Sponiebr

Ooo, what's the shimmer? Mica? 

sponiebr:  i ordered all of my supplies from Bramble Berry, as i wrote in my original post. I am not sure what you mean here, since I did post in the proper category, in the proper sub forum. I belong to several on line forums (non-craft related), and never been 'smited'. Maybe this isn't the best place for me. But I thank you for taking the time to respond.

What I meant was that the Mods are pretty easy going. I came here from a place that wasn't as easy going. I was trying to say that we're people friendly. (I'm kind of a smart ass, and sometime even when I'm trying to be genuine I miss my mark.) It's a curse. 

I see that BB comment in you OP now. I'm having a little trouble with some optical migraines today, I've had 6 in a row so far today and the scintillating scotoma is really blocking my vision. I need sleep. So that BB link that I tacked on looks like it would be good for dry skin, I mean it looks good to me. 

Slainte,

Sponiebr

On 5/18/2016 at 6:50 PM, Gsmakinsoap said:

I bought some of those bright blue individual round molds from Bulk Apothecary (Brambleberry sells them too), but I'm unhappy with them because there is a slight taper of 2 or 3 millimeters. I want the top to be the same as the bottom because I can see that it isn't uniform and it detracts from the looks in my opinion. I could put the soap in a PVC mold to get a cylinder log, but I want to add things to the top of the soap while it is still wet. Does anybody know where I can get completely uniform round molds? I noticed that Candlescience just came out with some plastic beveled round molds, but that doesn't work because the top would end up being the bottom, and I don't want a beveled bottom. 

TIA

 

Georgialee

I mean... ya know, ONE way to get around the taper is to use little perfectly fitting tubes and stick them down into the cups. I mean you're going to lose a little product with that insert in there but you can do it.  I'd find a thin walled pvc pipe that fit the exact dimensions at the bottom ring of the cup and then you could cut the pipe to length and fill all the surrouding area with a wax. Just a thort! 

  Melt and Pour Soap Additive List!  is a great place to start KandleKrazy!  I've also just PM'd KrazyKelly as I think that she still works extensively in M&P. I have'nt seen Kelly in a few days though. 

Ve shall zeeee.... 

Slainte!

18 hours ago, MYTVC15 said:

Hello y'all.  I'm new to making M&P soap.  sooo new, that I haven't gotten my supplies yet.  I ordered 2 bases from bramble berry and they should be in my hands tomorrow.  Just in time for the weekend.  I think I already screwed up before I even began, though.  I got 2 molds but they are the clear plastic ones. I also bought large plastic measure cups because I didn't have any, and I read to only use glass. I will have to buy a big glass one today.

 

I have been reading this site for months now and just signed up a week or so ago. I am wanting to make my own soap because I am disgusted with the store bought stuff. I want to make a good soap for acne & blemishes.  I've tried every soap, lotion, potion, creme, etc. on the market and I am just disgusted.  I read all of the melt and pour threads, going back many years.  I think I just may be a little overwhelmed. 

 

I am hoping you great experienced soapers will help me.  I would like to add things that will help clear acne, I just don't know what.  I can get oatmeal, but wonder if it will be too scratchy on the face.  I have tea tree oil but don't know how much to use and its really a strong oil.  is there some kind of clays that help also?? I also have sensitive skin and can't use anything too drying.  Its all such a crap shoot. 

 

I bought the SFIC goat's milk base and the SFIC honey soap base. 

 

I feel so silly after seeing all the artistic, beautiful soaps you all made!  I would like to learn cp some day, but don't kow when. I live in a small apartment and have no place to store anything or even a safe place to make it.  I have seen lots of pretty M&P made here though and it looks like fun too.

 

thank you for any and all advice. 

 

so who here can help a girl with sensitive, dry, yet acne prone skin make some soaps?

Well, I don't really mess with melt and pour. In CP soap glass isn't really optimal, but I guess in M&P you need it for melting the base? I don't know much about M&P but from what I understand it is a syndet (synthetic detergent, or man made soap-like material), and syndets aren't terribly kind to skin (STRIKE THAT... BREAKING NEWS!!! Syndets are recommended for sensitive skin according to a guy who sells them... o.O Seems legit.) Even so, I've not heard of anything bad happening to a person using M&P, it's actually a very popular product, even among people that make traditional soaps. M&P does have some advatages as it's already a finished product that doesn't have any reactions going on in it. (like lye saponifing fats...) I'm sure you could mix in emollients and such to get the moisturizing effects that you would want. So, again... I work in CP, and mixing something like salicylic acid into a CP soap would be a bad idea because acids and lye just DON'T get along at all, but in M&P maybe you could, you probably could? But SHOULD you? I have no idea.  

