Soap Making

So yesterday I took my very first soap making class with Maria (pictured above). She has been the one who sells her soaps at my sales. I have always wanted to take this class and finally found the time to do it. Basically it is all chemistry given to you on paper. I have seen it on TV before and sort of got the gist from that but it is much easier to understand when it is right in front of you. The above photo shows Maria of http://www.angelicglow.com/ mixing up a batch of her red wine soap. The wine she used is from a local winery called Black Bear Winery. Note the bottle on the table...it was actually made out of clay. Very cool!!
Here is the emulsion blender working hard. I nearly cut the tip of my finger off with this thing.

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Note to self...unplug devise before cleaning!!!

This photo shows some of my supplies. A Snapple box worked great as a mold...line it with saran wrap and we are good to go.
A ruler to measure the bars after and my instructions...

Well, because of all the precautions with making soap (lye based) I could not take photos while doing it. You had to keep an eye on the temperature and make sure the lye and water do not splash...very tricky stuff! So the above photo is my creation:

Almond, Cinnamon and Oatmeal Soap

YUMMMMM!!

It smells soooo good. Today around 4:00 I can unmold it and cut it. Then it has to dry for three weeks but after one week you can start using it.

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Needless to say, I am hooked and will be making more soap in the future...

any requests for different flavor of soap?