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I think the soap I made yesterday may have partially gelled last night. I've never seen it before so I'm not real sure. The middle turned a dark grey and was very warm so I assume this is gel. Anyhow, I wasn't sure if it was okay or not to cut it today because the middle looks a little different than the outer edges. Should I wait a few days? Thanks!!

Today I made my 4th batch of CP soap and oberved the usual safety precautions while mixing my lye water. While I was waiting for everything to cool down I noticed a huge red area on my neck. I felt no burning or anything and hadn't splashed any lye water. Could this be from lye fumes? I mixed it in the kitchen sink with the window open and a fan on and kept my face away while mixing. I did lean over several times to make sure all the lye crystals were mixed. I splashed cold water over the spot and after a while it went away. What do you think? Thanks for your help!!

I have 3 batches of CP soap under my belt and feel more confident. Here are my questions. I want to make my batch of soap and separate it into 2 and make 2 different scents. Can I put some in a plastic bowl just long enough to mix the scent in? Also, can I add more than 1oz of FO per pound(depending on the fragrance) because the scent in some of my other batches has faded some. Thanks for your help!!

I was looking at the pushup tubes for lotion sticks on the Green Girl Basics site and saw their new 1oz pushup tubes that are unbreakable and wondered if anyone has used these yet? Also, has anyone ordered from this company and are they good to deal with? TIA!!

A while back before I started soapmaking my Aunt had given me a soap from the B&B Works and she wrapped it in netting and tied it with a ribbon. I recently started making CP soap and was thinking of trying this. She put the soap in the netted material and gathered it at the top and tied the top with the ribbon. Just wanted to get some opinions.TIA!!

I was at Walmart today browsing through the sales on Christmas stuff and noticed container candles in votive cups and the votive cups had lids on them. Any idea where to get these lids? They were very small votive cups. TIA!!

Can anyone recommend and good companies in Eastern Pa for soapmaking supplies? Thanks!

I made a CP soap recently and unmolded it after 2 days. While cutting it I noticed that it was really soft and was like cutting fudge. Do you think it will harden up after a while? Here's my recipe: 12 oz Olive Oil 12 oz Coconut Oil 19 oz Lard 6 oz Lye 16 oz water I found it while searching the net for CP recipes. It looks wonderful it's just so soft! I ran it through a lye calculator but wonder if I should have cut back the water a bit. Thanks for your help.

Here's an update in the ongoing pillow drama. The head of the craft show called me AGAIN and said my friend called the lady and told her she would mail out a check and slammed the phone down. My friend would never sayanything like this! Also the lady said she doesn't want my friend's check because she's afraid it will bounce. So, I ended up sending a check to the head of the craft show who is going to cash it and give it to the lady. I told my friend that I'll just take the pillow rather than her sending me a check because I LOVE these pillows. Let's hope this is the end of the whacko lady.

I was in a craft show last month with a friend. I had B&B items and candles and she made these rice pillows that you microwave. A lady and her husband stopped by to look at her rice pillows and in talking found out about some other kind of pillows she makes and ordered one and paid for it. My friend said it would take about 2 weeks to make and send to her. About a month later the head of the craft show called me and said the lady called her and said she never heard anything about the pillow. Meanwhile my friend had previously called her and told her it would be a little longer. Today I got another call from the head of the craft show saying that the lady called her again saying that the pillow was to be mailed out and that she never received itand repeatedly stated that this makes our craft show look bad. I called my friend and it turns out that she DID mail the pillow to the lady and that she decided she didn't like the fabric and sent it back.I don't understand why this lady lied like this!! Or what is going on in her twisted mind!! Thanks for letting me vent!!

I have a few batches of CP soap under my belt and wanted to try some colors. I was checking out the dyes from WSP and it says to add to the water phase. Does this mean that I can't add any at trace? Any suggestions on this particular dye or any others? Thanks!!

I tried the Canolive oil recipe from the Miller website and loved it.It's a good beginner soap recipe.

Speaking of Primal Elements, has anyone tried their FBB? I bought some at a craft show and was wondering if anyone knows what they add to it to make it the consistancy that it is? I loved it and was trying to make something similar with a FBB base I bought.

I had this very same thing happen to me with my first batch of CP soap. I poured it into molds and let it sit for a day. The next day I cut it and had pockets of FO oozing and let it sit and cure and all the FO reabsorbed. The soap kinda looked like swiss cheese after it cured but turned out wonderful!! Just make sure it isn't pockets of lye.HTH!!

Ive ordered from them twice and they've been great!!

I've used the red silicone loaf pan from Walmart twice for CP soap and had no problems.

Can anyone tell me where to get gussetted cello bags for dipped critters? I've searched and can't find any. Thanks!!

I'm in Pa. There's a Walgreen's near where I work, I'll try there. There's no Hobby Lobby around here but Maybe I can try Michael's and Pat Catan's. Thanks for the suggestions!!

Can Cocoa butter be purchased in a store or can it only be bought online? I just want to buy a small amt without having to pay shipping charges. I've looked at Walmart and a bunch of other stores but only come up with Cocoa butter with a bunch of additives. Thanks!

I orderd gusseted bags from her a few years ago but did not receive any ties with them. Maybe I'm wrong but who sells bags without some kind of ties?

I just made my second ever batch of CP soap and have a couple of questions. The first is about the container to measure the lye in. I wiped the container and outside of the lye bottle with a dryer sheet to prevent the lye particles that cling to the edges. What about the little bit that stays in the container after you mix the lye water? I hurried up and rinsed it well with water but wondered if there was a better way to do this. Second question is does it matter if the temp of the lye water and oils are not exact? My lye water cooled down before my oils and wondered if this will affect my recipe? Last of all is about soap dyes. I did not color either of the batches I made and wondered if the B&B dyes from Michael's are okay to use in CP soap or if they are just for M&P soap.Thanks for all your help!!

I was in a rather dissapointing craft show today and had a large display of mainly body butters and lotion sticks. I had samples sitting out for people to try along with popsicle sticks and a sign saying to use the sticks to try out the butters. People kept dipping their fingers in the butters even though I asked them to use the sticks. I also had a cute little can witha sign on it saying to dispose of the sticks in here. Does everyone else experience this or have any suggestions for me?The show wasn't that great and it started out with one of the crafters coming in and loudly announcing that she couldn't possibly have her table in the middle aisle because she needed a wall for her display and told the lady in charge that she had to do something. The lady asked her if she had written about needing a wall on her application and she said "Well, no!!" DUH!!! They ended up moving some things around to accomodate her. Takes all kinds, huh? TIA!!!

Why is it that when people find out you're in a craft show they want to put stuff out on your table? I'm in a show this coming Sunday and I had several people say to me "Can I make some items and put them on your table to sell?". I told them that the show is juried and i can't bring items that weren't listed on my application plus I have so much stuff of my own that I don't have room. Why do people assume they can do this?!

Being a CP newbie i have a few questions. First of all, is there a rule of thumb about how much FO to add to a recipe?(Like 1oz per pound) I've researched but haven't found an answer. Second, after your soaps are cured, can you store them inan airtight box or do you have to use something with air circulating through it? Last of all, what do you do with bits of soap you've trimmed off soaps? Sorry for so many questions but I've been bitten by the soapmaking bug!!!

Does anyone know if these are the type that suck out the scent? I made some little cupcake tarts that would look perfect in these but don't want to use them till I know for sure. There's no info on the label about what type of bag they are.Thanks!