# The Acronym and Abbreviation Definition Thread...



## IanT

*Note: this post is a recreation of the original that I brought back after the switch. If the Admins want to use this or remove it they are welcome to, Steve

Originally posted by Ian T.

edited 11/13 to add link to site if acronym isn't on the list below: **http://www.internetslang.com/*

*UNDER (constant) CONSTRUCTION*

This thread is intended to be an evolving thread, so if you have any suggestions please feel free to PM a mod and they would be happy to help/add new definitions upon request!!


*Soap/Bath & Body Acronyms:*

*AVG* - Aloe Vera Gel
*AKO* - Apricot Kernel Oil
*AVO *- Avocado Oil
*B&B* - Bath and body
*CM* - Coconut Milk
*CO* - Coconut Oil
*CP* - Cold Process
*CPHP* - Crock Pot Hot Process
*CPOP* - Cold Process Oven Process
*DBHP* - Double boiler hot process
*DHHP* - Direct Heat Hot Process
*DHHP* - Direct heat hot process
*DOS* - Dreaded orange spots
*DSM* - Dead Sea Mud
*Dupe* - duplicate
*DWCP*, DW - Discounted Water Cold Process
*EO* - Essential Oil
*EVO/EVOO* - Extra virgin olive oil
*FO* - Fragrance Oil
*GM* - Goat Milk
*GMP* - Goat Milk Powder
*H2O* - Water
*HOSO* – High oleic sunflower oil
*HP* - Hot Process
*IPM* - Isopropyl myristate
*ITM swirl* - In the mold swirl
*ITP swirl* - In the pot swirl
*KOH* - Potassium hydroxide
*MP* - Melt & Pour
*MWHP* - Microwave hot process
*NaOH* - Sodium hydroxide
*OHP* - Oven Hot process
*OM* - Oatmeal
*OMH* - Oatmeal Milk & Honey
*OO* - Olive oil
*OOB* - Out of the bottle
*PKF* - Palm kernel flakes
*PKO* - Palm kernel oil
*PO* - Palm oil
*PPO* - Per pound of oil
*RBO* - Rice Bran Oil
*ROE* - Rosemary Oleoresin / Rosemary Oil Extract
*RT* - Room temp
*SAO* - Sweet Almond Oil
*SAP* - Saponification values
*SB* - Stick Blender (or shea butter)
*SF* - Superfat
*SL* - Sodium Lactate
*SO* – Sunflower oil or significant other
*SS* - Skin Safe, also stainless steel
*TD* - Titanium Dioxide

*General Usage Acronyms:*

*BFF* - Best friend forever
*BF* - Boyfriend
*BIL* - Brother-in-law
*BTW* - By the way
*DD* - Dear daughter
*DH- *Dear husband
*DS- *Dear son
*DW- *Dear wife
*GF - *Girlfriend
*GROT - *General rule of thumb
*HTH - *Hope this helps
*IDSO - *In desperate search of
*IFNO - *In frantic need of
*IMHO - *In my humble opinion
*IMNSHO - *In my not so humble opinion
*IMO - *In my opinion
*IRL - *In real life
*ISO - *In Search Of (or in reference to isopropyl alcohol)
*JM2C- *Just my 2 cents
*JMO - *Just my opinion
*LOL- *laughing out loud
*SWMBO- *She who must be obeyed
*SIL- *Sister-in-law
*SO- *Significant other
*TIA - *Thanks in advance
*X2R - *Exception to the rule
*YMMV - *Your mileage might vary

*Supplier Acronyms:*

*AHRE* – Aroma Haven and Rustic Escentuals
*BB* – Brambleberry
*BC or BCN* – Bittercreek Candle Supply – also referred to as Bittercreek North to differentiate from BCS
*BCS* – Bittercreek South Candle and Soap Supply
*CS* – Candlescience
*DS* – Day-Star Candle and Soap Supply
*EB&B* – Elements Bath and Body
*ED* – Essential Depot
*EW* – Essential Wholesale
*ITDF *– Ingredients To Die For
*MMS* – Majestic Mountain Sage
*NDA* – New Directions Aromatics
*NG *– Nature’s Garden Candle and Soap Supplies
*OT* – Oregon Trail Soaper’s Supply
*Peak* – not really an acronym, just a lazy way to refer to Peak Candle Making Supplies
*SC/CF* – Soaper’s Choice/Columbus Foods
*SGS* – Southern Garden Scents
*SW* – The Scent Works
*SWC* – Sweet Cakes Soapmaking Supplies
*WSP or WSSP* – Wholesale Supplies Plus

