Wedding favor help

[dagmar88]

Hi northstar,
sorry, but i totally forgot, congratulations with your upcoming mariage!
I think it is really nice, to make your own gifts for your guests, in that way they are so much more special!
i thought of this tutorial, that i had seen before;

http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2008_ ... chive.html

Denise made real nice autumn themed melt and pour soap.
besides, it is made in a tray; costwise much better than single leaf molds!
she cuts the single leaf soaps in slices and than embeds them.

here is the site you could order from (though there are many, just look around a bit and pick one you like)

http://goplanetearth.com/molds_nature_fruit.html

i've been a vegan for 10 years, and i know vegans like to have biological products; on the site above they sell a bio melt and pour base.

They also carry an apple cider-scent. maybe you could make a couple without scent for the very allergic people? because so many people in your family have sensitive skin, don't use to much fragance, i'd say about 2 % of the weights of your base.

i hope a was able to answer your questions a little
dagmar

*edit* @ jen, NO soap contains lye, unless one used a bad recipe; lye can be used in the process, but totally dissapears.

 

[jenmarie82]

I didn't ever say that it still contains it once you're using it on your skin, i'm just saying that all soap is made with sodium hydroxide when first starting out.

 

[Deda]

I didn't ever say that it still contains it once you're using it on your skin, i'm just saying that all soap is made with sodium hydroxide when first starting out.

And I said, not all MP is soap. Some are made with SLS.

 

[Rebelshope]

Hi,
If I'm not mistaken, all soap contains lye. If you have sensitve skin, you might try a soap with no harsh chemicals or scent.

 

[jenmarie82]

Deda: True, but the ones i use don't contain SLS so I guess I was thinking about that.

 

[soap_lady]

I have thought about this... I have made soap before... it is not to show off it is to save money, I am also helping make the syrup (from my families trees), making my own invitations, and I made my veil. I sell soap at local markets, all with lye. I have been engaged for almost two years planning all of this. I also have printed labels that clearly state that it is soap, it is also going to be wrapped in a autumnal colour fabric, and the syrup in the glass bottles are clearly labeled as being syrup (clearly visible that it is liquid).

I came to this site for help, not criticism for what I chose to do at my own wedding. Please do not be critical of my choice. If you feel the need, please do not respond to this. My main questions regarding this are...

Help making soap that does not contain lye (ie a glycerin soap which I have not made before)

What colour products would work best for making fall colours

How best to scent the soap to make it smell like apple cider.

Thank you for being kind and helping me with this.
p.s. thank you for the suggestion of using chocolate, however I am a vegetarian and my fiance is lactose intolerant, most of my family are also vegetarians and do not consume chocolate.

It might have been extremely helpful to others on this forum if you included all necessary information in your first post. And to be extremely specific about what you were looking for help with rather than to be vague.

I am sorry I did not mean to offend but with weddings so many people use favors to be able to say "look what I did" or to save money, and with soap making safety is very important. And how was anyone to know that you already made CP soap to sell at local markets and was looking to make glycerin soap? I haven't made glycerin soap, but doesn't the beginning process contain lye as well unless your depending on detergents? Please correct me if i'm wrong.

And please forgive everyone who jumped on the "does not contain lye" statement because you would be shocked at the number of people who want to make soap, but don't want to handle lye, and are surprised to find out that lye is in the list of ingredients needed but it's not there in the finished product. Had you known and expressed that fact a lot of the issues with the comments you found offensive could have been avoided right from the beginning.

A persons answer to a question can only be as good as the information they are given when trying to answer the question with the information they are given in that question.

Good Luck

 

[dagmar88]

@ soap-lady, you're right that the information she gave was vague; but with some questions in stead of judgements, the answers would be there quicker and she would have not felt offended :wink:
and then in general,
it is easy to form an opinion based some words of a person on the other side of the country, or the world; just keep in mind we are all real persons with real feelings, a background and a life. And that even trough a forum, our feelings can be hurt :roll:

dagmar

 

[Tabitha]

soap lady,

To blame the poster for the belittling comment you made, is a double whammy :? . A simple I am sorry would have done wonders.

 

[soap_lady]

Thank you Tabitha, I edited my post to say i was sorry for making that error.

But it's also very important for people to give all in the important information necessary when posting, which was not done. And I wasn't the only one who made assumptions about the vague information given.

I'm Sorry,

 

[NorthStar]

Rebel, I found the molds you were talking about at Joanns, I went and picked up some this morning, they are the right style too, my moh (maid of honour) and I were estatic!

Tabitha, your soaps are beautiful! I checked out your scent supplier and am planning on placing a trial order, thank you very much for the suggestion! Also I am a ovo vegetarian, however I don't really like eggs

I appologize for not giving more details, I honestly wasnt sure how much info I needed to post as this is my first time on a soap makers forum. Based on responses, I also checked with my fiances family, it seems that after more investigation that only one person cannot use any type of soap since it burns her, however apparently an allergy to Red #40 runs in the famly, and that may have been what really burned them (as it may have been used as a colourant in the homemade soap they are refrencing).

Thank you everyone who responded, this has been amazingly helpful! I am planning on doing a trial batch early next month (when I get the time) to do some experimenting with it. I will be sure to post pictures when they are done! Again thank you so much for all of your help!

 

[Deda]

Deda: True, but the ones i use don't contain SLS so I guess I was thinking about that.

Most, if not all the MP purchased for the home crafter and probably even in bulk contains glycerin (which is made with lye), BUT there is a commercially available 'soap' base that contains no glycerin. We tested it a few years ago. It was OK, but we wanted 'soap' not a syndet bar.

 

[Black soap n candle lady]

Please don't laugh at my picture. These are a few soap I made waaaaaaaaaaaay back when! It does show the guest size leaf mold I was talking about.

You can click on the photo for a close up. It shows quit a few dif fall mica colors too.

No one is laughing. What wonderful soaps!

 

[NorthStar]

I almost forgot to ask, Tabitha, what did you use for the shimmer (from the picture)?

 

[Tabitha]

The shimmer is mica colorant.

 

[Healinya]

I have a non-soap suggestion. I was at a wedding once where the favors were pine seedlings. Everyone had a little pine tree to take home and plant on the day of the wedding... the sentiment was that the tree grew as the marriage grew. I thought it was nice. Sounds nice for a fall wedding.

Also, a side story.. (Supposedly, who can be sure) thousands of years ago, back when men made live sacrifices to the gods, they would make these live animal sacrifices on elevated areas, like cliffs. Wood was used to burn, and only fitting they would make these sacrificial areas near rivers or water sources of some kind, just easier that way when time to put the fire out.

Anyways, women back then took care of families, bathed children cleaned laundry and things. They always chose to wash clothes right at the bottom of the waterfall, below the sacred ground on the cliff above. They just thought things got cleaner better right there. But it was the mixture of lye produced from the wood ash, mixing with the animal fat, that made that water soapy.

So while it is a chemical, it can be made by nature and human's have used it forever.

 

[WilsonFamilyPicnic]

wholesale supplies plus has a scent called exactly what you want "simmering cider". its a nice one. they also have a couple of leaf molds that are cute. "fall leave" is a guest size soap and there is another larger one that looks like a maple leaf.

 

[beachgurl]

I love that leaf with the deep reddish color and the gold. Beautiful.