Candybee

It's definitely not like indigo. I have both.

So you're saying the petroleum jelly used in baby products and vaseline causes cancer? The ingredient in vaseline is listed as white petrolatum. After decades of use it now causes cancer? That just sounds like part of the petroleum hype and I am finding it hard to believe that vaseline is a cancer causing product. In any event, whether it does or doesn't cause cancer if the general public perception is that it does it would definitely be a turnoff.

Does anyone know how Peak's compares to CS' lavender? Has anyone CP'd both?

Still looking for options for subbing lanolin in my all veggie men's shaving soaps. What is working so far is a blend of glycerin, cupuaco butter, and castor oil added after the cook. It seems to do the trick. The shaving cream is moisturizing and creates a nice barrier and provides good slip for shaving. But its not quite the same as lanolin. Close. But as always I keep thinking I should experiment to see if I can make improvements. For my 'animal fats' shaving soaps I add lanolin and glycerin after the cook and it makes an amazing shaving soap. But with my all veggie men's shaving soap line the lanolin is not an option. It should be an additive I add after the soap is cooked. Lately I have been seriously thinking of using white petrolatum. Its the same stuff they use in vaseline and for diaper rash formulations with petroleum jelly. I've been reading up on the history and use of white petrolatum and feel its highly underated. Its actually an amazing gel that can be used in so many applications and has great lubrication and healing properties. But I wonder if 'white petrolatum' on the soap label would be a turnoff to customers? Plus, I am still looking for suppliers that carry the stuff. It used to be you could find it pretty easily as an additive for paraffin container wax. But now I can't seem to find it in the usual places.

I love madder root! Makes a great earthy red color. Think of cinnamon bark or red clay.

For candles I use CS Lavender. For soap Pure Fragrance Oils Lavender is my preferred lavender.

Well I guess I will be looking for a good amber FO then. Sigh. I was sure I saw some amber resin crystals somewhere. But now I am wondering if it was the frankincense crystals I saw at Nurture soap supply?!!

This will be for CP soap blends so I might check out Sweetcakes. ChrisR- So you put the amber resin chunks in your olive oil to get the 'amber' fragrance? Can you smell it in a finished soap?

Thanks Carebear. So.. I guess I should just look for a good amber FO unless I want to try and dupe one from scratch.

I'm not seeing any colorant specks in those last 2 pics. I see some small whitish specks that look something like stearic specks. Are those what you are talking about? Or maybe I just can't see the specks in the pics. I had several natural colorants from SMR that gave me specks in the finished soap. Not all of them but several. But now as I mentioned earlier I use them specifically for achieving a textured look. So I don't filter on purpose.

Okay. I'm not seeing it. I just see the brown liquid dye. Is there a mocha brown dye too?

I know that some natural colorants, eg.; paprika, red sandalwood, spirolina, can leave specks in the finished soap. The trick I read about at the soapmakingforum is to blend the colorant into an oil like olive oil and you can save the colored oil to add to your soap when you need it. When you use it you can strain it through a filter like a coffee filter or cheesecloth. Another option is to put the colorant in a sealable tea bag, then drop the tea bag in the oil and let is set until you reach the desired color. The use the colored oil for soaping. Personally I found these methods too labor intensive for my taste but other soapers swear by them and use them for many of their colorants. Its a great method especially for annetto seeds. I actually embrace the 'speckled' look of some natural colorants and use them as part of my swirled colors to lend a look and feel of texture to the soap.

I know amber is a resin and I've seen it in small rock crystal form but not in a liquid. Does a liquid amber exist? I would love to incorporate some amber notes in EO blends but not sure how to go about it. What do perfumists do? How do they get it into FOs, perfumes, etc.?

I've used indigo a few times and was able to get a deep blue by dispensing into my soap oils and SB the tar out of it. Never tried putting it in my lye water. The only color I put in my lye was the water soluble titanium dioxide. But that left specks so instead I started adding directly to my oils and SB'ing it in the soap batter. No more specks. So now I add all my colorants directly into my soap batter and use my stick blender to blend them in. The combination of oils/butters and other additives can also effect the color. Blues and purples seem to be the worst when it comes to getting that icky gray. Sometimes it just takes adjusting the soap oils or using extra colorant.

Which dye is that? The brown dye chip or a color block? The dye chips look just like the redi-glo ones. BTW I can get that same color in parasoy and palm with the brown redi-glo dye chip. You just have to use either a half or quarter chip depending on the wax. I think with soy you could start out with either a whole or half chip and adjust from there.

...or 16 oz of FO per lb of wax

I can say from my experience with Moonshine's candles that she makes a kick a$$ soy candle! No frosting or wet spots. Looks ultra creamy and the throw is fantastic! Whatever you are doing Moonshine keep it up!

Wow! That looks yummy AJ! Sorry-- I use only redi-glo dye chips now. I can get a similar color in palm wax using about 1/4 chip. Don't know how it looks in soy but in parasoy the dye chips gave me great colors. Half a brown chip gives me a similar color in parasoy.

Don't you hate it when your supplier drops an oil you like. They dropped Sandy Stones a few years back and I never found a replacement. It was my best selling scent in soap. For years I have been trying to dupe it.

I knew I had seen something with redwood notes in it. Soapalooza carries Big Sur with cedar, redwood, eucalyptus, and oakmoss. Sounds heavenly. Will have to pick up a sample of this. She gives soy ratings on her oils too and it says its excellent in soy. Here is the link: http://soapalooza.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=74

Great advice! I should actually start working on this ASAP and put it in a top priority. One of the markets I do has a lot of tourists because its on a golf and wilderness resort. I think I can sell a ton of repellent to those folks and their kids!!

Oh you guys are angels! All these ideas sounds great. I like the solid lotion idea too. I think I want to try a 'spritzer' type first. Some nice conditioning carrier oil would be nice for my skin too. I have most of the EOs except citronella. So I will give it a try when I get the chance. ChrisR- you gave me a great idea for making some bug repellent lotion bars. I already make lotion bars. I just need to put together a good bug repellent EO recipe and I bet they would sell like crazy during the summer months when all those bugs are biting! Thank you all so much!! Lots of good stuff here to try!!!

Those pesky 'skeeters are out early this year. Doing all the yardwork this past week I have been eaten alive! Anyone have a recipe for a homemade mosquito repellant? I was thinking a combo of repellent EOs in a base of distilled water and/or rubbing alcohol? All I know is I can't breathe using products with Deet and I think most commercial repellents are overpriced and usually tend to effect my lungs. I want to make my own.

Redwood and Cedar sounds like a terrific scent combo. I lived in Calif and many times went to see the redwoods in Northern Cali. There are no other trees that smell like a redwood. My absolute favorite wood scent. If you ever find or hear of a FO with redwood I would be very interested in it too!

That sounds like a really nice combo. I see you tried some basil. (Another EO on my list I of EOs I want to buy!) How do you like the sweet basil?