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I started Black Friday shopping! A new stick blender on Amazon, essential oils on Brambleberry, and maybe some packaging elsewhere, not sure! My cat demands my attention now, so that’s probably as much screen time as I’m allowed today 😂

Been reading this thread because my $15 Kitchensmith (250 watts) stick blender’s shaft is wobbly, a button is missing, and it blends plenty of bubbles into soap batter even after burping (I suspect it’s the air in the shaft, but not sure). For the price, it’s served me well for more than 100...

Videos like this are so helpful (they also helped me learn how to stickblend soap batter without incorporating air bubbles when I was a complete noob--pulse while pressing against the bottom of the pot/pitcher, stir, pulse, stir, always keep the tip submerged)

This has already been beaten to death, but I agree that this is an unnecessary hurdle to put in front of new soapers! Wiser to focus on the most necessary, agreed-on practices so we don't overcomplicate things for noobs. (Personally, I just don't have enough room for duplicate equipment.) Q: Do...

The lye I use is food grade, and lye is often used in food prep (i.e. bagels, pretzels, hominy, canned mandarin oranges, olives, etc). Sodium hydroxide is a dangerously strong base, but that's affected by concentration. It's caustic and dangerous in soap because it's very concentrated while we...

Oh my goodness; I keep rereading your points--you've definitely thought about this before. I'm just barely starting my business, and while I was hoping "all-natural" could be a rule (and customer appeal), a more nuanced approach does make a lot more sense, especially if Sodium Hydroxide lye...

Is this where the line between soapmaking and philosophy starts to blur? 😂

Yeah, a massive part of it is label appeal. Using something that's a waste product of biodiesel does sound really responsible. Any idea if that's happening currently, or just a good idea?

It says "petroleum-free glycol", and after a quick search, I guess PG can be made from soybeans and canola!? Does that make PG potentially natural, or is this where the difference between natural and synthetic gets weirdly squishy and debatable?

Hope this is the right place for this thread! Looking for a good alcohol to use instead of Propylene Glycol in re-meltable transparent soapmaking, mostly because I probably can't say my soaps are all-natural if I use PG. Reading this thread, it sounds like ethanol is fine as long as I don't need...

Maybe I really should start a new thread for this like DeeAnna suggested, then! Just learned what necroposting is, and looks like I'm totally doing it here.

You know, this answers my question, so no new thread needed: Spotted this at the local natural foods store. Looks like someone’s already using propanediol for all-natural clear soap, but they probably don’t remelt it. If it has a high boiling point, maybe propanediol would work as well as PG...

THANK you--I'm new to using forums, really appreciate your wisdom!

I really should've edited out my typos in the above post! And more useful to post the boiling point, not the flash point: 1,3-Propanediol's boiling point is 415.4°F/213°C, so it shouldn't evaporate while remelting M&P. Essential Wholesale calls Propanediol a natural alternative to propylene...

This is great--thanks, Zany!

Since Cold Process is the first part of Hot Process, you'll have to get comfortable making Cold Process soap, but I'm sure you've found a million great videos on it. This one helped me get started: You can technically use HP soap right away, but the soap feels gentler and lasts longer if you...

Has anyone tried Propanediol as a natural alternative to Propylene Glycol? (I'm trying to be strict about using natural ingredients, and I can use It has a flash point of 99.04C instead of Propylene Glycol's 101C, so I wonder if it would still handle repeated remelting better than ethanol...

I'm violently allergic to trees, so my "manly" scents are more chef-y... tried a Man-marinade bar that's colored with coffee, and scented with sage and black peppercorn.

Couldn't find NS on the Glossary--which supplier is that?

I am bookmarking that page--thanks, AliOop