I have psoriasis and I make pine tar CP soap, which is it's own special fresh flavor of hell. I also make a goats milk, honey, and oatmeal CP soap in which I use organic whole oat flour. It does have some scratch to it but not anything really bad, and I have found that the scratchiness to those bars is only present when rubbing the bar directly on my skin. Transferred to a wash cloth there's no scratch, or not that I've noticed. You can also get colloidal oatmeal which is all hydrated and homogenized and expensive. Personal advice? Keep it super simple until you learn the in's and out's and whether or not M&P is going to be something you like, (I'll bet that it's going to be FAR better than anything you have used so far.) 

I would think that tea tree would be VERY drying, which isn't what you indicate that you need. I'm not sure who SFIC is, but have you been over to Bramble Berry? You might want to check out  the lavender and chamomile facial M&P bar at bramble berry's how-to web site SoapQueen M&P cleansing soap  it's at the bottom of that linked page. 

The clear plastic molds are the way to go apparently for M&P, you just need to be careful with them as they are a bit fragile and temperature sensitive as I understand.  
 

19 minutes ago, MYTVC15 said:

I guess I came to the wrong place, or this forum only responds to those who've been members for a while. 

Really? If I ask sweetly can we try to play nice?  Craft Server really is a wonderful place with genuinely helpful people. Including me (sometimes... well... rarely actually... y'know, let's just skip it.) OTHER people are nice and helpful here.   

I don't know if you have been on other forums, but the admins of Craft Server are not going to smite you down if you happen to ask about a soap making topic the general soap forum so that the question isn't precisely under it's perfect little sub-forum... I know some forums WILL smite you with lashings of fire and thorns, but not here. Here... Just friendly genuine help to friendly genuine people seeking genuine friendly help.

 Anywho, it's not much but hope it helps you some, or at least get's you moving in the right direction.

Slainte

Hum... So, I dunno, but I kinda need a hefty hit of ginger when I want a ginger fragrance. Nothing off the shelf would fit that bill for me. Although I haven't attempted a specific "gingerbread" fragrance yet, I have mixed some ginger fragrances from CS. If I were going to shoot for a gingerbread fragrance with what I have to work with from CS I would probably start with a base of Red Ginger and Saffron and then start adding alternately Pumpkin Pie and Snickerdoodle until it just had enough spice to qualify it as gingerbread. The red ginger and saffron from CS is nice, not something I thought I would really care for except as a "booster" for snickerdoodle, but I did a test batch of soap and didn't particularly care what the fragrance was and I happened grab the bottle of Red Ginger and Saffron, and I have to say the fragrance has really grown on me.
 

Well, that's just my crummy spare change donation for opinion land.  YMWV. 

Slainte,

Sponiebr the Executor of Bad Ideas, Bad Opines, and Sundry Services. 

(raises hand) 

I have a question, bearing in mind that I'm just an audience member here in the candle forums, but would it be possible to core out the wicks to say oh, 3/8" and replace the core with a 3/8" wicked plain wax candle? Like plug out the wick and stick a birthday cake candle down in the hole? Would it even scent? Would it even work? 

" 'Curiouser and curiouser!' cried Alice "


Sponiebr

Ooooo!!! What does THIS button do? 

26 minutes ago, ILikeWaxMelts said:

Then again Candle Science sells a Direct Heat Wax Melter!!!

 

https://www.candlescience.com/equipment/melter-65lb

That melter from Candle Science is the same concept as a Presto Pot. 
I don't make candles, I make soap. Having said that I have worked professionally with melting large quantities of wax. While we didn't really care too much if the wax got off colored from burning or over heating we had to be very conscience about possible fires. We used the Presto Pots exclusively.  

The overwhelming opinion above seems to be direct heat will burn wax. That the best method is to use a presto or a double boiler. 

1 minute ago, TallTayl said:

Reads like your mind was already made up. Might as well jump on it and find out if it will work for you. 

