Soap Diaries: Orange Tree Lotion Soap Cold Process Hand Made

[unstoppableguy]

Your soaps look fantastic, luxurious and creamy, Wish I could try! lol

[MissHanaG]

Oh my goodness, Diane! I love this. I can't believe my eyes. I love stuff like this. I will make my research and this is exactly what my friends are going to get from me for Christmas. Both of the soaps looks beautiful. You've done brilliantly. It's a shame I can't smell them through YT :-) Thank you for a genius idea!!! Love, love, Hana xxx

[dianeuk01]

@MissHanaG Hi Hana! Thanks so much for stopping by and saying such lovely things :-) I have to say starting this hobbie of mine has become quite addictive and I've been giving them as gifts and plan to make a whole load more for Christmas gifts with other types of products, fingers crossed. Have to say the orange scents are coming thru stronger now, mmm, wish you could smell it too :-) x

[BeautifulBubblesSoap]

It sounds gorgeous Diane!! Looks beautiful x

[dianeuk01]

@BeautifulBubblesSoap Thanks so much :-)

[stellarbrite]

I thought it was flower shaped fried eggs.

[Sparklebrook]

This soap is very pretty! Very interesting to add lotion into it. I definitely would recommend litsea like Tiggy said. I use it all the time in my citrus blends. It really helps to anchor.

[dianeuk01]

@Sparklebrook Thanks so much Holly. I can't take credit for the lotion idea, it was inspired by Bonnie's (edentiafarms) Jupiter soap, I was intriqued straight away. Thanks also for the top tip, will def try that next time. I did put Bergamot EO in there which I hoped would anchor the other scents. It does seem more of the orange zesty scents are coming thru a bit now :)

[TheFutureprim]

Diane, you're brilliant! Looks like a fab soap. Def try a bit of Litsea in a citrus blend, it really does anchor the flightiness and stops it evaporating out. I'd love to try some, you think you'll ever sell? xx

[dianeuk01]

@TheFutureprim Aww Tiggy thank you so much for kind words and tip, I'll def try that next time. I did put Bergamot EO in it which I was hoping would do the job of anchoring, seems more citrus notes coming thru as it cures.

[dianeuk01]

@TheFutureprim You've no idea how flattered I am, I'm thinking I might have to get myself in a position to sell on a small scale so that I can keep buying ingredients to support my soap making addiction! I would be happy to send you a bar, but you'll have to keep in mind, it's my first try at a bar like this so I don't know what it will be like and I've nothing to compare it to yet. You can email me your address hon. x

[myqroom]

Sparkles!! Those are just darling & I'll bet they smell wonderful; kept asking myself all through the vid how do you position a cell- on a tripod??

[dianeuk01]

@myqroom The orange scents appear to be coming thru more as the soaps cure :-) One of these lil sparkly darlings def has your name on it :-) Good question - carefully lol! I put my camcorder on my tripod which is similar to a traditional mobile shape and then used a rubber band to secure my new snazzy smart phone on to it! I'm all about the high tech stuff...not :-) Another experiment of mine.

[myqroom]

@dianeuk01 but hey it works! My tripod has a booboo, a broken leg. Hoping it doesn't crash one day in the middle of filming...but that would actually be funny for you guys haha YAY for soaptime soon (I am secretly a little kid at heart.) <3

[dianeuk01]

@myqroom Sorry tripod is not well but it would be hilarious if it collapsed. I've figured out why the stand on mine sometimes falls down, human error! I'll be sure to put the date on it that you can start using, this traditional way of making soap means that they need to sit out and cure for 4-6 wks, I know right bummer! but during that process it reaches a mild ph :-)

[EdentiaFarms]

Those Citrus oils lose scents quicker but it might get the scent back after a cure as the 'soap smell' goes away. When you say 2%, is that of the whole recipe or of only the lotion parts?

[dianeuk01]

@EdentiaFarms I used soapcalc to calculate the 20% superfat so the 2% is part of the whole recipe but I only put it in the lotion part, basically less lye was used, hope I'm making sense!

[23HugsNKisses]

your so soft spoken and cute.

for a contest you should giveaway some of your own soap. :)

[dianeuk01]

@23HugsNKisses Aww thank you. I've been thinking about that, I might just do that one day, hopefully people would be interested... 

[23HugsNKisses]

@dianeuk01 Im interested. 

Is this hobby expensive? I want to try it but Im so broke

[snowblume]

these are so pretty! :) and the image is very clear. Thanks for sharing your creations Diane!

[dianeuk01]

@snowblume Thank you, lovely of you to say that and I appreciate the feedback on the video. Nice of you to watch :-)

[willowydreamer013]

bbee-eeutiful! I love the swirls that came out! I think the citrus/orange scent is hard to achieve in CP soap. Prolly adding a bit of bergamot or litsea cubeba to anchor the scent down :)

[dianeuk01]

@willowydreamer013 Aww thank you lovely Nor. I thought that was the case so there is Bergamot EO in there, not only to anchor but give the blend a lift. Thanks so much as I wasn't 100% sure about that and really do appreciate you letting me know, will gladly take any tips I can get! :-D x

[shaling19bigsis]

Diane, you have become quite the soap making pro haven't you! Those soaps look adorable and even quite delectable...makes me want to eat it! I admire your dedication and patience with this Diane...you inspire me =)

[dianeuk01]

@shaling19bigsis You flatter me so, but thank you! :-) I have a ways to go on my journey, not sure I'll ever be a pro but I really am enjoying learning and creating. That's so lovely of you to say, I'm touched. x

[ummesawdah]

Hi,dian i can't believe how good ur getting with this.

