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Sure did! I've paid my benefactor back with several loaves of my homemade sourdough bread, so we're both winners! :dance:

The EOs I received were stored in a heated/air conditioned cabinet away from light. All are in original bottles, and many had never been opened and those that had been are almost full. I've used a few already, and they seem fine. Only the citrus smell milder than my new ones. Here's a good...

I've made 100s of batches and can hardly wait to cut into each new one. It's still exciting every time. That's why I love making soap! I've been working on patience for nearly 70 years, so I'm not too optimistic on that front!

I made a batch today with Orchard Plow blend from EOcalc: 55% patchouli, 30% lemongrass, 15% ylang ylang. Smells amazing so far!

I used some of those EOs I was gifted and made a One Pot Wonder loaf with Orchard Plow blend from EOcalc. Eager to cut it tomorrow! (Will the waiting ever get easier???)

That's very interesting and surprising. I would have guessed that older EOs would be more safe since they have less fragrance and generally less oomph. Thanks for sharing this info! (Don't need the other $39 worth of knowledge ;))

Thanks again, @Zany_in_CO . I chuckled reading your reply, remembering when I used to supervise a team of counselors who often came to me for answers and left frustrated because the answer so often was "it depends." Yep, my gift is definitely a mixed blessing. I'll experiment and see which...

Thanks, @Zany_in_CO . That post is helpful info for testing the fragrance strength. I know for sure the scent is milder in some of the old EOs. I'm wanting to know if I can use a higher percentage of the EO to compensate, or does the usage rate remain the same no matter what?

I was very lucky to be gifted a great assortment of essential oils from a friend who no longer uses them. They're several years old, and I notice the scent of many of them is milder than the same newer ones I have. Since the scent is weaker, can I increase the usage to compensate, or does the...

Clever idea on the hanger tool and also a lovely soap. I love the way she made the border.

@Marsi Those are some good ideas for keeping the heat in check. And I especially like the idea of being able to peek at the soap. I'll never lose that urge to peek and see how my soaps are doing 😉

Thanks for your ideas. My lye concentration was my usual 35% and the FOs were from bottles I'd used before with no problem, so I don't think that was it. Maybe I can try covering it with just plastic wrap next time? And yes, a volcano in the frig would be disastrous!!!

I made a 60 oz batch yesterday in a slab mold that is a silicone liner in a wood box. Used my standard recipe (lard, OO, CO, avocado, castor), no milks or other additives except sodium lactate and clay for anchoring the previously well behaved FO. Placed the wood top over it and patiently...

The liner of the mold I have is 9.4 x 6.7 x 2.7 inches/ 24 x 17 x 6.8 cm. It makes soaps about the same size as yours. It's not the size I wanted, but I also couldn't find one that does. I would prefer bars the same size as my standard 10" loaf mold.

Got home last night about 2 am from a week in NY and woke up this morning to find an email from someone who bought my shampoo at a market and wants to come over to buy more! :dance:

My soap thing today was packing up soaps and shampoos for gifts for the visit I'm going on to NYC. I grew up there but haven't been back since 1972. I bet it hasn't changed a bit. Lol!

Per the original instructions, I used Gorilla Glue to hold it together. It makes those ugly white oozes but is strong as can be. Good score and good luck with your new boxes!

@Mobjack Bay Great article, thank you! I built these insulating boxes for my loaf molds. (Found the idea from a post on this forum but I don't remember who to credit for it.) They're not pretty, but they're super-insulating and also keep the molds from bowing out in the middle (especially...

Thanks for all these great suggestions. @Catscankim Briefly washing the soap did help quite a bit, brought the bright colors back, but it does leave the soap with a bit of a used look. Still better than the ashy look. @Mobjack Bay I intentionally kept the lye concentration at 35% instead of my...

@Zany_in_CO Patience? Huh? What's that? Is there a book on that? A pill you can take to get some? Never heard of the stuff... :hippo: I'm off on a vacation in a couple days, so I won't have another chance to be impatient (at least not about soapy stuff) for a few weeks, but I'll let you...