Scented

Really you think DB is better out of CS than SGS?

Cute. I like those pumpkins. My only comment about them besides being cute is that they may make using the bar of soap awkward or hard to use and may not stay in the bar. However those pumpkins are cute and I want a mold with them lol!

Nah the white spots won't disappear. The ash can, if you want to clean the tops. It's nothing that will hurt you. Actually, what I did with my soaps was to use one about 24 hours after cut and then again once a week just to see how it changed or if it did.

Quite nice indeed.

He is a she, named Diana. Company is actually Southern Garden Scents. Um if you used my wax, I could help ya out. Go seek the samples. The oils are great in soap and a few work well in candles (I haven't tried that many to give you a list of all ... and I stopped looking at the site because I think most of what I have is being discontinued.)

Well see, Steve, I can't be too wrong. Robin loves them too lol!

When they came out everyone loved them!! (Silver Moon that is) Don't ask for a suggestion from me as I like to spend money and will always send people to soaphutch ... which last I knew did not have silver linings (ok silicone lol) but God I love the molds!

It's that group who got Calif. to react and tried in Colorado ... it's an uneducated group, because the bigger companies are sending their scientist to these hearings now (did in Colo. anyway) so I really don't think it's larger companies trying to shut down the small guys. I think we're all in the same pool here. I think we're like the small fish swimming with the big ones maybe when it comes down to this. It's also why us small guys really need to know what we're doing before trying to sell something too.

Oh sounds great!

Man why are you giving up again? Trying to figure that one out. You are sort of following my footsteps and I don't know anyone who went that way seriously. I was scared, nervous, thought I'd nuke the planet if I tried to make this stuff. I was impatient (still am so don't be fooled there lol) and wouldn't wait for the person who was going to walk me through my first batch. I read enough, watched nothing, decided I ran out of excuses and finally had to just do it and man did I hate it so much that I made a second batch. That didn't change my strong dislike for this craft, but from what I made and the chastising I took for god forbid putting color into a non-Oatmeal, Milk and Honey batch (which "was" supposed to be my first according to others) I decided I wasn't going to let something beat me down so long story short I'm still making soap. I don't hate it as much, but I'm better with making candles and probably always will be. I will go through your recipe later and try to offer something up. Right now I gotta go get my hips adjusted and I am praying the damn things will move today because they haven't for 2 weeks and they hurt if I sit too long or stand to long or walk too long or lay too long.

You need a cheese scent. Surely there's one out there. Apples and cheese together are yum lol!

Just another link to get an update. http://indiebeauty.com/forum/topics/legal-soup-are-we-headed-for-a-patchwork-quilt-of-cosmetics-laws?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Apparently New York now. http://essentialu.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Here are my thoughts ... while you're just starting out, you have plenty of time to test and get your products in line when you get ready to go into business. There's absolutely nothing wrong with locking up a name, but the name is a personal thing. Make a list of names that you and your daughter come up with and then type those names a browser under .coms and .nets and see what comes up. It's hard to find names that aren't taken. What started happening to me when I was searching goDaddy's database was that a name would be free, but I wasn't sure that was what I wanted. I would go back and check again and sho nuff that name was gone. I have my suspicions on what was going down, but that isn't the point here. When you and your daughter arrive at a name that you feel "fits" you and if you see it's free, lock it down (buy it so that it doesn't suddenly become unavailable.) If you come up with a list of names that you like you can seek out feedback here. That shouldn't be a big deal, but do not be the kind of people who got into candlemaking to make a buck or a million without knowing how your products perform please. IMO you shouldn't have customers in three months nor someone who has just started in say four or five months and still researching your product while trying to sell them. In the long run, it really only will hurt you and will bruise the reputation of others who have already gone through the loops. By that, someone will have bought a product from say joe blow new and it didn't perform well. Suddenly all candles and makers on the market are the same way. When people speak about negativity on the board in regards to shooting at the feet and dreams new people have it's because it's important to us that handmade products maintain a good reputation. We already battle how WalMart candles perform (well some of us do) and people think all candles perform like that. In truth, not all candles do. I don't mean to be lecturing here and hope I'm not. If you want to be in business, you need more than a hope and a dream or a like or love of what you make. You need a business plan that outlines how you are going to reach your goal and the mini steps it will take to get there along with what you want to accomplish and what obstacles you think you might face and then how to overcome those. You really need the last part of that if going "big." Plan for both failure and success I guess is another way to look at it. Keep your enthusiasm as you tackle each phase that it takes to get from point A to Z and any side roads you may take to get there. And that brings me to your question, "I am going to start with votives, tealights, wax melts and 3 inch pillars ... Is that too much?" It's only too much if you can't give each area proper attention and you'll have to define just what proper attention is to you. To me, it would be knowing your product forwards and backwards without having to come here to get all of your answers. I hope that makes sense. Adding -- by no means is it wrong to come here and ask. There are always things you run into. At some point though, you are or will be the only person who can answer your own questions about your product. You need to know it inside and out for your customer's sake and yours should anything come up under legal. Keep in mind there will always be people who want to slow you down or think you shouldn't be doing this until you do that type of thing. March at your own pace. Absorb like a sponge and maintain your convictions. At the same time, don't cut corners getting from A to Z. Am I talking in circles yet? And between all that, go find out what your future market area is doing. Maybe even sample the competition to know how to excel against them,.

