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An update, I did find a macadamia nut oil manufacturer on Maui! It's not the cheapest but not the most expensive either, $0.35 per oz before factoring in shipping. I'm planning on ordering some to see how it is in soap and body butters/lotion bars. Also I did end up making a test soap batch...

Kukui nut oil is so great for restoring dry damaged skin! Unfortunately it costs an arm and a leg down here just like everywhere else 😭 There are large soap makers down here that use kukui nut oil (North Shore Soap Factory) so there must be a wholesaler with reasonable prices but I just haven't...

I wish! If there is a local wholesaler here, I haven't found them and the small amounts they sell at the store are expensive! A 4oz bottle of kukui nut oil at the store is $16 :eek: and it's usually not pure kukui. I don't think I've ever actually seen macadamia nut oil sold in stores here even...

I've made 100% olive oil soaps in the past. It wasn't my favorite but one of my friends really liked it. Though for soap embeds I do a 70% oo and 30% co for simplicity. I actually made 2 batches of the 3rd recipe I listed on Tuesday but added a very small amount of honey and they're pretty hard...

Thank you for the replies on suggestions for alternate oils/butters. I was wondering if anyone had experience using kokum butter in soap? If so, do you have any recommended suppliers? I have read that it's slightly harder than shea and less greasy. I try to use oils/butters I can use in both...

Hi all, I have been making cp soap for a few years now but I was wanting to tweak my recipes. I currently use soapcalc.net but is there a better way to figure out possible soap qualities? I have read on some threads that soapcalc.net is not the most accurate in terms of hardness when olive oil...

Yeah I think the temperature really made a difference. I made a batch last night at around 100 degrees F and it was much easier to work with!

An update: I took your advice and increased the amount of shea butter, decreased the amount of olive oil and avocado oil, and soaped at around 100 degrees F and it worked great! I had plenty of time to play with colors. Thanks again!

I checked and I'm pretty sure I have soft water. Thanks for the link!

I'll try doing that! Thanks for the advice! I think I may have the exact same pour measuring cups too XD

Ahhh I see. The hardness of water is not something commonly talked about in Hawaii and I've never lived anywhere else. I guess I can kind of tell though because our water definitely tastes different from water in California or other places on the mainland. Everyone just drinks tap water here so...

I started reading your comment and I was wondering what oleic meant! Thanks for the info! I will definitely be looking in to sunflower and canola, Thanks!!

Oooooh I didn't even realize all those things were palm! I'm face palming myself right now, I didn't even think to look at shortenings! I will pick up some veg shortening and try it out, thanks!

Ooh I've never used soapcalc, I've only used the lye calculator with bramble berry. I will try your suggestions and use soapcalc to tweak it. Thanks for the suggestions!

Hmm, I'm not sure. I've never tested my water but I do filter it twice, though it's not distilled. How do you know if you have hard water? I live in Hawaii and to my knowledge, we don't add fluoride or chlorine to our water.

Thanks for the advice! I didn't even think about the fact that lower temps would make the shea harden faster. I've just been using what was available to me locally, I haven't seen palm or tallow in store and is crisco considered lard? If so I may try using some of that. Shipping to Hawaii is so...

I am very new to CP soap-making; I've made about 10 batches so far trying out various recipes. So far, based on all the videos I've watched, I feel like my soap is reaching a medium trace very quickly. This frustrates me because I try to make soaps with 3 colors and by the time I pour in the...

Thanks for the reply. I have emailed the website you referenced and that post is old; they only sell to students unfortunately and they don't have any classes coming up in the near future. I've looked in some hardware stores and asked sales associates but the only NaOH they have is in liquid...

Hi, I'm just a hobbyist at the moment, very little experience. I was wondering if any soap makers in Hawaii would mind sharing where they get their lye from? If you're able to find a supplier in Hawaii or you have it shipped in? So far the only place I've found that sells it in Hawaii is Hawaii...