thecandlespastore

If you don't have a stick blender and you don't want to cook it you can try pouring it into an old blender, and giving it a few whips for a few minutes which will help bring it to trace.

I like them both, but I use palm for my soap just because I do market as an all veggie bar. Some people are disgusted at the thought of using an animal product on their skin (even though yes, stuff they have been using for years has animal fat, but try telling them that. They usually don't want to hear it. ) I get very white bars from my recipe with palm and olive. I find that when I use lard and when I use palm, same exact recipe, my soap overheats like a mofo. Switched back to palm, overheating goes away. Not too keen on the smell of lard, but I like the soap it makes.

I am able to soap 100% coconut milk without a problem. I let it get frozen and then I thaw it till it is slushy. Proceed to soap (I make it with a creamy coconut fragrance) and the soap is amazing. I am going to make another batch, this time unscented, just to see what color the soap will be. The creamy coconut is a tan color but I suspect the fragrance has a lot to do with that.

I am really loving the mold and the soap! I like Jeff's site too, how it has cool calculators. I know where I will be getting my next molds from.

What company is this again?

Gorgeous! Kelly at Bloomworks told me about that contest and told me I should have joined. Maybe next year. I love the tutorials, nothing makes me happier than looking at pretty soap.

The bars look so creamy.

Click on my link below. I use the coffee filters and my customers dig them:)

Its beome a habit for me to pop all of my batches in the oven when I soap. All except the PVC pipe soaps which will gel regardless anyway. I personally like to gel because when I go I can usually cut my recipe within 10 hours of making it. When I do not gel I have to wait a little longer. Or the soap acts funny and feels crumbly. I can't actually remember a time when I have not gelled in the past few years.

My favorite is being compared to FIght Club. Years ago it was funny. Now I literally have to grit my teeth together to give the semblance of a fake smile.

They also use lye in toothpaste, which all of us use daily (I hope) and out gums are not melting off.

I disagree with less water=faster cure. I do not think that using less water automatically speeds up cure. The benefit of using less water is that you will have less water in your end soap, which makes a harder bar faster, so you can cut it faster. But letting a CP (no matter how you make it) and HP cure for at least 4 weeks before selling is optimal. The soap get milder, will last longer in the rub, and will make customers happy. After you start getting busier and start getting a feel for what soaps are the best sellers, make them in advance in preparation, or make larger/multiple batches at a time so they can get their full cure and you can still have your stock on hand (rather than waiting and then rushing to get them cured:cheesy2:.) I thought I read somewhere that a dehumidifier is a very bad idea. What a dehumidifier does is pull the moisture from the air, sounds like a plan right? But if you live in a particularly moist area or if it is raining, etc, it will also pull the moisture from outside into the room as well. And pull that moisture right into your soap bar. I will have to try and find the article. I also saw it on TV when I was trying to find a fix for my damp basement and thought of getting a dehumidifier. Hardware store said bad idea, it will only make matters worse because the dehumidifier will pull in more moisture. Its better to just put the soap in a cool dry place in your house and let it get its cure on whether you discount water or not. Nothing is better than a soap bar that actually got the appropriate cure time.

Shipping is pretty good, the only thing I do not get from them is Cocoa Butter and Shea Butter.

It is very cost prohibitive to make a 100% shea butter bar, and I really do not see any benefit. I can create a balanced recipe with 10% or 20% shea and other oils/butters without the expense of a 100% shea butter bar.

Thanks everyone:cheesy2: I find that the beer soaps have a really nice silky lather, and I love washing my hair with them, makes my hair really shiny. I have a few customers who swear by them for their hair.

OMG, we are both on the same wavelength! I made an identical melt and pour the other day, but its scented YUZU. I was thinking about adding MP to the line (got some of that natural mp base awhile ago) but J says no, he thinks it feels like plastic:shocked2: Men!

Wow! That is gorgeous. From my experience the Grape Pop usually hangs in there, I hope it does with this batch.

Great job!

Love that look!

How do you like it? The Beer Soap Company

They have been paying attention to what the small timers are making, now they are making bath cupcakes! http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3361787&cp=3157625.3344214.3373087&parentPage=family

:laugh2::laugh2:I was kind of hoping she would use the other bar in the picture, that has my updated stamp on it. But Zorro it is:laugh2: Thanks for looking:)

Thanks:grin2:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zajanatural/sets/72157610935901396/ Its my Charcoal Soap!

Really? I never knew she bans people for that.