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Have you smelled a pine tar soap made by a hand-crafter (vs a commercial product)? I ask because, personally, I don't think they smell at all the same. I've smelled commercial bars and always thought they smelled great. But I tried making it once and the smell was so bad that I had to move...

Due to it's high ricinoleic acid content, castor oil is a unique FA in that it acts as both an oil and an alcohol. As such, it saponifies quickly into a soap that is very soluble. When used in LS, it helps to soften the paste and it adds clarity to the finished diluted soap. Also, as Zany...

As Susie says, it's just one of those things that makes LS unique, and it in no way affects the performance of the soap. When I ship LS during colder months, I make sure to let the recipient know that it might go white and cloudy, but letting it warm up will bring the clarity back. Every...

How much EO are you using in your soap, and who do you buy it from? You might just need more. I much prefer lavender FO as it smells more like what people think it should smell like. Also, you might want to ask yourself if you think your customers know the difference between an EO and a FO...

That's always a possibility. Except that I'm a geek. When I try other people's bars, I cut them in half and use just 1 half. I then put the other half (without having been used), on my curing rack and I track water loss over time. That piece still had DOS. And it looks like my ramblings may...

It's my understanding that SBHP is the invention of Sharon Johnson. At one point or another, there was a pretty expensive shroud of mystery over this process. She sells her ebook on her website. While I'm happy to see that you didn't pay money to learn the process, I will note that 2 weeks...

Again, I'm not trying to discourage you from trying it. I tried a lot of weird things when I started out. Will a batch of soap that you make with SBHP get DOS? Who knows? My impression from talking with this other vendor was that she has paid a lot of money for a formula and the...

My intent was not to discourage the OP when it comes to using additives. . . . Personally, I find this technique (SBHP) to be rather gimmicky, and based on the bar I was given and what I've read/heard about the technique, there is a lot that can go wrong. Granted, it's been 2 years and maybe...

Have you tried a bar of soap made with this method? I had 1 given to me 2 years ago. I was a vendor at a fair and another soaper came to my booth and proceeded to lecture me on why this was the best method ever. . . . Most of her reasoning revolved around the fact that it didn't need a cure...

I agree with Susie--lower the castor and coconut. I will say that I use coconut-92. . . . most use the 76, but the 92 does seem to firm up the soap in the early stages; after a cure, I don't see a difference.

As long as your LS is formulated with a high amount of oleic acid (and at the same time, not too much coconut or castor), salt should thicken it beautifully. It might take some trial an error, but you'll get there. My current recipe is 60% HO sunflower (with the rest being coconut, castor...

Okay--I looked at my calendar and realized that if I didn't try the Propanediol Liquid Soap (PLS) today, it'd be next week before I had a chance. Luckily, it came together REALLY quick. From starting with Soapee.com to the finished "paste", it took all of 40 minutes (if that). The formula is...

Before you write-off foamers based on the price of the bottles. . . I sell both pumps and foamers, and it cost me less to put together an 8 oz foamer bottle than it does an 8 oz pump--even though the foamer bottles are more expensive. Keep in mind that even with the glycerin, your thick soap...

Salt (NaCl) should be all that you need to thicken a true (high oleic) Castile.

I haven't had any luck finding the corn glycerin. Now that I've slept on it and had my coffee, I <<think>> it was at SaveOnCitric.com, and it may have been a closeout item. You might also look into Propanediol which is a corn-based replacement for Propylene Glycol. I haven't tried it as a...

I know I've seen corn glycerin somewhere, but I can't remember where, and I can't find it now. I'll keep an eye out for it. As for refining your own... ???

Cream soaps typically have more water to them which will help to soften the soap. There are posts on the forum; I haven't tried 1 in a long time.

Based on the ingredient list: it looks like a cream soap.

. . . or . . . You could just use the thin soap in a foamer bottle (this bottle with this top). Even though ultra-thick liquid soap is akin to the Holy Grail, I much prefer a thinner soap in a foamer bottle for hand washing. The thicker soaps are nice for making body washes (where a bath...

I concur. There's not much that bothers my skin. . . . except lemongrass. Even small amounts in a wash-off product sets me on fire.