Hibiscus

I'm just :laugh2:

Are you discussing natural LS?:embarasse

I think at least part of the reason the KOH doesn't get as hot is we use so much more water to dissolve it in. With bar soap we use between 30% to 40% water to oils (between 1.96/1 to 2.6/1 water to lye) while we use 50% to 70% water to oil ratio (2.3/1 to 3.27/1) for KOH. This by no means makes it safe… but a lost less concentrated that we use with NaOH. I have been thinking about this… I can’t find anything on saturation points on KOH, will it all dissolve in a 40% solution? If so can it be used for bar soap? I may have to waste some ingredients and try.

KOH is definitely nicer to work with:D keep at it grandma, you will figure it out.....I should be making lotion and conditioner:drool: I better go now, a soaper has to have some secrets. I'm leaving this to the experts:D

Happy Happy LS Making!

I've never purchased any but happy to see links to good suppliers. I have a stack of dried flowers from my garden that I haven't had time to use. I'm still waiting on a clone:laugh2:

I'm so jealous:drool: I've got regular shelving from Menards but if I put dividers in it:rolleyes2 I really should think about doing just that because I am running out of space. Verrrrrrrrry nice rack, Jeff.

I want to eat that! looks like cheesecake and I haven't had breakfast:highfive: beautiful!

Beautiful and thoughtful. I love the color of that box! I just know it's filled with lots of goodies.

Well, my formula traces and gels in less than 45 minutes and there is very little stirring involved. Put the top on it and do something else..um maybe another pot of soap:laugh2: or some cpbs. The dilution part is a bit tricky because it's different with each formula. I used to start with small amonts of water, keeping track of every oz until it was the thickness I wanted. It's weird but sometimes I can look at the paste texture and determine the amount of water needed...can't explain that but it's like cooking to me anyway and that's the way I cook...weird..LOL and btw Allowing it to sit for a few days and it will thicken a bit on it's own. It may be different for cpls, not sure. Maybe I will try that one day.:embarasse

Oh no, I don't make cpls I make hpls. It's faster and I turn out gallons of the stuff in no time. I can work two crock pots simultaneously!..LOL I fell in love with making LS from the very first batch...but by now everybody on CT knows I am a LS addict.

Once you've got all your formulas worked out there is no more 5 hour cooking and no more waiting for all those stages:yay: and all that other stuff that makes people want to throw in the towel after the first attempt. Hang in there Grandma, here comes the fun part:drool: all the experimenting with herbs, eo's ahhhhh:whoohoo: :whoohoo:

Potato masher?...yeah they got me with that one too.:rolleyes2 It didn't work out for me and I am happy to hear it worked for you. I believe LS is easier to make than all the rest:yay: congrats!

You always use such lovely fragrances and everything looks nice and inviting.

I've used boxes of all kinds and my old kitchen drawer and a bowl for shaving soap. Shoot I'll try just about anything.

WOW! it makes me think of those posters under black lights...verrrrrrrrrry P-funk, uncut funk. A the bomb! I want ta get funked up:cool:

I've never used my croc for anything but LS or HPBS and rebatching. I don't mix my soaping equipment with my cooking stuff...you can always use a stock pot for the LS. I've never done that because the croc works so well but I intend to see what it's about eventually. From my understanding of the stock pot is that you use it as a double boiler but I am crazy enough to use direct heat but thats just me.:rolleyes2

Crocks are always on sale so invest in one thats for soap use only...honestly it is on my top five list of best soap making equipment investments.

I don't think you would have been hijackig that thread they were very helpful. I guess I must gave hijacked it though cause I didnt know it was a specific animal tallow...just plain ol tallow...but anyway. I read a little about rendering tallow and the way i understand it, is if you can boil a pork roast or beef roast or any fatty meat, you've rendered tallow...LOL of course there is the baking method but boiling seems easier to me. Once it's boiled and then it chills the oils rise to the top and you scoop that off the top and theres your tallow/ soap fat...anybody can correct me if I am wrong because again I did a little reading and i'm not an expert:rolleyes2

I told my hunter friend if I had time I would not only render the tallow but tan the hides and make beads from the bones...must be the native american part of me:cheesy2: gosh i wish there were three of me...uh wait maybe there is:naughty:

That's what my friend says...hardly no fat:sad2:

I've got a friend who is going deer hunting this weekend and I was just wondering how difficult it is to render deer tallow or has anyone ever used it or done it?

I use olive in my whipped shea cream and in my sugar scrubs, along with other oils.

When I was making a whipped shea butter I would use shea oil only.

I've never used canola oil in anything.

Nope no canola for me either. I'd use the olive:)

I don't think m&P will prepare you for cp, hp or ls soap making. I Think you will learn how to play with colors and pour it in molds and that's my understanding of melt and pour. It's really pretty, though. I would try a very basic recipe using two of the cheapest oils you can find and no colorant or fragrance, just to give you a easy place to start.

I'd do a 50/50 coconut & lard Room temp and be done with it.

HTH

I don't know you, Jeff...but you are a 'Class Act'

I'll be contacting you after the holidays for a custom vertical mold that you may be able to help me with.

I am certainly familair with his molds from all the reviews here on Ct, if I didn't have such a sweet BIL I would be ahead of you on that:D

Please share how you got that color effect--it looks like most of the black is on the outside and I can't imagine how that was done in a cylinder mold!

Jane

This was my first attempt at outer layering in a round mold. I colored the soap and poured it in the mold and rolled it until it was coated. I let it sit for a few minutes to be sure it had adhered to the sides and then i poured straight down the middle with the other color. That's it. I hope to get better at it when I have more time to practice. Man I love these plastic molds and how easily the soap slips out. I hope to get a chance to practice this weekend.

HTH

It seems I see those things everywhere I shop online, do they work as well or better than tarts or room sprays?

Well, I've soaped and lotioned and experimented with just about everything in the house. I couldn't sleep because the creative spirits kept whispering in my ear and at 5 am this morning. I got up and began a LS experiment while simultaneously I soaped some chamomile/calendula/oatmeal/ secret ingredient/ and it's still in the mold warm and I can't wait to cut it..sure was prettyful when I poured it. I dropped a huge pot on the floor and was banging the mold on the counter and woke up my husband and he came downstairs and asked me had I ever gone to bed:laugh2: of course I said, but I had enough sleep and now I gotta soap! After I had calmed the creative voices in my head, I went back to bed and slept like a child on christmas eve...visions of the perfect soap dancing in my head.....don't cha just love it?!