, though. I think it adds flavour to the overall 'handmade' concept..... To avoid it, the best thing is to keep the soap suitably insulated when you pour it in the mould. I normally do it, but this time I did not since I wanted to avoid a ‘volcanic eruption’ considering the amount of honey there was in it.

Soda Ash on Soap

Cutting the soap was also difficult and it kept crumbling, as you can see below, especially on the sides. I think it was due to the high butter content in the soap. Between Cocoa & Shea butter, I had nearly 30% of butters in the soap. Plus 8% SF. Plus water discount. What did you expect? Anyway, it seemed to settle down after about 48 hours and I was able to cut some decent bars. Lesson learnt. Don’t try to put too much into one soap.