# MellonFriend's Soap!



## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

I made my first goats milk soap yesterday. 😊 I had a lot of fun and I think it turned out great! Now I just have to wait four weeks for it to cure! I can't wait to make more! 😃


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## Calistar (Jan 16, 2017)

Congrats! It looks gorgeous! Soapmaking is so rewarding!


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## lada823 (Apr 2, 2018)

Nice job!


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## MisFit Ranch (Apr 1, 2021)

Beautiful soap! Love the coloring! Now you’ve made me want to make soap 🤭


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

That looks amazing! I can almost smell that sweet aroma through the phone.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Thanks everyone! 



FizzyGoats said:


> That looks amazing! I can almost smell that sweet aroma through the phone.


Haha! That's funny because I didn't even scent it! 😄


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Very nice!


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## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

That’s so awesome! It looks beautiful!


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> Thanks everyone!
> 
> 
> Haha! That's funny because I didn't even scent it!


Lol. Well it _looks_ like it smells wonderful.


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

Beautiful! Just gorgeous!
Will you share the recipe with us?


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

MadHouse said:


> Beautiful! Just gorgeous!
> Will you share the recipe with us?


Certainly! But it was my own design so I can't guarantee it it's any good until it's done curing. 😙 You might want to run it through a lye calculator for yourself too, if you really wanted to use it. 😉


Olive Oil60%586gCoconut Oil, 76 deg20%195gShea Butter15%146gCastor Oil5%48g


Liquid Required267gNaOH Weight132g
6% super fat

Edit: Now that I've used this bar, I can tell you that it's not a very good recipe. It bubbles great and isn't drying, but it gets mushy after a while of use. After eight months of curing it is much better on that front, but that's a long time to wait to use a bar.😅


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Wow...it looks like a slice of cake with icing! BEAUTIFUL!


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## MisFit Ranch (Apr 1, 2021)

Is soap making difficult? 😂 Also can you make soap with any goat’s milk or does it have to be a dairy breed? (Like can I milk a fainter and make soap? 😂)


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

MellonFriend said:


> Certainly! But it was my own design so I can't guarantee it it's any good until it's done curing. 😙 You might want to run it through a lye calculator for yourself too, if you really wanted to use it. 😉
> 
> 
> Olive Oil60%586gCoconut Oil, 76 deg20%195gShea Butter15%146gCastor Oil5%48g
> ...


Thanks!
I assume the goat milk is “liquid required “?


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Nice job!! Looks beautiful. 



MadHouse said:


> I assume the goat milk is “liquid required “?


I use 100%goats milk in my soap. Unless it's ny coffee scrub..then I use a cup of coffee and finish the measuring with goats milk.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

MisFit Ranch said:


> Is soap making difficult? 😂 Also can you make soap with any goat’s milk or does it have to be a dairy breed? (Like can I milk a fainter and make soap? 😂)


It can be pretty much as simple or as complicated as you want. But overall it isn't terribly difficult. You do need to be careful when working with lye though. You can use any type of goat milk, or even just water! You don't need to use milk. 😉 You just need your milk to be frozen when you are dissolving the lye into it or the milk will scorch.


MadHouse said:


> I assume the goat milk is “liquid required “?


Yes, that's were the milk comes into play. It's what you make your lye solution with.


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

Thanks for explaining that!


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Great job! It looks beautiful 😁


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good work.


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## Jubillee (Dec 22, 2017)

I was making soap this week too! Yours looks awesome! Great job!!


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Jubillee said:


> I was making soap this week too! Yours looks awesome! Great job!!


Feel free to share pictures of yours too, if you'd like!


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## DDFN (Jul 31, 2011)

It looks so nice. Wish I had the time to make pretty soap. I normally left the soap making to the hubby and I made the cheese. The hubby never made pretty soap just practical soap.


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## Jubillee (Dec 22, 2017)

MellonFriend said:


> Feel free to share pictures of yours too, if you'd like!


Haha yours is way prettier...ours is just boring" we need more soap"...soap haha.


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## Morning Star Farm (Sep 26, 2018)

MellonFriend said:


> It can be pretty much as simple or as complicated as you want. But overall it isn't terribly difficult. You do need to be careful when working with lye though. You can use any type of goat milk, or even just water! You don't need to use milk. 😉 You just need your milk to be frozen when you are dissolving the lye into it or the milk will scorch.


Goat milk soap is very fun to make, but warning! It is highly addictive because there are so many ways to be creative! I just finished cutting 40 bars and will make another 60 for a clinic tomorrow. I don't like working with frozen milk though and the way I was taught when I took classes, was to mix the lye with water, and when it has cooled down to around 120, mix it with your melted fat and then add the room temperature or slightly chilled goat milk. That way you aren't scorching the milk. I have tried the frozen method, but I still find this one a bit easier.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Morning Star Farm said:


> Goat milk soap is very fun to make, but warning! It is highly addictive because there are so many ways to be creative! I just finished cutting 40 bars and will make another 60 for a clinic tomorrow. I don't like working with frozen milk though and the way I was taught when I took classes, was to mix the lye with water, and when it has cooled down to around 120, mix it with your melted fat and then add the room temperature or slightly chilled goat milk. That way you aren't scorching the milk. I have tried the frozen method, but I still find this one a bit easier.


Interesting! Thanks for the tip! Does this method still end up discoloring the soap in the end, or does that not happen since the milk doesn't scorch? Do you make your soap interesting or do you just do "practical" soap?

I think that I already have become addicted. 😃 I think I was addicted before I even made my first batch. 😏 I just bought a bunch of scents to try next time. I'm going to change up my recipe too. I'm going to try sweet almond and cocoa butter in addition next time.


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## Morning Star Farm (Sep 26, 2018)

MellonFriend said:


> Does this method still end up discoloring the soap in the end, or does that not happen since the milk doesn't scorch? Do you make your soap interesting or do you just do "practical" soap?


You're welcome! No, not at all! My basic goat milk soap is pure white. Using that method, the milk is never raised above 120-130 degrees. I can't remember the exact chemical description, but I believe it was better for keeping all the good stuff in your milk because it was less drastic of a change, than going from frozen to warm. The lye water rises to over 200 and I put that together an hour in advance so it cools to about 120, sometimes less. It does cool quickly.
My soap is all natural, but anything but practical! I hate making boring soap. In fact, most of my customers never use my soap because it is too "pretty" which kind of hurts returning sales! Lol


MellonFriend said:


> I think that I already have become addicted. 😃 I think I was addicted before I even made my first batch. 😏 I just bought a bunch of scents to try next time. I'm going to change up my recipe too. I'm going to try sweet almond and cocoa butter in addition next time.