^What TT said. 

o.O

Sponiebr the Executor of single use only Bad Ideas 

Yep. I really like those Freshware molds, they're a little on the light side, but they're really nice especially for the price. There was another listing on that wish web site for the same mold at $3. https://www.wish.com/m/c/5617324f1809d50e01516e04

Now these aren't straight sided, but I really like these little cups for my overages. I will admit that they are a bit of a pain, because they're loose, BUT that is also the major benefit to them. https://www.amazon.com/Baking-Fun-Microwave-Refrigerator-Dishwasher/dp/B01EVJANL6/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1478511935&sr=8-9&keywords=100+handmade+square+silicone

At some point in my life, I'll need a puck mold. 

What I should be doing is trimming, beveling, cleaning, polishing, wrapping and labeling soap... I'm pretty sure almost everything I have at the house is beveled, now I just need to do all that other jazz. :/ Then I'll only have another 4 more batches to finish up. I really do need to get off my butt and get this done, oh but the ennui... Oh look! Straw!!! I betcha I can make a candle outta that!!! o.O 


Oh, I probably should sleep at some point as well. 

 

I can't tell if this wax is straight paraffin or if it's been mixed with something else, (there is a very good chance that it does have something else mixed with it to greatly increase the melting temperature). Also what are some of the temperature melting point ranges that you try for in your wax?  

6 hours ago, Trappeur said:

but I'm sure it would extinguish right away and that defeats your purpose.

Hum, yeah a wick that burns out at the wax isn't optimal... 
 

6 hours ago, Trappeur said:

.so how could  you do any tests?

Tests? You do this? I mean it's not like you're rubbing a candle on your face or anything... (oh, wait, fire inside the house... right, forgot about that for a second...) 
 

4 hours ago, Jcandleattic said:

Brings me back to the saying - just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should do it. 

Pish! Do you think Lela Warren (aka: Glittersniffer) would have gain the notoriety she has today with that kind of an attitude? I dare say no, no she would not.  

4 hours ago, TallTayl said:

Grab a block of canning paraffin from the grocer and give it  go.

Oh... Gulf wax... Yeah, I might have a few hundred pounds of that laying around actually... I don't think it's been mixed with anything, but I honestly don't know. Either way it should still burn. o.O This'll be interesting. 

If you see me on the News, DENY EVERYTHING! 


Slainte! 

Sponiebr the Executor of things that make you go hmmm... 

25 minutes ago, Trappeur said:

I know!!!!! lol, lol  I'm as dumb as a box of rocks because I don't understand a thing what Sponiebr is even talking about! lol, lol....Do you? lol

 

And what is a straw supposed to look like.....because the only straw I know of and have is horse hay! lol

 

I know you have to be reading this post Sponier, lol.....And you thought of me when you put up this thread?  oh my!  Just because I have horses?  Hey! Moonshine!   You have horses....maybe you have some straw and can make this for Sponiebr?

 

I'd love to help you out here Sponier, but I'm really lost in the dark here....Well, that's nothing unusual.  My father used to tell me all the time I'd get lost in a closet.  Guess he was right! ha!

 

Trappeur

Well, you're the only one I knew that had horses... 

Straw is rather large in diameter compared to hay and it has a hollow core. Straw is usually the stalks left over from cereal crops. e.g. wheat, oats, barley etc.. 

Basically all I'm talking about is using one of these thin straw tubes as a wick by itself (e.g. no wick inside of it) so that when it burns it'll snap, crackle and pop. 

Just a concept I thunked up. 

10 minutes ago, Moonstar said:

lol lol lol !!!!!!

People say it's a thin line between genius and madness and I'm here to tell you it is a broad stroke of gray. 

29 minutes ago, Trappeur said:

Huh???????

 

I don't get it...wick a candle with a piece of straw?  For what reason?

 

Trappeur

Actually, Trappeur you're the one I had in mind for this experiment, 'cause yanno the horses. 

But, I digress.
So there are these wooden wicks and apparently they're all unpredictable and don't want to work with certain waxes and certain FO's (yadda, yadda, yadda...) but they make this nice crackling noise like a log fire when they burn. So I got to thinking how that all works and I wasn't really feeling the whole true wicking action of a thin slice of wood. Wicks can work by surface tension feed but, meh, they work better with capillary feed. I've made improvised wick and fuse out of a great many things before, hair, fiberglass, a bundle of copper wire, (don't try that or the stainless steel metal braid), pipe cleaners (not great either the wire heats up the fuel/wax/fat)... all kinds of crazy stuff. But all of these had one thing in common, capillary feed/ saturation feeds. For a more precise definition I'd have to say they worked by wicking... <--- see what I did there?

