Happy New Year to you too!

Assalamualaikum reader(s)..

Selamat Menyambut Tahun Baru Omputih yang ke 2014!!!!

Masa mercun tengah meletup-letup

m dok lipat kain dengan selambanya di rumah..

Waktu dah lewat

kain banyak

jadi untuk tidak melengah-lengahkan masa

 dan menambahkan lagi timbunan kain keesokkan harinya

maka itulah aktiviti di waktu malam new year.

the fun to celebrate is no longer there

when you have so much other things to do.

yes, taking care of the house

doing household chores is really driving me nuts at times..

dont forget the 2 year old in the picture! 

plus the other 32 year old 'baby' in the house!!

haha

jangan mare ye 'baby' if you ever read this.

anyways...

i made soap on the 31st of dec, final day of 2013.

i had a lot of leftovers from a soap project made about 6 months ago!

so I made a new batch and added the leftovers

so it was a rebatch of some sort.

no pictures yet sorry!

managed to cut it last night but i was in a hurry.

it was a clumsy cut that turned out too rustic!

too rustic translates to

 crooked, slanted cuts of possibly 5cm x 5cm x and maybe 3cm. 

it was an almost cube but isnt..

i did say almost..

made the new batch with coconut oil

mixed with the leftovers that was cut in small cubes.

Oh Oh Oh

the fun on that day...

baca tau.

pagi tu m kerja.

tapi m minta kat boss m nak balik awal sikit so i left at 2.30pm lebih kurang..

dah tengok resepi sabun dah so tinggal beli garam sikit je la kan..

my plan was to rebatch and make into a salt soap.

the leftovers were about 15% superfatted

so i thought salt soaps with high content of coconut oil should be ok lah

thats why m decide nak buat salt bars.

measured my coconut oil and leftovers at equal weights

(after 'consulting' the internet). 

lye amount was calculated based on the coconut oil only. 

took out powdered indigo. 

measured my scents for the whole (new and old batch). 

it wasnt an exact amount but still a lot 

about 100 grams of Patchouli, Lavender and Orange EO's. 

those were the only ones i have anyway

from the last project..

the best part was...

i bought coarse salts!!!!

yang paling kasar, yang berketul-ketul tu.

Why?

nama pun nak buat salt bars kan

and i really like scrubby soaps.

the normal ones at the shop was too fine..

so belilah garam yang by kilo tu..

i cleverly decided to use the stick blender to reduce the salt size

 not knowing how tough the salts are and blend away!!

my stick blender went dead on me.

this was an expensive and my most important item for soapmaking 

and it went fish-dead-like on me.

kejap pisau dia pusing, kejap tak pusing, pusing pun lembab sangat-sangat.

akhirnya m pun ambil keputusan untuk pergi kat kedai yang m beli tu because masih lagi under warranty (m siap beli extended warranty k)

padahal dah ada niat untuk tak pergi ke 'kawasan' kedai tu sebab takut sangkut kat trafik.

it was the eve of 2014!

they've had the stage up, closed a road

and i decided to go to Harvey Norman at about 4.40pm!!!!

that was just OMG unreal!!

but i had to! 

semua dah siap, the leftovers + coconut oil was in a bowl heating up, 

my coarse salt was still like tiny stones, no diff there.

but that situation was ripe for my taking you know. 

everything was ready BUT the stick blender!! 

i had to buy!

my first stick sent for repair anytime from 2 weeks to a month

hopefully not more..

so i bought the cheapest one there

which was not the cheapest because it was rm 189. 

sad but true

singgah juice works

lama dah tak beli k.

cut me some slack for spending my money like water that day.

sempat singgah tesco

beli gram kasar tesco brand.

singgah umah sidai kain

ambil baju salin

pick up baby

and balik umah mak to continue my sabun escapade.

lepas maghrib baru start balik dengan projek

with my new stick blender..

blended the leftovers with the coconut oil while heating it..

added EO's and indigo. 

did not measure the indigo, maybe 1-2 tbsp? maybe 1-1.5 tbsp? not sure.

and added the lye+water mixture to it.

no, i did not sprinkle water on my 6-month-old leftover because i forgot.

m terus humbankan dalam coconut oil dan panaskan.

