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Here are some of the overflow soaps from my entry. I love the puppy dog paw mold, and it's a big hit so far with kids, too.

Not going to have time to make the third attempt that I wanted to, so here's my second one. Scented with a lovely, light citrusy EO blend and colored with pigment and micas from Nurture. I didn't let it sit in the sun for very long, so that last picture may be a little hard to...

Who?

Loft

Awesome! How'd the rebatch turn out?

Is it just the light, or are those starting to turn purple in the centers? Looks very pretty either way.

What research did you do for the essential oils? Two of those used are on the "Not Safe For Cats" list that I've found (Lavender and Rosemary). Honestly, for using on pets, I think you'd be far better off putting up with the natural scent of the neem oil.

I'm still new at soap making myself, actually got into it and made my first batch in June of last year. I'm a learn by doing sort, as well, plus also wanting to know WHY something works or doesn't. Considering how people's tastes and preferences vary, I don't usually post my recipes here before...

I'd think the substitution would largely depend on the main purpose of the beeswax in your recipe. If it needs to act as a thickener as well as skin barrier, then I'm not sure the straight sub would work very well. Lanolin is MUCH softer and stickier than beeswax. A balm I made recently with...

So... based on what else I do recall from learning about shaving soap, Flyrod's recipe should turn out at the very least pretty decent, yes?

Is the EO blend for anything other than fragrance? If not, I think I'd leave it out in a shampoo intended for dogs or other pets.

So, yes, I was wrong about castor. I don't remember seeing that in the long discussion, but I've slept since I read through it all, and sometimes things slip away when I'm not watching. Might have to try that for my next batch of shaving soap.

Spring Queen? That might work even if it morphs on to purple.

A mold 12-14" (30-36 cm) long on the inside should be able to hold almost 4 pounds of soap (your 1.75 kilos), if the other dimensions are pretty close to 'standard' (9 cm by 6 cm for height/width) for a loaf mold. I'd err on the side of making it longer.

See? I learn something new every day. Can you describe what benefits using castor in shaving soap has? 'Cause now I'm curious.

I'm not sure the castor will add much to a shaving soap (though I could be wrong). The recipe I've been using is based on Songwind's, though I've tweaked the most recent batch to 50% stearic acid, 40% coconut oil and 10% shea butter (up from 5%), with 15% glycerin. I and everyone who tried it...

Ah, but there's not much that's more comforting than a cat curled up asleep in your lap. Well, until bladder pressure builds, anyway. Seeing salt bars mentioned in another thread reminded me that I have a small scrap that was the leftover batter after I filled my molds, so I tried it out. Wow...

I'm going to take one more run at it, using the cardboard tubes. If it doesn't work out well, I'll use my second attempt as my entry. It's got several nice, clear hearts but I want to try to see if I can get them a little more uniform in all the bars.

Imagination

Mind if I ask what part of Arkansas? I grew up mostly in and around Little Rock.