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Thanks!!

I don't have any tattoos- there just isn't anything I have strong enough convictions for that I'd want it permanently on me. But I do like tattoos. I bought my husband two nautical stars for the back of his arms, just above the elbows, for our first anniversary in June. He is building a...

So up the palm oil, lower or get rid of the safflower, and reduce the amount of water?

Thanks. I'll try that tomorrow and see what I get.

Will you be making them with soy wax? I really liked this site when I first started making candles: http://www.soywaxcandles.org/index.htm http://www.soywaxcandles.org/making_soy_tarts.htm (I'm not entirely sure how I got to the second link from the first one's home page so I'll...

I didn't superfat in the sense of adding extra oils at trace but I discounted the lye at 5%. Sorry. Maybe I'll try lowering the canola and safflower and upping the palm and coconut. The little pieces lather well and feel nice, they're just the consistency of thick fruit leather. I really...

Thanks for the encouragement, Paul!

25% palm oil 25% coconut 25% olive 10% canola 10% safflower 5% castor 5% superfat

My first couple batches of soap have been curing for three weeks and they are still a little soft. It feels like if you hit them with a meat tenderizer they would smush flat rather than dent. Strange visual but I don't quite know how to describe it. The 2mm thick edges I cut off and left to...

Borax is sodium borate and it when added to water some of the molecules are changed to hydrogen peroxide, which whitens clothes. It is also a buffer for the soap and helps it "clean" better. I heart chemistry!

Thanks for the info on Columbus Foods, Paul. I just knew of the Spectrum brand because I use it for my cooking.

Washing soda is sodium carbonate or soda ash. When used in laundry it softens the water and cuts grease and oil. It is also one of the main components in glass. You can make it by heating baking soda but it is much easier to buy at the grocery store!

I love number 2. I full-heartedly believe in this one. I have always been just fine doing things by myself. That's not to say I don't love the company of my good friends and family, but I can be perfectly happy sitting on a couch for several hours with no tv, book, or radio, just thinking...

I'll grind this a little finer then add washing soda and borax.

Yeah, shortening like Crisco is different than the shortening at Whole Foods. Crisco is made out of soy and other oils (they have recently changed their formulation so I'm not sure what's all in it) but what Whole Foods calls shortening is really 100% palm oil. They aren't the same product.

No fragrance, just soap.

So I made my all coconut oil soap yesterday and I just barely superfatted it at 2%. It was only a one pound batch and it set up rather quickly, within 4 hours. Is this the case when you have the saponification percent closer to zero? Or is this just because of the hard coconut oil? It was so...

You can find palm oil at whole foods as shortening. its 100% palm oil.

I was thinking I'll make a batch with all coconut oil tomorrow, Irena. Thanks again. I just wasn't sure what would be the best replacement for lard or tallow but I'll see what happens with the coconut.

I must confess that I have ordered a mold from you this last weekend, too, Paul, and I am so excited for mine. That is actually how I found this forum. I searched for wooden soap molds on Etsy, found yours, then searched in google for more info on them. It brought up this post. I like what I...