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I still find those numbers confusing. The citric acid and the extra sodium hydroxide will give you sodium citrate. So let's take your two % and make a fixed amount - 15g of sodium citrate or 20g citric acid. When you use citric acid and more lye the resulting sodium citrate will be heavier...

I would check your usage rates on the citric acid and the sodium citrate - the extra sodium hydroxide you need when adding critic acid is because the citric acid and the sodium hydroxide combine to make sodium citrate! If you use as much citric acid at 1-2% you're ending up with more sodium...

You might find that the high co also reduces your longevity. Sodium cocoate bubbles well because it's very soluble. If you're looking for a hard but long lasting bar, you might be better off either going all out for a salt bar, or subbing out some co for less soluble hard oil like lard and/or tallow

Testing a soap before 4-6 weeks is a good idea at the start, because you see why that sort of cure is needed. Do keep on testing every week or so, but don't start judging it until 4 weeks or more

....plus any other bath and body products you want to sell. PLUS any general restrictions on running a business, like Germany apparently needing a totally separate kitchen than your family one. Or how until the last few years here in Austria you would only get a license for running a cosmetics...

MdC is priced more on hype than actual performance - maybe not compared to the commercial soaps out there, but compared to most of the artisanal soaps it's not all that bon

I think the miscommunication was really about how much weight loss means your soap is still curing intensively (because a soap never stops curing). Did you record the weights and dates? I imagine you'd plot a graph very similar to that in DeeAnna's post. You'll have to find your own...

Not sure that it would help too much - you're basically making the water in to a thin lotion which would also coat the dishes (but might be easy enough to rinse off) Even then, I honestly don't know who it would cope with soapy water instead of plain. Maybe try adding some poly 80 in to your...

It would have to be a high superfat though. Soap molecules bind with things like oils (part of how they clean, why 100% coconut oil soap can feel very harsh etc) and so of course the extra oil in the bar binds quickly with the soap molecules as you lather up. Part of the reason why selective...

"Smelly wax" Smelly wax, smelly wax What are they feeding you? Smelly wax, smelly wax It's not your fault.......

I think the concern with residues in a spray tube has more to do with the first use being a bit "bleachy" - if it's a pump bottle with eye serum, no one wants any bleach in those first pumps!

No, you've asked good questions! Certainly the ratio will have an impact on how hard it is. The amount of water used and how long it is cooked for can also have at least the appearance of an impact, especially at first. But the cure will also do a lot for the soap. I suppose a different tack...

It varies greatly. Some places offer a price including X number of slight variations, where X can also vary from assessor to assessor. Don't forget you'll also need to log each batch on the portal and that jazz.

Using more sodium hydroxide would help keep the bar firmer. Making sure you give it a super long cure and let it dry out between uses really well would also be a good idea. Also as a wet shaver myself I just take my ceramic tub with me when I have to travel for work (using ceramic pots is a...

And also look to keep the superfat % as low as you safely can

My first moulds had removable ends BUT! They had a longer base sticking out that open end with a back stop so I could accurately cut the soap using the edge of the mould as a guide once I removed the liner

I went for a laser thermometer, too - has more uses than just making soap, so was worth the extra (which wasn't much extra thinking about it) But as others said, I don't use it all that much for making soaps

Bub. He's a bub. And a lovely wee pup!

The physical hardness of an oil has less to do with how it changes speed trace than how quickly that oil will react with the lye. Fractionated Coconut oil isn't hard but will react quickly

As above - "safe to use" and "best to use" are not the same thing at all. You'll find your own sweet spot for curing your soaps. As you can see from the replies above, there isn't one answer for everyone (and it can also vary based on what type of soap is being made!) so you might not find the...