Good for you!! You are going to have so much soap!😂


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Morning Star Farm said:


> My soap is all natural, but anything but practical! I hate making boring soap. In fact, most of my customers never use my soap because it is too "pretty" which kind of hurts returning sales! Lol


I would love to see some pictures of your soap, if you wouldn't mind sharing!


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## Morning Star Farm (Sep 26, 2018)

Of course! These are not some of my best or most recent, but the only pictures I could find at the moment.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Beautiful! I was just looking at soap molds today and saw some of those. 😆

I have a question for you, do you take your soaps through gel phase?


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## Morning Star Farm (Sep 26, 2018)

MellonFriend said:


> I have a question for you, do you take your soaps through gel phase?


Yes I do. As soon as I have finished playing with it, layering, swirling, etc. I put my molds into insulated coolers until I unmold them. It is hard to keep colors true in goat milk soap because it naturally mutes the colors, so I always make it brighter than I want it. It is still a surprise when I unmold it though! I stay away from blue and red now because they tend to bleed, in my experience, for example a red sink, lol.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Good to know. I think I got my soap to gel, but I wasn't sure. I wrapped it in a towel and put it in a warm room in the house. At one point I checked on it and thought it looked like it was gelling, but I wasn't sure. Thanks again for the advice!


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## Morning Star Farm (Sep 26, 2018)

It should start gelling within a few minutes of being poured if it is mixed at the right temperatures. Mine is usually fairly solid, by that I mean not flowing anymore if I tap the mold, by the time I start putting it in the coolers. Made 40 more bars today, can't wait to unmold and cut them tomorrow!


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

I have a question for you soap makers.
I haven’t made goat milk soap yet, as I don’t get too much milk from my does. But I am keeping in mind that if I have to give them dewormer or antibiotics I can save the milk for soap making (I didn’t know you could use it for that until I read it here).
Now my question. When I buy goat milk soap from a local goat farm, or even handmade hemp soap, I find that often the soap gets mushy during use. Some bars gets downright slimy.
Do you know why this is, does it happen with your soap, and how do you prevent that?
Thanks


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

It has been a long time since I made soap but my soap never got slimy. I wonder what ingredients they are using. I did use lye and beef tallow.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

MadHouse said:


> I have a question for you soap makers.
> I haven’t made goat milk soap yet, as I don’t get too much milk from my does. But I am keeping in mind that if I have to give them dewormer or antibiotics I can save the milk for soap making (I didn’t know you could use it for that until I read it here).
> Now my question. When I buy goat milk soap from a local goat farm, or even handmade hemp soap, I find that often the soap gets mushy during use. Some bars gets downright slimy.
> Do you know why this is, does it happen with your soap, and how do you prevent that?
> Thanks


Bar hardness has everything to do with ingredients and curing time. There are soft oils and hard oils. Any oil that is liquid at room temperature (e.g. olive, sweet almond) is going to give you a softer bar, whereas things like shea butter and cocoa butter which are solid at room temperature are going to contribute to a harder bar. That being said I've heard that no mater what oil you use, you can cure the soap longer to achieve a harder bar. An example of this would be 100% olive oil soap (known as castille soap) which some people like to cure for at least six months before use to get a hard bar. I also have heard that you can reduce the amount of water in your recipe to cut down on curing time, but I'm not exactly sure how that works.

A soap that has a slimy lather would be ingredient based as well. There could have been an ingredient that created "drag" in the lather. Coconut oil and castor oil are both helpful for achieving a bubbly lather.

On Saturday the four week cure time on my bars will be up and I will be able to test it out! I am so excited. Yesterday I also got a bunch of fragrance oils in the mail. They all smell soooo good! I'll be making more soap in the near future!


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

MadHouse said:


> I have a question for you soap makers.
> I haven’t made goat milk soap yet, as I don’t get too much milk from my does. But I am keeping in mind that if I have to give them dewormer or antibiotics I can save the milk for soap making (I didn’t know you could use it for that until I read it here).
> Now my question. When I buy goat milk soap from a local goat farm, or even handmade hemp soap, I find that often the soap gets mushy during use. Some bars gets downright slimy.
> Do you know why this is, does it happen with your soap, and how do you prevent that?
> Thanks


Your “mushy/slimy” soap is from a high olive or vegetable oil content and possibly from a lye /oil miscalculation. Most folks use a mix of hard and soft oils as well as sodium lactate for a harder bar.
A water discount can be used also to help harden and cure quicker but I’m a firm believer in letting my bars cure for 6 weeks. I did have a batch that took a lot longer (3months) to cure because I used a high olive oil content and no sodium lactate. It was an intricate design though and I needed a longer pour time.
i guess I’ll have to take some pictures one of these days but normally I don’t think about it 😆 oops


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

Thanks so much @ksalvagno @MellonFriend and @GoofyGoat !


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

pics 🥴








( bottom green bar is the too soft bar Im Going to rebatch later)


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Lovely!


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

If any of you would be willing to sell me some soap. I would like to get some for Christmas gifts. Could you private message me? I would like to get some in certain scents. Thanks


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

MellonFriend said:


> Lovely!


Most are my personal use bars but a couple have been shrink wrapped so they don’t look that great. All are goats milk but as you can see some are discolored from fragrance oils And additives like sage and turmeric (top right) top middle has oatmeal, spices and honey.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

What beautiful soap!


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## Morning Star Farm (Sep 26, 2018)

Moers kiko boars said:


> If any of you would be willing to sell me some soap. I would like to get some for Christmas gifts. Could you private message me? I would like to get some in certain scents. Thanks


I just sent you a PM!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Very nice.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Well I've replaced almost all the soap in our house with my new bars and so far I'm getting positive feedback from all the users! 😁 I am super pleased with how it lathers. Hardness and moisturizing levels remain to be seen...


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

That is great!


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Here's a new batch of soap I made. I was going for an ocean look. I think it turned out well. I wish I could take a picture of the smell. I used a scent called South Pacific Waters. It smells so good!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Wow! So pretty!


