Cleanup after soaping...

Cleaning up after making hot process soap is easy, it's already soap...it lathers and cleans right up.

Cleaning up after making cold process soap is a bit different. The soap batter hasn't saponified yet so it's basically oils and lye solution. First, the lye is still active and can burn your skin if you don't rinse it right off. Second, the oils are still oils and...oily. I used to make sure I wiped as much batter out with paper towels as humanly possible before washing the oily oils down the drain. But, ew.

I got to thinking, if I let the dishes and utensils I've used set for a day or so (just like the soap in the mold) the remaining batter will just turn to soap which will make it a breeze to clean everything. Yeeeah, it took me a while to figure that out but it makes cleaning so much easier!

So this is how I cleanup after cold process soap making. Everything is sitting outside turning into soap. I'll scrape off the remaining bits and put it in my scrap bag which will eventually be made into soap for my home.

There are no kids or pets around so there's no worries about accidents happening.

The Calendula Aloe Vera Soap is cut and curing on the racks. It should be in my shop around March 29!

The rosehip powder makes some pretty interesting patterns.

I layered this soap in the mold, sprinkled rosehip powder and did a hanger swirl (literally, you use a hanger to swirl the batter). The rose hip should gently exfoliate. The orange and vanilla essential oils smell fresh and summery. I think the soap may darken up, soaps with vanilla essential oils generally do. But we'll see.