Looks fine. The "dry spots" you spoke of in another post, could just be where the soap has gone through saponification and is starting to become its natural color. It could also be something else, but not knowing your recipe makes it had to say anything more ... and don't judge anything else until the soap is done. It's so early in the soap stage to say that it looks like some ash is forming (not a big deal, but the more exposure the batch gets to air the more likely ash might be to form saying you go from the hot to the cool and back to hot ... that has been my experience with ash showing up. I'm a terrible peeker and I have 100s of batches behind me lol.) Hardest thing now should be to resist the temptation to look. What scent did you soap?

I'd pull from all the melted oils that you have and mix your color, not just a particular oil. Just respect what the lye can do and remember to always add it to the water and not breath in the fumes.

For CP I use a small amount of glycerin, but you can pull some of your oils (very little) and mix them in that if you want.

Well I couldn't understand the promotion of perfumes ya know. I did not see how it would have been informative. I was thinking maybe someone hijacked your acct.

What'd Rhonda tell you about her Scarlet Moon? That's where I'd go asking first. As for adulterated Patch EO, no idea where to find it, but if it were me (and it isn't) I wouldn't go looking to buy Patch cut with anything when I could do that myself, KWIM? If you're looking for their type of Patch, hard to say where they got anything or if maybe it isn't cut Patch FO, because that would be more economical for them. Maybe it's a blend of EO and FO too, otherwise the best kind of patch is the one that ages and is dark.

Must be!! Actually I see the porn in the combination of how the bars are sitting but I won't encourage others to find it lol! I saw a male organ in the bottom bar though ... amazing what suggestion does to one's mind isn't it? lol!

How so, before I delete this.

I'll probably have to bust open my bottle pretty soon too.

Sounds bad, but when they do what I want them to do. Votives, you don't want them to burn up too quickly and how you burn them can either help with the time or hurt it. Tight fitting votive holders are the way to do. There are several pretty holders, but don't get caught up in beauty because they will likely kill your burn time. Tealights, I can't answer. I don't make them. Wax melts ... that they don't lose scent too quickly. It's all really subjective. Compare something store bought to your reaction and then set out to make it better and perform how you would like it do.

Chappy, you're going to have to see who sells to Canada or perhaps a Canadian will come on here and help you out more. Some suppliers here don't ship to Canada for whatever reasons.

Probably Tapestry by AH/RE, but really maybe it would be Cinnamon balsam from Peak ... or ... (just kidding!) those are the two I would swing between until I try out Peak's Winter Wonderland.