And then as I thought about these strange wicks it struck me that even though straw frequently has a shinny outside "skin" the interior of straw is very absorbent and might wick pretty well. I was thinking that someone might try this and find that the straw gives a crackling pop also, and probably without so many limiting factors as the wood wicks seem to have. 

So with these concepts in mind I was wondering if someone with all of the gear, and knowledge might give this a short test to see if it would work.

That's the theory, intent, and scope of the operation. 

(*This message will self destruct in 10 seconds.*)
9 seconds
8...

-Sponie

I know this may be a tad forward but all this talk about wood wicks has gotten my imagination all up in a tizzy. I was wondering if one of y'all might be up for a little experimentation?  (coughs) Uh, so could someone try wicking a candle with a piece of straw? I mean like a piece of real straw, not hay or a soda straw. I would probably guess that you'd have to boil the hell out of it in some wax or oil to drive out the molecular moisture, and maybe fill the core with wax separately? (I make soap, and bad ideas I dunno)  

I dunno why, but I have some strange feeling that an open ended piece of straw might work pretty well. Then again I don't make candles... 

Just candle curious. 

Slainte, 

Sponiebr the Executor of Bad Ideas and Disastrous Notions. 

Hi Shauna!

Dontcha just love that last question? "Is there anything ELSE we should know about?" It's like some kind of implied guilt... When I got to that question I remember thinking, oh, you'll find out soon enough! Crazy ALWAYS shines through. <----- Anyway, as you can see, that guy might be nutz.

But welcome!

I'm Sponiebr and I make soap and come up with all sorts of new and innovative bad ideas.  

Slainte, 

Sponiebr the Executor of Bad Ideas and Sundry Services 

2 hours ago, Jcandleattic said:

Never heard of her. Is she in a soap group on FB or on a forum? Here?

No idea... I' just googled her: http://www.lipsticksandlightsabers.com/2011/02/please-go-directly-to-jail-part-1.html 

Oh and it DOES look like a harrowing Charlie Foxtrot! I can't WAIT to be entertained tonight

4 hours ago, TallTayl said:

You will learn that with so much information (misleading and helpful) a quick Google away an increasing number of people will not try, let alone buy, soap or cosmetics with no label. Like your family, Sponiebr) who want to risk a trip to the ER? As a manufacturer, following GMP saves time, money and lowers risk considerably!

Yep! Just because it is not regulated, that DOES NOT mean you are or will be indemnified or held harmless regarding torts or any other liability.  

Right now, this is what my labels look like, and they're basically this way because they're identifying gifts for other friends and family member (though my church did sell some of my soap at a fund raising bazaar).

I want to develop one of those ingredients lists that lists everything that I use in my soap making but doesn't necessarily list the specifics for any particular bar. e.g.: Ingredients: Commercially prepared food grade beef tallow and palm oil shortening blend (list out what wally world's ingredients are here),  Olive oil, Coconut oil, Water, Sodium Hydroxide, fragrance. May contain: Aloe, natural mineral colorants (list out all of them common and INCI), goat's milk reconstituted from dried powder, etc...   

Anywho, I gotta jet off to work. C'ya! 

-Sponiebr

Remember when I was going off about the certifications and such for the oxides? It's up there ^ above this^. (wave and say hi!!!) 

So I'm poking along in TKB Trading co... and lo and behold I find a color I like and want to know more about the pigment. 

Ingredients: There are no ingredients list provided with this pigment because it is not cosmetic grade. It is not permitted for use in cosmetics. Great in soap making and craft projects, however. 

Wait... so because we soap they don't have to say what's in their colorants? I could grab a handful of red dirt and throw it in and It's gonna be just fine, because it's a soap.... 

Does something smell fishy here? 

5 hours ago, Gsmakinsoap said:

I just (a couple days ago) found a mica vendor that looks great. Someone on soapmakingforum mentioned them. I guess she does prebuys like once a month, but her prices beat anything else I've seen! Also, the forum person said they've been tested in soap. When I get low, I'll be trying her out: www.micasandmore.com. She also has a facebook page. I'm particularly pleased that the "Ruby Red" she sells only contains mica and oxides. Not even Titanium dioxide, which I find many have. The fewer the ingredients, the happier I am. I could potentially make a red soap for my cousin who's afraid of TD, for instance.

