Search results

I would like to get back to the original question. If I see an IFRA of 3.5% for bar soap, I am assuming that the calculation was a number given to each of the fragrance components then divided by a total; but what was the total? Was it based on the weight of finished cured soap? Since IFRA...

And if you can't find a palm shortening at your grocery store consider using lard for the palm amount. It will make a nice soap if you don't mind animal products.

I am a shower person with no washcloth. How the soap feels against my skin is important and it is how I judge other people's bars. I want silky and slip, lather and hardness are important but for me not the most important. A washcloth user could probably care less. I have a couple of...

I make about 1/3 of my soaps with fresh goatmilk. They are different; not necessarily better but different. The bar has a softer feel against my skin and the lather creamier. I can tell just by looking which are goatmilk because they don't have as hard a surface area and they will have a...

I didn't know this technique of using shreds had a name! My favorite confetti. I can use more shreds and have less chance of air bubbles; plus I like the textured surface. I have had problems recognizing trace. That was because 1) I SB the shreds in the oils but was busy and didn't add...

I thought it was my technique you were commenting. It isn't perfect but it does help; whisking in a fragrance helps so much it is my norm when using a new fragrance.

If you love fragrances that accelerate then my best tip is to make that same soap a lot of times and keep notes. You can never make an accelerating fragrance not accelerate but you can make it one that you can handle. Temps can make a difference but I don't think it is a hard rule and I have...

My goat milk soaps do not accelerate. However, because I am soaping with cooler temps and the goatmilk/lye solution isn't as thin as water/lye I find that my goat milk soap batter is thicker and designs that work best in a thinner batter aren't the best in my goat milk soaps. Since...

I once put a cat door in a piece of plexiglass to use in an open window in a rental unit. If you are creative I think you might be able to figure out something. It could be like a cat motel with a roof you open to add food but where each room has it's on cat flap. It wouldn't be cheap and...

I use Sam's olive oil but buy the one labeled 100% pure olive oil, mild flavor. It is a lighter color which I prefer as well as cheaper.

Thanks for the input. Any from WSP? with there 20% sale I was thinking of testing some.

Another new company I haven't heard about. Have you used? How bad is the Acceleration and ricing?

It does sound nice. They may have to be another supplier to order from.

Do you have a favorite rain/water scent? I have an ocean scent I like but I want something more like rain or a lake; not salty, some ozone, and clean. I don't mind some floral but I don't want a lot. I was using BB Rain but really don't like how it has changed over the years. It has a...

When you get that soap into the log turn to your files. I immediately go to the computer to make/update a word processing file that I have for each fragrance &/or sometimes technique. I note temps if I took them, issues making the soap batter, acceleration, discoloration when I added...

I get so tired of hearing complaints of poor sales at fairs when I have seen those vendors sitting all day, visiting with a friend or talking on the phone. Yes, it is your business and you can do what you would like. However, if your sales aren't what you want them to be then you have to look...

Julia, Red and some of the brown oxides are very prone to bleeding when you use very much. If you used enough for the soap to be red or reddish brown then it will be difficult to rebatch the soap and not have bleeding. If you only have a small swirl in a plain base then rebatching is a good...

My first soaps when I started in 2005 were Lavender Mint (still my favorite), a citrus FO, OMH, MMS' Red Clover Tea, Lavender EO, MMS' Gardenia Lily (no longer available). I made what sounded good and suggestions that I had received from others. I used one supplier, MMS where I also bought...

You can make your soap any level of business you want. It doesn't have to be difficult in the US. For a small business it is really nice to have repeat customers (not just friends) and that takes time to develop. So, going slow, trying out different things gives you time to find your style...

I test at 1 oz ppo or IFRA at lower. I test to determine that the fragrance soaps easy enough and that it survives over time (still sellable at 6 months). Once it meets those tests I can decide whether I like the fragrance enough to order and what rate I want to use for sale. It is easier...