# Dandy Hill Farm's Soap Thread



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

A few days ago, I made my first batch of goat milk soap!! Today it was hard enough to cut into bars. Since it was my first time, I only made a small batch. I added Lavender essential oil and purple mica powder. It smells heavenly, but didn't turn out purple like I hoped lol. It turned a very pretty blue-ish color, so I'm not complaining too much. It actually matches the color of Lavender leaves perfectly! I'm already addicted to soap making and can't wait to make more to fill my closet selves! Today, I plan on making a batch of chocolate coffee scrub soap and can't wait to see how that turns out! 😁 Here's my "purple" Lavender soap!









































This is the mica powder I used....looks purple to me. 🤷‍♀️


----------



## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

Nice! Pretty good for a first batch!


----------



## Lamancha Lady (Dec 13, 2011)

Congrats on your first batch. Wow it did not come out looking nothing like the powder, but its still pretty looking. I hoping to make soap one day too.


----------



## Lil Boogie (Mar 24, 2021)

Looks amazing Dandy!!!!!!😍😍

Also.... Those nails are still killers!!!!😱😱😱😱


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Very nice!


----------



## iron.mountain.creek.farm (Jun 14, 2021)

Awesome! Great job! I am planning to make my first batch here soon. Very excited!!!!


----------



## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Great job! Yay 😁 congrats on your first. It’s so empowering once you get through your first batch 😃😉
If you want a darker purple you can add a tiny bit of either black mica or activated charcoal to deepen the color. Just remember a little goes a looooong way.


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Lil Boogie said:


> Looks amazing Dandy!!!!!!😍😍
> 
> Also.... Those nails are still killers!!!!😱😱😱😱


Thanks!

Haha. They are actually pretty short for me right now. Last time your commented on my nails, the white part was at least twice as long.....then I broke one doing chores so I chopped the rest off. 😂 


iron.mountain.creek.farm said:


> Awesome! Great job! I am planning to make my first batch here soon. Very excited!!!!


Thank you! Post pictures when you make some!! 


GoofyGoat said:


> Great job! Yay 😁 congrats on your first. It’s so empowering once you get through your first batch 😃😉
> If you want a darker purple you can add a tiny bit of either black mica or activated charcoal to deepen the color. Just remember a little goes a looooong way.


Thank you! It really is nice to get through the first batch without things blowing up or something lol! I was so worried things wouldn't work out and I'd end up with......not soap. Haha. Now that things went well, not sure if I can stop making soap! It's very addicting!! I just got done with the Mocha scrub soap. I only put cacao powder in half of it (coffee grounds in the whole batch) and layered the two colors.....not sure how it's going to look, hopefully not too bad though. 🙃 
Thanks for the tip!


----------



## Lil Boogie (Mar 24, 2021)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> Thanks!
> 
> Haha. They are actually pretty short for me right now. Last time your commented on my nails, the white part was at least twice as long.....then I broke one doing chores so I chopped the rest off. 😂
> 
> ...


I hear ya on the break one, kill em all LOL


----------



## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

Lil Boogie said:


> I hear ya on the break one, kill em all LOL


Same here! I can't stand having one shorter than the rest!


----------



## Kaitlyn (Jan 20, 2021)

Looks amazing! I just recently made my first batch of soap as well, I’ll have to get some pictures to share!


----------



## Lil Boogie (Mar 24, 2021)

Rancho Draco said:


> Same here! I can't stand having one shorter than the rest!


It's sooo anoyying to look at!!!


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Kaitlyn said:


> Looks amazing! I just recently made my first batch of soap as well, I’ll have to get some pictures to share!


Thank you! Yes, please do get pictures! I'd love to see yours! 😀


----------



## BarnOwl (Sep 6, 2020)

Looks great! I can't wait to try making soap someday!


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Way to go, Dandy! That looks great! 😍 

Is your mica powder for cold process soap? If it's not it may have morphed. Even if it said it was for soap making, sometimes if it's low quality it can morph or even certain recipes can cause morphing. I had that happen with a few colors in a cheap set I got from amazon. Still looks beautiful either way!


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Kaitlyn said:


> Looks amazing! I just recently made my first batch of soap as well, I’ll have to get some pictures to share!


