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Gelling and covering your soap so there is limited exposure to air definitely helps with the ash problem. Do you have a lid you can put on your mold while it's gelling? I always cover mine and haven't seen ash in a long time. :)

Pomace and extra virgin olive oil act A LOT different. Recently, I tried to sub pomace for regular olive and I got soap on a stick! I would say your soap wasn't at thick enough trace, and there was too much water used. Those are just guesses, though.

Andrea, have you zap tested your soap? I've had spots like that caused from concentrated lye in those areas.

I use about 75% soft oils. I use a 50% lye concentration and add a tsp. of sodium lactate per pound. My soap is really hard and never slimy. However, before I started us the sodium lactate it was sometimes slimy, but only with certain fragrances. Also, like someone else said, a well-draining...

I think a good starting point is to ask her specifically what she wants to learn and start there. If she wants to make smaller batches then showing her how to use use a soap calculator is an essential starting point. Then maybe go over different properties of oils to see what she desires in a...

I definitely will when (and if) I can get them perfect, or at least really close to it! I'm really happy with the results so far, though. :)

I am testing for replacements for POP's right now. I like the neons from TKB alot, but miss the sheen and shine of micas. I have found almost exact matches for the POP! micas. I'm pretty excited. I missed them! You can see the test results on my blog here http://www.nurturesupply.com/blog/

I adore Soapcalc! It's a little hard to figure out at first, but once you get the hang of it, it is irreplaceable in my opinion.

Olive oil - What kind you use depends on preference in my opinion. If you want to appeal to the ultra-pure crowd, use virgin olive oil. If you want a less expensive but faster to trace olive, use pomace. I personally prefer refined olive. I like the fact that it's not so green and traces...

Your soaps look amazing!!! I love the tops!

I agree with irishlass. I gel all of my soaps. If I am making a soap that tends to overheat, I will keep a very close eye on it and throw it in the freezer if it is in danger of getting too hot, but I will still gel. I don't like the soft texture of ungelled soaps. It feels funky to me, plus...

The sugars in honey can cause soap to heat up more than normal. When soap overheats in the mold it will sometimes cause the soap to crack on top, like the above poster said.

I don't right now. Sorry. :( The next size I'm making will be 16-20" though. I think for longer molds you could try www.woodfields.com or www.bebecollection.com. Good luck! :D

If you are interested in silicone molds I have some for sale. They are in my signature. The silicone unmolds really really easily! It makes for a happy soaping experience. :D

Yes, these liners do need the support of a wood mold. I've seen where one of the testers just put four wood pieces together - no bottom - and used it that way. Her soap came out great! I do run the peeler along all the edges, just enough to make it feel better in the hand when using it...

Strawberry red, I have 2 lb molds for sale. They are in my signature. I still use just a potato peeler for all of my soaps. I like to bevel them when they are slightly cured. It takes a lot of time, though, so I too may have to upgrade soon!

Oh, ok! That does make more sense. I have no experience with shaving soap. It's on my list of things to try! Sorry I can't help more. :(

I'm going to *try* and answer your questions. :) I do not believe the essential oil gets turned into soap, especially with HP. Add these when the soap is in the gel-like cooking stage. Some people describe this stage as looking like mashed potatoes. I'm not very good at HP, so I seem to get...

That's awesome soapcakes! I really didn't think it would work. Just goes to show you don't know unless you try! :)

This is PRECISELY why I refuse to use palm. :(