Hello! I forget which soapmaker wrote this some time ago - "Embrace The Ash!" I happen to like that statement. Ash is a sign of well made soap so don't worry. That being said, I made a line of soap bars that looked like they were thickly covered in ash resembling white felt or mildew! The...
Hi Cindy! Thanks for your support and advice. I get so worked-up about many issues. My heart always speaks louder than my brain most of the time. (Actually, my stomach has the loudest voice but that's a totally different thing). Most likely I will "bite the bullet" and sign-up for one of those...
Hello new12soap! Thank you for your comment and information - and I do mean this. :) My opinion and views of this particular post falls under Henry David Thoreau's attitude of civil disobedience. I will have to contact the lawyer to get his new assessment of the current FDA regulations. He was...
Hello! Same here xraygrl - I was also amazed that I could make this stuff. Here is another surprise for me: after I got used to using the SoapCalc website to compose a recipe and seeing what the potential qualities of each recipe of different oils and fats could be I did a few test batches and...
Hello! I was raised not to be a conformist to everything the government bureaucrats say to do - especially when it comes to my family and home security.
When I began my soapmaking business I asked the lawyer who helped form my business LLC about having my home business address on my soap...
Hello Dixiedragon! I generally stick with the EO's for the mints. I used to try FO's but they (from various companies) seemed to dissipate after a short few months. And even then the remaining light scent was "chemically". I use the EO's from New Directions (pricey) but I also add to them a...
Hello Cactuslily! More than likely you are not doing anything wrong. You are just experiencing some bad luck using a particular FO. When I first began making cp soap I chose a "spring rain FO" (not sure of its real name) and it behaved like the FO you are using. Unlike you, I was soaping too...
Hi Boyago! Oh my, good question... ah, not sure ...I seem to have forgotten about it as to how good it is. :oops: Now I will have to re-order it and find out. :wink: Anyway - hope you have a very Happy New Year!
Hello! I tried all references I can think of (including Google) but I can not find anything for you. Sorry!!! Hopefully someone can recommend a close approximation for you - like a pine-spruce-fir-mint or other resinous-mint mix. If you have enough time maybe you could experiment with adding a...
Hello! Don't give up on having soap smell of cinnamon. Although it is a fragrance oil this product is skin safe and has a really strong (but wonderful) smell in soap and candle products. It is called "Atomic Fireball Cinnamon" and it is sold from Aroma Haven & Rustic Escentuals. I use it in my...
Hello! I agree with everyone else concerning the clove and the sunflower FO. Spices and many floral fragrances have a chemical or chemicals that act as a catalyst for rapid reactions with the lye. You have to work like a cartoon character on speed to mix and pour very fast. You can gain time, in...
From me to all of you wonderful people - please have a Merry Christmas!
"Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy... forgiveness. To an opponent... tolerance. To a friend... your heart. To a customer... service. To all... charity. To every child... a good example. To yourself... respect."...
Hello! Lye is an indiscriminate reacting agent; the NaOH molecule will react to any oil or fat molecule it comes near to (.... sounds like a soapmaker screen play script...) so adding extra amounts of target yummy oils will not totally succeed. In fact, super over-fatting tends to decrease...