Search results

That does make more sense, and I hope that's actually what's going on! But it could also be that the gel is able to seep a little further into the rag or the sponge, so that's why you still get bubbles later, and that would mean the gel is going rancid... I hope it's your reason, though...

I've started using my own soap in the shower, and some that I bought from another soap maker. All I used before was shower gel, and I'm noticing a HUGE difference in how my wash rags smell. With the shower gel, after just one use my rags smelled near rank, I figured it was from sitting out while...

I figured that I might have been worry excessively, so thank-you to everyone for the great advice!

I have a loose plan to start selling soap in a little over a year, doing enough reading right now that I'm actually dreaming about making soap. For awhile I've been stressing about making my own original recipe, didn't want to steal anyone's idea, but is that even possible? There are a ton of...

Do you use the HDPE buckets for hot process? They would definitely be large enough, since my biggest concern there is not having enough room for a volcano to expand a bit before I can mix it down. I would have to heat my oils in a smaller container, but that's not a huge thing.

Would anyone have a recommendation for a particular brand of stainless steel pot? I've been looking for a few days now, all of them have some reviews raving about how wonderful they are, while others show pics of the same pots with corroded spots from just brining something. I don't mind...

Be cautious, be safe, and be understanding. You do hear about people flipping out all the time, but don't we just love to talk about the negative things more than anything else? Most times, like Zing said, they're the ones at risk of violence, not the cause of it. There was a fella in my...

It's Tequila Sunrise from MadMica's. It actually looks more than a bit faded in the pic, it really pops with color.

I didn't tap the mold so there are odd little gaps throughout, I used WAY to much glitter, I took it out of the mold too soon, the bars are uneven, and I am still ridiculously happy with the whole thing. Look, I made soap! 😍

Well, if this isn't a facepalm moment, I don't know what is! I assumed she just sped it up to save time. Happy to know what the issue was, thanks!

She has a video series for beginners, nothing but small batches. My mold is 11 inches long, 3.5 tall, 3.2 wide, the batch fit right into it, I used a bottle of FO, the lye was at 79 degrees, my oils were at 74. In the video she had a timer going in the corner while she was blending and it...

Just made my first batch of soap! I followed a recipe from Royalty Soaps and when she was mixing everything it took about thirty minutes to get to light trace. By five minutes, I was thinking that it already looked about ready, but since this is my first batch I just knew that couldn't be the...

Very fancy! Thanks for the info, definitely checking that out.

Ooooh... you know what, I knew that. It was one of those little factoids that rattle around in the back of your head and never pop up until someone else says it. Thanks for reminding me, I would have been a little embarrassed in the end if I asked the cow rancher for his lard. :oops:

My grandma would eat the lard all by itself, little salted blocks of it. It's wonderful to cook with, but I can't handle all that!

Thanks for the info! I've got a local rancher that is opening his own market, so that would be a really good source of lard, cows are all grass-fed. Anything with EO's I'll probably just make small batches of that, so that it doesn't sit and lose anything.

I would definitely get the stainless steel one if I were you. Even if the cheaper one is made out of plastic that wouldn't be torn up quickly from the lye, over time I imagine it would break down. Cheap or not, that's not an expense you want to make over and over again.

Thanks for the response! I've been trying to decide which process I might prefer, but there doesn't seem to be one that is hugely preferable over the other, except that CP does have crisper colors most of the time. Guess I'll just have to experiment and find out what I like the best. :)

I've read in a few places that EO's last longer in hot process soap because they don't come in contact with any lye that can break them down, leaving only the scent and none of the benefits. Is there any truth to this? Is this something that could actually be tested (or has been) or is it...