Search results

What is surprising is your high rate of OO and its quick saponification time. I make small batches - smallest being 380 gr of oils (13 ozs). They come out fine. I always use soapcalc at it's default setting mostly because I'm not confident enough to try anything else and because I know the...

Thanks, all, for the input. What I think I'll do is cut the cigarwrap to size and stick the label on it in the right place. Then it'll only be a case of putting the wraps on the soap just before the next sale. The first craft sale we went to, we used a make-on-the spot gift bags. They were...

Actually Pamielynn, that's something which will be really useful to me. It will help me see just how much the bars shrink. The reason why I want to do it is simply a labour saving issue. I have to label them and wrap them and I do small quantities of each recipe, so once I start the label...

I read that using oils high in Oleic make colouring the soap a lot easier because the mixture takes longer to gel. I've tried using colour and swirling, but so far haven't got anything near like what dimitris has on his post. Would like to be able to do that so have bought some Sunflower Oil...

Hi Rics - I was wondering if you used 'soapcalc' to check your recipes. It is a pretty good recipe test. On the print page, it has a Sat:Unsat Ratio. If the Sat is higher than, or near to the Unsat, you are going to get a hard bar. Also if the Lauric, Myristic, Palmitic and Stearic have a...

Could anyone tell me if it will make a difference to the curing of the soap if I wrap it in a paper cigarband a few days after it's come out of the mould provided that it has hardened? The cigarband is not tight and it does not cover the entire bar, it's about half the size of the bar. With...

My question is whether using the more expensive oils in cp soap makes a superior bar. Does it add anything to the soap? I have been using some of the more expensive oils but wondered if the end result was actually worth it. Thanks for the help already received on this board! P.S. It...

The lye (NaOH) is bought from a chemist - it's 98% pure. It's as well priced as the lye which can be bought in the supermarkets here (UK). Thanks Dagmar88 for the link, I saw them and they are better than the ones which can be bought here. Up oils and down lye is a good way to remember what to...

My scale is good except that it doesn't weigh part grams. I looked around for one, but our local shopping centre didn't have though they are to be found online for quite a high price. Will definitely look around for a graded spoon though, I didn't know they existed. Soapmaker3 sounds like a...

Aah, I've got it! I have to follow the guidelines of the chemist under whose canopy I sell and I find I can only use a maximum of 75% palm oil. Thanks to juiceman and savonierre for your input.

Are there any negative effects to using a high percentage 50%+ of palm oil in the soap? I've read that it may be very drying but had wondered if one could go as high as 100%. I know coconut oil is very drying. {My question isn't raised to spark ethical issues about the use of palm oil}...

Does everyone have a scale that allows measuring to be in part ounces or part grams. (I use grams). When one puts a recipe thru soapcalc, the measurement for water and NaOH almost always has a decimal side to it e.g. 67.086 grm for lye. I am sure ounces would work the same way. Is it...

Thanks DeeAnna, I want help so it's important for me to learn that it still requires 3-4 weeks curing time.

That's a bit of useful information, dagmar88, thank you. Does DOS happen no matter how much g/s oil is used?

Very interesting thread. Has anyone had OS when using a fair amount of Grapeseed Oil?

I have a soap order to fill in a hurry. I've never done CPOP before and wondered exactly how to do it, and whether the soap's ph at the end of the process is really suitable for immediate use. I have read up on it - literature says that one puts the mould into a pre-warmed oven at 170 C...

Thank you so much for the input. I am really using far too little essential oil it seems. That's good to know. I will up the amount and see how it goes. Sorry about the gms, it's what we use here, I forgot to convert for the board.

My soaps loose their smell very quickly. (Within 6 - 8 weeks.) I only use essential oils. I use about 4 EO g to 425 gr soap oils. Is there a way of ensuring that the smell remains longer in the soap? Do some EO last better than others? I use Bergamot, Lavender, Frankincense, Myrrh, Tea...

Thank you DeeAnna. I have never rebatched soap, so that information is new to me. I've read about rebatching, but never actually looked into how it works. My thinking had been that if I heat it up it may cause the excess water to evaporate and allow the soap to harden faster. It actually...

I made the soap about 3 weeks ago. At the time I added too much water to the clay and had not discounted the water for the lye. So I thought it might be problematic. (I had used the recipe before but did not record the amount of water. The soap turned out fine.) I put it in the oven, as...