First off, please, white space needed! I couldn't read your whole post easily! Paragraphs are important.84oz virgin olive oil
48oz virgin coconut oil
18oz sunflower oil
12oz unrefined shea butter
9oz jojoba oil
9oz tamanu oil
84oz honeysuckle tea (water infused with dried honeysuckle flowers overnight and refrigerated)
24.42oz sodium hydroxide
at trace I add 1.5oz beeswax and 3oz honey
not sure how people put their recipes on here either in percentages or weight so I just put it in weight but I always measure in grams just thought it would be easier to read in ounces. I am open to any advice tweaking this one for it is the most complicated recipe I have ever made. Maybe i should down size the honey a little or even the beeswax was something I was thinking or using more coconut and subbing out some olive and running it though the lye calc. I never used beeswax before in soap but I have used honey before and know the pro's and con's of honey but I am willing to learn more if anyone would like to teach!! Thanks again everyone for all of your words of advice negative and positive. Have a great day everyone!!
Your 'moisture' level is fine, however, I would not add it all at the beginning like that. The 'new' HP method is 50% moisture, that includes the lye water, honey, SF, and any other amount of moisture you want to add. The extra moisture is to keep the batter fluid and to allow swirling time if you are adding any colors.
May I suggest you cut that lye water down to 70 ounces, and when you add the honey (after the cook) - you can use some of the extra water to thin out that honey a bit before you add it (warm the water first).
I use sodium lactate (which is added at the end, I use 1.5 ounce ppo, so for your 180 ounce recipe I'd use 2.7 ounces) which really helps with fluidity, and will lead to a denser 'pack' when you put it into the mold. This sodium lactate counts towards the overall moisture amount.
You don't mention any fragrance, but that also counts as moisture. After your cook, make sure any of the moisture you add is warm. It will help with fluidity.
Are you cooking it too long? It will be drier, chunkier, etc. if you cook too long, and will be more porous as a result. Watch your pot carefully, as soon as it doesn't zap, get your additional moisture into it and mold it. Bang, bang, bang that mold to really settle that batter down.
Another thing that has been found to help is to cool the soap in the mold as quickly as possible. I put mine right into the freezer. It has something to do with the way the soap crystallizes as it cools, from what I've read. You won't get shrinkage as a result (that dipped look that so many HP soaps can get)
HP definitely needs to cure as long as CP. It's done saponifying, but it has to get rid of that excess water.
As for selling so soon, you'll get that from many long time soapers. They have good reason for feeling this way, but they shouldn't lump everyone new into one pot. Some people research, study, experiment, learn, etc. while others are foolish and just whip something together and call themselves soapers. It's all by degrees, really. I've seen some 'experienced' bad soapers too. Just keep studying and learning, and I'm pretty sure you'll be fine http://www.soapmakingforum.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/