SpaceGirl

Thanks, ladies. That tracks with what I read while I was surfing a little more that night. That also explains why you don't find many recipes with sunscreen ingredients! I've decided that while I may add some of those components to certain items, I will not make any claims whatsoever (and if my friends ask why I'll know what to tell them!) I have to tell you, this is turning out to be loads of fun. I am loving making lotions and lip balms and my family is getting a kick out of being testers, too. So far no rashes, itches or mold! Yipee!

Looks DELISH!

Hi all! I did a quick search trying to find out what you'd add to b&b products for a sunblock but didn't really find anything so I'm begging for help! I told some of my co-workers that I was dabbling in lotions and lip balms and the first thing that they said was "Cool - will they have sunblock/sunscreen in them?" (We're very sun-conscious out here in Colorado) I internally went CRAP! because I hadn't thought about that. I think there are different regulation involved when you say something has sunscreen in it? I mean you can't just add Titanium Dioxide to something and call it good, right??

Brenda, I have always been impressed by your packaging before and I continue to be! It's like getting multiple presents to open the box and then wee everything wrapped so prettily inside. And yes, Papermart suckers me in, almost every time I look.... :rolleyes2

Oooooooh......they all look so good! I may have to try some of that clay soap!

I wondered the same thing when I first started -- but I've since found that Candle Man is absolutely right -- I've got one scent, Fresh Strawberry, that just wasn't that spectacular a seller. I renamed it to Little Girls' Kisses (because the scent reminded me of Bubble Gum and my childhood) and it sold like hotcakes at my last craft fair. The name alone made customers pick it up and take a sniff... and y'all know that the first sniff is half the battle right there.

I think that your experience with the ECO is pretty normal. I get larger flames, too, but I actually like that. Tt's not overly large to me, and I like seeing some flame! To me it's much better than worrying about it peetering out. I have had luck with CD's as well -- the other kinds of wicks either smoke or drow out, almost without fail. :rolleyes2 (I use a 75/25 blend of GB415 and IGI4630)

SKS has them as well. I like their prices. http://www.sks-bottle.com

I've run into this probblem as well. Part of it seems to be the printer (my new printer ROCKS!!!!) but that's generally only the top-to-bottom fit. My program (Label Factory Delixe 3.0) only reads to the 0.01" place and most of the round labels on the market require 0.001" or 0.0001" spatial resolution. So I fiddle with the left/right margins and the gutter spacing to get things right. It is possible, but a PITA! I found with my old printer that I couldn't print pages of labels at a time. I had to let the printer "rest" between sheets or the top-to-bottom spacing was off. I almost threw the printer out the window!!! I am so glad we bought a new one and now I can use the listed metrics with almost no adjustment.

Great comments! I knew someone would help me figure it out. My stick blender is currently on order so that sould help. I mixed up this batch with a regular hand blender. I did keep things at a fairly hot temp for a bit but it is possible that not all the steric melted. So with my new tool and some more knowledge, we'll see how the next batch goes. Thanks all!

Reminds me of watermelons.... the colors. Very nice

I like the layout, format, etc.... The feedback I have is extremely nit-picky and based solely on my own quirks. :rolleyes2 I don't like excessive "!'s". If I see more than maybe 2 in a paragraph then I look around for muscle men and California blonds. (sorry to all those I just insulted) If you are trying to show your enthusiam for your site and your products, think about playing a little with different word choices (as suggested above) or bolding, color, size, etc... obviously not all at once or it'll just look messy, but a bolded word here or there can be used to great effect as well. The color scheme is..... neutral..... which doesn't offend, but doesn't attract me, either. I am a big fan of selectively using color in creative ways. I think that changing up sme of your font colors based on what section of the page you're in also might help break things up and make it easier for people to mentally navigate the page. Just my Good luck with the updates and I hope things take off!