Yes, please share your soap too! (since Dandy doesn't mind.) 😗

It's been a couple months since I made soap, and I'm starting to get impatient to do it again. I've just been so busy, and my curing rack is still pretty darn full... but that's never stopped me before. 😏


----------



## Lil Boogie (Mar 24, 2021)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> A few days ago, I made my first batch of goat milk soap!! Today it was hard enough to cut into bars. Since it was my first time, I only made a small batch. I added Lavender essential oil and purple mica powder. It smells heavenly, but didn't turn out purple like I hoped lol. It turned a very pretty blue-ish color, so I'm not complaining too much. It actually matches the color of Lavender leaves perfectly! I'm already addicted to soap making and can't wait to make more to fill my closet selves! Today, I plan on making a batch of chocolate coffee scrub soap and can't wait to see how that turns out! 😁 Here's my "purple" Lavender soap!
> View attachment 218459
> 
> View attachment 218458
> ...


Hey Dandy. What was the recipe you used? Also, have you used the soap yet?


----------



## K.B. (Mar 15, 2021)

I'm always so scares the color will color my skin!  I know it won't but... did you do a melt and pour or use lye?


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> Way to go, Dandy! That looks great! 😍


Thanks, Mellon! 💕

Thought of you yesterday, we were watching The Lord of the Rings. They really do say Mellon in the movie!! 😁


MellonFriend said:


> Is your mica powder for cold process soap? If it's not it may have morphed. Even if it said it was for soap making, sometimes if it's low quality it can morph or even certain recipes can cause morphing. I had that happen with a few colors in a cheap set I got from amazon. Still looks beautiful either way!


I just used a cheap brand from Walmart....never thought about there being low quality mica powders, but it totally makes sense! Here's what I used: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Electric-Bliss-Beauty-Lavender-Mica-Pigment-Powder-1-Ounce/114737700 Maybe the purple one would actually make purple? https://www.walmart.com/ip/Electric-Bliss-Beauty-Purple-Mica-Pigment-Powder-1-Ounce/424838852 I didn't realize that the one I got is "lavender", so maybe it really is supposed to be the color of lavender leaves? Who knows! Thank you! 😘


Lil Boogie said:


> Hey Dandy. What was the recipe you used? Also, have you used the soap yet?


@Lil Boogie, I used this recipe: How to Make Soap: DIY Unscented Soap Recipe - Garden Therapy I made the 50/50 blend, replaced all the water with frozen goat milk, and used shea butter. No, I haven't used the soap yet. It needs to cure for 4-6 more weeks. However, there were a few tiny scraps that I took and kinda tested out, it lathered so well and felt very nice! Much, much nicer than any other soap I've used before! I also found this chart for adding all kinds of things to soap and it's been extremely helpful! Soapmaking Additive Chart


K.B. said:


> did you do a melt and pour or use lye?


I used lye. I honestly was a little scared to use it, but now I know it won't kill me if I use it properly! When working with lye, I did wear dish gloves and googles as an extra precaution, but it really isn't that bad if you use it like you should. 😉


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> Thought of you yesterday, we were watching The Lord of the Rings. They really do say Mellon in the movie!! 😁


Yay! That makes me happy to know.😚



Dandy Hill Farm said:


> I just used a cheap brand from Walmart....never thought about there being low quality mica powders, but it totally makes sense! Here's what I used: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Electric-Bliss-Beauty-Lavender-Mica-Pigment-Powder-1-Ounce/114737700 Maybe the purple one would actually make purple? https://www.walmart.com/ip/Electric-Bliss-Beauty-Purple-Mica-Pigment-Powder-1-Ounce/424838852 I didn't realize that the one I got is "lavender", so maybe it really is supposed to be the color of lavender leaves? Who knows! Thank you! 😘


What you want to look for is mica that says for "cold process soap". That mica just says " for soap" in the description, which they could mean to be melt and pour. The first set of micas I bought before I knew better has some that work just fine without morphing, and others turn some really strange shades. 😳 I've found that they don't morph if sprinkled on top or used as a mica drizzle, so there are still some pretty uses for them. 

If you are looking for tried and true mica colors that won't let you down, I'd recommend getting them from Nurture Soap, Bramble Berry, Mad Micas, or TKB trading. There are a few more suppliers out there, but those are the ones I personally prefer. I especially recommend Nurture Soap's micas. They have a great rewards program and a terrific selection of colors! 😀


----------



## K.B. (Mar 15, 2021)

Cool your brave! I'm to scared yet!


----------



## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

I’m fond of mad mica and wholesale supply‘s they’ve never failed me.


