Hi everyone! You may or may not have seen me in the Introduction thread, but I'm a new soaper and totally excited about it!
I started off with some M&P, and I have a couple of questions if it's OK with you. (Please note I've only shopped at Brambleberry so far)
1) Fragrance oils. I'm not sure if I should be measuring by drop, or by mL or what. I did practice 2 ounce soaps, and have used 10 drops. The scent didn't really stay on your skin. So then I tried the actual recommended 3-5% (I did 5%) - but that means I'd have to use 4mL of fragrance to scent 2-2.5 ounces? Am I doing something wrong? It seems like a lot.
2) Colorants. I know that with M&P you should use low-pH colors. But, the colors that are available leave a really light/pastel-y color to white M&P. I've used about 2 drops per ounce of soap. Are there other liquid colors that can make a color really deep or bold? Or should I just be adding more color (is there a max amount I can add)?
3) I've used some M&P bases, where I've actually added 1 teaspoon coconut oil to 2.5 ounces of soap to make it more lathery. At that usage rate, does it really make a difference? I heard you should use 1 tablespoon per pound?
4) I've only shopped at Brambleberry, and my first order was unfortunately unpleasant. Not to mention the shipping is expensive/slow since I live on the East Coast. Could anyone recommend sites that are more cost effective to NY with better customer service than Brambleberry?
5) What are you fav places for what items? (hehe, just thought I'd throw that in there to see what you all like!)
I've had 2 testing sessions and forgot to take pictures of the first, but I hope to have pics for you all of my second, which is drying now!
I started off with some M&P, and I have a couple of questions if it's OK with you. (Please note I've only shopped at Brambleberry so far)
1) Fragrance oils. I'm not sure if I should be measuring by drop, or by mL or what. I did practice 2 ounce soaps, and have used 10 drops. The scent didn't really stay on your skin. So then I tried the actual recommended 3-5% (I did 5%) - but that means I'd have to use 4mL of fragrance to scent 2-2.5 ounces? Am I doing something wrong? It seems like a lot.
2) Colorants. I know that with M&P you should use low-pH colors. But, the colors that are available leave a really light/pastel-y color to white M&P. I've used about 2 drops per ounce of soap. Are there other liquid colors that can make a color really deep or bold? Or should I just be adding more color (is there a max amount I can add)?
3) I've used some M&P bases, where I've actually added 1 teaspoon coconut oil to 2.5 ounces of soap to make it more lathery. At that usage rate, does it really make a difference? I heard you should use 1 tablespoon per pound?
4) I've only shopped at Brambleberry, and my first order was unfortunately unpleasant. Not to mention the shipping is expensive/slow since I live on the East Coast. Could anyone recommend sites that are more cost effective to NY with better customer service than Brambleberry?
5) What are you fav places for what items? (hehe, just thought I'd throw that in there to see what you all like!)
I've had 2 testing sessions and forgot to take pictures of the first, but I hope to have pics for you all of my second, which is drying now!
