DeeB

Hi Cindy, I made her some goats milk lotion and added rosehip oil to it and told her to try that. I told her in my opinion, adding an expensive oil to soap doesn't make a whole lot of sense except for marketing purposes, the soap doesn't stay on your skin long enough for it to be beneficial. She said the lady at the health food store told her the soap with rosehip would be great for her skin. In my opinion, she was just trying to sell her a $7.00 bar versus a $4.00 bar, I could be wrong though. Thanks so much for your help. Dee

They look nice..how does the Mango Mandarin smell in the wax. I have it, like the smell OOB but haven't tried it in wax yet. Dee

Very pretty, really nice color!

Those are really pretty, bet they smell wonderful too. Dee

My MIL wants me to make her some soap with rosehip oil in it..she heard it is good for mature skin. So in order to keep the properties of the rosehip I need to add it at trace? Do I figure up the total amount of oils including the rosehip oil...total oils 48 oz., get my lye amount for 5% superfatting, then just hold the rosehip out and mix it in at trace? She wants it scented with Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin BBW type FO, has anyone ever used this in CP? I wanted to discount the water a little bit, but I guess I better use the whole amount since I've never used this FO before and don't know how it behaves. If anyone has used it could you please let me know how it behaved. Also I am going to try a swirl with Tumeric, do I need to dissolve the tumeric with anything or can I just mix it with the soap I take out of the batch to color. Dee Dee

Those are very pretty! Dee

This is what I do, I use card stock. You can get individual sheets at the craft store in the scrapbooking dept. or buy a ream at an office supply store. I mix the FO with 2 parts DPG to 1 part FO, you can adjust ratios depending on how strong you want it to be, and paint it on with a 2" paint brush from the hardware store. Let it dry and then cut into a size that fits into an invitation envelope. I usually get 4 from an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet. It scents drawers nicely. If you want to scent shelf paper, I'm not sure, that is a lot thinner than cardstock. Maybe mix FO with alcohol, since it's not going on the skin, just use cheap rubbing alcohol. The alcohol will cut the oil in the FO, mix the 2 and let it sit for a few days to mingle. Shake well and spray the lining paper. That may eliminate the oil spots and it will dry faster. Dee

Looks like mottling. I'd keep it, but I do all my containers with a mottle. I like it the way it is, it goes really well with the container he chose. Dee

The flashpoint must be above 141 for priority mail, there are also some packaging requirements. Here's a link to the USPS with the regulations. http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm/C023.htm Hope that helps Dee

Parol oil helps mottling. It is similar to or maybe the same thing as mineral oil. Some countries call mineral oil, parol oil. Pharmacies usually have mineral oil. Some people take it orally as a laxative..ick! You can also get parol oil at candlemaking suppliers. Dee

Test it. Home centers sell mold testing kits and since you live in one of the hurricane areas you can probably have an agency test it for free. At least then you will know for sure. Mold can do a lot of damage to a home. I find it a bit hard to believe that if you change the filters monthly that there would be that much soot from candles. Dee

If you are getting good scent throw with the FO, maybe mixing it with DPG would work for you. It is supposed to slow the evaporation rate of the FO and make it last longer. I can't tell you for sure, I've never tried it in one of those, but I do mix it with FO for sachet cards and the scent does last longer with the DPG than with straight FO. The flashpoint of DPG is about 255 degrees. OMG, I just thought of something else, had to run and get the bottle. Ultra Pure Candle and Lamp oil is 99 percent pure liquid paraffin. I bought it to use for some oil candles. I thinking this might work! It says on the bottle it is a class IIIB combustible liquid, I just looked it up, a class IIIB has a flashpoint over 200....okay now I have to run to Walmart and get a plug in and try this...LOL! Anybody know the exact flashpoint of liquid paraffin? Dee

I second that! These are the ingredients in McCormicks pure vanilla extract VANILLA BEAN EXTRACTIVES IN WATER, ALCOHOL (35%), AND CORN SYRUP. Snap, crackle, pop for sure. On second thought.. an interactive candle might sell...LOL! Dee

