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I am sure this won't be a popular response but I am going to post it anyways - then I will go hide........ I guess you could look at it as you made a conscious choice and agreed to the price when you made the purchase then later, went back to price things out separately - something you should...

I know this might come off as a stupid question, but looking at your formula (it has a lye excess) and your pics, are you sure you used potassium hydroxide and not sodium hydroxide? Your formula and cook time (depending on the temperature you used for the cook) should have created a very clear...

Adding milks to liquid soap at dilution will create two problems - the issue of it going bad and the fats in the milk (whether cow, goat, coconut) will form a layer floating on the top since they are not saponified. Adding food products as dilution water is really just asking for trouble.

Lip balm is not soap, it is a cosmetic and must follow the cosmetic labeling laws (unless you say anything about healing or treating a medical condtion, then it is a drug).

Suttocide A is the only one that I am aware of in the US that is effective in a higher pH (up to 12). I have been told that the formaldehyde releasers (liquid germall) would also work, even though the manufacturer also indicates an upper pH limit of 8. Note that Suttocide A will react with...

I am not even sure what that would mean and how you would use it for soap. Can you explain further?

Please note that optiphen may not be an appropriate preservative for liquid soap as it is currently listed by the manufacturer as being effective up to a pH of 8. Liquid Soap will have a pH that is higher than that.

No, you need KOH to make liquid soap. Grating bar soap and adding water to it will make some sort of liquid, but it will not give you the same results as true liquid soap made from KOH.

Anytime you use anything other than distilled or similar water for dilution you are creating an environment for rancidity and growth of nasties. I would not use milks at all for dilution- all or part. Botanicals are "bug food" too - so be very careful and consider preservatives.

If your product meets the requirements for being labeled as "Soap", you do not have to list ingredients. If you say your product does anything other than clean (moisturizes, exfoliates, softens, etc.) then it is classified as a cosmetic and must follow the labeling laws for cosmetics. If you...

Don't feel bad at all Susie - I write my experiences and methods up to share with anyone who may be interested, so share away.

My guess is the aloe vera being a botanical and more difficult to preserve when added to a lotion was too much for your preservative system. Botanicals and proteins are very hard to preserve in products and should be used sparingly.

I used to use optiphen thinking - anhydrous product oil soluble preservative, now I have had to reevaluate my choice of preservative too based in this and it makes perfect sense too. Oils don't need the preservative but the water that may enter it does.

You need to read all of it: "PRESERVING ANHYDROUS EG SCRUBS If water may be introduced to the product or the product used in a humid bathroom then a preservative is advisable. An expert microbiologist advises that if trying to preserve an anhydrous product (including all oil+sugar/salt scrub)...

No it is not as an anydrous product does not need a preservative, you need a preservative if water enters the product. An oil soluble preservative will not protect/preserve the water that enters into the anhydrous product. http://www.makingskincare.com/preservatives/

The reason you would use germall plus in an oil based (emulsified or not) scrub is to account for any water that may enter it during use. Anhydrous products do not need preservative on their own - it is the accidental contamination with water that can create potential problems. An oil based...

Trying to find a way to make an opaque liquid soap that is stable has been one of my greatest challenges. I find that adjusting my base oils sometimes works, sometimes not depending on the overall cook time and dilution rate. I just finished trying the glycol distearate (EZ Pearl) on two...

If it is a detergent based melt and pour, not even sure DOS would be possible.

..... and I am the opposite, I compute all FO and EO rates based on a % of the weight of the final diluted soap since each formula will have a different dilution amount.

If olive squalane is added up front with the base oils, then it would be saponified with the rest of the oils and not create a superfat. There are water soluble olive oil esters that can be used to add emoliency and such to liquid soap after dilution to make it more gentle. Another thing...