I made up a batch of lotion based on a recipe from MMS. (my first batch! I was so excited!!!) 2 grams Citric Acid 14 grams Liquid Glycerin 24 grams Stearic Acid 49 grams Emulsifying Wax 40 grams Mango Butter 70 grams Sweet Almond Oil 20 grams Colorless Jojoba Oil 823 grams Distilled Water 8 grams Germaben II 3.5 grams FO I did made a few mods, though. Went a little short on the water because I wanted a thicker lotion and used a different preservative. It's a really nice lotion (which is a good thing because I have a heck of a lot of it!) but I noticed that after it sat overnight and I was using it the next morning it felt a little gritty. It all absorbs in if I keep rubbing, but initially is feels like little solid particles suspended in the lotion. A few comments... 1) I'm sure that everything was melted 2) I did not feel any solids in the lotion after it initially cooled down, noticed if the next day 3) It doesn't look like it has actually separated... there's no oil film or anything like that Anyone have any ideas on what might have caused this? This batch is staying at home, but I'd like to share some samples with my friends at some point.... but can't give them gritty lotion! Thanks much!

Lemongrass does repel bugs... you can mix it with eucalyptus as well for even more bug-be-gone power. (of course I'm not sure what it'll do for your nostrils!) Even works as a skin-safe bug repellant (instead of DEET, for those who don't like that) except there is no protection against ticks.

Out of curiosity, anyone know how pure Monoi does on the face? I use it on my neck every morning after my shower and it is wonderful but I am scared to use it straight up on my face because I have such temperamental skin (read look at it wrong and my pores clog).:embarasse

When it comes to EZsoy (GB415), I love me my ECO wicks and CD wicks -- those have worked the most consistently over time. And man, let me tell you, put an ECO-14 in that puppy and it'll burn. You'll have a bigger flame than some people are comfortable with -- not a torch but larger than what is probably optimal. I like the flame size, cuz to me if I have a large mouth jar I want a large flame! Good luck finding the right size

How about "I never knew you could use that for that" subtitled: New uses for common kitchen utensils. I used to measure out my FO with a tablespoon (before I started weighing) and I would have to keep and eagle eye out to make sure it didn't get put in the utensil drawer again. Ditto for the old knife I use to shave dye blocks. and the digital thermometer that will never touch food again..... and bamboo skewers -- I love me some bamboo skewers for stirring and poking relief holes.

Don't know if this will help, but I use zincs for my tealights. In general, I'm an ECO girl, but I love how I can pour a lot of tealights then go in and wick them -- they stand up straight and burn through any FO.

It looks really great! I love the ladybugs... I'm glad to see you kept them. And now I'm lusting after that Hawaiian Lei Flowers soap -- I want it!!!! (but I really, really, really don't need any more soap right now, gosh darnit!)

My eyes just bugged out Make sure you use a body safe FO!!! I have to say, I really wasn't sure about dipped TP -- but that does look really, really pretty.

Hmmmm... how about Screaming Head (just the thing to waft tensions away...) Leaky Brains (okay that one isn't so pleasant - lol!) Red Hot HotHeads

They are for selling -- but they aren't online yet. If you want some before they are listed, PM me and I'll hook you up Thanks for the kind words, all. I really like these containers, too... much more attractive than glass and I'm not liking a lot of the glass containers out there right now... :rolleyes2

Whoa! Very cool! Is that a tealight in a gel candle container?

It may not be "even" -- but character is what makes handmade soap so unique, right? I love the colors... and bet it smells fahbulous, dahling!

Ahhhhh - I'll try my best. Have you tried ECO wicks? I've not had a smoking problem with them unless I use too much FO -- by the way how much FO are you using? And I've never heard of anyone saying that 100% soy will go bad -- sounds like someone who doesn't know what they are talking about. The soy has been stabilized -- it's not like vegetable oil that can go bad. Have you tried making them with either no color and no FO? That may help you figure out why you've got soot. Hope that helps - good luck!