Search results

I always have trouble with spices (and many florals). Pumpkin Spice turned to soap on a stick on me, but I did the same as you did and it worked out OK. The rustic look worked with that soap.

We'd need the exact recipe, including the amount of water and lye, to make a perfect diagnosis as to what's happening here. However, high water (as in using SoapCalc and allowing it to use the default 38% percent of oil weight) can certainly result in a softer soap. Using high percentages of...

Because I fell under 150 bars in stock with what I'm giving away this Christmas, of course the urge to make some overtook me. I managed to resist all but a four-bar test... It's a whitened olive-heavy soap for good conditioning and mild cleansing, with a heaping teaspoon of colloidal oatmeal I...

Most seem to hate them, I've been using a lard-based recipe with moderate super fat for years with absolutely no issues (except that my hair is bright and shiny). The recipe is 60% lard, 20% olive, 15% coconut, 5% castor. 5% super fat. Whatever scent strikes my fancy. My hair is...

Technically? If you pour the hydrogen peroxide into the wash when you do it, yes. Keep in mind, most hydrogen peroxide mixes are only 3%, so it would take quite a bit and be pretty expensive. You can buy more concentrated hydrogen peroxide, but be very careful with it if you do. It can be...

OxiClean is sodium percarbonate. It's available at a lot of pool chemical stores cheaper than you can get it anywhere else, but you can do pretty well price-wise when ordering online too. It kills two birds with one stone--in water, it breaks down into hydrogen peroxide and sodium carbonate...

Technically, I'd say it's "just" chemistry and physics. All else follows. Which means it's all physics, since chemistry is an emergent property of physics. And we're emergent chemistry. :think: But that's true of any part of the Universe. And while we can't create art that isn't allowed by...

Washing soda (sodium carbonate) is also good at softening water and reducing soap scum, and making the soap work a bit better. It's certainly not necessary and the only place I use it is in laundry soap. You'll make your own glycerin during the saponification process, so you're covered there...

Been there and done that, with green oxide, ultramarine blue, and black oxide. And once, with Blue #1, leaving purple residue all over the place. Like the above note, we use too much, you and I. Cut back the amounts and, for a good dark green, look for a forest green mica. You can also use a...

That would be just fine, actually; early on, I was using water as oil weight at 38%! Then add a bit more water for water-dispersable colorants. It does take a bit longer to cure, but cure it does. OK, that one might not cure so well. :-) Even 6 oz of extra oil in 2 pounds is a super...

I'm sure that would help, but I'm not generally in a rush. Particularly with a Castile that will spend eighteen months curing no matter what I do.

Mine's very easy. 100% OO. 3% super fat. Circa 30% lye concentration. No color or fragrance. 1 tsp honey. Keep cool to suppress gel. Four days to decant without losing bits at the corners. Cut on the fifth day, usually. Cure eighteen months before use. Except that I've been told that...

Normal! I have a batch I made on November 24 when my cousin finally told me she wanted something for Christmas but she had trouble with scent. The edges are hard, but as you push in at the center of the bar, it's a tad soft. Water doesn't evaporate evenly, and those outside areas have more...

Well, at least I no longer feel like a mutant. :-) I'll try cutting it down next time--the five percent oatmeal was probably a bit much. At least it's currently curing beautifully, smells amazing, and has a great texture. I'm anxious to try this in late January!

Yep, but for me that's a standard additive at 1 tsp PPO. I like the lather and the label appeal when giving soap as gifts. "Oh, this has honey in it!" Yeah, yeah it does. :-) I'm used to the heating from the honey, but this was a cracked and swollen top that looked like it might...

I was around 110, and the fragrance was mixed lavender and ginger--which has never given me a problem before. I'm gonna assume I was hotter than I thought I was and it simply went faster than expected, I guess!

I made my first oatmeal and honey soap yesterday, 22g PPO oatmeal, 1 tsp PPO oils. The recipe was: 80% Tallow 15% Coconut 5% Castor This thing overheated like a...but I probably shouldn't use that language here. :twisted: I almost always use honey at that rate and don't have a...

Tallow's awesome. I find that lard can smell a bit piggy, like a side of pork. Tallow, to my nose, is scentless in terms of anything extra like that. It just has the kind of oily odor you'd expect from a fat. Even overheating a bit, tallow doesn't take on any obnoxious scents. If you find...

I can't say I ever thought about it. :-) Offhand, I'd say I prefer multiple molds; an 18-bar mold in silicone would be kind of unmanagable in terms of supporting it if I need to move it, or putting it in the oven to CPOP if I end up doing that. If you gave me my dream mold, it would be...

I have four molds, two quite long, one shorter (but wider), and the 1 pound loaf which is very short indeed. It sort of depends on what I'm doing as to which one I choose. I also have oval, square, round, Euro-bar, and floral silicone molds. For my standard run of 8 to 18 bars or so, I'll...