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Its sooo pretty I wouldnt want to use it! Just gorgeous!


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

Wow, that looks amazing! And I agree that it’s almost too pretty to use.


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## Lawrence Farm (Mar 4, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> Certainly! But it was my own design so I can't guarantee it it's any good until it's done curing. 😙 You might want to run it through a lye calculator for yourself too, if you really wanted to use it. 😉
> 
> 
> Olive Oil60%586gCoconut Oil, 76 deg20%195gShea Butter15%146gCastor Oil5%48g
> ...



I always wanted to try to make soap but the measurements are so confusing to me. Can you explain what the above numbers mean and how to use the Lye calculator, please? =)


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Here’s a video on how to use a lye calculator, you might want to watch YouTube for some tried and true methods and watch the process. Start simple and expand from there.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Lawrence Farm said:


> I always wanted to try to make soap but the measurements are so confusing to me. Can you explain what the above numbers mean and how to use the Lye calculator, please? =)


So my chart there shows the ingredients on the far left, the percentage of them in the recipe in the middle column, and the actual amounts that works out to on the far right for the amount of soap I made. Then below that is the amount of liquid for the lye solution (which would be the amount of goats milk if you are using that instead of water) and "NaOH" is the amount of lye. I have 6% superfat in my recipe which you would need to know for inputting into a lye calculator.

That is a great video Goofy goat gave. I personally like this lye calculator better actually: Soapmaking Recipe Builder & Lye Calculator I find it a little more intuitive and I like seeing the bar graph change as I mess with the oil amounts.

It was recommended to me to set your lye concentration at 33% and to make 1-2lb. batches to start out to find what recipes you like.

If you do decide to make my recipe, just know that it is not tested. I'm really liking the soap from it so far, so feel free to give it a shot if you'd like to, but I'm no pro soapmaker, so understand that it could be flawed. 😉 If you do try it out, let me know! I would love to hear how it works for you. 👍

If you are interested in creating your own recipes, I used this article to figure out how much of each oil would be a good starting place: Free Beginner's Guide to Soapmaking: Common Soapmaking Oils - Soap Queen


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Nice work.


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

I'm scared to work with lye yet, otherwise I would try! Good job it looks beautiful


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

K.B. said:


> I'm scared to work with lye yet, otherwise I would try! Good job it looks beautiful


It is a little scary at first, but don't let that stop you! I like to get all of the non lye steps out of the way first, so setup, measuring my oils, preparing my mold and colorants and all that first, then get down to the lye part. That way I can take my time with those first steps and when it comes to the lye part I can focus only on working safely and not have anything else on my mind. A good thing to remember is that working with lye is just like using anything dangerous in the kitchen. A sharp knife or a hot stove can be just as dangerous, but that doesn't stop us from cooking. 😉


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

I have made my own using a block of pre-made soap, then add my own oils and essential oils.. it's fun to do but with access to goats milk and what not, it would be fun to make my own with lye


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

So beautiful!!! 😍


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

K.B. said:


> I have made my own using a block of pre-made soap, then add my own oils and essential oils.. it's fun to do but with access to goats milk and what not, it would be fun to make my own with lye


In fact I just made some "plain" soap with added coconut oil, sunflower oil and almond oil, no essential oils in this batch


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Here's a batch I made yesterday for my sister. It's acne charcoal soap with kaolin clay and neem oil. She picked Southern Peach scent from Bramble Berry.


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

It looks (and I bet smells) amazing!!! You should really start selling soap!! 🥰


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

Wow! It’s gorgeous!!!
If you Like doing it, this might be something to get into as a little income!


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

That soap is a work of art!


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

I do like doing it. I'm going to take my time and test all my recipes before I consider selling. I don't like to use other's recipes, so I would really want to make them a bunch of times before I would pawn them off on an unsuspecting buyer. 😅


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

They are so beautiful


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## friesian49 (Jul 2, 2018)

I've been making vegan soap since about 2008, just taught a couple new people the other week. I've also been making shampoo bars (using castor and sweet almond oil in place of other oils) and they are some of the easiest to make. Those oils set up quickly and they get, and stay, very hard. 

I'm very interested in making a conditioner bar - anyone make those? The recipes I've seen have a certain chemical/powder additive and I'd like to go all natural, if possible. Although I've found with the shampoo bars, my hair doesn't need conditioner as much as it used to.

Nice looking bars of soap out there! Some of you have the artistic touch, the most I do is through in some color sometimes and use that wavy cutter when I cut the loaves up!


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Made my fourth batch of soap on Sunday, thought you guys might like to see it.😊


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## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

Beautiful! You really did great on it! I just wanna lather up with it!  I really need to get my dad on this thread. He’s been making soap for years. It sooooo much better than store bought junk. He’s sold it to some people who even stopped certain meds because of the difference it made to their skin. He uses like 6 oils I think…may be 8 oils can’t remember for sure…..


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Beautiful!


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## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

Oooohghh pretty


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> Made my fourth batch of soap on Sunday, thought you guys might like to see it.
> View attachment 215272


Wow. I want that soap!  That looks so good.


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## BarnOwl (Sep 6, 2020)

Wow, what beautiful soaps!! I would love to try making my own soaps someday. I can't wait until I am able to milk my girls. I doubt mine would be as pretty though. They'd probably look like big white globs. lol.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Thanks everyone! 


BarnOwl said:


> I doubt mine would be as pretty though. They'd probably look like big white globs. lol.


No reason yours can't look pretty too! I just did lots of research and watched tons of Youtube videos. You also can make soap without milk, so if you wanted to give it a shot before your girls are milking, you totally can!


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## BarnOwl (Sep 6, 2020)

MellonFriend said:


> You also can make soap without milk, so if you wanted to give it a shot before your girls are milking, you totally can!


It sounds like a wise idea to practice a time or two before using that hard-earned goat milk!


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## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

Your soap is so pretty! I really should learn how to make it. How long do you leave it to cure?


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Beautiful soap. You do a wonderful job.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Rancho Draco said:


> Your soap is so pretty! I really should learn how to make it. How long do you leave it to cure?


