Don't Make Soap on Three Hours of Sleep

I am now on my fifth batch of soap making experience- I think that makes me a soap maker, officially like.

The last batch I added extra cocoa butter and moisturizing oils and got ten gorgeous bars that smelled like gingersnap cookies.

Unfortunately, the only downside is that these soaps require a bit more special care- they dissolve a lot easier and turn to mush if you aren't careful. I had to explain the care they need to a friend when I gave her a bar and she looked at me like I was some weird crazy soap lady.

But really, it's either take care of the soap the proper way and have it last a few weeks, or treat it like the crappy, synthetic chemical soap and have it gone within a few days. Since it isn't exactly free to make soap, nor the easiest thing to do, I tend to lean more on the "take care of my precious soap dammit!!!!" team.

Anyhoo.

Thursday I needed to make a new batch. It was supposed to be vanilla+liquorice. I was functioning on three hours of sleep (don't ask, not for fun reasons). Within an hour in the oven smoke was curling out and we opened the door to a bubbling seething monstrosity. Kinda like what you imagine from a weird goop monster of boils.

The box was even a bit black. (eek).

It wasn't until the next day after I had had a regular night of sleep that I remembered perhaps I had turned the oven to 375 degrees instead of 175..... oops!

In any case, my do-over soap- liquorice and cloves- seems to have been successful. They smell like liquorice baby gummy candy... mmmm.....

Lesson: don't try to make soap on 3 hours of sleep.