Search results

Thanks! Looks like I'll be doing another set of test batches with various water discounts.

Thank you!!! This is way better than Bulk Apothecary + shipping. I'll check there. edit: just checked, and no CVS within 30 miles of me has it, but Walgreens has a similar deal going. Thank you!!! Thanks! I'll try that.

Whaaaaaaat??? I just checked my bottle of olive oil from Costco (Kirkland Signature). The label just says "Refined Olive Oil and 15% Extra Virgin Olive Oil." Wouldn't they have to state if they were mixing it with something else? I did some googling and found this: Source: The Best Olive...

I realize you're in New Zealand and I'm in the US, but I'm actually not finding rice bran oil to be very cheap. Curious if anyone US based has suggestions on where to source it? I just updated my pricing spreadsheet and I can get Olive Oil (regular, not extra virgin or organic) for US$5.02 per...

Fantastic, thanks! I'll try 3% SF then. Even more reason to love it! I may chill it moving forward, but at least I can do a test batch today with my room-temp AVJ. That's definitely a good point. If I do start running into that issue, I'll definitely switch - I'd just rather use the citric...

Thanks! I'll keep that in mind. I think I'm going to follow @KiwiMoose's suggestion of replacing the cocoa butter with soy wax, so hopefully that will help. I think I'm comfortable enough with my new tweaks to try a test batch. I'll let you know how it goes!

Thanks! My boyfriend thinks I'm nuts, but I know I'll be happier with the end recipe if I take the time to do all these test batches. Would 3% SF be too low for 20% CO? I'm hesitant to go below 5% SF. Definitely going to use AVJ for the water. - Can I sub it 100%? Does it need to be frozen...

Awesome! I love this and think it would do well in my market. Do you have a recommended supplier? Right now I have a 7lb jug from BulkApothecary, but I'm not sure they're the most cost-effective source. I was hesitant to switch to soy at first (due to GMO and hormone concerns that some...

Thank you for clarifying! Do you think I should try increasing my superfat % to make a less-drying bar? Yes you're totally right! I'm hoping the increased castor oil will help sustain the lather from the 20% coconut oil. Thank you so much for the suggestion! I actually have a jug of Aloe...

Thank you! I was trying to include certain oils that I had read help with lather (hemp, sweet almond) and also have label appeal. (I'm in Colorado, so hempseed oil is big here...) Where do you generally source soy wax? I have some for candle-making but I have the impression that it's not the...

Hey there, I came across this forum during my obsessive research and reading when I was first learning about soaping. I've been silently perusing/lurking for a while (yes I read all 40-something pages of the deodorant development, as well as the rise and fall of Genny's shampoo bar). I've read...

I updated my post to just include the % amounts rather than the screen shots from the soap calculator. I should add, I have made 5 batches of the original recipe with various colorants and FOs/EOs which all turned out great, plus a 6th batch that did not (I tried using Blue Pea Flower tea in...

Whoops! On my end those showed up as screen captures. I don't know what happened - I'll try again.

Hi guys! I've been tweaking and testing my recipes this spring. This recipe is the "base" of my basic bar soaps. Vegan and palm-free are very important in my local market, which is making formulation... tricky. Trying to "perfect" my base before I start playing with fun colors, designs, and...