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I wanted to start a thread for anyone to post a review or notes about a blend they tried from EOCalc.com. If you aren't familiar, EOCalc.com can calculate safe usage rates for essential oils in cosmetic products (including soap), and they have also very generously shared dozens and dozens of...

Hi All, A couple years ago the internet convinced me that I needed microfiber cloths in my arsenal to clean the house (Dust will leap off your table onto the microfiber, only to be locked away and never to be seen again! Have a spill? Simply wave a microfiber in front of it and the spill will...

Hi All, I'm hoping to get advice from those who have made liquid syndet shampoo. It's something I started research on a few months ago (mainly using SwiftCraftyMonkey and It's All in My Hands for guidance), and then gathered ingredients from both LotionCrafter and Ingredients to Die For to...

I haven't posted photos in a while, so thought I'd show the good, bad, and ugly soaps I've made for gifts this season. First up: (left) Holiday Spice with Orange & Cinnamon EO (right) Snowfall (or maybe blizzard?) with Cedarwood, Patchouli, & Spearmint EO. This one is my attempt at Auntie...

I was hoping to get a little guidance regarding ratios from anyone who has made a cedarwood and peppermint blend (EO) soap before. I've put drops on paper and really like a 2:1 blend (cedarwood : peppermint), as it really evokes a smell of chocolate peppermint. But sometimes soap smells take...

These pictures were taken recently from our trail cam, one right after the other. Thought I'd share the cuteness!

Hi All, I finally used white distilled vinegar (5%) today, in an attempt to derive 2% sodium acetate. The calculations I used were so generously provided by TopOfMurrayHill from this thread, although I read many other threads on the subject, too. So thank you, everyone, for all this...

Today I was at a Costco in SE Wisconsin and found a new (to me) brand of coconut oil for sale, in addition to their usual Kirkland Organic Unrefined coconut oil. The new one is called Tropical Plantation Organic Refined Coconut Oil (on the pail it says expeller-pressed, chemical free, and...

Hi All, Firstly, I would like to apologize if this has been covered before. I have a hard time imagining that in the history of soapmaking this has not been tried, but I was unsuccessful in finding posts about it. Anyhoo, back in November I was at the tag ends of a bag of ground Starbucks...

Hi All, I may very well be late to the party here and missed a previous post about this (so hope I'm not being redundant!), but just today I came across a new Essential Oil Blending Calculator that has been put together by Kenna at Modern Soapmaking. !! My early impression is a positive one...

Hello All, This is a bit of a tricky question to ask, since it involves smells and that can be so subjective, but thought I would ask anyway... I'm getting ready to place another order from New Directions Aromatics and need more lavender EO. They offer many options and I've only tried 2 of...

I just read an article on Bloomberg that says an independent lab tested some of the Aloe Vera Gel from Wal-Mart, Target, and CVS and found there was no indication actual aloe was present in any of the products. As there are many on this forum who may use aloe vera gel, I thought it would be an...

Hi All, I've been using my first batch of LS for a few months, diluting enough to fill the soap dispenser as we need it and storing the paste in the refrigerator. It's now been used in two different pump dispensers (non-foaming) but both had the same issue: the soap comes out very liquid but...

Firstly, my apologies if this has been covered before (I was unable to find anything, but with my technology skills, that doesn't mean much). I was down the soapy rabbit hole on the internet today and came across an interesting blog where the person made separate liquid soap pastes comprised of...

Howdy, In late September Himself and I are going on a road trip that will last 3-4 weeks and take us from Wisconsin out to the Canadian Rockies and back. A part we're fumbling with is the outbound leg through Saskatchewan. The original plan was to take Trans Canada Hwy 16 for the westbound...

I tried my hand at making liquid soap today, and it's been a roller coaster of emotion. I'm currently in the befuddled stage and am hoping for some expert advice... Recipe (used SoapCalc, checking the 90% KOH purity box. 3% SF) 10oz Olive oil (50%) 4oz Coconut Oil, 76 deg (20%) 3oz Sweet...

I had this thought in my head where I wanted a paw print in soap (and my apologies if this is an old technique - I'm pretty new to soaping and haven't come across it!). Well, this turned out to be more of a "paw print abstract," and it should come as no surprise that I've never piped anything...

Hello... Several months back I purchased a liquid hand soap from Whole Foods. Since then, I've gotten into bar soap making and also have an interest in trying to make liquid hand soap at some point. I've done a little bit of cursory research into LS making, but not much. We recently started...

Greetings, All, As a lurker for many months on SMF, I wanted to step forth to introduce myself and give thanks to all the many dedicated people who tirelessly provide invaluable information on the wonders of soapmaking. As a new soaper (4 months/23 batches, both HP & CP), there have been...