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@MelissaG it might have something to do with the Stark Law. It is also known as the anti-kickback statute. There is a profit motive in some aspects of health care and the Stark Law is to prevent fraud or abuse. For example, a doctor should not refer patients to a CAT scan he/she has a financial...

Wow thanks @Zany_in_CO I wish she had shown us the unmolding and cutting. She didn't say what properties the juice brought to the soap. I found another cactus soap maker with a great idea for the pads...dehydrate and grind to a powder. Neat! I think I will try that next because the fruit is...

I did it. Made 3 identical batches with the only variable being the cactus juices. No color or fragrance was added. Since I batch my lye solution, only 1/3 of the volume came from the juices. The one marked with a "C" is the control where only distilled water was added with the lye. The one...

I have been adding aloe vera juice to some of my soaps, but I suspect aloe vera gel might be better. The juice is so watery looking, so I planted an aloe vera in my back yard to grow my own gel. They do well here with all the sunshine. But it is going to take ages to grow big enough--Sigh! I...

Thanks @TheGecko , you always have an interesting and helpful something to add. I have a new issue you might know something about, but I should start a new thread for it--cactus juice!

This forum. Welcome! :computerbath:

This is good news @Mobjack Bay ! I can make a soap that has more longevity than the soap calc indicates with GW415. I did copy your custom sap values and profile. I use it all the time now for my recipes and it appears to be true. I am very grateful for your research and your sharing that...

Welcome :okay:

Hi @Mobjack Bay, thank you for your thoughtful reply. I have officially, well and truly, fallen down the soapmaking rabbit hole. I read the post you referred to above and saw that there are many variables, some we can't account for. I gave my husband a slim end piece to try. I had tested it...

@Zany_in_CO , apart from a good basic soap, what does Dr. Squatch have that we don't have--or I should say that I don't have? Very clever marketing, that's what!

Yes @earlene, I think you are right. I was using 1% Na Gluconate TBW because our Southern Arizona water is horrendous-with a capital H! I have only one friend who doesn't use a water softener, so maybe I don't need it. Back to basics. And yes indeed, men and women are different!

Hi @KiwiMoose, Yes, recently. I lowered the SF to 3% then 2%. I did that because my number 1 guinea pig (the husband) complained the soap was sort of hard to rinse off, said he felt slick from the soap and had to rinse more. I am not sure that is a bad thing, but maybe it has something to do...

Hi @dibbles, thanks for your reply. Glad to hear there is no drama with the aloe and sugar together. I did start with 30% coconut oil and found it quite a bit drying for me personally. I have been making a pound of soap each week to tweak my recipe. I have gradually brought the coconut oil down...

Oh @Zany_in_CO ! Thank you for keeping my feet on the ground! I am still searching for my basic bar. I reckon that soap making is like learning a dance...once you know the basic steps then you can improvise to your heart's content. So, I'm going back to basics with the trinity--Olive, coconut...

Thanks@AliOop, I'm palm-free but would love to try the dual lye idea. I will have to order even more soapmaking supplies to get the free shipping. Will have to start hiding them from the hubby the way I used to hide yarn. ;):okay:

Help! Somebody save me from myself! If all three (sugar, aloe juice, sorbitol) increase lather, can I hit them all up for my soap. Does each one bring something to the table or too much of a good thing since they are all sugars? Or a little of each can work synergistically? Like how much of...

OOOH so sorry @earlene, I know who you are, you have been so helpful to me and other newbies. 😖

@earline, yes, sometimes Arizona is like opening the oven door and sticking your face in. 🥵I'm just having a really good time playing with my soaps. Some of my oils are getting old and the soy wax was so cheap, so I'm being a bit wasteful by pushing the envelope. I want to get a feel for my...

Yes @Phantomka, I am happy with the color thanks to @KiwiMoose who suggested using neons. It is Neon Purple House Party from WSP used at 1/4tsp PPO. It is actually a bit lighter and softer than the picture shows, but still pretty.

@AliOop Thank you! I'm honored. Ha Ha Ha :dance: @TheGecko, so stearic acid and cooled wax are sort of the same thing. I was calling it stearic spots because there is so much stearic in the soy wax. After thinking on it a while, I think it is whole pieces of cooled wax. The thing is, I knew it...