Recent content by Irene

Thanks Judy, that is a great idea! As it turned out it wasn't that hard to break up, surprize surprize. You are right about it absorbing moisture as it had taken a trip to an Island (where the humidity was. . .you guessed it, higher than here). Also, thanks for sharing the idea of using...

Hello, Yes there is a lid on it and boy it is solid. I may (as a last resort) try to break it up by jabbing at it with a sharp something or other haha! I was wondering, (tell me what you think), if I put in a piece of bread (in the jar), do you think that will soften it up? I know that works...

Hello, I put some lye into a glass jar and it has hardened (into a clump). Does anyone know how to break it up, without using a sharp tool and risk it flying all over the place? And does anyone know what I should do to prevent this from happening again? Thanks and advice would be much...

Thanks everyone, I don't live in the states, and this woman lives on an Island to the North of you so . . . you can imagine the difficulty in getting any soap supplies in. I checked Walmart here and no regular coconut oil, I guess there is no demand. Thanks again. Irene

Hey thanks, I never thought of suggesting she check a restaurant supply store. We have searched the stores (big box ones too) and no "regular" coconut oil to be found!! she is willing to pay the price for the pricier stuff so . . . it will be an expensive batch of soap. I think she is more...

Hello fellow soap makers, I have been making soap for a year or so, I am on holidays (and not near any soap supplier), my neighbour here wants to make a batch of soap but we cannot find "ordinary coconut oil". She has the coconut oil that comes in a wide mouth container (health food store)...

Thanks, I'll give it a try. Irene

Hi, Yes it is the milky way soap molds. Freezing my hand milled soap always aids in removal. So after letting the fresh batch set for a day or two I should freeze it before trying to remove it? My other concern was, will the fresh "caustic" soap harm my molds? Any...

Can I pour my fresh batch of soap directly into a fancy plastic mold? I usually hand mill it (after several weeks) then pour into a mold. Thanks. Irene

stuck soap Yaaaaayyyy, it came out! I put it in the freezer for about two hours and then did a bit of prying and then it came out. This is my third batch and I alway go on to hand mill it, so if it breaks it would be okay. If however I did not hand mill it then if it broke I would be...

stuck soap Thanks I will give that a try! Irene

Hello, I can't get my soap out of the primary mold, (it's plastic) and I did grease it up, any suggestions would be appreciated. It's been in there for 4 days, in case that makes a difference. Thanks. Irene

Hello, I saw a video where the lye was mixed into the oils as soon as the lye solution was made. In other words they did not wait for the lye and the oils to reach a certain temperature. The hot lye solution melted the room tempertature fats. They then proceeded to blend with a stick...

Hi, I am going to make hand milled soap and because I have some glycerin can I put some into the batch before I mold it? Also, if yes, how do I know how much to put in the recipe? Thanks. Irene

Thanks Rubyslippers, I still can`t figure it out, anyway I guess I`ll leave it be for now. I`ll let it cure for 6 weeks and try it. I plan on french milling it anyway. Next time I will tare out after each addition or measure each ingredient separete and then add to the pot. Anyone else...