m tak pasti sama ada lye mixture to berjaya me'mingle'kan diri dalam crowd minyak tu sebab keseluruhan mixture dah bertukar jadi plastisin

tak lama lepas m masukkan lye mixture!

it was hard to stir and i dont know if i should add the salt in when i couldnt really see 'trace'

'trace' is a term in soapmaking

mixture jadi pekat tapi texture bukan macam susu pekat sangat

cair sikit tapi bukan macam susu cair, okay?

tak paham takpe, teruskan baca..

i added salt anyway and it was really coarse, unlike my tiny-stones it was still pebble like.

i added about 300g.

of course i wanted to add more but the soap was almost hardening

what else could i do.

glopped it onto the mould

(which is actually an old drawer)

ratakan

banged many times

and it was done.

no washing done that night.

too lazy.

stick blender is currently sitting in a bowl with water.

my cut soaps are 

green-confetti like-crooked-almost cubes 

and are now sitting in an upstairs room

just waiting to be used..

it was not a hot process soap really so 4 weeks is still the waiting time..

patience is not my virtue!!

but 2014 here I come!

be patient with me okay.

ALL THE BEST in YOUR NEW YEAR!!

Chao!

Natural Colouring for CP Soap..

m in the midst of finding natural colorants for my soap.

the only one I could use, commonly found here is turmeric.

pandan is available but to get the colour (green/hijau) is tiresome.

m dh tak ingat sangat cemane m wat tahun lepas.

rasa-rasanya cam ni kut - 

m potong kasar, campur dengan air dan blend, pastu perah.

m rasa m nak carik stevia lah.

kalau ada dalam bentuk serbuk senang la nak source out kaler hijau.

for your info- the google search have included stevia as a possible green.

hmm..

note to self and others reading..

the green from pandan doesnt last for a year.

that means the soap should be used within 6 months or less.

not meant to be kept forever okay..

black/hitam, m dah beli activated charcoal.

banyak lagi ada. tak abis-abis lagi ha hitamnya.

purple/ungu/biji remia, is currently an adventure.

some are using Alkanet, Ratanjot, Stoneseed/Gromwell.

the search was interesting.. still is, actually.

red sandalwood is too hard to find and 

if I’m not mistaken, will be expensive.

sandalwood ialah cendana, by  the way. 

some websites are stating that it can produce a purple/red coloured soaps.

annatto is another natural colouring and 

the local pokok is kesumba.

this could produce the colour orange..

yes, these searches for natural colouring has gotten me searching for local trees/shrubs/etc.

i have yet to get bunga telang.

this is for the colour blue/biru.

if it can be used on soaps.

so far, I’ve read that this is used to colour our Kelantanese dish, Nasi Kerabu.

paprika for red/orange.

dok ingat paprika tu cili macam cili biasa yg kering.. 

rupa-rupanya capsicum.

i don’t really know my way in the kitchen–cooking-wise, 

i have to admit that at least..

;)

still, i have to find powdered ones.

takkanlah m nak beli the whole fruit and dry it and blend it myself.

maaf, m rasa m tak serajin tu.

tapi doa-doakanlah m jadi rajin 

dan mampu buat kebanyakan perkara sendiri ye,

terima kasih.

hehe

okay, my search for natural colouring continues..

i still need the physical trees/fruit/flowers.

cant find it yet here.

so if you happen to see some, tell me where so i can come and trim it off..

"Off with their heads!" - Queen of Hearts, Alice in Wonderland

chao

I think this is Patchouli and Lavender (19Jan13)

Assalamualaikum.

Yes, I know I should write the details down.

I thought I did but I guess I didnt.

The date is correct though.

If you noticed, I used a different size cardboard box than the usual one I've used.

Btw, I just noticed that it still gave me 8 cuts!

I like the scaly top!

 I call it ScalyP.

Scaley for the scales on top and P for Patchouli.

I know there's Lavender because I tried to colour it but it didnt work.

You can see specks of purple in the soap.

Nothing in the name that states 'Lavender' but the purple specks would suffice.

Hahaha

I'll smell it later.

Let me see what smell my nose can pick up.

hahaha

Chao!

Patchouli Orange with ground Coffee (09Mar13)

=)

I want to sell this, locally only..

Maybe at a Promo Rate of RM 12 per piece.

This is a Handmade Soap okay.