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> What you want to look for is mica that says for "cold process soap". That mica just says " for soap" in the description, which they could mean to be melt and pour. The first set of micas I bought before I knew better has some that work just fine without morphing, and others turn some really strange shades. 😳 I've found that they don't morph if sprinkled on top or used as a mica drizzle, so there are still some pretty uses for them.
> 
> If you are looking for tried and true mica colors that won't let you down, I'd recommend getting them from Nurture Soap, Bramble Berry, Mad Micas, or TKB trading. There are a few more suppliers out there, but those are the ones I personally prefer. I especially recommend Nurture Soap's micas. They have a great rewards program and a terrific selection of colors! 😀





GoofyGoat said:


> I’m fond of mad mica and wholesale supply‘s they’ve never failed me.


Thanks for the recommendations you two!! I'll definitely look into all of them! 😊


----------



## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

Yay! Great job, even if it isn’t purple. You can say you did it on purpose 

I’ve never made soap myself, but my dad does and I know he always uses Bramble Berry for all his stuff.


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

GoofyGoat said:


> I’m fond of mad mica and wholesale supply‘s they’ve never failed me.


Wholesale Supplies plus, that's the other one! I knew I was forgetting a place I get soap supplies.🙃 I love them too. 😊


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Just unmolded the Mocha soap!! Can't wait to cut it in a day or two! 🍫


----------



## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

Wow! That came out beautiful!


----------



## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Love it! Great job 😀


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Nice work.


----------



## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

Ok. So here is a question. Any one thought of making a hair shampoo?


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> Just unmolded the Mocha soap!! Can't wait to cut it in a day or two! 🍫
> View attachment 218587
> 
> View attachment 218586
> ...


That looks so good, I want to eat it!🤤



Tanya said:


> Ok. So here is a question. Any one thought of making a hair shampoo?


I've never done it, but I know that some people make shampoo bars. Conditioner bars too. I'm not sure what goes into it though. It might be a different process.


----------



## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

Interesting.


----------



## lada823 (Apr 2, 2018)

Nice job! I always get my micas from Brambleberry and they are very true, except the plum dusk mica that I tried using in my Sugarplum Fairy soaps this Christmas. It was gray. Just gray, not even a little plum. Of course I should have read the reviews first. A lot of cheaper micas aren't good for keeping their true colors especially in goat milk soap which natural has a darker and more yellow tone than soap made with water.


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Thanks for the advice, @lada823! I appreciate any and all I can get! 😊

I have a question for you more experienced soap makers. I would like to make an oat and honey soap sometime and know that adding honey to soap can cause it to overheat in the gelling stage because of the the extra sugar. So, I was thinking it would be best to put the soap in the fridge (after pouring it into the mold) for while to prevent it from gelling, does that sound right? 

I also cut the Mocha soap today! 😀


----------



## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

Ooooh


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> I have a question for you more experienced soap makers. I would like to make an oat and honey soap sometime and know that adding honey to soap can cause it to overheat in the gelling stage because of the the extra sugar. So, I was thinking it would be best to put the soap in the fridge (after pouring it into the mold) for while to prevent it from gelling, does that sound right?


Oat and honey is on my list to try! I haven't done it yet, but I know some people put their soap in the fridge to stop gelling. I actually like my soap to gel, so I probably wont do that. I will be sure to keep an eye on it though, since overheating during the gel phase can cause volcanoing. 😮

The mocha soap sure looks awesome!


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> Oat and honey is on my list to try! I haven't done it yet, but I know some people put their soap in the fridge to stop gelling. I actually like my soap to gel, so I probably wont do that. I will be sure to keep an eye on it though, since overheating during the gel phase can cause volcanoing. 😮
> 
> The mocha soap sure looks awesome!


If you ever make oat and honey soap, let me know how it goes! I'll do the same. 😉 

Thanks! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. 😊


----------



## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

Oh fancy! I wish I could smell it!


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Goatastic43 said:


> Oh fancy! I wish I could smell it!


I wish I could too!! It honestly looks a lot better than it smells, which is nothing. 🤣 Oh well, at least it's fancy like you said! 😂😁


----------



## Lil Boogie (Mar 24, 2021)

@Dandy Hill Farm looks so good!!!! If I didn't know it was soap, I'd probably try and eat it LOL. It looks sooooo good!!!


----------



## lada823 (Apr 2, 2018)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> I have a question for you more experienced soap makers. I would like to make an oat and honey soap sometime and know that adding honey to soap can cause it to overheat in the gelling stage because of the the extra sugar. So, I was thinking it would be best to put the soap in the fridge (after pouring it into the mold) for while to prevent it from gelling, does that sound right?


I make honey oat soap all the time and I don't put it in the fridge. I make sure my milk is good and frozen and I soap at 92°. My honey oat soap does cure a little darker than a plain bar but not a lot. It's more of just a golden tan color.