*Definitions:*

*Absolute* – The most concentrated form of fragrance made from semi-solid essential oil extract.
*Allergy/Allergic* - Something which effects the body in a bad way by causing discomfort, irritation, redness, swelling or excretion of fluids.
*Anti-oxidants* - Synthetic or natural substances added to products to prevent or delay their deterioration by action of oxygen in air.
*Antiseptics* - Capable of preventing infection by inhibiting the growth of microorganisms.
*Decoction* – An herbal preparation made by heating the herb in water and reducing the concentration by evaporation.
*Aromatherapy* - The use of fragrances to affect or alter a person's mood or behavior.
*Astringents* - Medicine tending to draw together or constrict tissues; styptic.
*Carrier Oil* - An oil used to carry a certain selected fragrance, usually oils which do not have a strong scent such as sweet almond oil.
*CP*- the 'cold process' method of soap-making wherein no outside source of heat need be applied to the raw soap batter in order to achieve full saponification. A favorite among many soap-makers for it's free-flowing nature, which makes it possible to execute complex swirling techniques with ease. Also, the finished bars of soap made via CP have a very smooth/streamlined look to them.
*CPHP*- the 'crock pot hot process' method of soap-making whereby the raw, traced soap batter is cooked in a crock pot on low until full saponification has been achieved, i.e., until there is no longer any unreacted lye left in the soap batter. (see 'HP' for more details)
*CPOP*- the 'cold process oven process' method of soap-making used by those who pefer gelled soap. Basically, one starts out with the normal CP method- i.e., bringing their batter to trace and molding as normal- then the freshly molded soap is placed into a warm oven to encourage the soap to gel, which helps speeds up saponification. (see 'Gel/Gelling/Gel Phase for advantages of gel)
*Cure*- setting freshly cut soap aside on a rack for a period of days/weeks/months in order for the soap to dry out, harden, and to also improve its qualities of usability in terms of lower pH, gentleness, longevity, and lathering abilities. Both CP and HP benefit from a cure of 4 weeks at the least, sometimes more, depending.
*Emollients *- An agent that softens or soothes the skin
*DOS* (aka, dreaded orange spots)- Orange, yellow or brown spots that appear on finished bars of soap, usually not showing up until after 4 weeks have gone by at the earliest, and at other times not until several months have gone by at the latest. According to Dr. Kevin Dunn, they are caused by "the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids in the presence of trace metals'. A few DOS prevention tips: A) Limit the total amount of linoleic acid in your formula to no more than 15%. B) Add Rosemary Oleoresin (an anti-oxidant) to your unsaturated oils that are stored at room temperature. C) Avoid curing soap directly on metal racks (lay down an inert barrier such as parchment paper between the soap and metal rack first). D) Adding tetrasodium EDTA (dilute first) to the soap batter has been shown to prevent DOS by binding metals. D) Using a combo of BHT (an antioxidant) and sodium citrate (a chelator) to your batch has been shown to prevent DOS by slowing down oxidation and binding metals.
*Essential Oil* - Any of a class of volatile oils obtained from plants, possessing the odor and other characteristic properties of the plant, used chiefly in the manufacture of perfumes, flavors, and pharmaceuticals.
*Exfoliant* - A cosmetic product or ingredient intended to remove dead skin cells and dirt from the skin surface
Some synthetically derived, and some derived from blends of different natural elements.
*Fold/Folded* - Term used to designate an essential oil which is distilled further to produce more concentrated oil.
*Food Grade* - Suitable for safe edible use
*Fractionated Oil* - Oil which has been processed to separate components and remove some to produce oil with specific properties.
*Fragrance Oil* - A blended formula of scent or scents made by a commercial business.


*Continued in following post.......*


Special thanks/Sources: Tabitha, Paul (SMM), Cathy8, Vic, azure, Mandy, nframe, Hazel, Relle, our many contributing members, Dictionary.com and the almighty Google (lol)


