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I really like almond oil. I get good responses from people who use it when they compare it to Avocado oil but Avocado oil has such label appeal - people think is is fabulous!! Fortunately we grow some almonds in Australia so we still have supply despite covid. Cannot say the same for Fos the...

Sorry I don't know anything about the science. You don't need ammonia to use indigo for clothes in this blog. I've used this method to reduce my indigo and it certainly makes the indigo powder go further. We use tiny amounts of powered indigo to colour soap but you need to use a lot to...

I find that I use less indigo by infusing it than I do when making a slurry. But if your whole life s not governed by frugality (unlike mine) this might not be a concern for you. :rolleyes: Also it really, really depends on where you buy your indigo. If you get it from dharma trading it is...

If you get a flat board (perforated if possible to allow airflow) and cut circles with a hole saw. Like a pegboard with giant holes. Your round soap will sit in the holes and not roll. You might need to router the edge so it’s on a slope and smooth. If your soaps are 80mm diameter you would use...

To ue the split method dissolve the weight of lye required by the recipe in the same weight of water. Use the remaining water amount from the recipe as milk and mix it into the oils. If you want to make 100% goats milk soap you can add enough powdered goats milk to the milk to make the total...

ROE is one of those things that really does effect the longevity of oils and as a consequence the longevity of your soap. It’s easy to add 0.05% to liquid oils when they arrive and it really is worth it in the long run. I don’t bother adding it to butters or hard oils.

You can use liquid laundry detergent bottles for this. They are free - sort of. Have to take the labels off and write on them in thick black texts but they work well especially the ones with a spout built in.

I’m sure that was me. A lesson learnt from someone who’s been here longer than me. 😊

One of my favourite fragrances has been discontinued so I got 5 samples to test for a replacement. I was making a soap so just reserved some of the batter. Perfect. I mixed in the FOs to small cubes of the batter. Wasn’t until later that I realised that the charcoal soap won’t allow me to see if...

I find 100% CO drying for my skin and a bar lasts about a week. I use soap directly on my skin not on a washer so that might make a difference but boy they dissolve fast even after a really long cure unless they are a salt bar and then they last a little longer.

Olive oil. 🥰

I don't bother with the "numbers" but I think that your soap is probably going to be sticky and soft with that much Castor. I'd keep the castor below 5%. Olive oil is a hard oil that will harden up your soap. I can't use that much coconut oil. I use less than 10% but generally none at all in...

We do have some "nose to tail" restaurants but that hasn't extended to handmade soap as far as I know here. (But who knows? Maybe in Byron Bay!😂) Very interesting to hear about GM and colloidal oat soap and your skin. I am sure a lot of people get benefits from various additives and that is...

I think you will get a few varying opinions like this post (from 2010 admittedly): https://www.dairygoatinfo.com/threads/pencillin-in-soap-milk.24989/ Personally I only use food grade ingredients in my soap. It is up to you.

Aloe plants thrive in really crappy, very aerated soil. Sand, perlite or even gravel. Anything that allows water to flow through it readily. It's the type of plant that thrives on neglect.

What you might be forgetting is the very fickle “label appeal”. This phenomenon is a very regional. With so many very vocal lardites on this forum I assume lard is very popular in handmade soap in the US but it is a very different situation in Australia. So you have to really know your market...

^^ Zing has given you a method to avoid soda ash. You can also soap at 110*F and you will avoid ash and ash swirls through the soap. Sometimes swirls are caused by Coconut oil or Palm oil that isn't melted enough. If you pour a mix too thin (too close to emulsion) it can cause ash. Adding...

Yes the soap is usable but you might find as it cures that the different sections will cure at different rates so you get indents in the soap where the glycerin rivers are. Those links about will show you how to avoid them in future if you want a clear soap that you can reproduce everytime.

You can prevent soda ash by soaping warmer - about 110*F and ensuring gel by covering it and wrapping the soap in the mold until it is ready to unmold. Wait until it is like firm cheddar cheese before cutting it. If it is still soft when you do unmold it put it on a plastic rack or tray and wrap...

To me it is just not worth the risk that if you give away a soap made with Hemp seed oil it may develop DOS in future. There are many oils with similar properties that make lovely soap without having to worry about DOS. You do not know how the people you give soap to store it and how quickly...