The Flip Side

I have no energy to wax philosophical tonight.

I surprised myself by liking the orange and purple side a lot and finding the blue and orange less appealing, which was the opposite of what I anticipated. I am hopeful people will find them fun to use, watching the colors and patterns change as they rotate the soap through their hands, as well as through the process of wearing it down. Each side is thin enough that the swirl stays pretty well defined throughout, as opposed to a thicker bar where the weight of the soap decreases the amount of movement. I like the patterns on the edges as well. People suggested I call the the double-sided swirl although I tend to say it's a back-to-back bar, because the back sides of the soap are together. Neither sounds terribly catchy but a back-to-back bar has better alliteration.

They are easy to do. I make a 16 ounce oils batch and use a 9x9 or 8.25x8.25 inch silicone mold and slab swirl. I leave it to harden overnight and then unmold and flip it over, so it is face down in the same mold, then make a new 16 ounce oils batch on the back of it. If I am trying something new that I want a number of chances to try, it allows two tries in a slab but makes only 8-9 bars, so I don't get overloaded with soap. In addition, the user gets some added interest and more variety. Win-win.

The blue side, and the orange/purple side:

I tried a new piece of equipment in the black and white bar. It definitely needs tuning. I thought my batter was thin enough to move more on the bottom but it did not, so I have to thicken up the swirl tool and it was awkward to move, which left me with less than fluid draws. It was a touch too snug in the mold. That will be on the docket for this week or weekend, depending.