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I didn't do a water discount on either of the stearic batches so I think I can rule that out. I did a batch today with no stearic and RT lye and oils and was able to do swirl fine. I think the stearic was the culprit of the quick trace. Thanks for the input!

For quite a while I was using the hot lye to melt my fats and that worked out great. Recently, I decided to mix a 50% lye solution and try RTCP ala Paul. Coincidentally, I have started adding stearic acid to my all veg mix to add hardness with less coconut and babassu so I'm not sure if it is...

This is something more experienced soapers surely know, but I thought I'd pass it on just in case. Well, I tried to premix my 50% lye solution for the first time (ala Paul). I thought I'd be extra safe and just mix it right in the gallon bottle. Measure out my water in the bottle then...

Since I'm not using single note blends I don't think that is the problem...but good to know the heat from the gel phase could cause the fragrance to lessen. I'll have to keep a closer eye on it once I put it in the mold to try to get the optimal balance between gel and fragrance.

I've been testing different FOs and suppliers and very few of my batches have turned out what I would call "strongly" scented. I've been sticking with .7 oz per lb rate. I've noticed at least a couple of my batches had a particularly hot gel...could that be burning off the fragrance?

Thanks everyone! I did leave them whole :) and made another batch the same size too.

Looks great!

Need an opinion please...wondering whether to cut these in half or not. They are 6+ oz each but 4" across of kind of big for the hand. I really like the designs on them though so I kind of hate to do it. What do you think?

IrishLass...I would be very interested in think link to the discussion with the chemist RE: experiments and how much fat has saponified after given times. I have been looking for information like that everywhere and have yet to see mention of it until now.

Very pretty!

Looking for a beer FO and the only one I've seen so far isJD Candle supply. THey seem to have good prices on FO...has anyone tried their stuff?

Such a fun idea! They look great.

Very pretty! I especially like the blue/white one :)

Have you done that before? I'll be interested to see how they hold up and if you can get the soap out easily.

Thanks everyone. I haven't tried the POP colors. I didn't even think about the fact that the soap process changed it...it was a light orange to start with so I just thought I didn't get the intensity right. I was under the impression oxides should hold their color in CP but maybe that isn't...

I really like this combination scented with lavender, tangerine and clementine. Next time I make this I'd like the orange to be closer to a citrus color. Used red, blue and yellow oxides.

Dumb luck...they just turned out that way :)

Nothing too exciting here...just did 1# test batches for Aroma Haven scents, used .7 oz. They all smell great at this point except for the Fudge Brownie...not really what I was expecting. I'll have to see it it gets any better over time.

I purchased a bar of Dr. Bronner's Hemp Peppermint soap for "research" purposes :) The last two ingredients after the saponified oils and water is citric acid and vitamin e. I've read about vitamin e reducing the chance of rancidity (mostly in cosmetic preps) and citric acid for bath bombs...

May I ask what other forum? I'd love to see the tutorial.