Thanks for reporting back, Tara! I actually considered getting the same wire cutter but decided against it because I already have a million silicone moulds. Having read your review, I'm glad I didn't buy it! I have looked on Etsy, and there are some reasonably priced single-wire cutters there...
I finally made a semi-decent looking gradient soap. I was pretty happy with it until I took my kitchen knife to it and now I have 6 wonky bars that won't even stand up straight. I am a hobbyist so I should probably save my money but unfortunately the perfectionist in me cries every time the look...
I was actually wondering if I should combine citric acid and sodium gluconate in my next batch. I made one soap with 2% citric acid so far and still have some weeks to let that cure and test, and sodium gluconate just arrived in the post. I have very hard water and was tempted to use citric acid...
Hi. The pH of lye-based soap can vary from 8 to 12 and the high pH is the very thing that makes it soap. The "top grade soaps" your friend is referring to are not really soap, but synthetic detergents (or mixtures of synthetic detergents and real soap) that clean the skin using surfactants...
I used the "non discolouring" coconut FO from The Soap Kitchen. It performed fairly well in soap- there was some acceleration but I think its more to do with the unholy amount of TD I added. I should add that this FO doesnt really smell like coconut in the finished soap and the bars came out...
Welcome to the forum :)
Aside from too short a curing time, some people find soaps with a high percentage of olive oil drying. You could try subbing rice bran oil for the olive to see how your skin likes it. Here's a modification of your formula that you could try (run through SoapCalc to check...
Oooh, I just realised that the site I linked is US-based (the prices are showing in pounds which made me think they were in the UK), so there might be steep shipping charges. The micas on MMI could work for your purposes! Excited to see how you get on :)
Thanks for reporting back! It looks like the bars are coming along nicely :) I love your ideas for Heart and Mind bars- very creative.
LUSH put calcium sodium borosilicate and tin oxide (colour 77861) in Shimmy Shimmy. I found this pigment, which has both: Gold Dust
It might be worth a try?
I also think that you left it too long before cutting. From my experience, the window of opportunity with high-olive loaves is quite short before they become too hard and crumble. If you put the 50 ml of batter in a cavity mold then it most likely didn't gel and that's why it's softer than the...
Check out Humblebee and Me- Marie's recipes for liquid and solid shampoos and conditioners are a great starting point. Bear in mind that it might take a lot of experimentation with different formulations to find one that your hair likes. Basic formulations available online may not work for...
You're welcome. I am sure your bars will be a hit! All it takes is a bit of experimentation- make small batches until you get the proportions right. If the bars are too greasy for your liking, you can try adding a bit of arrowroot or cornstarch to the next batch. While adding starch to lotion...
Welcome to the forum :)
Adding beeswax will firm them up. This is my recipe and I store the bars at room temperature, even in the summer (I live in London where summer temps rarely exceed 27 C):
25 g raw cocoa butter
15 g beeswax
30 g babassu oil (you could experiment with subbing mango butter...