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I'm probably going to regret this... Not a good analogy. Whiskey only gets better with age if left inside a barrel (all alcohols actually). It is the contact with the charred barrel and the transfer of those external molecules absorbed over time. Once you remove whiskey from the barrel and...

:thumbs: I have always added all my additions at trace. One of the downfalls of living in a vacuum :) . I will start working more with the cooled lye water now though.

How/when is the chelator added? Any reactions that I need to be prepared for? Is the usage rate pretty standard for all chelators? Just so you know, I'll probably use the sodium citrate because there are other uses for it in the kitchen. The possibilities for a "sour salt" are fascinating!

Of the 4 I listed? No, not yet. I have made several prior to getting me (and us) to this conversation. Maybe this opens a completely separate can of worms but I have never bought into the whole 4 - 6 weeks curing time thing. I understand the evap but all of my soaps have worked after a few...

Here is the work for Monday :)

Where has that sugar/honey secret been hiding? We all have enough honey drama already, probably don't need more in our soap making. Thanks for the recipe. I'll add it to my trial on Monday (now up to 4).

I did all that including read books, used calculators, watched (what feels like years worth of) YouTube vids and every other research method I could think of. What I learned from all that was the same thing feels different to different people. That's why I asked for recommendations based on...

Just wanted to say thank you to each and every one of you who responded. I appreciate the wisdom and learnings. I have 3 solid recipes to try just from this thread. I've learned more in this half day conversation than I have in a very long time. I'll make up three small test batches on...

Amen to not spending unneeded $$$. I have four small 4 oz molds I use to test batches of 1/2 lb. If I'm feeling ultra precise on a given day, I can go down to 1/4 lb ;)

Thank you. Wow! Shaun Cassidy... That kind of ages you (and me for even getting the reference). I have adjusted my recipe accordingly. Thanks for the insights.

Your advice is sound. I'll readjust the avocado/PKO/CO amounts and give it a shot. I just have to be careful I don't have too much soap laying around the house. It's just me here, and I don't use that much soap ;) As for falling into camps, I fully get it. We all make decisions and stick...

Nope, not a tar layer ;) It seems like my chasing moisture has sent me down the wrong path. My pursuit should really have been focused towards cleansing.

Thanks for the recipe but it has olive oil in it so it's a no go for me :(

No, I do not have to use butters. I started using it a while back and they seemed to work so I just left them. I have been hesitant to just strip the recipe and revamp since it is "almost there". Interesting perspective to focus on the cleansing number. I've never taken that approach. I...

My sniffer is a little different than most :) 60's and 70's... pot 80's... Ocean 90's... Ylang Ylang and Nag Champa (both gross!) 00's... Sage

Thanks for the help. Playing around on the calculator here's what I'll try: SF @ 10% Coconut Oil 20% Lard 29% Palm Kernel Oil 15% Shea Butter 15% Castor Oil 10% Avocado Oil 5% Safflower, HO 5% Beeswax 1% Sodium Lactate (rate of 1 t. PPO added at trace) Honey (rate of 1 t. PPO added at trace)...

How do I compensate for the reduction in lather? When I first started using honey I made a calculation error and used 3X the amount I was supposed to (yeah, that whole Tbsp vs tsp thing) so I know it's not honey that will help that, hehehe.

Thanks so much for the response. Do you really feel a difference with avocado oil vs. almond (you personally)? I have not tried avocado simply due to all the calculators show is it is less conditioning than almond.

OK so to start, I did skim through all 161 results when I searched "conditioning". I was trying to be self sufficient :) Next point... This question concerns my daily, in the shower, unscented soap. Last point... Olive oil is NOT an option. Here's the issue... I live in Phoenix and it's...