Thank you! The answer to that is not long enough. 😅 I've generally start using them at four weeks, but they are even better at six-eight weeks. I've found that I like recipes that have a lot of olive oil to cure for more like three months. They are just too squishy before then. Lard really helped me get a harder bar earlier though. I've moved away from olive oil because I'm impatient. 🙃


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## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> Thank you! The answer to that is not long enough. 😅 I've generally start using them at four weeks, but they are even better at six-eight weeks. I've found that I like recipes that have a lot of olive oil to cure for more like three months. They are just too squishy before then. Lard really helped me get a harder bar earlier though. I've moved away from olive oil because I'm impatient. 🙃


I would be impatient too! What oils do you like to use? I would like to learn how to make soap with lard or tallow because we order 1/4s of beef and are looking at getting 1/2 hogs too so you end up with a lot of animal fat.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

I love using lard and I've heard that tallow is really good too. I'm really looking forward to using the goat tallow we get from harvesting our whether this year. Other than lard I like shea butter, sweet almond, coconut, castor, and some olive. I have used cocoa butter too, but I'm trying to get away from it because I don't want to have to buy that many oils consistently. I'm always trying new recipes so the percentages of oils changes all the time.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

I didn't read everything so I apologize if it's been mentioned but have you looked into hot process? I like my cold process soap alot but my daughter started doing hot process and you can use the soap much sooner. She sent me a bar and it was nice. Just a thought for those who are impatient like she is lol


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

happybleats said:


> I didn't read everything so I apologize if it's been mentioned but have you looked into hot process? I like my cold process soap alot but my daughter started doing hot process and you can use the soap much sooner. She sent me a bar and it was nice. Just a thought for those who are impatient like she is lol


I have looked into hot process, but I really like the creativity that you can do with cold process. Hot process doesn't allow for all the swirls and prettiness like cold does. It is on my list for something I would like to try sometime.


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

So pretty! Did you scent it?


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> So pretty! Did you scent it?


I did! I used a fragrance oil called Apple Garland which I got from Wholesale Supplies Plus. It smells like apples and pine. It smells really fresh and festive.


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Ooo, that sounds like such a very great smell!! Wish I could smell it through my screen!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)




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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

I finally got to make soap on Thursday! 🤩 I was trying a new recipe that I formulated using my home grown goat tallow. I had a bit of trouble cutting it and I'm not sure why. It kept sticking to the knife so I had to "invent" a soap cutter using fishing line and some clothes pins, but we got there even if it isn't as pretty of a cut as it should be.
The scent is Lavender & Mint.


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Very pretty! I love the dual blue belt in the middle. 🥰


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## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

That's so pretty! I wonder why it was sticking


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Thanks you two!



Rancho Draco said:


> I wonder why it was sticking


I'm really not sure. I read that it can be due to cutting it too early or too late. 🙄 It can be from the fragrance oil, soaping at too low a temp or using too thick a knife (that's not it). I asked a question on a soap making forum about it, but they haven't given any real insight yet.


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## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

Hm. I hope you get it figured out. With that many things that could be causing it I don't think I would ever figure it out.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Hey @Dandy Hill Farm. 😁 I finally found the time!


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Wow! It's very beautiful! Great job! 😍

I would love if you could please explain how you poured it into the mold to get the awesome design that you did! 😀


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> Wow! It's very beautiful! Great job! 😍
> 
> I would love if you could please explain how you poured it into the mold to get the awesome design that you did! 😀


Thank you Dandy!. 😊

Okay so I split the batter into three separate amounts and then split one of them again into two even amounts which I colored blue and purple. I was going to weigh them all out to be perfect, but I made a miss calculation in my math so I had to eyeball it. I poured a layer of uncolored batter in the bottom of the mold first. Then I poured the purple batter into the blue batter container and poured that together on top of the uncolored section. Finally I poured the last uncolored section on top of that. To be 100% honest I was imagining the layers as being straight and not wavy like that, but as I was pouring them I knew that my batter was a little runny, so I just ran with it.


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## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

It beautiful! Awesome job!


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Just Beautiful! 💞Good Job!


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> I finally got to make soap on Thursday!  I was trying a new recipe that I formulating using my home grown goat tallow. I had a bit of trouble cutting it and I'm not sure why. It kept sticking to the knife so I had to "invent" a soap cutter using fishing line and some clothes pins, but we got there even if it isn't as pretty of a cut as it should be.
> The scent is Lavender & Mint.
> View attachment 224389
> View attachment 224390


Wow. That is beautiful! I would buy it in a heartbeat. I am on my last bar of goat milk soap and am so wishing we lived close so I could buy some from you. I need to find someone closer. The last lady I bought mine from lives over an hour away. And yours definitely have hers beat in the looks department.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

FizzyGoats said:


> Wow. That is beautiful! I would buy it in a heartbeat. I am on my last bar of goat milk soap and am so wishing we lived close so I could buy some from you. I need to find someone closer. The last lady I bought mine from lives over an hour away. And yours definitely have hers beat in the looks department.


Wow Fizzy that's a really high compliment, thank you! I am not my selling soap (yet/maybe never), but if you lived closer I would certainly give you a bar. 😅


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Love it!


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## Morning Star Farm (Sep 26, 2018)

FizzyGoats said:


> Wow. That is beautiful! I would buy it in a heartbeat. I am on my last bar of goat milk soap and am so wishing we lived close so I could buy some from you. I need to find someone closer. The last lady I bought mine from lives over an hour away. And yours definitely have hers beat in the looks department.


You can look online for goat milk soap, many small companies sell and ship it around the country. That is how I sell 90% of mine as there is no market for it locally.

@MellonFriend you should look into selling it one day! It can be a fun way to make a little income and you'll quickly find many people who love it and will keep coming back for more.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Morning Star Farm said:


> @MellonFriend you should look into selling it one day! It can be a fun way to make a little income and you'll quickly find many people who love it and will keep coming back for more.


I might try someday, but for now I'm taking my sweet time discovering and testing my recipes. I wouldn't feel good about selling people something that I don't have 100% faith in. 😙


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Nice work. 👍


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

I got to make soap again yesterday. I won't be complaining about not being able to make soap anymore because I should be able to every Thursday for as long as I have space on my drying rack.

My sister struggles with acne so I'm working on a "product line" to help her get away from store bought skin care products. This one is a salt bar with poppy seeds and corn meal for exfoliation that I formulated as a body soap. It smells, I mean, killer good. I never thought a green tea and cucumber scent would smell this good!









