siberia

I do the same as well. In my test batches I have noticed a difference.

Thanks for the replies Maltesima and Sara. I've done milk soaps various ways and from my POV there are advantages and disadvantages within each method. I am a mad scientist at heart and am really interested in why one gravitates towards one method over another. For me, I find that not letting my milk soaps gel really helps to maintain a silky/creamy feel to the end product. The soaps that I let gel come away with more of a greasy/creamy feel.

Excellent! Love the swirl and colors. :highfive: I have a Jamaica Me Crazy soy container burning right now. I love that scent. I'm curious if others that have used this FO pick up a chocolate smell. It is described as a tropical fruity smell but somehow I smell chocolate in there with the fruit.

Dang it Bruce!! I was going to say that! Tanya, your gourds are lovely! I'm so ready for fall.

Hey there! What does it feel like? Is it dry? Scratchy? Flakey? Does it come off easily?

I've read differing opinions on whether or not one wants to avoid gel with these types of soaps. Some say that they even put their fresh soaps in the fridge while it finishes off. I'm curious as to what everyone here uses as their preferred method of processing milk/cream soaps. Also, do you replace the entire lye water with your cream/milk or do a half/half? I don't go so far as to put in the fridge but it is the only soap I do that I do not wrap or cover.

Very nice! The Black Canyon is stunning. Your labels are nice too.

Beautiful swirls! I bet the cranberry smells divine!

Thanks all for the kind words. I'm really interested in watching how the color develops in this batch. I used liquid chlorophyll in my lye water. I purchased the racks from Target. Here's a link to the manufacturer: http://www.organizes-it.com/poblackstorcube.php

Hey, that rhymes! It smells so good!

Here's a cool link with pictures of soap colored with various natural substances: http://crafty.dyskolus.com/coloring/coloring.html

This FO from Peaks is very strong. Nice but vewwy vewwy strong. I've tested in IGI 1343 as well as a EZ Soy and EcoSoya CBA. Note to soapers. This is a fast moving FO. It accelerated trace like crazy but was still workable.

I use Strahl & Pitsch as well. Great wax. Bittercreek North carries the Astor Q and I believe I read somewhere they they have just come out with a pillar/votive palm of their own.

I love her scents as well. I did get a dud in my last haul. Calm Water in soy. It smells like old lady hairspary to me. Chestnuts and Brown sugar is to die for. I normally don't like sweet bakery FO's but this one smells delicious. I used it in a CP batch and I swear I want to take a bite out of it every time I walk by it.

It will definitely knock your socks off. I back way down on that particular FO.

Your shop is beautiful! You must be exhausted. Can I ask about one of your candles I see in the photos? In shop7.jpg there is a set of tall candles on a shelf underneath the bears. Are those tall containers? They really caught my eye and I would love to know more about them. Best of luck to you on your new shop!

*chuckle* No worries, there are so many acronyms and abbreviations in candlemaking (as well as soapmaking) that I get lost at times as well. pp = per pound (of wax in this case) Ooopsie, didn't see the bottom half of your post. IMO, I think the temp does make a huge difference. You need to make sure the wax reaches a temperature that will facilitate the bonding of your FO and wax.

I absolutely love the ecosoya vb. The scent throw is awesome and I never experience cracks. No repours/top-offs either. I heat to 190 because I use pigments for coloring. Then I let it drop down to 140, add FO and stir like a crazy person. I then let it sit until the wax drops to a range of 130-135 to pour. On FO load, it varies by oil. Here's a list of oils that I poured last week and their rate per pound that I used. Crushed Ginger (Bitter Creek) .5 pp Hot Apple Pie (Bitter Creek) .5 pp Star Gazer (Bitter Creek) .75 pp Bamboo (Wick Your Wax) .5 pp Blackberry Sage (Peaks) .75 pp Calming Water (Just Scent) .5 pp Asian Sandalwood (Peaks) .5 pp Vanilla Grapefruit (Wick Your Wax) .5 pp Oriental Rush (Genwax) .5 pp All of the above throw really well, both hot and cold. If you do end up wanting to get rid of your ecosoya vb, shoot me a PM as I would be interested in taking it off of your hands. *edited for my lousy spelling

Yay for you!

I use a roaster for soy and Prestos for all other wax types. I need the precision of temperature control that the Presto has for palm and paraffin wax jobs.

Also, which feather palm wax are you using? Different brands have different characteristics.

Very nice! Makes me wish I was back in the mountains.

Just to add another point-of-view, I use EcoSoya CB Advanced for my tarts. So far I have not had any problems removing them from the scallop molds nor various silicone molds. HTH

I found this recipe the other day: Amethyst Gem Soap

Those are great! They look good enough to eat!