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Ditto on being long-winded! I'm not exactly a newbie, having more than 25 batches under my belt, but mostly cold process (CP). I live in El Salvador, a place where hobbies aren't the norm, and soaping supplies don't exist. Also awareness of environmental concerns are only in a classroom setting...

@momoha is there a vanaspati that maybe has a simpler mix of oils? Where I live that shortening I mentioned earlier is the only one that has almost all palm, but there's other liquid oil blends that have only palm and soy (70 and 30% respectively), others that have palm and olive (90/10%). It's...

My not using castor oil is partly due to economy. The only presentation available here is 2 oz bottles and they're $2.50 each, with a discount. Otherwise, just one of the bottles alone costs $2.75-2.80. Not worth it if I'm making a batch that's more than a lb. On the other hand, I saved the last...

You post isn't exactly old but there's been a couple of weeks since the last response (yours). So I'm responding just to leave a comment about CO percentages. I have super dry and thin skin due to meds I take so my soaps have had to be almost in the single digits on the cleansing scale. My soaps...

I haven't yet read all the comments but something you said struck me as odd, that you can't get palm oil in India. India produces and consumes a huge amount of palm oil because it's one of the cheapest fats for cooking. So I went looking and found that hydrogenated palm oil (also called...

I wish there was a way to preserve the green colors. That matcha is so pretty.

I hadn't thought about it since it was all the rage for the health freaks (no offense intended to health freaks everywhere!). My neighbor has a few bushes of it, though they don't seem ripe yet. I'll ask for one and report back when I've made some.

Maybe using pandan frozen would help? I always do botanicals frozen to try to keep the natural color. Doesn't always work, but it does enough times. Good luck!

I don't masterbatch because I've no place to store the mixed lye. A small jar of lye is easier to put away. However, I do this when I'm going to soap with added liquids or just water-containing additives: Do the calculation for 2:1 lye to water ratio. Note how many grams of liquid that means...

I'll add here that I live in El Salvador and I recently (like 7 months ago) I used the last of my filtered seawater that a friend had given me. He'd collected it from a beach that had no large settlement nearby, and he them passed the water through a water filter meant to make water potable. He...

Have you tried Reynolds parchment? I've also used Betty Crocker's, and they've both worked pretty well. The rolls aren't very big if you get them at a Dollar Store but maybe they've got bigger ones at local supermarkets? In any case, I'm able to re-use the linings in each mold 4-6 times each.

I've been using large yogurt containers (2lb ones) since I started soaping and they've yet to let me down. They have a 2 or 5, depending on the brand. I use them for the batter and the lye, both.

Just a note: I know horchata in Mexico is made from rice, milk, and cinnamon. However, in El Salvador horchata is made from the lightly toasted seeds of a gourd, along with some cinny. They'll sometimes add milk but it's not the usual. I think I'll have to see how it does in soap!

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Just a comment on the use of ground cinnamon in soap. The cinnamon from Ceylon and Vietnam is real cinnamon: spicy, aromatic, and more expensive than most. Mexican cinnamon you buy in rolls, with thin papery layers is also real cinny! Just hard to find outside of Latin American shops. On the...

FWIW, I'm in a rural area in El Salvador and my water supply isn't municipal but from a water co-op, so, for soaping I collect rainwater, purify it with bleach and let it sit, covered, for at least 5 days. At least during the rainy season. During the dry, I take a gallon or so of water from the...

@atiz thank you! That works! @earlene I wanted to take note of the recipe in percentages and I couldn't wrap my head around how to do that, but your math helped me on my way! For both of you!!

Thanks, @earlene, but do I then just calculate the recipe by the amounts? Instead of by percentages, I mean.

I'm feeling stuck. I have a recipe in mind but it includes an oil blend. I don't HAVE to use it, but it's getting old and I don't want to waste it. Also it's been infused with paprika and annato for almost 3 months! The oil blend is 70:30 palm and soy. The recipe I've run through Soapee: SF 6%...

I'll be keeping positive thoughts for your son. Hang in there.