----------



## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Yup, always soap at much cooler temps when working with sugars. I like going through gel phase it lets colors really pop. I use titanium dioxide to lighten up my whites for a better contrast.


----------



## Lamancha Lady (Dec 13, 2011)

Cool it looks like chocolate and vanilla moose. I bet it smells so good too.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)




----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Ok, @MellonFriend, I just got done making a batch of oats and honey. So far, everything seems to be going pretty good. I decided to set it right next to me while I'm on TGS so I can keep a very, very close eye on it. Don't want it to blow up or something. Haha. 😁 









Oh my gosh, literally right after I got done typing that, I look over and there's a big crack down the middle!! 😦 Darn it!! I'm going to leave it in the freezer for a bit to cool down - the soap on the bottom is darker and starting to come out of the crack. 🥴


----------



## TripleShareNubians (Nov 5, 2021)

Congratulations! I hope you enjoy making soap. I love it! I don't make as many types as I did at first, but I love salt soap, I have a great face soap, and a homeade lava. Occasionally a good Clyde slide for showers (or sport lovers).
And a good coffee soap for the kitchen and bucks. How did yours come out?


----------



## TripleShareNubians (Nov 5, 2021)

Tanya said:


> Ok. So here is a question. Any one thought of making a hair shampoo?


There are recipes online for goat milk hair soap. There are even recipes for using all those little scraps to make liquid soap. I've never gotten that industrious though.


----------



## TripleShareNubians (Nov 5, 2021)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> I wish I could too!! It honestly looks a lot better than it smells, which is nothing. 🤣 Oh well, at least it's fancy like you said! 😂😁


There is a really good coffee flavored scent. It is really good. It is made by Aztec.


----------



## TripleShareNubians (Nov 5, 2021)

If you didn't see the correction I made it is at Aztec. They'll give you a code to try several for really inexpensive every month. I love to use their sandalwood in my salt soap. They have lots of good ones.


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

TripleShareNubians said:


> Congratulations! I hope you enjoy making soap. I love it! I don't make as many types as I did at first, but I love salt soap, I have a great face soap, and a homeade lava. Occasionally a good Clyde slide for showers (or sport lovers).
> And a good coffee soap for the kitchen and bucks. How did yours come out?


Thanks! I really enjoy soap making too. I'm just a little discouraged after what happened to my oat and honey soap though. Oh well, we all make mistakes sometimes. 🙃 I'm still waiting for my bars to cure, but I've tested out some of the little scraps and I really like it! It lathers great and feels very moisturizing. 


TripleShareNubians said:


> There is a really good coffee flavored scent. It is really good. It is made by Aztec.


Thank you for the suggestion, but I think I'm going to stay away from using fragrance oils in my soaps as a lot of my family doesn't do well with them (headaches). 😉


----------



## TripleShareNubians (Nov 5, 2021)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> Thanks! I really enjoy soap making too. I'm just a little discouraged after what happened to my oat and honey soap though. Oh well, we all make mistakes sometimes. 🙃 I'm still waiting for my bars to cure, but I've tested out some of the little scraps and I really like it! It lathers great and feels very moisturizing.
> 
> Thank you for the suggestion, but I think I'm going to stay away from using fragrance oils in my soaps as a lot of my family doesn't do well with them (headaches). 😉


Well, I don't know if you used a little bit of actual coffee in place of a little bit of the milk and the coffee grounds would make it smell. Of course I'm not sure if the smell is worth giving up the straight milk. Either way the coffee soap works great for cutting the buck.


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Oh man that is crazy how it cracked so fast like that! Did you notice it getting warm before it cracked? At least it's just a cosmetic issue.


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> Oh man that is crazy how it cracked so fast like that! Did you notice it getting warm before it cracked? At least it's just a cosmetic issue.


That's what I thought! I had no idea it would crack that fast! Yes, it was definitely warm, but I honestly didn't think it was much warmer (or warmer at all) then that other two batches I made. Yes, thankfully it will still be just as useful as "pretty soap". 😀 

So I put the soap in the freezer to cool it down. I didn't plan on keeping it in their for too long, but it just wouldn't cool down! I ended up keeping it the freezer for almost three hours and it was still a bit warm when I took it out then! I'm able to pull back the sides of the mold and both sides of the soap look very good so I'm hoping (even though it doesn't really matter too much) that just the top is "ruined". I'm so amazed at how light the color got! When I just started using my stick blender, the color was soooo dark! It was a very dark orange (basically red). 😳 I was thinking "Oh no! I what did I do!" lol! Here's what my soap currently looks like.....you can see it's even lighter in color than the other pictures I posted.