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## IrishLass

*Gel/Gelling/Gel Phase*- the point at which the exothermic chemical reaction between the lye and oils/fats (saponification) speeds up/intensifies and causes the soap batter to go into a temporary, liquid crystalline state. In this phase, the batter heats up, and its appearance darkens and turns into a translucent gel, starting from the middle and spreading outward to the edges. Do not be alarmed- the batter is on the fast-track to becoming soap. As the saponification reaction concludes and the mixture turns to soap, things will cool back down, gradually harden, and become more opaque again. The advantages of gelling over not gelling are 1) full saponification is achieved quicker and the soap will be less likely to exhibit 'zap' when unmolded; 2) the soap can be unmolded and cut much quicker; 3) colors come out more brilliant/less pastel, i.e., reds will come out red instead of pink; 4) there is less chance of heavy ash developing on the surface of the soap 5) the 'soak tests' done by Dr. Kevin Dunn show that gelled soap is slightly less water soluble than un-gelled soap, making for a bar of soap that lasts that much longer. 
*Holistic* - A term coined by Gen. J.C. Smuts, 1926 which concerns evaluating something as a whole rather than separate parts (ie holistic medicine)
*Homeopathy* - The method of treating disease by drugs, given in minute doses, that would produce in a healthy person symptoms similar to those of the disease.
*HP- *the 'hot process' method of soap-making whereby the raw, traced soap batter is cooked until full saponification has been achieved, i.e., until there is no longer any unreacted lye left in the soap batter. Not as free-flowing in nature as the CP method, the saponified batter of HP at the time of pour has been described by many as 'thick and mashed potato-like', which makes swirling and molding HP batter a bit more of a challenge in comparison to CP, and the finished bars are more 'rustic' in appearance. Here are some varied tips that many soap makers have found to help increase the fluidity of HP batter: 1) Don't use huge water discounts with HP; 2) Add some sodium lactate to your batch up front; 3) Add some dissolved sugar to your batch up front; 4) Add some powdered goat milk or powdered coconut milk directly into the hot batter as it's cooking. 
*Hydrating* - Something which supplies water or moisturization.
*Hydrosol* - Fragrant water derived from steam distillation of essential oils - also known as flower water, floral water or distillate water. 
*Infused Oil* - An oil produced from immersed herbs/botanical material which have steeped for several weeks or months to absorb properties.
*Infusion* - Herbal preparation made from steeping herbs/botanical material in water.
*Irritant *- An element or compound which causes redness, swelling or discomfort the body.
*Lye Discount - *The practice of using less lye than is needed in which to saponify all the oils/fats in one's formula 1:1. This is done to provide a safety cushion of fat/oil in order to prevent lye-heaviness in the finished soap. Lye Discounting is basically the same concept as 'superfatting', but technically different in how it is approached. With 'lye discounting' one decreases their lye amount by a certain percentage of their own choice in their 'up-front' calculations, and with super-fatting, one adds a certain percentage of oil/fat of their own choice directly to the pot either at trace in CP, or after the cook in HP. 
*Rebatch - *To melt and redo a recipe, making changes to ingredients in order to make a more favorable batch.
*Saponification-* The chemical reaction whereby an oil or fat is turned into soap by mixing it with an alkali such as sodium hydroxide and/or potassium hydroxide.
*Sniffie - *A fragrance oil sample, a few drops on a cotton ball or Q-tip
*Super-fatting*- The practice of adding extra oil/fat to ones soap batter either during trace in CP, or after the cook in HP than is needed to react 1:1 with the lye. This is done to provide a safety cushion of fat/oil in order to prevent lye-heaviness in the finished soap. Basically the same as 'lye-discounting', but different in approach (see 'Lye Discount' for details).
*Tincture* - Herbal preparation made from steeping herbs/botanical material in alcohol. 
*Tongue Test/Zap Test* - A time-honored test to discern if there is any un-reacted lye left in one's unmolded soap. In CP, the ideal time to tongue-test is when the unmolded soap is at least 3 days to 1 week old. In HP, the time to tongue-test is after the gel-stage is complete. In liquid soap-making, the time to tongue-test is after the paste-stage is complete. To conduct the test with CP soap, wet your finger in water and rub it on the soap's surface to create a small bit of lather. Then, gingerly touch the lathered finger to only the very tip of your tongue. If you feel an immediate 'zap' or stinging sensation, it means that the saponification reaction is not quite complete and the soap is not safe to use yet. Rinse and spit with water if you feel you need to. Conduct the test again in a few more day's time, repeating in the same manner as needed until no zap can be detected. To test in HP, stir the hot, gelled batter well, remove a small bit of batter with a spoon, let it cool a bit, and then test in the same manner as you would CP soap. To test with liquid soap paste, remove a small bit of paste, let cool if you need to, then finish in the same manner as with CP. Once 'zap' is no longer detected, the soap is safe to use. Please don't confuse 'safe-to-use' with 'cured'. Once the soap is safe to use, it will still need to be cured for at least 4 weeks (please see 'Cure' for further info regarding the benefits of cure).
*Zap* *Test*- see 'Tongue Test.


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