simplyorganic

I agree..... I got a 5lb mold on Ebay for $15 and only $8 for shipping. i've had it for 2 years and i love it. Nothing fancy just a wooden mold with a top to it.

what is the best size to get ? i am looking online at walmart and i see a 7 qt one for 30.00 that one onf the walmarts near me is supposed to have in stock. also if you know of somewhere i can get one cheaper let me know. I would suggest going to your local Thrift Store. I got 2 of mines for only $12 and i've had them for about 4 years. I didn't need anything new b/c it's only for my soap making. BUT I do have a newer one that was a gift from my mom from Target... but I like my older ones better :-) and does the pound size equal the crock pot size ? like 3 pounds would fit in a 3 quart ? 5 and 5, 6 and 6 7 and 7 and so forth ? i want to make sure whatever one i have will be big enough for bigger batched once i get the hang of it. i'm going to say i believe so......but I got bigger ones for just in case something over flows, don't act right and simply just to give me more space in the pot to stir and everything else. also i have been reading that the new crockpots the temps are hotter and people are finding they have to use the keep warm or the low settings because of the temps? anyone know anything about it ? That is true. With my newer model one I do have to keep it on low b/c if I set it to high it burns my oils really fast. I do however set them on high just to melt down my hard oils. once that's done I set it it to low and it works out just fine :-) and final questions, when should the FO be added ? after trace or stirred in before you mold ? and is it recommended 1 oz pp ? I add my EO after the soap has cooked and reaches the stage of pouring into your mold. I do mines in small batches, so for me sometimes 1oz pp is good and sometimes it's not b/c some fragrances are really strong. Remeber to work fast b/c with HP soap it can tend to set up quick. and finally, when you pour into the mold, should you still cover the mold like you would cp soap ? what about insulating the mold ? Not to my knowledge. I never have and never do. I've never heard of this being a manditory rule. There was one time I did use the top on my wooden mold only b/c I wanted the top to mines smooth :-)

http://www.soapandthings.com/pc-2074-23-monoi-de-tahiti.aspx she ships international also. sorry for the double post!

hope this helps :-) http://www.soapandthings.com/pc-2074-23-monoi-de-tahiti.aspx (she's a good supplier, i've purchased from her a few time and like her prices and she ships fast)

I personally like getting mines from The Lye Guy..... great prices and he ships super fast. Been buying from him since last year and have not been disappointed yet. https://www.thelyeguy.com/store/store.php

I use liquid colorants from Jody's Soap Supplies..... They work amazingly great for me!!! And you don't have to use a lot!

Im going to go out on a limb here (by what i was taught in a soap class about 6 years ago) Though T.D "may" contribute to cancer, in soap that is no likely to happen. If you get it from a reputable company like WSP or BB or TKB everything they sell has to be approved through the FDA and by it being aprroved it gives the go ahead to be used in your products with in reason. I use T.D in my soaps but in a 5lb batch (at trace) I use 1 1/2tspn. Not a lot to make my soap pure white but enough so that i can add other colors for effect. I really don't think you have to or need to worry about the cancer aspect of using it in your soaps b/c you are not using so much to cause that type of effect. just my opinion to it of course there may be others who differ.

This is a great question!! I would love to know too! I'm in the mist of searching for a true black but it's really hard!!

:undecided I don't know Camay, that's the part that threw me for a loop. As I put in the dish, this person ALSO gave me a link to a book that makes that claim http://www.soapnaturally.org on page 75-76. (Soap Naturally by Patrizia Garezena and Marina Tadiello) Well i'm glad Carebear cleared it up!

:whistle: will do! (it was telling me that I wasn't allowed to do new posts and I couldn't delete it so I just came here)

........... that when you make HP Soaps, "the base oils get heated and much of the beneficial 'live' properties of oils is reduced or destroyed". I mainly, well 90% of the time make HP bar soaps (for about 5 years now) and i've NEVER heard this before. Maybe this person is right or maybe wrong, I dunno so i'm coming to the MAJOR pro's on this one. I could have sworn the difference was cure time and the creative control in designs was the main difference in them both. Now i'm feeling like a dork b/c I never learned that tid-bit of information. IF that is the case, then what's the purpose of doing HP soaps, if your not going to be able to reap the benefits of it due to the properties of it being cooked away? Wouldn't it be a waste of money? :tiptoe: Can someone shed a little light on this for me? Help me understand this a little better! Thanks in advance!

I know in our grocery store (Food lion) it was in the baking aisle. Right by all of the cooking oils on the bottom shelf. It was in a white tub jar with Lard written in green and red.

I'm not a "pro" but I'm going to guess that your can't sub crisco (veggie shortening) for lard. They are two different things and you would need to run it through soapcalc if your making changes. You can get goats milk from your local farmers market (stores for vegitarians or organic food stores)or if you don't have one close, getting supplies online is the next best thing! wsp, brambleberry and even ebay! hope that helps santa emba

Thanks a bunck for the kudo's!! I feel relieved I can come out the back ground now!

It's CP.....i'm not fond of m&p. Whipped CP by far is my favorite to make! It's just so much you can do with it. Thanks for all the compliments! i'm kind of a shy person when it comes to showing off my creations. I guess cause I never want to give off that "i'm better" type of vibe. And also b/c i tend to get a lot of people that want me to give out my trade secrets and feel bad when I have to say "i'm sorry I can't just yet"..... But id oesn't feel good to have people enjoy what I create!