Recent content by squyars

DeeAnna, thanks for that explanation. I have asked earlier if I could add the citric acid after the cook in hot process, however I was told that even then, it would cause the lye to "unsaponify"; leaving me with an oily mess. Based on your comment, would you agree with this statement, or could...

I second that on both comments. My first order was from Amazon, because I have prime, but I felt some of my oils were "old"and overpriced. And, after many bars using lots of "exotics", I stick to using mainly olive oil, coconut oil, lard or palm oil, and castor oil. No one ever seems to...

Sure would be nice to find a way to reduce the pH in my shampoo bar. So what you are saying is that after all the lye and oils have reacted and created a soap during HP, that once you add the acid, the lye will then revert back to lye, leaving me with a puddle of oil and some compound of lye...

I have a thought on reducing the pH, and hopefully reducing the need of an acid rinse. What if I HP my soap, then after the cook add citric acid? The problems I see here are determining how much acid to add to make it more balanced, and would it reduce the lather of my soap? What do you all...

Merry Christmas everyone! My soaps are quite the hit for gifts. Can't wait for my next batch.

I have used POM juice. Frozen into ice cubes, then added lye, so not to burn. The POM did not impart any scent, and turned brown. Probably wouldn't waste the ingredient again for soap. On the other hand, I use carrot juice with great success. Same process (ice cubes), no scent, but a lovely...

I have made a carrot and honey facial bar that has worked very well for my adult acne, but even better than that, I wash with raw honey once a day. I just apply a thin layer of honey to my face, then after a minute wash it off with warm water. My skin feels soft and has really cleared up. Not...

Your ingredient list is everything you mixed to make your soap. Think of it this way, the oils are no longer the same thing either. They AND the NaOH have all gone through a transformation. Good luck.

Woo hoo! Making soap is so much fun. Congrats on opening your "meth lab". ;)

Yep. I mixed the heck out of it, and I would definitely say it was a thin applesauce consistency. I also detected a very, very faint ammonia smell. Could that have been from the goats milk?

Thanks! Glad to know what the problem was. I originally planned on adding the milk powder after trace, but worried it wouldn't incorporate as well. I'll do that next time though.

Ugh, just did HP with Natures Garden OMH. I saw a lot of nice reviews, but I find that it smells like baby powder. One son said it smells like a "public bathroom", and when my husband passed through he said it smells like "urinal cakes". Yuck! Anyone else have a thought on this FO? Any...

I just made my first two batches of HP soap. The first batch I did water at 30%, and it cooked and set up like the videos I watched. It turned into mashed potatoes, slowly becoming translucent. My second batch scared me. I doubled the recipe (up to 4 lb.), increased the water to 38%, and...

Here is my two cents.... I absolutely love the look of melt and pour, but two problems I have.... the ones I have used dried my skin out, and the ones I really like to look at, well, I just don't want to use them, they are too beautiful. I also think that MP may been seen as more of a teen girl...

I live in Williamsburg Virginia. The colonists used to use bayberry wax for candles. I have been experimenting with adding the wax to my soap. It would be nice to have enough to get the scent, but I'm afraid it would require too much wax; making a hard, non-lather bar. I've made two batches...