I’m hoping that Santa will be bringing a little bag with a few lumps of coal soap *grin* Went very basic and I just got three pours of them finished, so I can start testing (and producing very soon hopefully!). While stocking up on supplies during a sale this silicone mold in the baking aisle gave me a slap my forehead moment. It’s a sheet of hmmm…yeah, not getting up again to check *grin*, but a whole lot of these miniature candy bar molds, each kind of like a bite size milky way. It hits me that complicated isn’t always better or successful. I had some grand ideas (let’s keep the epic failures between us) and this simple mold will fit the bill a whole lot better for the small lump of coal soaps that I so want to come out well. Okay, okay…I want them to sell well too for Christmas, especially since I think it’s such a neat idea. That’s beside the point of this post though! *sassy smile*
Anyway, when I had a problem with some bubble wash the other day I started experimenting on it. (Cue whichever monster theme song you prefer) Since I knew it wasn’t going to be sold I was willing to get weird. Along the way I found the blend of colors to make a nearly perfect black clear soap. It has a slight jewel tone to it, since it is clear glycerine, and when turned in the light I could pick different hues as dominant. If I can entertain myself looking at these for more than a few seconds, then it’s a keeper. I have such high hopes for these little soaps. I’m more anxious to unmold them and see how they look after curing than I remember being when I had a stocking stuffed by Santa lol. I have a young helper coming for awhile Thursday, so they need to get a thumbs up from her too. A youth’s opinion on a product made for kids? I’m so taking advantage of that (hence why I was making soap at 3:20 AM)!
Please cross your fingers that I’ve finally come across the best versions of lump of coal soaps that can be made. It’s the one thing for the holidays that I have a lot of emotional involvement in (yeah, emotional about some licorice scented soap…I went beyond nerdy to downright boring…ouch). I’ll let you know if getting coal for Christmas is a good thing in a few days. Plus, I have some other tidbits that I look forward to babbling about. Have a wonderful day!
Georgia's Pampering 
I love following your blog to see what you are up to in the world of bath products. Post some pics of the lump of coal when you get it perfected. I am anxious to see how it turns out. And by all means take advantage of the youngsters advice, it will be invaluable. I had a teen read several chapters of my YA novel and her comments were EXACTLY what I knew was missing. It has made my work so much better and I’ll bet your young helper will do the same for your soaps. Good luck.
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Thank you so much!! It means a lot! I just unmolded this batch and we are on the fence. Larry thinks they’re just too perfect and glossy, and although he has a better mental image from handling coal before, I know that the solutions given wouldn’t work in soap. I found that an extra drop of two colors made a massive difference in the first batch to the second. Lol. I’ll post pics of them as they sit and some of the experiments. Larry pointed out that very few kids would know what coal looks like, other than black, so I don’t need to be a perfectionist. I’ll have my helper give her opinions too, since it’ll be interesting to get an impression from someone that doesn’t have as many expectations of it. : ) I’m so excited for your story too and look forward to reading the newer version! Thank you again for following!
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