Those are beautiful and I love the packaging. You are gonna sell out of those! Dee

from MMS catalog: INCI = Fuller's Earth This a great multifunctional additive. This powder like material is superb at combatting grease and dirt. Add a tablespoon per pound of fat to your favorite cold process soap recipe to create a great soap with abundant hand cleaning power. Take a bar to your mechanic next time your car needs some work, he might just give you a deal. Enjoy! Saw this when I was ordering, not sure if it helps you. I've never used it but I'm thinking about ordering some and trying it. Dee

I prefer my tart warmer to keep the wax somewhere between 160 and 165. The working/pouring temperature of my wax is between 165 and 185, but since some of the FOs I use have flash points of 170, I prefer to keep the wax below 170. I feel that once the FO flashpoint is exceeded it begins to vaporize and you lose scent quickly. But that is just my opinion. I have tarts that I have used for more than 20 hours and still have lots of scent left. The boiling point of water is 212 degrees, you could make tea with those. Glad I saw this, I was going to order those from BC. From the instructions you posted, it doesn't sound like they were designed to be tart warmers. After reading you post I'm staying with my warmers that use light bulbs. Dee

Hi Annie, I just made my first batch of soap, and didn't want to complicate things by attempting a swirl in it, so I'm not a whole lot of help. But there are tutorials on here for making soap. I made cp soap and used the tutorial by Robin, it's great and very imformative, it explains how to do a swirl. I read lots of tutorials before I made my soap and Robin's is the best one I have read. It is under Soapmaking, there are tutorials for HP and I think for M&P too. Good luck with your first batch, be careful you'll become addicted! Dee

The Wilton food coloring gels are FD&C colorants. FD&C stand for food, drug and cosmetic. So I would think it would be okay to sell bath bombs colored with them. Dee

I checked out the link she gives on her website to insure.com that states that insurance may not cover for soot damage caused by paraffin candles. Guess what, there isn't any reference to paraffin candles anywhere in that article, the reference is to scented candles and doesn't mention a particular kind of wax, paraffin, soy or other. Here's a link you can check it out for yourself, it's hard to find, guess this soy company is counting on the average consumer not bothering to try to find it. http://info.insure.com/home/candles.html My grandparents had a candle shop for 30 years. In a good year my grandmother poured 100,000 pounds of wax. The testing and pouring rooms both had white walls and never had soot on them. Every time a new shipment of wax came in if any of the specifications had changed at all, testers were poured and the wax, wick and scent combinations were tested again. She was probably exposed to more "fumes" from paraffin in one week than the average candle burning homeowner will be in their lifetime. She was 93 when she died. Dee

Thanks! I'm not sure about the pvc molds, I used a wooden log mold and it was ready to take out the next day. But I bet if you post a question about how long it takes someone who uses pvc would be glad to help you out. Dee

Thanks, I like your little quote at the bottom. My husband tells me that all the time too, but he's still here...LOL! Dee

Yeah, when I saw it had turned out good, it was kind of like opening a Christmas present that you really really wanted..LOL! Dee

Thanks! I can honestly say I am over my lye phobia, I went today to a little grocery store here and bought all the red devil lye they had. Got some pretty weird looks from the lady checking me out. I made sure I told her it was for soap didn't want her to think I was a drug dealer..LOL! She wrinkled up her nose and told me her grandmother used to make soap and it was yucky and smelled bad. I told her that when the soap is cured and I know it's okay to use, I'll bring her a bar to try. I shop there all the time and she is always so nice, I figure I can spare a bar for her. Dee

Thanks, just wanted to tell you how awesome your tutorial is! I've looked at everyone I could find on the web and yours is the best by far. Just for future reference, if I get a batch that doesn't gel I know that it will still be soap but will it take longer to be ready to use? Thanks, Dee

Okay, here's a picture. I trimmed the top but still have to trim the sides and bottom. Sorry, the picture is a blurry. My daughter insisted on scented soap, so I used Frankincense and Myrrh, it behaved very well and the soap has kind of a baby magic scent to it, smells good. It did turn the soap a tan color, but I kind of like it, it will look good in my prim bathroom. Mixing the lye wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, so I'm ready to try another batch. Dee