----------



## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

It's a really pretty soap! Did it crack all the way through or can't you tell until you cut it?


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

The saponified oils can change drastically in color from their unsaponified color. It will be interesting to see how the soap changes colors as it cures. I don't know how long you tend to wait to cut it, but don't wait too long or it might become brittle. Sometimes soap that heats up a lot will become really hard faster than ungelled soap.


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Rancho Draco said:


> It's a really pretty soap! Did it crack all the way through or can't you tell until you cut it?


Thanks! That's what I'm not quite sure about....I _think_ it's just the top, but I won't know for sure until I cut it. I do know that it didn't crack top to bottom though.


MellonFriend said:


> The saponified oils can change drastically in color from their unsaponified color. It will be interesting to see how the soap changes colors as it cures. I don't know how long you tend to wait to cut it, but don't wait too long or it might become brittle. Sometimes soap that heats up a lot will become really hard faster than ungelled soap.


I waited two days to cut my other soaps, but this one does seem to be setting up a lot faster, I think I might be able to cut it tomorrow. How long do you usually wait to cut your soap?


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

With my first four batches of soap I cut it after twelve hours, but the last batch I made mysteriously took a really long time to set up so I waited 24 hours. It's going to really depend on the recipe you use. I also am a bit impatient to cut, so I probably could have waited longer with my first batches.😚 

So at what stage did you add the honey to yours? I have heard different opinions on when it is best to add it.


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> So at what stage did you add the honey to yours? I have heard different opinions on when it is best to add it.


I added the honey (and oats) to my warm oils, shortly after I got all the oils melted. 🍯

I've pretty much just been following this helpful additive chart when adding different things to my soap. 🧼 Soapmaking Additive Chart


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Wow, that is an extremely helpful chart! I bookmarked that for future reference. 🤓


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> Wow, that is an extremely helpful chart! I bookmarked that for future reference. 🤓


It sure is!! I've got it bookmarked too. 😀 

Ok, so I cut the soap today. It didn't crack all the way through, just the top. It does have a big dark circle through the middle of the whole loaf though....not sure if that will eventually go away or not. The edges also seemed kind of brittle and a lot of them chipped while I was cutting it (the middle was not brittle). Here it is. I guess it could look worse. It's at least in a bar form lol. 🙃

































I really do like how it smells!! It's a subtle sweet oatmeal smell - love it! I'll definitely be making it again, but next time, I'll probably stick with putting it in the fridge to prevent it from overheating and cracking again.


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Looks really nice all things considered! That circle is probably there to stay, but it might become less noticeable as it ages. I love the smell of oatmeal soap.

I am dying to make soap, but I just don't have any time with all my kidding preparation! Hearing about your soap making adventures is helping to tide me over though. Are you going to make any more batches in the near future? I see some available space on that drying rack. 😜


----------



## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

Looks like the crack was pretty shallow! Is the circle from the overheating as well?


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> Looks really nice all things considered! That circle is probably there to stay, but it might become less noticeable as it ages. I love the smell of oatmeal soap.
> 
> I am dying to make soap, but I just don't have any time with all my kidding preparation! Hearing about your soap making adventures is helping to tide me over though. Are you going to make any more batches in the near future? I see some available space on that drying rack. 😜


You still have time to make soap! If you wait until your does kid, then you really won't have time! 😋 I'm glad this thread is helping to hold you over until you are able to make more soap of your own. I'm not quite sure when I'll make my next batch, but I don't think it will be too long from now! I thought about just taking a step back and making a plain, old "naked" batch, since not too much can go wrong with that. But I will say, I am very determined to make a pretty, un-cracked oat and honey batch, so who knows what I'll make next! Yep, I still have quite a bit of drying rack (aka closet shelve) space left! Gotta fill it all up! 😁

How many batches of soap have you made so far? What scents were/are they? 


Rancho Draco said:


> Looks like the crack was pretty shallow! Is the circle from the overheating as well?


Yes, it is. It only the top 1/4 inch or less. I can't imagine what it would have done if I didn't cool it down!! The bottom was already starting to come out of the crack the way it was!! The circle is probably from it overheating as my other soaps didn't have one, but I'm not positive.


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> I am very determined to make a pretty, un-cracked oat and honey batch, so who knows what I'll make next!


Good for you! I always hate redoing things that I screw up right away. 😏



Dandy Hill Farm said:


> How many batches of soap have you made so far? What scents were/are they?


