Made the first move

[dixiedragon]

Did anyone else laugh when they read "jugs" or am I the only immature idiot here?

Premature fizzing ALWAYS gets me. (tee hee)

 

[Barbsbreakingbath]

Susie

Thanks for the advice, I'm just thinking that the gun thermometer has been very helpful for me as a beginner. i started out making lotions and layered melt and pour soap. So it was just a habit to make sure stuff was the right temperature.
Also, regarding ph, I would never sell a product to anyone that I did not use on myself first. To me, that's one of the perks of the job. So yes, I do put my skin on the line. I do understand that I now need to find a better method of ph testing. I thank people for taking the time to tell me, and I understand now as a new person, I have no business giving anyone advice about anything.
I am actually on a learning curve, and in selling some of my other products I made a few mistakes that I feel terrible about.
It was appearance related. But it made me realize that that I didn't know what the heck I was doing, and that I would learn everything I could about Good Manufacturing Practices. If Heaven forbid, someone had a reaction to my soap, do I tell my insurance company, a court, and maybe the FDA "I tounged the soap and didn't get zapped?" Wouldn't it be better to have a batch number and the date you tested the ph, inside and outside the soap? Just asking?
I hope that I have not offended anybody. In the short time I've been here, I've gotten really good advice. I will start getting intimate with my soap. But I am still going to document the ph with a better method than test strips just for rear end covering purposes. That's just me.

 

[LisaAnne]

Barbsbreakingbath, I don't think you have offended. I've made a lot of soap and I believe I know a lot on the subject. But I stay away from any kind of advise myself I just do not have the background or the whole picture to be able walk a new person through it. I'm like you, people convinced me to sell early on and that is my biggest regret, now I have an expensive hobby and that is just fine with me.

 

[Barbsbreakingbath]

Lisa, thank you for your kind response. I'm starting to understand that maybe you can get too many sources of from books and the web, and get conflicting information. You can also start to think that you know a lot when you don't ��. . I also think that some of the wholesalers out there might sometimes encourage people to jump into business, because of course they do. You sell more stuff that way. i started out as a chem major in college, and I love the chemistry of soapmaking and cosmetics. I love feeling like I'm concocting things in a laboratory, even if it's just my kitchen. But it's also an art.
So I'm going to take a deep breath, try not to give any more advice, listen, learn, and HAVE FUN!!!!

 

[LisaAnne]

Barb, lol... I have a blast making soap. Yeah I agree. Lots of bad information out there. Here there are checks and balances.
After I mow I'm going to attempt the challenge again. Crazy

 

[TwystedPryncess]

Get a boyfriend/husband who also has an expensive hobby. That way, when you order 600$ of supplies (I have) he doesn't bat an eyelash...

 

[galaxyMLP]

Thanks for the advice, I'm just thinking that the gun thermometer has been very helpful for me as a beginner. i started out making lotions and layered melt and pour soap. So it was just a habit to make sure stuff was the right temperature.

Also, regarding ph, I would never sell a product to anyone that I did not use on myself first. To me, that's one of the perks of the job. So yes, I do put my skin on the line. I do understand that I now need to find a better method of ph testing. I thank people for taking the time to tell me, and I understand now as a new person, I have no business giving anyone advice about anything.

I am actually on a learning curve, and in selling some of my other products I made a few mistakes that I feel terrible about.

It was appearance related. But it made me realize that that I didn't know what the heck I was doing, and that I would learn everything I could about Good Manufacturing Practices. If Heaven forbid, someone had a reaction to my soap, do I tell my insurance company, a court, and maybe the FDA "I tounged the soap and didn't get zapped?" Wouldn't it be better to have a batch number and the date you tested the ph, inside and outside the soap? Just asking?

I hope that I have not offended anybody. In the short time I've been here, I've gotten really good advice. I will start getting intimate with my soap. But I am still going to document the ph with a better method than test strips just for rear end covering purposes. That's just me.

I use an IR thermometer every single time I CP soap. It's the scientist in me. I want to control every aspect that I can about soaping. I've been doing it for 4 years and I don't think I'll ever stop! But I also use the thermometer when I cook food in the microwave so you could just say I like using it for everything.

On the topic of pH strips. I agree that zap testing is best for us. If I had access to a lab easily I would titrate my soaps to see if I had excess base as that would be the best way to see if any is present.

However, because I've worked in a QC lab I know that sometimes you want multiple verifications without having the best way. I've always zap tested my soap and I'm starting to pH test them even though I know that it's not accurate. That's not what I'm looking for. Good QC is about consistency. I use the same brand of pH strips and same brand of distilled water and make a 1% soap solution with the soap completely dissolved. Then, I drop 2 drops of the solution on my strips, wait 1 minute and record the result. This is for each batch with the same ingredients and process. Then I can start to establish control limits and know when something is wrong by pH and zap test. It's not perfect but it makes me feel better that I'm recording as much as I can about my batches.

The reason pH/indicators don't work well for soap is because of the micelles that soap forms in water.

 

[penelopejane]

No matter his new one is it is good to share your experiences and understanding because you will either help yourself or someone else. I never have and hope I never will have to zap test a soap. [emoji2]