Recent content by dkleinert1

GREAT videos....thank you so much. I am just now getting back into soapmaking after a 10 year hiatus when caring for my husband who was very ill. So much to learn again - LOVE YouTube videos. THANKS so much!!!

Thanks for your input. It heated up as normal when I diluted the lye. What is a "zap" test? Never heard of that. THANKS! Here is my formula: Lye Solution: 3 lbs. Distilled Water + 1lb 3 oz. Lye Fixed Oils: Palm Oil - 1lb. 8 oz, Coconut Oil - 2lbs. 8 oz., Olive Oil - 4 lbs. Essential...

So I am frustrated....I know this has happened to me in the past, and I don't remember why it happened. I had to take about a 10 year break from making soap to care for my husband who was very ill. I made my first batches of soap (4) in 10 years in December, and they were perfect. However, I...

Thanks! Thanks! It has been stored on a countertop, inside the shipping box. Thanks! I will gather the containers to transfer it. THANKS again!

Thank you! It was probably 69-70 in the kitchen - not humid. It is the beginning of winter here. I stirred the batch and it was about 78-80 degrees cold process. I stirred for 30 minutes. Poured into a slab which will yield 44 bars of soap.

How long would you insulate a 12lb. soap mold? with a blanket?

Accidentally I ordered a 50lb bag of lye instead of a 5lb. The manufacturer would not take it back. I have been afraid to open it. How would you use the 50lb bag of lye? Is it possible to move the lye into other, say 2lb., containers without it attracting too much moisture? Your...

I made four batches of soap yesterday for the first time in 7 years. Each batch is poured into a wooden soap mold with a plastic liner. Each batch is 12 lbs. Each batch makes 44 bars. I stack the molds one on top of each other with a plexiglass sheet between them and a blanket. Now it...

EO Supplier Thanks so much for your replies. Lebermuth was the source for many of CH Imports eo's, and so I am really familiar with them - yes, they can be trusted for high quality. THANKS so much. Had forgotten that The Chemistry Store carried eo's. I used to order my NaOH and KOH from...

I was blessed to buy my eo's from CH-Imports in nearby Greensboro, NC for all the years I made body care products. Jack Bolini was a great teacher as well as trusted friend. Unfortunately he passed away, and now that I am going back into the marketplace, I don't know who to trust. Who do you...

Thanks so much ladies. I have to get back into the correct names for things. I know the ROE and GSE are not preservatives, and I should not have used that word. Thanks for helping me regain my vocabulary when making body care products. I am thankful for this forum and you.

I began making cold process bar soap in 1996, and continued until 2010 when my husband became very ill, and I had less and less time to make soap. Now I want to begin again. During all of those years I used Rosemary Oil and Grapefruit Seed Extracts as my natural preservative. What is everyone...