the making of Lavender Soap Balls

I have been looking forward to making lavender soap balls. Old-fashioned looking soap balls with ground oatmeal and lavender buds. I made the small hand-milled batch this afternoon. Other soap making adventures have gone better. I put the grated (store-bought) bars into my Pyrex in the boiling water on the stove. I wasn't feeling so hot so I had to turn off the heat and lay down for a bit. Grr. I did not want to stop what I just begun. The soap was already melting. I tried to start again after about an hour. Now I had to stop again to feed Anthony. This time I left the burner on low. I was not sure what way would be the best way to hand-mold the hot soap. The soap was goopy. I spooned some of it in my silicone heart mold. I made 2 hearts. I proceeded to make one big ball with my hands and a ice cream scoop. My, was that soap warm. It was setting up quick so I couldn't wait for it to cool down. With the leftover soap I made a small soap ball.
The white soap is unbelievably hard to color. I ended up with a light grey-purple color. It doesn't look too bad though. The commercial bar soap scent is also incredibly hard to cover up. I knew this from the past. I still added lavender essential oil to lightly scent it. Oh, instead of adding a half cup of water, I added milk. Milk is skin-tightening.

This was my second time attempting soap balls. I never intend to make them again. Such a gooey mess. I will do hand-milled again, however; I will always pack it into the molds.

Good way to use up old soap or soap that's too bland.

I'll post pictures and a review later.