Recent content by penelopejane

Your soap should be fine to gel. Like others I used to use a cardboard box and it worked. I now use a styrofoam box because it’s easier and it works well reliably.

Thank you everyone for your kind words! If I get a chance I’ll drop in. Glad I could help along the way. I learnt everything I know about soap from this forum. I am hopeful that my entire life isn’t going be be upended by the new addition but they live 3 hrs drive away so I think I’ll be...

Hi Everyone, I haven’t been in for a while but I have news - I’ve decided to stop selling soap to my local retail outlet. It changed hands and the new owner didn’t seem easy to deal with and also wanted barcodes! I decided it was easiest just to make soap for the family and friends. I’m very...

Start off with small batches first until you work out how to do it perfectly then scale up. I use old laundry detergent bottles that have a #5 on the bottom to store premixed NaOH with water. Easy to pour.

They used to use metal cogs in Washing Machines but now they use plastic. :(

I'd like to be unrecognised but still successful. Is that a choice? I'd prefer to live in a log cabin in the woods rather than a mansion in the city but would prefer a shack at the beach to both. I much prefer Ryan Reynolds to creepy Brad Cooper. Have you seen Welcome to Wrexham? Ryan...

Hydrogenated soy wax is not cold pressed. Castor oil at more than 5% makes soap sticky. I can't handle coconut oil at more than 15% but others don't mind it.

I use citric acid as it is cheap in Australia and it turns into sodium citrate in the soap process (DeeAnna knows all the scientific detail, thank you!). (You have to adjust your NaOH if you use citric acid - see DeeAnna's notes) I find it effective. You will know because the soap doesn't go as...

As others have said this is not worth doing as CP soap alters scents radically. Also be careful when reading reviews of FOs when people use them for candles. They generally smell different in candles. You are better off making small soaps and mixing in a measured accurate amount of various...

Perhaps this isn't DOS in this instance but even if the metal is coated and you use a tea towel over the metal it can still cause DOS in future. It's really annoying but if I were you I would seriously consider a different cure/storage material.

Levi is the same colour as both of the Burmese that grew up with my kids. My DH has a cat allergy that has got progressively worse. When the last cat died at 14 years old we didn't get another one. I really, really want another cat. I love them. They are so restful and easy to care for.

I don’t use pomace oil as they use chemicals to extract the oil.

Honestly forget all the numbers. Make a few small batches of soap from the many recommended recipes on this site and try them in 4, 6 and 8 weeks. Your skin will tell you the best ones for your skin.

I use a lot less than 2% superfat in all my soaps to avoid slime and to save my bathroom pipes. I don’t make soaps that dry my skin. I do make 50% salt soaps but don’t use more than 10% coconut in any soap as I find it drying on the skin and coconut just causes the soap to dissolve quickly -...

I think Shea makes a bad creamier and gentle on the skin - sort of moisturising. I have a friend who is a farmer and likes 35/30/30/5%olive/palm/coconut/castor it is a cleansing soap that will get you squeaky clean. I use olive, avocado, Shea and castor and no coconut oil because I want a...