Could you make a vid how you learnt ,also where you purchase the products from?

In your opinion

What is cheaper..ready made or home made bar of soap?

Thankyou

[dianeuk01]

@ummesawdah That's a good idea, I might do that or put it in a blog post. I can answer the latter tho, mass produced tend to be called beauty bars etc as they are classed as detergents and can't call themselves soaps, usually all the glycerin that is so good for the skin is removed to sell on to make other more profitable products, so you are left with more harsh synthetic cheaper ingredients, so hand-made with quality butters/oils etc will be more expensive but kinder to your skin :-)

[AnoushBotanical]

Your phone video is very clear, Movie Maker we too enjoy although nowhere near as talented as your editing... Your top view is quite clever for soaping too!

[dianeuk01]

@AnoushBotanical That's great to hear, I still have to convert them to get them recognised by WMM but it's saving me a long saving step that I have to with my camcorder and converting, saving in WMM & uploading ot YT was quicker too, so it may be the way to go. Just gotta see if I like it filming me, it may be too clear lol I put the tripod up as high as it would go and literally had to attach my phone with a rubber band, no other way! so technical lol

[sek4me]

Wonderful Diane You are doing so well at this !! They look so nice and girly and the work you put into these I bet they are a joy to use knowing it was something you made . Thank You for sharing this with us . ღSusieღ

[dianeuk01]

@sek4me Hi Susie, for the most part I think there is alot of luck involved lol but thank you, I'm so proud of what I've managed to create so far and am loving now having some of my own soaps in my soap dish some for me and my family to use. I've also started making some cream/body butters that my family and some friends are enjoying and I want to make more of those too.

[cardingsan]

looks like your having fun soap making, i used to make my own soaps a few years ago its nice knowing whats in them :o)

[dianeuk01]

@cardingsan Hi, I am always thinking of what to do next, it's giving me alot of joy. You're right, that's really why I started on this journey for my family and myself and now I'm just running with it! lol I'd love to hear more about your soap making. Did you make CP or try all sorts of methods, fragrances and designs?

[soapiejoanne]

looks really good and your top is super nice xxjoxx

[dianeuk01]

@soapiejoanne Thank you so much, lovely to hear :-)

[hennafied]

Sounds like such a long wait until you can try them. It must feel wonderful to make your own beauty products. Do let us know how they feel on the skin ; )

[dianeuk01]

@hennafied Oh it is Nisha, it is soooo long and I'm not a patient person! but that is the price for making them in the traditional cold process way.

[dianeuk01]

Yes I will let you know, I can't wait to find out for myself.

[Jollyfish74]

WOW! This looks amazing! I have never tried Lotion Soap, so this is so interesting. Would be great to try this! You are getting so brilliant at this, I am sure this smells divine!

[dianeuk01]

@Jollyfish74 Hey lovely, aww what wonderful kind words, thank you hon. I haven't tried one either, yet but it really appealed to me, I didn't think the lotion part would be your cup of tea... Nice chatting on the phone tonight :-)

[laque123]

OMG Diane, the soap glitters? Wow!!!! That is sooooo pretty!  You are definitely having fun with soap making. The orange tree lotion soap looks like something I would eat...break out the ice cream!!! Great vid!!! ---Laura x = )

[dianeuk01]

@laque123 Hi Laura, yes sparkles, there are some soap makers in this lovely community that adore using cosmetic glitter so I'd thought I'd have a crack at it, I think a little on small individual shapes/cupcakes is pretty and appealing. LOL I thought they were pretty to look at but now I'm seeing them in a different light altogether! Thanks honey. x

[lizberry2]

They look almost good enough to eat - fantastic quality from the camera BTW :D

[dianeuk01]

@lizberry2 Food! haha they do look pretty scrummy ;-) Thanks for the feedback on the camera love, great to know. x

[Tonks1967]

They look like food to me!! But then i have not eaten a thing to day!! LOL!! Have a great week!!

[dianeuk01]

@Tonks1967 LOL you know that hadn't occurred to me but then again I eat quite often! lol Hope your tummy is full now. Thanks lovely. Hope you have a fab week too with more eating involved :-)

[indianbeautie]

Omg Diane ...you are a pro..amazing work..I really liked the flower shaped soaps..:)

[dianeuk01]

@indianbeautie Sweetheart you are far too kind, you know I've always had a soft spot for you ;-) x

[jordiebuzz89]

you make me want to try my hand at soap making :]

[dianeuk01]

@jordiebuzz89 Go on, you know you want to! lol but word to the wise it's very captivating :-)

[sclement20]

Love these videos...Keep the soaps coming...

[dianeuk01]

@sclement20 Thank you so lovely to hear you are enjoying them, I appreciate you taking the time to be so kind :-)