Recent content by jiroband

I am patiently waiting for my order of 32 oz. of Moringa Oil ($$$$ Cha-ching!) from LotionCrafter and my order of fresh Stinging Nettles from Etsy. I will be steeping the Stinging Nettles in the Moringa Oil to add to my hair growth stimulating shampoo bars. (It kills me to buy weeds -- I sure...

Penelope Jane, Thanks for finding the link to the previous posts! You also made a very important point -- everyone's nose is different! Jim

Zany, I can't say 100% that I tried "Vanilla Select" from BB, but I think I must have since I believe I got all the vanillas from the big suppliers, like BB. I've thrown out a lot of my "failed" bottles over the years. And no, I have not tried AV in anything other than cp soap - yet. Jim

A few years back I was on a thread here looking for the best pure vanilla fragrance oil. Through my search, I've purchased over 60 versions from several suppliers -- all falling short of what I was looking for. I've tried all varieties from supposedly "true" vanilla FO's . . . to baked goods...

No coconut, no tallow, and salt at 35% of oils . . . and lots of lather.:thumbup: I use castor at about 15% of oils -- I really think that helps a lot with lather.

I would like to bring up the subject of courtesy and respect on this forum. Personally, I really enjoy hearing all of the different opinions and ideas brought up by other members. Creating an atmosphere where everyone is respected, and where all opinions matter and are valid is paramount to...

If you want more information on SynDet shampoo bars like Carolyn mentioned, I HIGHLY recommend you check out Susan Barclay-Nichols' website, swiftcraftymonkey.com. My next shampoo bar will likely be a SynDet bar. Here is the link...

My very first batch of CP soap was a shampoo bar made with O'Doul's non-alcoholic beer, and that was my focus when I first got into making soap. I've made a lot of various shampoo bars over the years. Recently, I've been leaning away from shampoo bars for the reasons Carolyn (cmzaha) has given...

ESSENTIAL OILS: 1. Ananda Apothecary (the BEST) 2. Mountain Rose Herbs 3. Wholesale Supplies Plus (Crafter's Choice) 4. New Directions FRAGRANCE OILS: 1. SweetCakes 2. Wholesale Supplies Plus (Crafter's Choice) 3. Rustic Escentuals 4. CandleScience 5. Elements 6. New Directions RAW PRODUCTS...

I've been making a Peppermint & Menthol soap as a standard for years. I usually add the menthol at 3%. I always dissolve the crystals in the essential oils. Last year, my brother asked me to make it REALLY intense, so I added the menthol at 6%, and everyone loved it! By everyone, I mean men...

Mixing liquids into the oils first, no mater what the amount, increases the chance that they will not incorporate completely. You need to mix liquids into the lye mixture. I've tried mixing some coconut milk into the oils before, and I ended up with bars that began to smell funny because the...

Obsidian, I have tried them in soap, and NO -- they turned brown.

Hey, that's my line! Since I'm already using my photo (from March 2015) as an avatar, here's me a few years ago at age 50 with my actual gray hair. . . plus a few extra pounds! Love this thread -- it's great to see everyone! Jim Anderson

No, PKO also gives me that same dry irritation -- I use palm oil, and I get plenty of lather. I also prefer using Morton's popcorn salt for the salt because of its very fine texture. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EZK6L40/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 I think using a fine-textured...

Irishgem, I doubt it was the mica. I'm 99.99% sure it's the lye/saponification process -- which does a number on so many things from scent to color. It usually affects the scent by morphing it into something else, or in the very least, weakens it. You'll also find that most of the time when...