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I go back and forth with offering lip balm samples, and not offering. I seem to get more interest when people can smell the lip balm, but I'm not sure that actually turns into more purchases. When I do offer samples, it's as everyone mentions above - an open tube with a small wooden stick. The...

If you are looking for therapeutic benefits, leave on products are your best bet. Even if the compounds in the infusion stick around in the soap, they are rinsed away rather quickly. I have used infusions in my soap for label appeal, but mostly save them for leave on products. The same with...

@DeeAnna is correct - fats will reduce the "antimicrobial" ability of the sanitizer. An alcohol molecule has a water loving end and a water hating end. This is, in part, what makes them "antimicrobial". You want the water hating end to bond with the microbe's cell wall, and this is why we don't...

Grab a walk outside if you can - I'm finding this is my "go to" when I'm ready to blow up in the afternoon. Although...I haven't tried starting the day with some Bailey's...wonder if I can find any right now ;) I'm trying to get housework done. I'm trying to get things done for my small...

I was going to check out on this one and just lurk, but then someone brought up nano particles ;) As mentioned above, TiO2 isn't always a nano particle, and a lot of things that we use to make soap (micas for example) can be nano particles other than TiO2 - it has to do with size. Smaller...

I'm with everyone above. I try not to order more than I think I can go through in a month or two. When they come in, the box gets unpacked, but I don't open the bag that the packages come in until I'm ready to use it. They then usually get a number (if I remember) and they go into a larger...

I also use cardboard. We keep a stack of amazon and ingredient supplier boxes in the basement, and I find that the flaps on the boxes are often almost the right size for smaller molds. Kind of a pain to cut cardboard to fit the mold, but no worse than cutting paper to line the mold :) If you...

@DeeAnna Thank you! I usually cut from the side, so at least I only ended up with crumbled edges on one side and only some of the bars. I might just have to create a "scratch and dent" category on my website :)

@DeeAnna - you hit it...exactly! I didn't think about this at all until I read your post. The top of the soap loaves did have a tiny bit of an oil sheen on top that isn't normal for these recipes. I went ahead and cut them just assuming that it was an artifact from using plastic instead of...

This is the truest thing I've learned about soaping. I'm still learning, and sometimes what worked last time, doesn't work the same way this time...and I usually forgot to write something down :D In case this is helpful in your troubleshooting - As long as your water is drinking quality (so it...

I can't speak as well to soap colorants and fragrances as I can to food colors and fragrances because I worked for Big Food in regulatory and food safety for many years. We did what felt like a million focus groups on what consumers mean when they say "natural". There was very little consensus...

I try to avoid the word "natural" on my products for all of the reasons posted above. If someone asks if I have natural products, I ask what they mean by natural and steer them to the right product (if I have it). As mentioned above, since there is no legal definition when it comes to soap, each...

Thank you all so very much for taking the time to respond! I have had the ripple that @Lin19687 described from day 1, and running my finger along the edge takes care of that easily. However,I have never lost chunks off the corners like I did this time. I'm also guilty of not always cleaning the...

@shunt2011 Thank you so much! I can't tell you how helpful your post is!

Hello there! Quick question about wire soap cutters... I have a multi-bar cutter that I purchased from Bud's Woodshop on Etsy. I've been using it for over a year and have probably cut close to 100 batches of CP soap on it. I cut 4 loafs into bars yesterday and noticed that the bottom of the...

I was really excited to see the paperboard tubes from SKS. However, after a lot of product testing (lip and skin balms), I've found they really don't hold up well. If the product is used regularly, the cardboard will shred a bit at the application edge, and I actually had one grow mold -...

This is exactly why I wanted to start masterbatching the lye. I'm starting to add a coffee soap and some milk soaps to my line up and thought it might save a bit of time. I've been masterbatching what I'll need for the day's production so I don't have to worry about storing the mix for too long...

The Tibetian is definitely the richer amber. And holy cow - I am a sucker for samples. Let's not talk about how I just ordered almost all of the CP stable micas from Nurture during their black friday sale. Did I need all those colors? Nope. Did I buy them because they were on sale and in small...

@DeeAnna - thank you so much for taking the time to answer! I felt silly asking such a simple question, but wanted to be sure I had it right.

I use Eden Botanicals for all of my EOs for aromatherapy blends. Those samples are so very addictive. They have been super helpful with my aromatherapy courses. I can purchase an expensive EO for homework assignments without having to spend lots of money on an oil I might not use regularly yet...