Me, again.
The Lemongrass batch completed its 48-hour insulation period and has been cut into bars. The scent is somewhat subdued because I believe the lemongrass botanicals may have absorbed some of the essential oils but I can still smell the scent from the bedroom. The loaf also felt a little moist to the touch although it was firm enough to give the cutting blade a little bit of resistance. I got 26 and 1/3 bars from this batch.
As an aside, I have been doing some research online trying to understand some of the nuances of cold process soaps. On one site there was mention of a ring appearing around the mixture when it was getting ready to trace (when lye and oils begin to form soap). I noticed this with the lemongrass but to me it looked like a ring of oil that had not combined so it had me a bit worried. Now I know what to look for. Phew!
Also, I am waiting for an insurance quote. Soapmakers are encouraged to get commercial insurance that includes product liability in the event someone is injured from your product. I am told it's expensive but I will find out tomorrow morning. By the way, a soapmaker on etsy suggested that I slow down and get real familiar with the process before selling and just to give away bars to get honest feedback. Of course giving or selling soap to friends and family comes with a risk so I would rather have insurance in place or else have my wages garnished or my 401(k) drained. Scary thoughts both of them!
Now, I am by no means an expert after three batches but using pre-measured materials for an 8 pound batch leaves some but not much room for error unless you really deviate from instructions. It's when I start to make my own recipes or add/substitute materials that the challenge comes into play.
Until next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment