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Ooooh....you have just inspired me to try some poppy seed with lemongrass EO...always have poppy seeds on hand for my Challah...

Funny you should post this when you did because I had a similar question. I've been using the "Dugger" recipe for years now and am happy with it ($5 for ten gallons who wouldn't be) I've been grating a store bought soap that was recommended in the original recipe and was wondering what kind of...

I'll try to find it for you, but I'm not sure it will answer all of your questions. In a very general sense, a bar that is not cured will be harsh and drying, will not lather well and will melt quickly under water. The loss of water will improve melting times, the harshness and lathering are...

Ah...you make me feel so normal, thank you! Below is a pic of my EO's and just my kilos of EOs...they are on the dining room table today because I ordered a 5 shelf steel unit that my son will be assembling and we will be clearing out the "junk" room and turn it into a soaping room. I should...

I had a similar thread about this question not that long ago and many of the science geeks gave me a lot of great info on the subject. While water loss is one aspect of cure, certain oils continue to morph and improve over time. Olive oil is one of them. The soaps that take 4-6 weeks to cure...

Below is a pic of my grandson Zach. Since birth, he has spent every Friday till Saturday night with me (I'm so blessed). Tonight when he came I had a special surprise for him. Amazon had a deal of the day with 36 containers of playdoh for a crazy low price, so of course I bought it. I opened...

Reminds me of the bond my Vegas had with the neighbors lab. Bailey would come over every morning and "knock" on the back door for Vegas to come out...they would kiss each other and hang out for a bit, sometimes play. When Vegas broke his leg, Bailey was out of his mind when he didn't see him...

Capitalism at it's very best! Having made both I can tell you that both can be very time consuming. I have seen CP soaps that I wouldn't pay 5 bucks for and M&P that were worth much more. That being said, assuming the the CP vendor had some attractive, good quality soaps...I would think any CP...

Welcome! We come from similar roots...I also started making soap because I could not use commercial soap and buying handmade was getting too expensive (that was 20 years ago before handmade soaps were the rage). I too started with M&P but I had good results with glycerin and added botanicals...

You explained it so well even a math moron like me got it! Thank you!

I use 25% Shea on a regular basis with good results

I got what at that time called brick red, an oxide from BB I think, now they call it Americana red. Here's what it looked like in my holiday soaps:

Yup, I was trained in french cooking and duck fat is the best for giving foods a really silky texture. Once I started cooking kosher it was a lifesaver for me when I could no longer cook my meat in butter. I wonder if duck fat would lend the same silkiness to soap? Has anyone tried it?

(blushing) I don't sell, these are for friends, family and co workers for the holidays...since they have to cure I'm on a soap making binge to get them all done. IMHO, there is no such thing as an ugly soap...utilitarian is a good way to put it. If it does the job, it wins...

Thanks, about half of them are headed to the food bank as rejects, the black and green and the black multicolored failed swirl (ricing disaster) as well as the round bars that were supposed to look like coffee beans, but instead look like puffed wheat. And the stacks of loofa disasters...yep...

Ahh....the curse of that "one more swirl", been there done that. Never say "oops" say "There!" Package it up to the younger members of your family for Halloween as Zombie Fright Night soap!

You move towels out of the bathroom to make room for curing soaps... (I'm not even posting the pics of my bedroom :shock:)

Thanks for the link, the shipping was over ten bucks but I found it on Amazon for $22 and I have prime, so the price would be way lower. I have a food saver, I wonder how well it would do?

Found this 3 pound loaf mold at Michaels, with the 40% off coupon code (FALL4015) it was $27.09 with shipping. I felt that was a really good value. Be aware a lot of the colors and fragrances they sell at Michaels can't be used in lye soap, they are made for melt and pour...

Welcome! Humidity will affect drying times and you have to be careful not to leave your lye uncovered as it will soak up the humidity and cause issues, but lots of people in humid areas make soap just fine...I'm on Long Island 250 feet away from the bay so I speak from experience... I don't...