I've made five batches. My first one was unscented, second one was with South Pacific Waters FO (from wholesale supply plus), third one was Southern Peach (from Bramble Berry), third was an autumn scent from Bramble berry that I can't think of at the moment, and the last one was Apple Garland from Wholesale supply plus. I have a few bars left from each batch and they all of their scents have lasted very nicely. If you've forgotten I did have a soap thread of my own if you'd like to recall what my soaps look like. 😉 My First Soap! All of them are there except for one I believe.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Awesome.


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Just got done cutting my fourth batch of soap! This time I added cinnamon and oats to it. This honestly might be my favorite batch that I've made so far! It smells sooooo good - like a snickerdoodle cookie!! 🍪😀


----------



## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

That's beautiful! I love the swirly top.


----------



## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

How long is your mold? I've been watching some of the Blue Cactus Dairy Goat videos and her molds are huge. Is that a regular size or are yours mini?


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

I love the textured top! So swirly!


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Rancho Draco said:


> That's beautiful! I love the swirly top.


Thank you!


Rancho Draco said:


> How long is your mold? I've been watching some of the Blue Cactus Dairy Goat videos and her molds are huge. Is that a regular size or are yours mini?


My mold is 11 inches long. I've seen molds that are 6, 8 and 10 inches long and then Crystal's really long molds!!


MellonFriend said:


> I love the textured top! So swirly!


Thanks, Mellon!! I'll give the credit to my "fancy" toothpick. Couldn't have done it without 'em! 😁🤣


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Love it!


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Nice work.


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

I made another half batch of Lavender soap last week! This time, I only colored half of the soap with "lavender" mica powder to get some swirls!









































Also, all of the other soaps I've made are done curing! So far, I don't have any complaints about them and neither does my family. 😀


----------



## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

Nice! Was the triangle shape purposely done or did it just work out that way? I like it!


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Very beautiful! I love what you did with the top. That bar in the front right of the curing rack looks like it has an elephant on it.😋🐘

I still haven't gotten to make soap. 🙁 I must find some time somehow!


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Rancho Draco said:


> Nice! Was the triangle shape purposely done or did it just work out that way? I like it!


Thanks. I'm assuming your talking about the top....yes, that's was done purposely. I was trying to do what Crystal does to some of her soaps with a spoon....I definitely have some room for improvement with that part...dad said it looked like a dinosaurs' back. 😂


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> Very beautiful! I love what you did with the top. That bar in the front right of the curing rack looks like it has an elephant on it.😋🐘
> 
> I still haven't gotten to make soap. 🙁 I must find some time somehow!


Thank you! Your right, it does lol! Each bar is so unique that it doesn't seem like they all came from the same loaf! 

Yes you must! I always enjoy seeing your soap. I can imagine you have to be pretty busy with all your adorable kids though. 😊


----------



## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

Great job! I beat it smells heavenly!


----------



## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> Thanks. I'm assuming your talking about the top....yes, that's was done purposely. I was trying to do what Crystal does to some of her soaps with a spoon....I definitely have some room for improvement with that part...dad said it looked like a dinosaurs' back. 😂


It does but I don't think that's a bad thing!


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Nice!


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> Yes you must! I always enjoy seeing your soap. I can imagine you have to be pretty busy with all your adorable kids though. 😊


All I can say is make as much soap as you can before your does kid! 😜


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Nice work.


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Finally got around to making some more soap yesterday and today! Lavender is a huge favorite with my family and friends and I made two more full loaves of it. I also tried adding some sodium lactate to both batches to see if I could get my bars a little firmer and longer lasting. Curious to see if we'll be able to notice a difference or not.

Here's yesterday's batch (I'll cut and show you the batch I made today tomorrow):


----------



## KY Goat Girl (12 mo ago)

Beautiful soap!


----------



## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

Gorgeous! I just love pastels on white in soap. So pretty


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Very, very beautiful! Is that an in the pot swirl plus a hanger swirl I'm seeing? Let me know how you like the sodium lactate, I felt like when I added it to my batches it didn't make much difference, but I know some people swear by it.


----------



## BarnOwl (Sep 6, 2020)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> Finally got around to making some more soap yesterday and today! Lavender is a huge favorite with my family and friends and I made two more full loaves of it. I also tried adding some sodium lactate to both batches to see if I could get my bars a little firmer and longer lasting. Curious to see if we'll be able to notice a difference or not.
> 
> Here's yesterday's batch (I'll cut and show you the batch I made today tomorrow):
> View attachment 230517
> ...


