Saturday, April 25, 2015

Amazing Certification Soap


Photo Courtsey of VisitIndy.com
My husband and I spent this last week in Indianapolis Indiana for the Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetic Guild's annual conference.  Indianapolis is a beautiful city.  It was a fun place to visit.
This is the view from our room.  


While we were there, we got Certified as Cold Process  and Hot Process Soapmakers.  The certification is from The Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetic Guild, which we are a member of.  I don't think most people know what a big deal that it is to be certified as a soapmaker.  But to a soapmaker, it is a Big Deal!

The certification program is very thorough, and requires soapmakers to have a complete knowledge of soapmaking in order to pass the testing.  Being certified also benefits our customers too.  Our customers can be assured that we use the highest standards of quality and safety in our handmade soap.  Our customers can be sure our soaps are exceptionally gentle, and of the highest quality.  Being certified shows that we are committed to continuing our education and staying well informed about the handcrafted soap industry.

Brent and I with our Certification Certificates
Brent and I are BOTH certified.  We both got Basic Certified in Cold Process and Hot Process Soapmaking.  And then I went on to get Advanced Certified.

Part of what I needed to do for my Advanced Certification was to show I could design a good recipe.  And then show that I can re-size the recipe or make changes to the recipe.  Then re-figure the amount of lye and water needed for that recipe, all without using a computer!  This is not as easy as doubling a recipe in baking.  With soapmaking, it is quite complex.  Each oil requires a different amount of lye to turn the oil into soap.  And if you have too little lye, the soap will not lather, and will go rancid.  If you have too much lye, your soap will be harsh and possibly not safe.

Most modern day soapmakers use computers to figure exactly how much lye to use for their recipe.  I have always been in awe of the genius mathematics lovers that hand figure their soap recipe.  So I was excited to give it a go with this testing.  The soap I had to make needed to be a good bar without any scent or color.  It was tested on things like scent, appearance, hardness, residual alkalinity and lather.
Amazing Certification Soap

Our Amazing Certification Soap is all natural, and so beautiful in it's simplicity.  I love a pure white, uncomplicated soap made with good, healthful ingredients.  The lather is very creamy and fluffy.  One of my favorite things about the bar is the texture of the bar itself, hard and smooth.  The soap rinses cleanly, and leaves your skin in good condition.  These are going online tonight.  So if you want to try one of our Amazing Certification Soaps, head on over to our website at Sego Lily Soap.


Sunday, February 22, 2015

Making Wild Watermelon Swirl Soap

Wild Watermelon Swirl Soap
Once again I participated in a soapmaking challenge with other soapmakers from around the world.  This technique is called the DNA or Helix swirl.  I want to start by saying, that this challenge looked so simple!  But it was actually harder than I thought it would be.  For this one I wanted to use a slab mold instead of our regular log molds, since this swirl is on the surface of the soap, rather than in the middle.  I don't really own a slab mold.  But I did have a box! And a box makes a nice slab mold.
Supplies for DNA swirl soap

It has been so spring-like here in Utah, I decided to do some pretty spring colors in shades of pink.  For the swirls I used Grape (Blue #1) Auraura Pink Dayglow (Polyester 3, Red 28 and 2)  Purple Raspberry (Red 33), Brick Red Oxide and Titanium Dioxide white.  All the colorants were from Magestic Mountain Sage.  
Colorants
First I did a base in a pretty pink.  It was scented with Sour Watermelon Candy fragrance oil.  It is a fun fragrance that smells more like Watermelon Starbursts than actual watermelon.  

Maranara box full of soap!  
Then for the fun part!  I used squirt bottles to squirt lines of soap all across the base soap.  The lines looked pretty cool just as they were.

Making stripes of soap with squirt bottles.  


But then when you run a chopstick through the lines, that is when it really starts looking fun.


After you make the chevron shapes by running the chopstick back and forth, you finish the design by making "S" shapes down.  Alternating directions of the s shapes.  This was the hard part for me.  It was hard to get the s shapes just right.
Making "S" Swirls

Luckily, even when the soap does not turn out just like you had it in your mind, they usually turn out pretty anyway.  I do love how these turned out.  And it was a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon.








Friday, January 30, 2015

The Elusive Butterfly

 This month I took part once again in a soapmaking challenge hosted by Amy of Great Cakes Soapworks.  This month's challenge was the Butterfly Swirl.  I was excited to learn this advanced swirl technique.  I love to use color and design in our soaps, and this technique make such pretty soaps.  Go to the link above and see the winning soaps.  They are stunning!
Rosemary Butterfly
  
I made two batches, trying to find a butterfly. But I never did.  I don't consider these soaps as failures though.  They are beautiful!  And I will keep trying.
Bright Colorants

Peach Papaya Soap in the mold.



I made 4 logs of soap this day.  And then I had to rush off to work.  So my sweet husband did all the dishes for me!
 

 
Rosemary Butterfly 
 
Peach Papaya Butterfly