My fist bars with glitter on the top. 😙


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

I so hope that works for your Sister. That is very thoughtful of you. Very nice looking soap!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

So nice! Your soap always looks too nice to use!


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## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

That's so pretty! I agree, too pretty to use! I hope they work well for your sister


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## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

That looks so good! I hope it works great for your sister! Have you ever made a charcoal soap bar? My dad makes one and it works wonders on acne.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Thanks everyone! 



Goatastic43 said:


> That looks so good! I hope it works great for your sister! Have you ever made a charcoal soap bar? My dad makes one and it works wonders on acne.


Yes I have. She uses that too, but she wanted a bar that was exfoliating to use a few days out of the week. 🙂


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Nice.


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

LOVE it!! 🤩



MellonFriend said:


> I formulated as a body soap.


So, is it different than the other bars you've made? If so, how is it different? Just curious.... 😊


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> So, is it different than the other bars you've made? If so, how is it different? Just curious.... 😊


It is VERY different. It's a salt bar so it has a ton of salt in it (75% of the oil weight in salt). To combat the fact that salt kills lather it's made with 80% coconut oil. Usually I don't like to go over 20-25% with coconut oil because it is very stripping so to combat that it's made with 20% super fat (instead of my regular 2%). Coconut oil makes a really hard bar and the salt helps with that too, so it can handle that high of a super fat without it being mushy. The recipe also doesn't have any lard or tallow in it because it doesn't need an animal fat to help with the longevity. So the rest of the recipe is sweet almond, shea butter, and castor oil. 

I can't wait until it's done curing to test it out and see what it's like!


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

MellonFriend said:


> It is VERY different. It's a salt bar so it has a ton of salt in it (75% of the oil weight in salt). To combat the fact that salt kills lather it's made with 80% coconut oil. Usually I don't like to go over 20-25% with coconut oil because it is very stripping so to combat that it's made with 20% super fat (instead of my regular 2%). Coconut oil makes a really hard bar and the salt helps with that too, so it can handle that high of a super fat without it being mushy. The recipe also doesn't have any lard or tallow in it because it doesn't need an animal fat to help with the longevity. So the rest of the recipe is sweet almond, shea butter, and castor oil.
> 
> I can't wait until it's done curing to test it out and see what it's like!


Okay! Thanks for explaining that! I hope it turns out just as wonderful as it looks! 😀


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Wow MellonFriend - your soaps look amazing! You’re one of those people who goes 110% into everything they do, aren’t you? 😍

I’m mega impressed! It’s just ridiculously beautiful. I really like that wavy blue and purple in the one.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Feira426 said:


> You’re one of those people who goes 110% into everything they do, aren’t you? 😍


Is it that obvious!? 😆 That about sums me up. 😚


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Well this is the first bar I'm not 100% happy with how the colors turned out. The pink was supposed to be a lot lighter, more purple and definitely not so dull. I need to get some titanium dioxide so I can differentiate my tonal values better. I also did not intend for the grey to mostly be on the bottom, but I actually think that looks nice. Not what I had pictured in my mind, but still turned out okay. I'm just not as much a fan of natural pallets. My fist sculpted top, which I will definitely be doing again. I also need to start straining my lye solution so that I can avoid those little spots from the goats milk saponifying in the lye solution. The scent is Lush Succulent from Bramble Berry.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Well, it still looks so cool. Almost like a forest scene.


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

I agree it still looks very cool!


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## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

I think it looks absolutely gorgeous but I do love the natural, toned down colors. That top is really cool too! When you say sculpted, is that something you do before it sets and is hard or after?


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Rancho Draco said:


> When you say sculpted, is that something you do before it sets and is hard or after?


What I did was I cut out of cardboard the shape that I wanted the top to be and then then once I got the batter in the mold, I waited until it was set up enough that when I scraped the carboard over the top it held its shape. 🙂


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## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

Okay cool! I'm impressed that you cut that out of cardboard. Mine would be much less symmetrical


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Ohhh thats pretty. Add a few dots of red, and you would have a beautiful Christmas soap! That is pretty. It looks antiqued! I like it!


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Thanks everyone! 😁


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## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

Wow the sculpted tops look so good! I really like the color streaks. Great job!


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## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

Goats milk shampoo bar any one?


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)




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## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

No seriously. Can a shampoo bar be made from goats milk? I use an essential oils hand crafted shampoo. But I want to see if the same essential oils can be added to goat products in a shampoo?


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

I would think you could make goats milk shampoo bars. I don't really see why not. 🤔 But then again, I've never made shampoo bars. I hear there's a bit more that goes into the ingredients.


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## Tanya (Mar 31, 2020)

Would be good to see


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

I agree, it's very neat looking!! I bet it smells wonderful too. I think you nailed the sculpted top! (I've actually never heard of that before! Very cool!)


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Yesterday I made a soap that my younger sisters commissioned. They told me they wanted red soap. No swirls. No textured top. No glitter. Just red. 😆 So to make it a little interesting for myself, I decided to take this opportunity to try using honey and beeswax since working at high temperatures can accelerate your batter and make it difficult to do anything fancy. I didn't have any trouble though, so if I do it again, I can probably try something more complicated. I had the darndest time trying to get this soap to gel, and I finally gave up. I don't understand why mine didn't gel since plenty of people have to put their honey soap in a fridge or freezer to stop it from gelling. I had mine on a heating pad under towels for around eight hours and it never gelled! 🤷‍♀️ 

I don't know if you can see them on the picture, but either the honey or the beeswax imparted nice little brown flecks to the batter. The camera washed out the color a bit. It's much redder than it appears here. The scent is Crisp Anjou Pear by the way. I think it smells like pear candy flavoring.


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## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

Well that’s a interesting request, but it does look really good!


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Such a pretty color! I'm shocked it never gelled!! The one time I tried adding honey to soap, it overheated shortly after I pour it into the mold and then cracked down the middle! It probably would have been a bigger mess if I didn't catch it when I did because it was already starting "volcano"! 😬


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## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

I like that!


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Dandy Hill Farm said:


> Such a pretty color! I'm shocked it never gelled!! The one time I tried adding honey to soap, it overheated shortly after I pour it into the mold and then cracked down the middle! It probably would have been a bigger mess if I didn't catch it when I did because it was already starting "volcano"! 😬


I remember your story about your honey soap.😯 That's part of the reason I'm so surprised. I just don't get it! 🤔


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

👍 Nice


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

How do you do it? Even your plain red soap is beautiful. I haven’t tried to make any yet as I don’t have any goat milk (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it) but I’m the type of person who makes a mess trying to do any thing artsy or crafty. So I have a feeling I will not be posting pictures when I do (unless people need a good laugh that day).


