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I'm in the neutral group, I guess the Swedin of Shea preference. I certainly don't mind it, but I can't say I love it.

Yeah, I think there are more like you out there than some seem to think! We make it known that we can customize our cosmetic line and get quite a few requests for coconut oil substitution (though still a small overall percentage of customers...).

I print out two copies of the SoapCalc formula and put my notes on that - I keep one copy alongside each soap in it's drying area and also name each soap with a simple letter/number system. In the shower, I keep the test soaps lined up (out of the reach of the kids) and above each piece on the...

Coconut is a type of palm as well! So there you go. But most understand what is meant when a company refers to their products being palm-free. I keep meaning to try murumuru - it is rather pricey though!

In general, I suppose, that's typically how it works - we do do what works for us! While we've had quite a few more than 2 customers have issues with coconut oil, it's certainly still a small percentage of our shoppers.

We don't use palm or animal products in our items, so it's just coconut or babassu for us! Our babassu is definitely more expensive than coconut, but at 20 cent per ounce premium, it's just a bit of a price bump per bar and there are many out there who either don't like or have skin issues with...

I believe using a more concentrated lye solution is supposed to quicken trace, at least from what I've read. I typically go with a 40-45% lye solution and find that trace doesn't come too quick for me, even when stick blending. But then, I don't do any fancy patterns or intricate designs, just...

I tried my 100% organic, refined babassu bar today for the first time (20% SF with some lemongrass EO) and directly compared it to my 100% Coconut (aslo 20% SF) - they're quite similar, as you might expect, though not quite the same. To me the babassu is a bit foamier whereas the coconut is...

For me it's more about all the different oils and butters there are to try - to start with, we have dozens of different oils on hand we use for our cosmetic shop, and then when I order raw ingredients, there are always new oils I'm tempted to try for soaping...so I can kinda relate!

Unrefined argan oil does have a very peculiar scent to it, that some say reminds them of goat poop... As others have said though, it is a carrier oil not an essential oil.

Whoa! That sounds like a dangerous mess. HDPE should be ok up to ~250 F, from what I've read, at least for short periods of time, but perhaps the plastic loses strength over time...

As mentioned above, refined Shea can be almost white, but unrefined Shea will be off-white yellow/brown-ish and will have a distinct Shea-like smell. Maybe like putty or clay...it's hard to describe. It can be an odd scent if you're not used to it, but not a rancid or bad oil smell. In my...

Thanks again for the tip - turns out many of the raw ingredients we order (butters/clays) come in #2 containers, so I washed a few empties up and I'm ready to lye without the imminent threat of a shattery mess looming!

Ahh, I see. Yeah, it's all soapified, just not gellified! My guess is that the gel line will fade enough though and this soap will likely just be for personal use anyway, as I just wanted to use up some Indian almond oil we no longer use in our skincare shop.

I don't understand what you're saying - It is a soap, it's just not gelled all the way to the edge. High lye concentration soaps do tend to be trickier to fully gel...

From everything I've read and understood, it should really be 'safe' to use after 48 hours or so if your lye to oil ratios are correct, though it won't be any good that that point, in terms of soapiness.

I just wash my molds with water, and while there is a residual scent in the mold, I've yet to notice it transfer to a new bar of soap. I do only use essential oils at relatively low concentrations though.

Made a soap a couple of days ago at 42% lye conc and OP it in 170 F degree oven, turned off after putting ~37oz loaf in, left in till next morning - over 12 hours....still not quite fully gelled with about a 1/4 inch edge undone. Weird.

Great idea! You don't find you have an increased likelihood of soda ash with them exposed? Or perhaps having them in the cooler is enough to prevent soda ash. At this point, I'm really not doing much to make my soaps look pretty - so I'm not sure how much you all need to see a pic of my single...

It's just likely that your formula is resulting in a quick trace - what ingredients/proportions are you using?