Yeah, I'm gonna try it out too... But I'll place an order ASAP because it looks like it'll be over a month minimum before I'd get an order shipped. 

1 hour ago, Lora said:

I love the idea of wooden wicks.  I've not used them but am planning on it.  Is there a particular type of wax that is better suited to wood?  Or will they work in any wax?

Yanno... I don't make candles but looking into this wooden wick concept makes me want to make candles. This is the first time I've ever heard of this, and I have used some weird stuff before to create makeshift wicks. Oh... This has got my curious all in an uproar...

Slainte, 

Sponiebr the Executor of Bad Ideas and Sundry Services

Ooooo... ahhhhh... OOOOOOHHHH...

I'm love'n it!

When I grow up I want to swirl like Barbara! 

Oh and before I ferget... Here are the color tests.

Top left to right: Red, Yellow, Green, Ultramarine, red and yellow (the red dot is just some extra I dumped on afterwards I was trying for an orange.), red and blue (hopefully some form of purple, it's got plain uncolored soap on top to fill the rest of the mold) The next 3 are just plain, and that last one was just the uncolored swirled in the mold with the scrapings of the left over red) Formulation was:  

38% water to oil

5% superfat

40% Great Value Shortening

34% Canola oil

21% Coconut oil

5% Castor

1/2 tsp peppermint eo.

Ta-DA!!! 

 I was going to RANT... I was going to RAVE like the MAD man that I am about the INJUSTICE and roguish near thievery of the whole specialty craft industry... I was going to DEMAND ANSWERS AND ACCOUNTABILITY... And then... (SOBS) THEN... TT comes in here with wisdom and common sense. and, (WAILING) it's lights out, ice cream cone in the sand, game over, bubbles popped, parade cancelled, THUNDER STOLEN, for me... Oh it was going to be SUCH a PERFORMANCE!!!!  Move along folks... nothing more to see here. I'll just... I dunno... my new purpose is gone...sniff... <shuffles off into the cold, dark, and lonely shadows *exit stage left* >   ) 

3 hours ago, TallTayl said:

Adding: Clays are color modified in labs too... Not sure with what. If you want natural, then you're probably going to be limited to herbs, spices, etc.

 

The whole "non-toxic" argument is a philosophical one, isn't it? Like, my potter clay is labeled as non-toxic, so I could lick it without an emergency call to Poison Control, but it is not without risk. If inhaled long enough the clay dust will kill me. The only difference is time =) Same with our cosmetic and candle chemicals. Which is why it is a darned good idea to always use personal protective equipment and choose materials that have the least likelihood that we will not become sick from our crafts.

Seriously though, TT you're absolutely right. I mean even water is poisonous if over consumed. Still, where the certification comes from is kind of interesting, and still seems fairly ill defined. Also are clays like the Rhassoul and French sea clays lab altered? I thought that at least the Moroccan and Brazilian colored clays were naturally occurring.  

3 hours ago, Jcandleattic said:

This! 

 

And, along with that and the FDA crackdown on small bath & body businesses, the more we can show/prove that WE are doing everything in our power to be in compliance, the less likely we are to be held to standards such as other countries, and have everything we do tested before we can sell, give, or trade our goods, not to mention, fines and regulation fees... 

Yeah. They want it their way but their way seems rather obscure. 
FDA: 
"THOU SHALT DO THE THING!!!" Uh... what "thing"? "THOU SHALT DO IT!!!" Whaa? What am I supposed to do? "Thou SHALT NOT do THAT THING!!!" (oh boy...) what are you talking about!? Hello? FDA? "WE SHALT REIGN HELL UPON YOU IF YOU do THAT thing!!!" Where can I find out more about the "things"... "THOU SHALT NOT VIOLATE THE CFR!!!" What parts?     "Well, what do you mean WHAT parts? ALL OF IT you silly ninny..."

You can't use X brand oxide because it's not certified but you don't have to disclose what's IN the soap if you label it soap... Wow. That would be just about enough to drive someone nuts... (Queue IFRA...) "Finish him!" "Fatality!" "IFRA WINS" "MORTAL KOMBAT!!!!!!!!"  

I WANT THE TRUT... 

This is the first time I've heard of TKB Trading... Where have these folks BEEN in my life!? WOW! They have officially beat the pants off of anyone else selling pigments!

Thank you TT!   (and thank you all!) 

-Sponiebr