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Aww thanks @FizzyGoats. 😚 I can't say there was any talent to making this bar. It's not as hard as you might think!


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

I asked the soap making forum that I'm on why I had trouble with it gelling, and they told me that actually it probably did gel. I had been looking for the "vaseline" stage and never saw it, but they said that sometimes depending on certain factors, the soap may not ever get that obvious shiny melted state I was looking for. So mystery solved, it likely did gel after all. I learn something new every batch!


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## Morning Star Farm (Sep 26, 2018)

@MellonFriend What do you use for your colors?


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

I use micas. I have micas from a cheap set I bought off of amazon and also a couple colors from Nurture Soap. The red soap was Trial by Fire mica from Nurture.


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## Morning Star Farm (Sep 26, 2018)

MellonFriend said:


> I use micas. I have micas from a cheap set I bought off of amazon and also a couple colors from Nurture Soap. The red soap was Trial by Fire mica from Nurture.


Ok....I also use micas, from Brambleberry and Wholesale Supplies. When you use it, let me know how it is! I don't make red anymore because I've found it to be really bad about bleeding. Example, don't use a white wash cloth!😅


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Okay I'll let you know! 😲


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

This past Wednesday was my birthday, so I made soap since that is my favorite thing to do right now. 😁 I made a soap that was a request of my mom's. She wanted a soap that was more "rustic" than what I have been creating, so I made her this oatmeal, milk, and honey batch. It has ground oatmeal, goat milk, and my sister's honey in it. I scented it lightly with an almond and honey FO and I cut it with my new crinkle cutter and miter box that I got for my birthday. I also upped my recipe to using 70% goat tallow to see how we liked it at that ratio. It took_ forever _to trace which is yet another awesome thing about goat tallow, although it did then take a long time to set up enough to cut it (I only cut it today). I didn't use any colorants, but the FO did discolor it lightly. And... I'm probably giving you all way to much information that you don't care about. 😅


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Oh it's so pretty and rustic looking!! Great job!


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Very nice😁🥰


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Man...I wish we could smell it. Looks AWESOME! so a quick question. With the slower hardening/ use of tallow. Will the bar of soap last longer?


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## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

It's gorgeous! Happy late birthday. I love hearing all your observations. I have no idea what I'm looking at with soap so I like hearing it from someone who knows


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Happy Belated Birthday!🥳🥳🥳


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Thanks everyone! I had an extremely happy birthday. 😁



Moers kiko boars said:


> With the slower hardening/ use of tallow. Will the bar of soap last longer?


It should last longer. I'm not sure how it relates to how quickly it sets up, but animal fats generally give a very long lasting and hard bar.


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## KY Goat Girl (12 mo ago)

Happy belated birthday! I love the “rustic” looking soap!


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## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

It looks great! And happy belated birthday btw!


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## Boer Mama (10 mo ago)

Happy Birthday- I love how your soap looks!
It’s been a few years since I’ve made any soap and I haven’t tried with milk yet. (That was before I got goats!) so now I’m thinking next time we butcher one I’m definitely going to make some tallow to have on hand and then sneak some milk from a mama so I can give it a go 💕 😅🍀


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Boer Mama said:


> Happy Birthday- I love how your soap looks!
> It’s been a few years since I’ve made any soap and I haven’t tried with milk yet. (That was before I got goats!) so now I’m thinking next time we butcher one I’m definitely going to make some tallow to have on hand and then sneak some milk from a mama so I can give it a go 💕 😅🍀


Thank you! I would highly recommend goat tallow for soap making! So far it is my favorite oil to work with even without being bias towards all goat products. 😚


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Happy birthday! You did a great job. Soap looks great!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Happy birthday. 

Love the soap.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

I decided to make a batch of soap to give to the people that are coming to pick up Prim's kids at the end of the month. They might be hooking me up with some new goats next year, so I thought it would be a nice gesture to give them some soap as a little bonus. A little bribery never hurt anything. 😏 And... it was also a good excuse to make another batch.😆 I scented it with a mixture of a couple different fragrance oils I used in previous batches. So it's green tea-cucumber-pear-succulent scented. It smells really fresh, green, and fruity. I was aiming to make it black and white, but it ended up more cream and gray. I'll have to use more titanium dioxide next time I'm aiming for white.









This bar got really different from the others. This was the look I was more aiming for. There's a little too much gray in the center of some of the bars.









Here's what the loaf looked like before I cut it. 😍


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## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

That's gorgeous! I love the colors even if they weren't what you were aiming for.


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

I LOVE it!! It's SO swirly and gorgeous!! Fantastic job!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

So pretty!


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Welll....oh my, if you dont think its pretty enough, or the right color. Just send it to me. I wont complain at all!😁🥰


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## KY Goat Girl (12 mo ago)

I love the colors! Even though you weren’t aiming for them. And the swirls are so pretty too!


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Don't worry, I think it's beautiful! I just want to always be honest and don't want you guys thinking that my soap always turns out 100% the way I planned it. 😅


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## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

Wow the swirls are so cool! Sounds like a flawless plan to me!


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

Your soap is always beautiful, even when you don’t get exactly what you were wanting.


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Very nice! I’ve found the bars that don’t turn out quite right or not according to plan are some of my favorite because they surprise you when you use them. They look great. Black and white are two of the hardest colors to get just right. Reds another. I’m sure you’ll love using them no matter what.🥰😉😊


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Thank you everyone! 🤗


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Nice.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Morning Star Farm said:


> When you use it, let me know how it is! I don't make red anymore because I've found it to be really bad about bleeding. Example, don't use a white wash cloth!😅


Okay, well we've been using the red soap for a few weeks now and I would say I'll have to change something next time I try red. It is _way_ too pigmented. Haven't had any permanent staining on anything yet luckily, but it has a red lather and is making the soap dish and the sink red. I think I'll back down the usage rate to one teaspoon per pound next time like the rest of my micas are generally used at. I'm not sure why Nurture soap recommended to use it at such a high usage rate.😐


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

I love all your soaps! Just beautiful!


