As promised, and humbly asking for forgiveness for taking so long, I am posting the pictures of the chocolate soaps. I used two different recipes with this round and the soaps are visibly different. For those who find the phrase “you get out what you put in” to be absolutely ridiculous, take a peek. I’d say this is one of those times where it is obviously true! These were placed in the exact same molds, lined with the same material, and stored in the same place. No added colors or heat applied. The only difference was in the oils used.
This soap had a high amount of coconut and sunflower oils in the formula and the results were quite pretty. It had a shiny, glossy look when unmolded and a lightly grainy looking texture. Beautiful bubbles and very smooth. If you look, you will see that some of the corners have a differently shaded edge around it. That was not done on purpose at all- just part of the fun in creating something like this. You can never tell exactly what you will get!
This one was made with my regular recipes tweaked to add in coconut and sunflower oils at a lower percentage. It is much creamier in appearance and lather. Higher sunflower oil percentage allows for bigger bubbles but can be tricky to keep from being too soft so I wanted to play around with the recipe. When unmolded, I found that this batch created a “frosted” look on top- all on its own! And you thought only my kids keep me guessing, right?
So here are both soaps side by side in all their glory. Although I have carried on here about some of the differences between them, I must also be fair and point out what’s the same. They both smell like real chocolate brownies and leave a great clean and smooth feel on the skin. They are made from natural ingredients and no “fillers.” Handmade soaps, at least mine, don’t always look as perfectly the same from bar to bar as mass produced ones. Maybe some day I’ll invest in really large industrial molds to get perfectly matched bars but until then, I’m going to enjoy my soap making and cutting time. They can be unpredictable at times as you create them, even with the same recipes, but are always worth the time and effort. Grab a bar and go have some fun!
Happy Washing!
Dorothy
