Meridith

Hi Quiet Girl. Lots of folks are no longer around. Busy lives I'm sure. You're correct. I have been thinking for some time of getting rid of a few of my soap molds, in particular my guest soap mold set since I never use it. Some years back MA let me know if I ever wanted to sell it, she might be interested. A few months ago or so I let her know I was now thinking of selling it and she thanked me for thinking of her and told me she is no longer in the biz. She is doing well though!

Selling these for a fundraiser to help a friend out is a very nice gesture and shows a giving heart on your part. But, I'd be careful because you don't have to be holding yourself out as a professional to get sued. I'd just be careful and recommend that a person truly know what they are doing and have insurance before selling, even if selling in a fundraiser. I just want to see you have a long successful career enjoying making and selling soap.

Just leave your utensil sitting for a few days and then wash them as normal by hand or in the dishwasher. By that time, the residue is soap and should clean up easily and safely.

I use anywhere from .7 to 1 oz ppo depending on the fragrance oil. 4 weeks is a good cure unless its a castile soap, then I cure for at least 6 months. Your soaps will continue to shrink even though you've packaged them already. Personally, I would have waited longer to wrap them to ensure my label had the correct weight. This is your 2nd batch of soap and you are already selling?

Remember that a castile soap really does do better with a longer cure. I cure mine for 6 months before I'll sell it.

Why would Burberry be considered a Christmas scent? Burberry is a perfume that sells year-round so I'm guessing your FO is a dupe of the perfume. Could you perhaps be thinking about "Bayberry?" That would be more of a seasonal scent IMO.

If even if taking a water discount, I would still cure a castile soap for at least 6 months.

Where are the rest of the posts? I can see others have posted but when I open the thread, they aren't there. Hmmm........

Awww thanks Maggie. I do work hard on my soaps and am very proud of them. It's a true passion of mine!

I've never made a castile shaving soap but I would think it could be a nice shaving soap if given a proper cure time. IMO curing is the answer for a nice castile soap. The lather would be a rich creamy lather and you'd still add bentonite clay to help with the needed slip. It certainly could be worth a try. My shaving soaps do contain a high % of OO because it is so conditioning and mild on the face.

I wish there was a like button for your response.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]23252[/ATTACH] Here's my last batch of bastile soap I made in June 2011. It's scented Bitter Orange Orchid.

Francis, yes there is no law that dictates that a castile soap requires a 6 month cure, but IMO any good soaper will tell you that it most certainly benefits from it and does get better with a longer cure. I would NEVER use or sell a castile soap that had not cured for at least 6 months. I will also cure a bastile soap for months too since it also has a high OO content and will benefit from a longer cure time. In fact, I just put out on the shelves of my store a bastile soap I made last June and half the batch is already gone because my customers know how nice a properly cured bastile or castile soap is. I once even cure a castile soap for 2 years just to see how it would be after a super long cure. It was divine and sold out in a matter of days! When I do make any castile soap, it sells out quickly. Anyone that has made a castile soap and taken the time to cure it properly will tell you there is a noticeable difference from it and a castile soap only cured for 1 month. I know this from my experience. Whether to make a bastile or castile soap is really a matter of preference. Castile soaps are wonderful for all ages, especially a more mature skin type since they are wonderfully conditioning on our older, dryer skin. A longer cure time will help with what some people will characterize as a slimy feel, but will not completely alleviate it. Castile soaps are said to be some of the mildest soaps out there too. Bastile soaps can be great too and made with the right oils and butters, the slimy feel can be alleviated or cut down and the amount of bubbles increased. But, if you decide to make a castile soap, don't do yourself or your customers a disservice and not cure it for the proper time. Trust me, if you do cure for the proper time, you'll be have a wonderfully mild soap. That being said, I like them both but will always cure a castile soap for 6 months.

What sells for one person, or is their favorite scent, might not sell for you or be your fav. You also can't always base what might sell on what you like, i.e. I hate Blueberry Muffins and yet I sell tons of it. I've also heard about FOs that others rave about, and yet I couldn't give them away. You have to see what is popular in your market and go from there. That might take some trial and error.

So in order to get a "clean" burn with this candle, you had to do 12-15 hour power burns? I don't think that is a realistic burn time that one should expect a customer to have to perform. I know it would not be for me. I work and don't have that time to put into a candle, tester or not, just to get a "clean" burn. I think I'd rather double wick the bugger and be done with it. Have you ever tried to DW it and see how that burn goes? I would have loved to have seen some more pictures. Shame your camera quit working during the burn.