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

MadHouse said:


> I love all your soaps! Just beautiful!


Thanks, Madhouse! 🥰


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## Morning Star Farm (Sep 26, 2018)

MellonFriend said:


> Okay, well we've been using the red soap for a few weeks now and I would say I'll have to change something next time I try red. It is _way_ too pigmented. Haven't had any permanent staining on anything yet luckily, but it has a red lather and is making the soap dish and the sink red. I think I'll back down the usage rate to one teaspoon per pound next time like the rest of my micas are generally used at. I'm not sure why Nurture soap recommended to use it at such a high usage rate.😐


Yep!! You shouldn't get permanent staining on anything, but red is difficult. I use less than a teaspoon for a 3lb batch and it still stained. I just stay away from red entirely now.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

I'll have to do some more testing. A soapmaking YouTuber I'm very fond of uses this red, seemingly with no problems, so I'm going to give it a few more goes before I give up on it. 😏


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## Boer Mama (10 mo ago)

That loaf was 🤩
I’d definitely say that would keep you in the breeders good graces 😂🍀😁


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## BarnOwl (Sep 6, 2020)

Oh wow, your soaps are gorgeous. Do you sell them anywhere?


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

BarnOwl said:


> Oh wow, your soaps are gorgeous. Do you sell them anywhere?


At this point I don't. I'm sort of thinking about maybe trying to sell someday, but there are a lot of logistics with that, that I'm not sure I want to deal with. For now at least, I'm just working on perfecting my recipes to the point that I would have 100% confidence in them if I were to start selling.


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## BarnOwl (Sep 6, 2020)

MellonFriend said:


> At this point I don't. I'm sort of thinking about maybe trying to sell someday, but there are a lot of logistics with that, that I'm not sure I want to deal with. For now at least, I'm just working on perfecting my recipes to the point that I would have 100% confidence in them if I were to start selling.


You could definitely sell them if you ever wanted to, they are so pretty. I understand about the hassle. I have dozens of eggs in the fridge from my chickens, and I don't want to deal with trying to sell them.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

You guys, aren't these just the cutest in their little gift bags? 😊 Prim's kids are going to their new home tomorrow and the buyers are getting a box of soap as a bonus.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Looks great!


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## FarmLife (Dec 18, 2020)

Absolutely beautiful!


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

I love it!


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Thats a thoughtful gift! Good Idea!💗


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## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

I love it!


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Looks great! I'm sure they'll love it!!


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## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

They look really good! I’m sure the new owners with love that gift!


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

Awesome! They will love it!


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## KY Goat Girl (12 mo ago)

Those look amazing!  I’m sure they will be thrilled with pretty goaties and pretty soaps!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Very nice.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

They loved the gift of the soap! I told them to give me honest feedback, so it will be interesting to hear how they like using it! They loved the goats they got from me too. 😆


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

I bet they’ll be back for more. Goats and soap.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Yep 👍


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Yesterday I made my first batch of Jewelweed soap. If you are unfamiliar Jewelweed is a plant which has been known to counteract the effects of poison ivy, poison oak, and I believe even stinging nettle. We planted it on a shady bank on our property because we have lots of poison ivy, and getting itch rashes is just something that we all come to expect in the summer. A lot of companies sell Jewelweed soap, but we've found that only a certain company's soap to work, and so I sort of reverse engineered their recipe and combined that with some help I got on a soapmaking forum to see if I could make my own. I infused the coconut oil and the olive oil in my recipe with the plants as well as all of my batch water. So we will see how it works!

This batch got very close to overheating which caused an interesting cosmetic feature called glycerin rivers in the bottom of the bars. Won't affect the soap's use, but just something I'd try to avoid in the future. I would also expect the bars to maybe brown a bit more than they are as time passes since the jewelweed is a natural colorant. The top is uncolored the bottom has some mica in it.








Here's a close up of those rivers. Some people like those and try to get them in their entire bars, but for this design, I'd rather they weren't there. I'll be sure to try and gel it at a lower temperature next time. 🙂


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

You are a soap artist!! Beautiful!
I hope they work for you.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Nice work.


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

So beautiful (like always)! 😍 I honestly think the glycerin rivers looks pretty cool in those bars! You'll have to keep us updated on how they work with plant rashes.


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## Boer Mama (10 mo ago)

That’s really awesome! I hope they work for you!
I made some soap with pine tar before as it’s supposed to help w/ rashes and eczema (my older son had eczema as a kid)… but they didn’t look nearly as pretty as yours! 😅
I have a lot of wild plantain growing. I make a salve w/ coconut oil to help with rashes and stings. It really did help swelling go down when I had a few bad bee stings!
most also supposed to be good for upset stomach issues… and I’ve used it in smoothies when I let myself run out of spinach🤣
Don’t know if you have wild plantain over there to play with or not. 😊


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Beautiful!


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Very Unique looking. 🤔 I likes it! Alot😉🥰💗💞


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Boer Mama said:


> Don’t know if you have wild plantain over there to play with or not. 😊


We do have wild plantain! I have some leftover jewelweed infused coconut oil that my sister was thinking about making into a salve. I'll have to talk to her about including some plantain. 🙂


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## KY Goat Girl (12 mo ago)

So beautiful! I like the rivers too! Makes it unique!


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## KY Goat Girl (12 mo ago)

Not that each bar isn’t already unique. lol


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## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

They look SO good! Great job! What does the jewelweed smell like?


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Goatastic43 said:


> They look SO good! Great job! What does the jewelweed smell like?


Thanks, Goatastic43! My infused material smelled very green, if you know what I mean. Like if you crushed up a leaf. That's what it smelled like. I figured that scent wouldn't last though, so I actually used a green tea and cucumber fragrance oil that smells a lot like what the plant actually smelled like.


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

Very nice! I use jewelweed a lot. We have it growing in the woods, so I just crush a plant up and apply it to my poison ivy rashes. It seems to really help! Last year, I got some really bad rashes and accidentally died my fingertips bright orange with all the jewelweed I was crushing up to treat it. I looked like I had a bad spray tan on my arms and legs, where I'd rubbed the jewelweed sap. It did the trick, though! I think I am actually allergic to the jewelweed soap that we bought. I've never tried making my own, though. That's a great idea! All of your soaps are so pretty!


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Cedarwinds Farm said:


> I've never tried making my own, though. That's a great idea!


