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Since my molds are too long to fit in an oven, I just use layers of blankets to ensure that my soaps gel all the way through. I do have several HDPE molds that do no hold heat at all - so my DH made "insulators" that go around those molds - then I put some towels over that whole contraption. But...

Love the backstory - thanks for sharing!

The only NG ones on on your list that I've used are the Lavender Mint and Baby Bee Buttermilk. The LM is light at the recommended level. No A or D, plenty of time for swirls. It sticks but is faint. BBM is really strong in the almond department, and it sticks like glue - also no problems soaping it.

I don't know why your soap crumbled, but get used to people sticking your soap up their nose :) This is partly why I sell my soap in boxes, now. Sometimes at shows I think "Yeah, buddy, that ain't gonna fit up there".

New Directions Aromatics has nice oil descriptions on their website.

Lard, lard, lard. I love it in soap - but I'm in Texas and sell outside all summer long. My soaps with lard will develop DOS after a couple of trips to market. I've never (knock on wood) had it on any other recipe. Now, I tote a Yeti to market.

When I do HP, I push the soap sides into the middle a bit so there's a "hump" in the middle. No more SMS :)

But how would one determine their dosage levels for things like lotion or balms, if you're going for OTC labeling?

I dilute to 35%. I'll go up to 30% with those prickly "flowery" FOs (I'm talking to YOU, lilac), but I imagine the batch would be pretty soft with all that water in the first example.

I use a 50% solution so I don't have to sit around and wait for freshly mixed lye to cool down.

You have to realize that other people don't always get as excited about our soap as we do. And it IS soap :) I was thinking about you this morning and one thing I wanted to mention is that sometimes family and friends don't always give us what we "need" for feedback. If I went on my in-laws'...

I don't make salt bars, but I thought sea salt caused weeping or is that just Dead Sea salt?

It is not even close to WSP's - however, since I soaped it, I named it something completely different than "Bay Rum" and sold out of it. As much as I hate to, I continue to buy Bay Rum from WSP for my "Bay Rum" soap. NG's Nantucket Briar is also not even close to WSP's - just in case you were...

I ship by weight. And Regional boxes are the bomb.

I find it hard to get complete gel in just silicone. I put my silicone molds in wood to hold on to the heat - then wrap with towels.

I love these old recipes; it's part of our heritage!

I've seen DIsodium hydroxide in lotion... but not sodium hydroxide. But I don't make lotions, so I don't know what all I'm talking about :)

If the IRS wants it's money, they should make it a bit easier to figure out. And yes, Paypal should be able to code that info into it's system.

This is why they'll never get this online tax thing figured out. New York is "destination" based sales tax and for me, Texas is "origin" based sales tax. Eh, gads. It's just a mess.

People spend more when you can take cards - just this weekend I was asked at least five times if I take cards- and with the growing popularity of Square, it seems that people are getting used to the system. I much prefer Square over Paypal's mobile service; the reporting is much better and I...