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My old books (Ann Bramson, 1975 and Susan Cavitch, 1995) use the term superfatted soap to refer to the addition after trace of oils that they thought would still be left in the soap and not saponified; ie too much oil for the amount of lye. Lye discount was not a term used at that time...

One of the confusions is the term superfat and lye discount. They both refer to the same idea and the words get used interchangably. That can add confusion when you are new. The link has great info. Superfat was a concept that if we keep some oils reserved to add after trace they will be...

Your formulation is pretty close to mine. I use closer to 33% olive, a bit less shea but more palm. I don't think sticky but I do think they need to be cured and fairly hard. I don't have any issues with 23% coconut and actually like that much. I also think high olive has a distinct feel...

Even though the precision from the scale will be the same in oz or grams My precision will be better in grams. The whole number grams are easier to read on my scale and less chance of me making a mistake. Scaling up/down a recipe is easier with metric measurements, and I do it often in a...

Starting with the mailing box has another advantage. It gives you time to decide the size you like in a bar and whether you like to use a slab type mold or a a loaf mold; as well as whether you want the loaf mold to make a tall/skinny bar or a shorter wider bar. If you decide later you want...

Over the years I have had some soap that sweats when it cures (all lard was my worst). If it is sweating with moisture as it cures it seemed to always be a dos problem after a year or so. I hope your test is for quite a bit of time. The biggest problem with DOS is that on my soaps it might...

Agree; almost guarenteed if it is setting in full sun for a few days. Just give it time after that.

I would like your 20% palm/55% olive better than the 10%/65%. However, I really like the hardness and creamyness of palm. My preference would be 30% palm and 45% olive.

I don't make a lot of lip balms and got frustrated dealing with graniness. I switched to PKO to avoid butters. They are soft and smooth and lighter feel. Not as heavy duty for chapped lips but nice for everyday.

I use 2/3 coconut and 1/3 PKO. I think PKO can have a waxier feel if used too high but overall think a blend of the two is my preference over straight coconut oil. I think the flakes are not as waxy and use them in my lipbalms. Since each flake is so light weight they can get stuck on spoons...

I used to sell at a fair where another soapmaker only sold rebatch soap. she purposely made plain soap to then rebatch, scent and color. She never told me her base recipe but said something thing about not all oils would work. She was doing so much extra work in her soap I always thought her...

A story; not about lotion bars but about wax. I broke my wrist a long time ago and at the start of rehab I would dip my hand/wrist in a vat of parafin a few times and then it was wrapped. The heat was wonderful before starting exercises. It was winter and one day when I dipped my hand in the...

Thanks; I don't make them often and I do try to stir after pouring a couple but I guess I need to stir more.

I add mica but also a tiny amount. I want it to distinguish lotion bars with different fragrance. My batch makes 9 lotion bars. The mica colors the bars but doesn't really disolve fully. It is very easy for the mica to settle at the bottom of the container with the last lotion bar having...

My favorite is the Lavender and Spring Apricot.

Photos comparing shades of mica can be deceiving. Sometimes they are a lot closer in look that you expect from the photo. Also, how much you use can make the difference in a pastel or strong color. So, I normally choose darker colors and a bit of variety. My first micas were from a color...

If you like deep earthy fragrances I think they are winners at OT. My favorites include the Egyptian Musk and the Egyptian Dragon. In the opposite direction I like the Hibiscus Splendor, a really nice crisp clean floral.

They definitely used to sell 1 or 2 oz FO amounts. However, that was with the earlier owner. They were the company that acquired the old Flickers company and I used to use some of those scents. They moved from the midwest a few years ago and I started ordering less because of shipping...

I don't use BB often. The Lilac and the OMH I have I purchased in 2020. I found them strong and even better the scent would stick for 6 months to a year. The Lilac I found a tad sweeter than other suppliers but it also sold better. However, when I purchased the IFRA was much higher than it...

I am impressed that you can sell your soaps for $13/bar. I find that there are enough soap makers in my area that there is a pretty narrow range to set your price and be competitive. At most fairs, a price too much higher than the average just means the sales go to another soapmaker. My...