Gorgeous! I love the colors! 💗


----------



## Boer Mama (10 mo ago)

Beautiful soap 😍


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Thanks, everyone!! I'm pretty happy with how swirly it turned out! 😃



MellonFriend said:


> Is that an in the pot swirl plus a hanger swirl I'm seeing? Let me know how you like the sodium lactate, I felt like when I added it to my batches it didn't make much difference, but I know some people swear by it.


I just poured about half of the uncolored soap into the mold and then "zig-zagged" half of the colored soap while pouring on top. I then did that again with the rest of the soap that was left. I don't have a real hanger swirl (yet) so I just used some wire instead for a little extra swirl. 🙂 I'll be sure to keep you posted about the sodium lactate! How much per pound of oils did you use? My recipe uses a little under 2 1/2 pounds of oils and I only added 1tsp of sodium lactate as I read some people had trouble with the soap cracking from too much sodium lactate.


----------



## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

Beautiful job! Reminds me of the ocean!


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> I just poured about half of the uncolored soap into the mold and then "zig-zagged" half of the colored soap while pouring on top. I then did that again with the rest of the soap that was left. I don't have a real hanger swirl (yet) so I just used some wire instead for a little extra swirl. 🙂 I'll be sure to keep you posted about the sodium lactate! How much per pound of oils did you use? My recipe uses a little under 2 1/2 pounds of oils and I only added 1tsp of sodium lactate as I read some people had trouble with the soap cracking from too much sodium lactate.


Ahh sounds like more of a drop swirl then. It sure is pretty! I don't have a real hanger tool either, I have a real hanger instead! 😄 I'll have to look at my notes to see how much sodium lactate I used. I too was afraid of overdoing it.


----------



## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Great looking soap!
They say use one teaspoon of sodium lactate per pound of oils but I generally go with a little less. It also depends on the amount of hard oils you use. I accidentally once put too much in,(double) and wound up rebatching that batch of soap. Funnily though, it wound up being one of my favorites once it was rebatched. It was rustic looking but it was creamy and moisturizing…..a happy oops😉

edited for typos by autocorrect


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Beautiful


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Thought I'd post some more soap pictures and updates. 😊

Another picture of the Lavender I made last month:









Cinnamon and Oats (really love the soda ash on top of these bars):

















Oats and Honey (it didn't overheat and crack this time 🤗):









Coffee scrub:

























And just today I got some rose clay and activated charcoal in the mail so I made a batch of rose clay with charcoal pencil lines! My first time ever trying out the pencil line technique and very excited to see how it turns out! (The color is a bit washed out in the pictures, it's more brighter and pinker in person. Although, I still probably could of used a little more rose clay...we'll see how it turns out after curing for a bit....)

























Also, I'm waiting on some peppermint and sweet orange essential oils so I can make charcoal peppermint bars and sweet orange bars. I'm pretty much addicted if you can't already tell. 😋😄


----------



## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

Absolutely gorgeous! Do you have a favorite?


----------



## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

Those look SO good! You did a wonderful job!


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

So nice!


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

How dare you post a picture of an uncut loaf! Now I have be tortured by the wait until you cut it too! 🤣 

All your soaps are sooo beautiful. I love all your elegant colors and designs. 

Have you used any of your bars with sodium lactate yet? I'm still on the fence about whether it's really helpful to me or not.


----------



## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

Those soaps are beautiful! I can’t wait to see the rose clay one when it’s cut.


----------



## KY Goat Girl (12 mo ago)

Those look so nice!


----------



## Boer Mama (10 mo ago)

They are all so beautiful 😍 😍😍


----------



## double j (Aug 16, 2021)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> Thought I'd post some more soap pictures and updates.
> 
> Another picture of the Lavender I made last month:
> View attachment 232150
> ...


I've been trying my hand at soap the last few months. I've been doing hot process, cold didn't work out for me. Love all your different soaps. Here's some of mine.


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Thank you so much, everyone!! 💕


Rancho Draco said:


> Do you have a favorite?


Hmmm, I haven't tried all of them out yet so I can't say right now.


MellonFriend said:


> How dare you post a picture of an uncut loaf! Now I have be tortured by the wait until you cut it too! 🤣


🤣 It sure is torture, isn't it?


MellonFriend said:


> Have you used any of your bars with sodium lactate yet? I'm still on the fence about whether it's really helpful to me or not.


No, I haven't. My lavender will be done curing in about a week. I'll be sure to let you know if we notice a difference of not.


double j said:


> I've been trying my hand at soap the last few months. I've been doing hot process, cold didn't work out for me. Love all your different soaps. Here's some of mine.
> View attachment 232175
> View attachment 232176
> View attachment 232177
> ...