I made it using my two bare hands

(i didnt wear my gloves this time, oops!)

I've got about 7 pieces.

Chup! 

Minus 1 

(I wanna try too!) 

so 6 pieces..

Interested?

Available  in 4 weeks.

Hehehe

Chao!

Lavender & Lemon CP Soap teaser ;)

Assalamualaikum..

after my lye episode on Tuesday

i managed to make my personal 

handmade cold processed soap yesterday

9th January 2013.

cakap macam tak pernah buat saja

padahal dah berkali-kali dah

hehehe

yes, i made it with exactly the same ingredients

as the Lavender and Orange CP

except for the EO's, which is Lavender and Lemon for this one.

a pinch of grapeseed powder was added 

because i thought it would turn the soap mix to purple or red 

but sadly it did not. 

my bad..

i added mangosteen's skin that was coarsely grounded 

(it wasnt fine because i grounded it myself using the stick blender 

and because i was afraid i would ruin the stick blender 

so it becomes coarse mangosteen skin powder.)

this is for the bottom layer and as the pencil line

yes this is my third attempt at pencil line

which you will see later in another post

:P

the purple round things you see on the soap is also sugar.

bought it at Cold Storage

at the baking section.

there are 5 designs/colours in a pack.

i think its used mostly for the icing

kan kita boleh tabur as deco for the cakes/cupcakes.

the sugar that i sprinkled on the Lavender and Orange CP,

the pink colour one

melted!

so i shall assume the same will happen to this one.

have yet to find out if the purple sugar would melt as well.

FYI - made some itsy bitsy tiny waves

dont know how to do tops yet..

will cut today when i reach home!

cant wait!

Oh, btw, ingredients for this cold processed soap are

(weights are approximate)

Palm (150g), Olive (150g),

Coconut (120g), Canola (120g),

Sweet Almond (30g), Castor Oil (30g), 

Kaolin Clay (10g)

Lye of course (85g), 

Coconut milk+Water (230g),

Lavender EO (15g), Lemon EO (9g), 

coarsely grounded Mangosteen Skin (more than a few pinches), 

Grapeseed Powder (about a pinch),

Sugar (enough for decoration)

i think that's about it!

=)

Lavender & Orange CP Soap

Assalamualaikum..

made soap on Sunday, 6th January 2013.

Olive, Palm, Canola, Coconut, Castor and Sweet Almond Oil.

Tried kaolin clay for the first time.

Added full strength (what i mean here is the correct amount needed) of Lavender and Orange EO's.

sprinkled some coloured sugar on top.

top is flat. no design. soap wasnt thick enough 

and i was rushing for my first ever Indian wedding that evening. 

yea yea excuses excuses..

i couldnt do it in the morning because i forgot to buy myself some coconut milk.

more excuses

asked my mom to buy for me while she was out 

and she bought the freshly desiccated coconut. 

that means m kena perahlah! 

padan muka kan..

tried to be more organised.

susun barang yang perlu atas meja dan sediakan satu-satu. 

minyak, clay, EO, gula.

tapi masa buat tu, tak ada beza, masih kelam kabut seperti biasa.

padahal kebanyakan barang dah sedia depan mata. 

kira dekat sangat-sangatlah tu.

m salah guna bekas untuk campurkan clay with light traced oils, jadinya lambat.

m guna bekas yang bersegi-padahal patut guna mangkuk, yang bulat!

by the time i mixed the clay mixture in, 

my lightly traced soap dah nak mengeras.

campurlah clay mixture kat dalam main mix, 

tapi sabun tak jadi warna putih, 

tetap warna creamish.

tuang dalam bekas. 

masa dah nak penuh tu, tabur kulit manggis yang dah dijadikan serbuk. 

finished off balance of soap and sprinkled top with coloured sugar..

memang tak buat design langsung atas tu.

nama pun kelam kabut.

dengan tak mandi lagi, nak pergi kenduri lagi..

left it on its own for the evening.

next day, masa m nak keluarkan dari mold, it didnt want to budge.

my mold was a recycled cardboard box. 

when i took it out, it looked wet/oily.

definitely got zapped when i did the tongue test.

so i cut

in my head saying"oh, i cant salvage this!, need to rebatch!"

and so i cut

cut it into 9 bars iso normal 8 bars

and tongue tested the insides.

