The Lather Project: Soap Updates

I wanted to do an update on a few of The Lather Project Soaps, since they’ve had some time to ‘sit’ now for a few weeks.

If you recall, there were a few soaps that used fragrance oils that I knew would ‘morph’ a bit - change the color of the soap. Many fragrance oils with a vanilla scent base will do this - and I used several of them during The Project. There are color stabilizers and non-discoloring fragrance oils, but I prefer to use some ingenuity in combating this issue. I used layering, blind swirls and a few other techniques to actually take advantage of the discoloring and try to create a pretty bar of soap.

Amber Vanilla Shampoo Bar (Soap #15) is one that I knew would discolor over time, and I tried some layering that wouldn’t be visible for a week or so, so I didn’t post photos then - but here they are now! This is one of the prettiest bars - although not the best layering job - with the cream and browns. And I love that the coloring is all completely natural!


Another one was Soap #10 - Lemon Poppyseed. With this one, I had split the raw soap into two batches, coloring one with a little yellow oxide and adding the poppy seeds - but no fragrance oil - therefore no discoloring. I then added the fragrance oil only to the second half of the soap base, after removing about 2 tablespoons of raw soap. Then I swirled in the leftover 2 tablespoons - since this soap has no fragrance oil either and won’t darken. I had hoped I’d get a beautiful brown & cream swirled bottom half with a yellow-poppy seed top half - but it didn‘t quite darken as ‘brown‘ as I‘d expected.

And the last one with a big change is my Botanical-Infused Lavender Vanilla (Soap #6)! The Vanilla half turned a beautiful deep brown and created a really interesting-looking bar! And it smells soooo delicious…

Overall, I’m quite pleased with all The Lather Project soaps - even the ones that didn’t turn out exactly as I’d anticipated! But that’s all part of the fun!

I’m still offering The Lather Project Soaps at 10% off in my etsy shop http://BellissimaMinerals.etsy.com using the Promo Code ‘Lather Project’!

Choosing something else? Receive a free sample bar of a Lather Project Soap with any purchase using the same Promo Code!

Thanks again to everyone who followed The Lather Project! It was great fun and I look forward to my next blog series!

Things I Learned During The Lather Project

I learned so much during The Lather Project: 30 Soaps in 30 Days - mostly things about myself that I had never really thought about before, but a few other things as well. So I figured that - in a moment of self-revelation - I’d post a few here:

1. I have the most understanding, supportive and loving husband in the world.
2. Necessity breeds creativity - requiring a new soap every 24 hours for a month sparked tons of ideas that I might never have come up with otherwise
3. I love writing - almost as much as creating
4. I really can take a decent product photo!
5. Forcing myself to be creative and produce something new every single day allowed me to discover that I can be a resourceful, inventive and imaginative person
6. Inspiration comes from everyone and everything - I’ve opened my eyes and gained new insight into just about all that exists
7. Experimentation is the mother of invention - not necessity (see #2)
8. I can be a success at time management - I don’t have to let it overpower me and surrender to it
9. I am surprisingly much more organized than I’ve ever given myself credit for
10. Procrastination is the devil’s handiwork - and will lead you down the wrong path every time
11. Murphy’s Law applies to everything - especially when it comes to scalding hot oils and caustic lye
12. Some stuff that smells incredibly awesome just plain stinks when added to soap
13. Apparently, I will never get tired of or bored with making soap - ever
14. Perfect strangers are wonderfully willing to encourage, support, cheer on and wish luck on a project that you truly believe in
15. I have a lot more stamina, resilience and determination than I ever thought I had - my own stick-to-it-iveness and never-give-up attitude sincerely astounded me
16. I genuinely love a challenge! And I honestly enjoy pushing myself to do more - and do it better
17. I get a sense of pride and much more satisfaction out of my little indie business than I’ve ever gotten from working for someone else
18. Failure builds character and success builds self-esteem - it’s a win-win situation
19. Did I already mention that I have the most appreciative, accepting, encouraging and devoted husband in the whole-wide-world?
20. I would do it all over again - any day!

I looked forward to each and every new batch as if it were my very first time making soap. And my own wide-eyed wonder at sniffing, slicing and testing each new soap came as a total and complete surprise.

I want to keep this incredible child-like fascination and amazement when it comes to my craft throughout my entire life. And I sincerely believe the secret to it is to keep creating, designing and inventing, continue experimenting and testing and trying new things and definitely keep challenging myself on a daily basis.