Recent content by Dr.J

Well Texas is a big place, so I'll "howdy", but not sure if I can say "howdy neighbor". I hope you enjoy soaping, and good luck.

Congrats. Now get ready for the longest month of your life... waiting for it to cure!

Whiskey

I recall some discussion of this a while back, and most of us agreed that the 0.3% max recommended rate is probably incorrect - but NDA "confirmed" the oddly low value after questioning. o_O As I've seen several others here opine, I much prefer the smell and price of the 40/42 from Camden Grey...

Reading and following the recommendations the SDS for any product you intend to use is always a good idea. I am not recommending otherwise. If you have a more reputable and relevant reference to share regarding benzene exposure from petroleum benzine use, by all means please do. The paper...

Again I will respectfully disagree. The main point being that there is no such petroleum benzine product that contains 10% or more benzene (that composition you quoted was in reference to a raw distillation cut before further refinement and hydrogenation, and furthermore was in reference to...

Respectfully disagree with your interpretation of the wiki text. Petroleum benzine has a low overall aromatic content <0.2%. The benzene content would be even lower than that, probably in the ppm range (SaltedFig's linked SDS in the post below shows an example having 150 ppm benzene). From...

I think Magic7M was referring to something more like Pet ether or mineral spirits when recommending "benzine". That's not a common term used in the US for this type of product. Search "Petroleum benzine" and find what was likely intended.

Deja vu. I read the same book and asked the same question here a while back. Good to see the responses here are consistent. https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/tips-for-white-soap-on-purpose.68565/#post-679277

The veg stearic acid was most likely derived from palm. Do you know the true source?

For those who use TiO2 in soaps to whiten - I've read, but never confirmed through relevant experiment, that "titatnium dioxide reduces lather and moisturizing significantly"* in CP soap. Can anyone share their experience - agree or disagree (esp considering lather)? *Anne L. Watson. Milk...

I add it to my water and make sure its completely dissolved before I add the NaOH.

I too recommend that you obtain a copy of Scientific Soapmaking. You can see some of the work that went into this book in the various lectures that Prof. Dunn has given over the years, here. A good "sneak preview" while you're waiting for the book to arrive.

Many of the comments here are spot on with my preferences too. I mainly got into soaping because the typical girly soaps available at my local farmers market were not cleansing enough. After a shower my armpits would still stink. I use 20 - 25% CO, at the higher end in the summer, lower...

CaraBou: I meant to say that despite Spanish lavender EO's higher camphor content (~9%) than French lavender EO (~5%), Spanish lavender EO smells more pleasant (less harsh) and more like buds to me. But admittedly this is a subjective opinion. Would love to see a comparison of Spanish and...