Last week, I was so excited to finally make my first soap of the year—actually, my first soap since May! Life’s been a whirlwind, to say the least. We’ve been fostering twin one-year-olds with complex medical needs, and let me tell you, time just vanished into thin air. But now, we’ve found our groove, and it’s time for me to reclaim a little “me time.”
Fellow soap makers, you’ll feel my pain here: I was all set to dive into soap-making when, at the last minute, I gave up my spot in the session to a class attendee. Did I have to? Not really. But I couldn’t say no to someone eager to learn about my favorite obsession. So, my first soap of the year had to wait… until today!
With fresh energy, I headed to my shop, ready to bring my new collection of four bars to life. First up: the inaugural masterpiece. But as soon as I stepped inside, reality hit. It was freezing. Not just chilly—full-on icebox vibes. No problem, I thought. The shop usually warms up pretty quickly, so I started gathering ingredients and prepping my workstation. Except… not this time. The cold wasn’t budging, and I was getting impatient. Plan B: haul everything into the house and keep rolling.
Once inside, I set up my gear, turned on my shiny new camera to record, and started blending micas and pigments to create the perfect blood red. My vision? A deep, vibrant red that would pop. I’ve nailed this shade before with Nurture Soap’s Trial by Fire blend, but could I remember the exact ratio? Of course not. I fiddled with Red Vibrance, Neon Orange (not even from the same brand—oops), and eventually threw in some True Red from Mad Micas. The result? A not-quite-right rusty red that I figured would look decent against my black soap batter. Not perfect, but good enough.
Finally, I was ready to roll. Or so I thought. Enter the forgotten activated charcoal, still sitting out in the shop. Cue my amazing husband, who was kind enough to fetch it for me. Now I was actually ready! The plan: thick drop swirls of blood red in a black base, topped with a vibrant red layer.
As I poured, everything was coming together beautifully. I was in soap heaven—until I realized my batter wasn’t filling the mold. Cue the mental checklist: Did I water discount? Nope. Did I scale the recipe down? Nope. What’s going on here? Oh no… I forgot the goat’s milk!
Panic mode engaged. Do I leave it and risk a lye-heavy soap? No way. Thawing goat’s milk wasn’t an option, so I dumped the batter back into the bowl, added water, and blended it in. Watching my once-almost perfect red vanish into the black abyss? Heartbreaking. But on the bright side, the fragrance is Chocolate Strawberry and the batter turned into a rich, luscious chocolate brown. I texturized the top, added some swirls, and wished for strawberry embeds I didn’t have. It’s simple but smells absolutely divine.

I adore goat milk soap, and while a pure soap bar is lovely, it’s just not the same. But despite all the chaos, my first soap of the year—Chocolate Strawberry Delight—is done and curing! This one’s definitely going in my bathroom. Maybe I’ll even whip up a matching scrub and turn it into a Valentine’s Day box set.
As for documenting this adventure? Total fail. The video quality was awful—the lighting, the angle, the dirty dishes in the background (yikes). So no YouTube debut for this round. But hey, the blog lives to tell the tale!
Here’s to many more (hopefully smoother) soap-making adventures this year. Stay tuned for the next one—I promise I’ll nail the video next time!
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