# Beware the butterknife!!! and a ?



## mill-valley (Feb 22, 2008)

I want to do lavender mint using EO's, doing the chunk method. So I cut up my purple lavender soap into chunks last night, using a butterknife like usual (haven't gotten around to the putty knife or pastry cutter yet...probably a good thing :laughcry). This is the walmart recipe cured about 6 weeks...good and hard. The knife slipped and I put a nice size slash in my finger....haven't seen anything bleed that bad in a while :eek. Who knew a butterknife could cut that deep??

Anyway...my question is...for about 2 lbs of chunks how big a batch of new soap should I make? Is lavender mint usually scented 50/50 or more of one or the other? I've never used it before. Also I am using the 3x peppermint from Lillian, I've heard not to scent real strong....like .3 ppo maybe?

TIA,
Beth


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Hi Beth, in my big molds I only cut up about 2 bars of soap for each section, so 11 pounds of soap I throw in about 3 pounds of chuncks? It does give me extra of the my base, which for how I do it is the lavender, so I just make some plain bars of lavender with the extra. Remember your chucks displace space in your mold, so you will have more base left over.

I put about 3/4 of the chunks in the mold, pour at thin trace, use a chop stick to push around ones that spread out from pouring, then as the soap starts to thicken some, I push the rest of the chunks in so they are closer to the middle and the top of the mold. Having some poking up is actually really pretty.

Sorry about the butterknife. Yep you learn in cooking school a sharp knife is alot less dangerous than a dull one. Vicki


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## mill-valley (Feb 22, 2008)

So you do yours mostly lavender with a little mint? This one (made last night) is mostly mint with a little lavender. Looks really cool; cream soap with purple chunks. I just mixed in chunks at thick trace and then poured it. I am happy with how it turned out actually, might be one of my new favorites. This "chunk" method of coloring is much easier (for me) than swirling...minus my knife skills .


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Yes, I actually did it your way and the mint was overpowering. Since I already make a green mint soap for sale (it's strong), I just chunk them up, add it to a lavender base and viola`, Lavender Mint.

How did you get purple? Do you use goatmilk? My next website update I am going to have to take my all natural colorings off it  Vicki


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## mill-valley (Feb 22, 2008)

I used violet oxide, and no goatmilk. It was one of my first batches...since I like GM soaps way better that's I wanted to "reuse" it. The new soap is 100% GM. The photo makes it look more blue, it's a nice purple but haven't tried to duplicate it in GM soap .

Well, I don't know what a real "Lavender Mint" is supposed to smell like; I'll have to try making it your way. I like this one, but the mint is plenty strong.

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## Whitney (Oct 27, 2007)

pretty soap Beth!


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## Aja-Sammati (Oct 26, 2007)

This sounds crazy...why not make the lavender colored part MINT and the cream part Lavender? keep the colors looking that beautiful, but reverse your fragrances. 

My pink sugar was unfragranced pink chunks in the dark brown pink sugar base. Beautiful! But almost no one here likes pink sugar


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

And I just order another 5 pounds of it Michelle 

Beautiful Beth! Vicki


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## mill-valley (Feb 22, 2008)

Thanks for the compliments.

Michelle, that's a good idea!! I suppose no one would ever know the difference.


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## Aja-Sammati (Oct 26, 2007)

Pink Sugar is so strong no one guessed the chucks were unfragranced, I bet they wouldn't with Mint & Lavender either


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