How pretty! What problems did you have with cold process soap?


----------



## double j (Aug 16, 2021)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> Thank you so much, everyone!!
> 
> Hmmm, I haven't tried all of them out yet so I can't say right now.
> 
> ...


To soft one time then the second time it was so hard it crumbled. So I started doing hot and it worked great so I have just stayed with what works for me. I may try cold again tho.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Nice.


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

I cut the rose clay charcoal loaf today!

(It still looks a little lighter/duller in these pics than it does in real-life 🙃)









I also took some pictures of my other soaps in front of the new sign my brother made for me yesterday. 😊


----------



## KY Goat Girl (12 mo ago)

They are all so pretty!!


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

SOOO pretty! I love those pencil lines on the rose clay batch.


----------



## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

They look SO good!


----------



## Boer Mama (10 mo ago)

They all look great- and your brother did a good job on the sign too! 😊


----------



## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

I love that sign. He did a good job. Your soaps are beautiful and that rose clay one turned out amazing!


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Very nice.


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Thought I'd update this thread with pictures of some of my most recent soap batches. 😊

Coffee:


















Charcoal peppermint:


















Oats and Honey:


















And last, but not least is a new batch I made yesterday! It's scented with Lavender, Orange, and Lemon essential oils and colored with rose clay, turmeric, and mica powder. I'm pretty happy with how these bars turned out. 😄 The only minor flaw is that the rose clay colored soap formed some little glycerin rivers in it.....(first time I've had that happen in my soap). At least it's just a cosmetic defect, could be worse. 🙃


----------



## Doe C Doe boers! (6 mo ago)

Oh wow I love the colors! It reminds me of funfetti cake! 😋


----------



## Jubillee (Dec 22, 2017)

SO pretty!! I love that last one!


----------



## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

Those are beautiful 😍


----------



## Lil Boogie (Mar 24, 2021)

Beautiful


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Just beautiful!


----------



## Boer Mama (10 mo ago)

Those are gorgeous 😍


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

So beautiful! 😍 How did you like working with three colors?


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Thank you, everyone! 😘


MellonFriend said:


> How did you like working with three colors?


It was okay....kinda stressful, not gonna lie. 😅 If only it didn't thicken so fast! 😅


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Very nice 👍


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Just cut this new soap today....pumpkin pie!!


----------



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

I didn't know you do soap piping! That looks great! I'm getting a soap piping set for Christmas. I'm very excited to try it myself. 😃


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> I didn't know you do soap piping! That looks great! I'm getting a soap piping set for Christmas. I'm very excited to try it myself. 😃


Thanks!! That was actually my first time piping soap. I had a lot of fun with it though and I'm sure you will too! Can't wait to see all the pretty soaps you make your piping set! 😍


----------



## Doe C Doe boers! (6 mo ago)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> Just cut this new soap today....pumpkin pie!!
> View attachment 240924
> 
> View attachment 240923


Oh my I’m absolutely obsessed with it 😍😍😍😍😍 you did such a great job!


----------



## Boer Mama (10 mo ago)

Omg, I’d probably try to eat that 😆
That looks delicious lol


----------



## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

How in the heck did you do that? So amazing! Is it weird that most of the pics of your soap make me hungry?


----------



## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

Oh my goodness!! That looks so good! I just ate pumpkin pie and now I think I want to go have another slice…..


----------



## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Doe C Doe boers! said:


> Oh my I’m absolutely obsessed with it 😍😍😍😍😍 you did such a great job!


Thank you!


Boer Mama said:


> Omg, I’d probably try to eat that 😆
> That looks delicious lol


😂🤣


FizzyGoats said:


> How in the heck did you do that? So amazing! Is it weird that most of the pics of your soap make me hungry?


Thanks! Apparently that's normal. 😂 Lots of people say they want to eat my soap...especially the pumpkin bars....maybe that needs to be my tagline or something..."Dandy Hill Soaps - The soaps that make everyone hungry!" 🤣😆


Goatastic43 said:


> Oh my goodness!! That looks so good! I just ate pumpkin pie and now I think I want to go have another slice…..


Thanks! I totally support the decision of a second piece of pie, btw. 👍😜😅


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

That looks yummy 😋😂😱😉


----------



## Abbigoats (1 mo ago)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> A few days ago, I made my first batch of goat milk soap!! Today it was hard enough to cut into bars. Since it was my first time, I only made a small batch. I added Lavender essential oil and purple mica powder.


whats the recipe?


----------

