CareBear

salt bars - I make a lot...

- they are not scratchy once you get past the top layer - more marble-like, actually.  

- the salt/brine is not drying.  actually I find salt bars with as much salt as the equivalent weight to the oils less drying than eithout the salt.

I use a touch of isopropyl myristate (IPM).  Fractionated coconut oil works pretty well also.

I got one.

Wonderful news.  Thank you for reporting back!

I have one of the candles and it's really nifty.  I've not gotten down to the bottom but mine is a fairly shallow dish - I don't anticipate any explosions.  

Has anyone seen the wicks themselves for sale anywhere?

The flash point is the temperature at which the fumes of something will catch fire when exposed to an open flame.  This is important to know.  It is not necessarily the evaporation point (water evaporates but good luck getting the steam to catch fire).

It's also important to understand that "flashing off" is not strictly related to the flash point, really.  Flashing off is when the product evaporates/steams off very quickly (in a flash) when it's added to something hot.  Again, water will flash off if you pour it into a super hot pan but it won't catch fire.

I got the email as well. Which annoys me, for some reason. Where'd they get my email address? I never did business with Starville.

Taylored was Robert & Kimberly

I must need a new thermometer. By 135 it's like pouring fudge sauce - no way I could pour any cooler.

Warmed jars may be the key.

Thanks, everyone.

I poured some jelly jar candles with this last night and found there are air pockets around the wicks. I tried pouring cooler at about 145 but it didn't fix the issue. I'd read this is a one-pour wax for some of you - what temp do you all pour it at?

Thanks

Fully refined oils have all the proteins (the things to which people are allergic) removed (assuming there is no re-contamination after the fact which is rare IME). Virgin is a less refined oil (and typically so are cold pressed oils) which can have some proteins still in the oil and are more likely to cause an allergic reaction.

Fully refined oils should have NO ALLERGENS but if you have a true allergy, don't bank on it. My kids have peanut allergies and although they ate food cooked in peanut oil dozens of times both before and after (by accident) their diagnoses we don't assume that the oil is safe regardless of processing. Because it's not necessary.

Thanks everybody for your help.

I feel like my recipe is balanced as far as cleansing vs. conditioning.

the balance can be made irrelevant by the lye discount. what is your lye discount?

I gel most of my soaps, and rarely use an oven. Sometimes I pre-heat a mold in the oven, but even that can be done without the oven itself - you can, for example, warm up one of those rice-filled heating bag in the microwave and pop it into the mold while you work. But mostly I just put my filled molds into a styrofoam cooler and leave it to gel. The reaction releases heat...

I miss her kind and cheerful demeanor.

And I miss her FOs which were reasonably priced and high quality.

What benefit does the stearic give you?

Yummy indeed.

I agree wholeheartedly about topping off your votives. They should be as gorgeous as the rest of your stuff!!!

what is your lye discount?

could just be a little too cleansing for some young skins.

I don't like the idea of putting oils into my toilet bowl - they stick to the sides of the bowl, then other things stick to them. If you use oily bath bombs you know they leave a ring in your tub...

So if you ARE going to put scent in those puppies just use an itsy bit.

And yes, that recipe is heavy on baking soda compared to a bath bomb, but I don't think that matters one bit (just cheaper to make).

Yep, they are CP cupcakes. I no longer sell on the internet; I just do the occasional custom order (like these, which are favors for a baby shower) and I sell surplus bars through a local winery, and have a few B&Bs buying guest bars in bulk.

I used to sell a lot more, but soaping stopped being so much fun!

Last month it was hot pink and orange cupcakes with silver glitter for a wedding shower. But I still much prefer a simple log.

I got tired of being asked "will this work in my Scentsy warmer?" DUH! Of course it will. Wax melts in any warmer, just add heat. It makes me wonder sometimes how dense the public really is. Really? *shakes head*

Not necessarily - some warmers get... warmer, and not all melts have the same melting point. Especially the little units that plug into the wall directly - I have several that don't get very warm and don't work well with all waxes.

I hate making cupcakes, but darnit - people keep buying them. Go figure.

Can you all suggest FOs that are ozone? Not cucumber/melon, but really ozone as in thunderstorm ozone.

why cosmetic grade?

The term castile is loosely defined as soap made exclusively with vegetable oils.

TRUE Castile soap has to be made in Castile, Spain.

What we call castile soap is clearly in between the two.

The browning is simply a color thing, and no indication anything has gone bad. It's cosmetic.

So as long as you used skin safe FOs you are just fine.

Wow all these replies! You guys are great - thanks for your suggestions.