If you are ever game to try it yourself, and mine ends up working, I would be happy to share the recipe!


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## FizzyGoats (Apr 14, 2021)

I like the glycerine rivers. They’re pretty.  I guess I need to find some jewelweed soap. We live amongst poison ivy and poison oak and my husband gets rashes just petting the goats. Maybe someday you’ll let me be your first paying customer for soap.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

FizzyGoats said:


> Maybe someday you’ll let me be your first paying customer for soap.


Maybe I will! 😃


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

I think this is my most favorite design yet! I cut it and unleashed an evil laugh that almost divulged into tears of joy. This emoji right here: 😂. It was happening for real. 😆 This is a charcoal soap for my sister. It has bentonite clay in it which I think is giving it a little rugged texture, although that look also might be because I cut it a little early. It is scented with a fragrance oil called "energy" and it smells very fruity with a spicy tea note and just a hint of vanilla. I am so super thrilled!


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## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

Oh my goodness that is gorgeous 🤩😍😱

I would be giggling like a little kid at Christmas while cutting it


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Oh my goodness those bars are STUNNING! 🤩🤯😍🤯🤩


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## Cedarwinds Farm (Dec 2, 2019)

Wow! Those bars are a work of art.


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## Hounddog23 (Jan 13, 2021)

That looks so good!!! I also have been using the "Energy" scent oil and my family loves it!. 
It looks kinda like little mountain ranges in each peice so pretty!


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

Those are absolutely gorgeous 😍😍😍 I want a bar!


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## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

It looks fantastic! Great job! 😍


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## KY Goat Girl (12 mo ago)

Those look AMAZING!!!  So pretty!!!


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Man I wish we could smell over the air! They are stunning! Im sure your Sister will LOVE them! Great.Job!🥰


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

That is SO cool!


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## The Goat (8 mo ago)

That’s so cool!!!!!!!!! [mention]MellonFriend [/mention] good job


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

The first fruits of winning the TGS gift card are in. Yesterday I made two batches of soap using some of my new soaping equipment from the money I won. Doing two batches, both four colors each was a little hectic, but I didn't end up making any mistakes, so I'm very happy about that. 

This first one was with a ten-inch mold and using the column pour technique which I've never tried before. I did it by pouring the soap batter over an old dinner glass set upside down in the mold. I am in love with the results. It's scented with White Tea and Ginger. I think it smells like a clean baby. 😋
This soap is very photogenic.























I also made this batch using a divided acrylic pouring cup. The effect isn't exactly what I was going for. I was hoping for more of a woodgrain or feathered look, but the colors are dead on. Sorry about the lighting on these photos, they were taken in artificial lighting. This soap is scented with "Bonfire" which I think smells like marshmallow, vanilla, and a little smoky. I'm not crazy about the smell, but it might change as it cures. I'm also not crazy about using cavity molds. I miss not getting to cut them.


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Just Beautiful! Love the colors. Wish we could smell over the net! Woildnt that be cool!😘😯


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## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

Oh my goodness I am in love with that first batch! It's absolutely gorgeous. The colors go so well together but what really amazed me is the texture in the color. I like the second batch as well but it's not nearly as eye catching.


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## KY Goat Girl (12 mo ago)

Wow! Those are beautiful!!!


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## FarmLife (Dec 18, 2020)

Absolutely gorgeous!! You are very talented


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## Boer Mama (10 mo ago)

You’re so talented 🤩
Great job!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Just beautiful!


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

MellonFriend said:


> The first fruits of winning the TGS gift card are in. Yesterday I made two batches of soap using some of my new soaping equipment from the money I won. Doing two batches, both four colors each was a little hectic, but I didn't end up making any mistakes, so I'm very happy about that.
> 
> This first one was with a ten-inch mold and using the column pour technique which I've never tried before. I did it by pouring the soap batter over an old dinner glass set upside down in the mold. I am in love with the results. It's scented with White Tea and Ginger. I think it smells like a clean baby.
> This soap is very photogenic.
> ...


Those are sooooo cool looking !


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Thank you everyone! I know it looks like it takes talent to do this, but really the technique is so simple, I know anyone could do it! 😀



Rancho Draco said:


> what really amazed me is the texture in the color.


I know, isn't that neat! With this technique, you are supposed to try to keep the batter thin, but mine thickened up a little and caused that textured look. 🤩


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

Very cool!! Great job! 🤩


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Following this and watching you create amazing soaps makes me want to get my supplies out!! Good job!!


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## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

They looks great! So interesting! I would feel bad using them


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Wow, that is beautiful work.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Goatastic43 said:


> They looks great! So interesting! I would feel bad using them


Well when you have fifteen bars, that eases the pain a bit. 😄 I bet as they wear they will reveal more interesting patterns! 



happybleats said:


> Following this and watching you create amazing soaps makes me want to get my supplies out!!


Do it! 😃


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

I made a fall soap yesterday. 😃 It's scented with "Avalon", which in my mother's words "smells like a room full of apples". The yellow has a little cornmeal in it for some gentle exfoliation. The top had a lot more glitter on it, but it started compensating under the lid while it was in the mold and so some of the glitter started dissolving. Lesson learned!


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## Rancho Draco (Sep 29, 2021)

Ooh very pretty! I love all the spikes in it!


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Gorgeous design and I love the color combo…great job girl!! 🥰🤗🤗


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## Dandy Hill Farm (Aug 5, 2021)

So pretty!!! Sounds like it smells amazing too! 😍🍎


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## KY Goat Girl (12 mo ago)

It’s so pretty!


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Very pretty. Good job!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Absolutely beautiful!


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

Oh my goodness @MellonFriend that’s gorgeous 😍😍😍😍😍 you should send me a bar 😂 jk


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Very nice.


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## Hounddog23 (Jan 13, 2021)

That looks really good!


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## Goatastic43 (Jun 11, 2021)

Oh my gosh it looks fantastic! I’m guessing to smells just as good too!


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

Thank you all so much! 🤗😘


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## Boer Mama (10 mo ago)

You do such a great job - looks wonderful! 😍


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

We need smell a vision on our computers and cell phones, haha 😆


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

toth boer goats said:


> We need smell a vision on our computers and cell phones, haha 😆


That's the next update for the forum we should ask for. 😂 We would probably regret having that on most threads. 😝


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

😂 I know. 👍


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