Search results

I live in a city with lots of squirrels and birds. We plant sunflowers as 'sacrificial crops'! It gets the pests focused on the sunflowers and they leave the other crops alone. Mustard works the same way, and many others crops like radishes, nasturtiums, etc. If you want sunflowers you just...

I don't call them samples, I call them 'travel soaps'. I sell them and they are popular with non corporate travelers. Have you seen the choices available for travel soaps in drug stores? dismal. When someone makes a purchase above a certain amount (you determine that for yourselves, for...

It is not that hard after all. I was able to add a tab for CG and will fill in the FO I have as time permits. Great resource!

I did that once and chose to use differently colored small inserts. The soap insert was small enough to be insignificant as far as affecting the qualities. This way the marker stayed until the soap is gone. I happened to have lots or soap rectangular inserts at the time, but they can be...

I have used rose petal from Camden grey (No idea if it is the same as L). No acceleration at all, and very little discoloration. Reasonable scent retention. On its own it is a little 'grandmotherly' so i blend it in different ways. The other one from CG I have tried is wild rose. Very...

So true! and coconut oil is a good example. Also why it works so well with its own high super fat. 100% CO with 20% SF is a fairly mellow soap. This concept confuses my customers though. Trying to figure out a good way to explain it so it does not leave them even more confused.

I really like these types of questions because it makes us think outside the box (soapcalc box??? LOL) The 8 main fatty acid information has served me well to make bar soap, with a couple of exceptions. For example, cocoa and shea butters are similar in their fatty acid profiles, so they...

I have been using 4 grams in 2 lb batches with good results. I use a strainer too.

This is great, thanks hazel! I had not seen this until now. I suppose it lives in the cloud and anyone can add to it? I have a few from candlescience, but also from Camden Grey which I don't see. I will try to navigate the spreadsheet and see if I can add a supplier. This is if I figure...

Looking good! how did you get a natural vanilla scent?

DeeAnna I love the way you explained that! and thanks for the links. On the question of what to do about it. Sometimes a recipe has a high iodine, low ins number, and/or too much linoleic/linolenic but you want to make the soap anyway. The shampoo bars that I make and the facial bars both fit...

I have been experimenting with deodorants and one of my first prototypes had baking soda, a similar % as you are using. I used this deodorant for a couple of months with no issues, but then I started to react to the baking soda. It was a while ago, so I don't remember if my lymph nodes felt...

Go to soapcalc http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp and fill in your recipe. If the iodine number is above the range suggested (above 70) and/or the linoleic + linolenic add to more then 16 or so, then you have a potential issue with longevity. So this means that yes, you can probably...

I use silicone mats to protect my wood counters. I wash the spoons or containers that measured the FO right away and not in the dishwasher. Wash the soap bowls right away too and separately from other kitchen utensils. I dislike FOs in my kitchen too, so I get a little anal when using them...

When I started making soap in this area and before I found good suppliers of NaOH I looked for it in several hardware stores in Los Angeles. me: Tiene hidroxido de sodio? se usa para abrir tuberias pero tambien para hacer jabon! yo solo quiero hacer jabon! them: No, no tenemos, la...

I know nothing about saddles but here is a little help formulating soap and understanding soap's ability to clean and its 'harshness'. Fatty acids can be saturated, mono unsaturated or polyunsaturated, but they also have different length carbon chains. fatty acid ----- number of...

I use organic African shea and cocoa butter, not for fear of residues, but hoping that organically produced oils would be better in terms of environmental practices and human right abuses (child labor, etc). My other oils are not organic and I do not label my soaps as overall organic - just...

I really dislike that question, when customers ask if my soap is 'natural'. I don't want to say no, but I don't like using that word. I tell them they are hand crafted cold process soaps. I try to guess what they might actually be asking. Sometimes I tell them about the differences...

I read the blog on different water discount, I have experienced this when spoon swirling different soap batters with different water discounts - you get different textures - but not the same as different stages of gel. I no longer see this effect since I use stand alone silicone molds now...

I over purchased citric acid and could spare 10 lbs and more. Where are you located? Just PM me if you are interested. I can make you a reasonable deal. I do not have cream or tartar though.