NO ZAP!!

weird ha

and so, i panicked.

!!!!!

it might be because of improper mixing...

this is from Miller's Homemade Soap Pages

When is "oozing" a concern? ;-)

Sounds like the chicken pox, but we're talking soap here! Sometimes you'll have some oozing on the outside of your unmolded soap. If this is minimal and only makes a film on the sides and bottom, or some fine beads over the top, you can just blot it off with paper towels and proceed with cutting. I think some fragrances might be the culprit in causing this to happen but I'm not sure. I don't usually notice it in soaps that are scented with essential oils. If you have oozing on the INSIDE of the soap at cutting time, or pockets of oil... then you might need to remelt the batch if they are very frequent or large.

didnt blot

i cut!

:'(

untuk menyedapkan hati m, i couldnt blot off the top because of the sugar. 

so i had to cut it anyway..

Shampoo bar Rebatched (15Nov12)

hi

seems that i cant upload pics anymore!

I've used all my 1GB space (that I didnt know was limited)

sad.

this might be the last blog with pics, unless i upgrade, i think..

I've made the shampoo bar.

tried to do the hearts swirl but soap was to thick!

(heart colours was cocoa powder and turmeric)

hasilnya - kek batik! hehehe

 tried the pencil line 

alas!!

lye pockets showed!!!!

water+aloe vera - less water, maybe thats why..

so had to rebatch!

fyi, this soap is soft

i could mash it with my hands, with the consistency of mashed potato.

(now colour is light orange)

after 2 days, it was still soft. but i cut it anyway.

now waiting for 4 weeks to cure!

yea!!

Shampoo Bar

i wanna make a shampoo bar(s) tomorrow, using Soap Queen recipe.

maybe i could ask my mom to take care of Nawfal in the morning...

hehehe

Otherwise i cant do anything.. really.. 

right now, his naps are really really short.maybe an hour or less.
and if that happens, i really cant do anything but just sit beside him and watch him play, when he wakes up. and watch a bit of TV when he sleeps.

he's in the stage where he will crawl, yes. and CLIMB. just so he could stand.
he's started climbing the stairs, which is a definite no-no.
he has been watching us going up and down the stairs so he wants to do the same.
but he could only managed to climb the first step so far..

i'm really excited about the shampoo bar thing.
i want to cure my dandruff woes.

if it works, i can have my daughter use it too coz her dandruff problem is slightly worse than mine.

i've only used my soap bars as an All-in-One, Top-to-Toe kind-of wash. I use it for my hair and body. 

I have many soaps for use now but i want to have a specific one for my hair, 
specifically to cure my dandruff! 

hopefully this works!

XOXO

Latest ITP Swirl soap (26Oct12)

Salam,

I've managed to make at least 8 bars of soap last Friday!!

Yea!!

It's been awhile, really!!

i was so so so hoping for it ..

and alhamdulillah, I managed to make some!!

The only available colours i have was 

the carbon (black-grey colour) and turmeric (yellow-orange).

no time to blend the pandan leaves that day for the colour green.

made do with whatever i have in hand!

tore off some dried roselle leaves.

if only i had immerse them in the distilled water earlier, 

i would have had a reddish purplish water. 

but i doubt that colour would stay after i've mixed lye into it 

(thats another adventure-haha)

feel free to feast your eyes!!

it was a last minute decision to do the ITP swirl

here's the soap, wet

Look at the picture above and tell me what you see  =)

i like the effect the flash made to the soap pic, all shiny!!

chao chao!!

p.s I've decided, for this post, that i put the date next to the post title

 so that I know when i made the soap.

i know, i should take notes but it is derived from the same recipe as before.

except for the EO's!

this time I managed to actually put almost the correct amount. 

i did say almost!

Patchouli, lavender, and lime..

i think!

oops!

Heart-shaped Soap & Black+Green Swirl

Assalamualaikum..

ni sabun yang m nak bagi wedding gift tu, tapi smpi skarang tak bagi bagi lagi.

lum siap lagi..

lum lagi minimum 4 weeks..

2 hati close up!

close up ramai-ramai!

close up single heart with unique swirls! 

the cut and the crumble!!

single hearts and hearts embedded!!

the heart lot!

yang semuanya senget-benget

hahaha

Enjoy lah ye!!

chao chao!!