Tall Blonde

Moon Shadow-

According to other sources I've read, it isn't a good idea to use milk in hot process soaps because of the heat reaction with the milk. When you use milk or yogurt (and I believe fruits and veggies) it should be semi-frozen (like a slush). And from my experience, the color also ranges from pale yellow to dark brown. But keep your temps as low as possible. Milk soaps also have a funky smell for a while, until they've cured for a while, so your scents may be a little wierd too.

Did you count the yogurt as part of your liquids?

Sorry Colette for not answering. Yes, I do count the yogurt as part of the liquid. I mix the lye with the milk first, then add the yogurt at light trace.

I have used tumeric and ginger and paprika to color my soap, and like someone previously said, it mostly speckles. I do have some colorant for soap, but the liquid you use greatly effects the color outcome. If you use just water, the color will probably come out ok, but move to anything else and who knows what you'll get. I made a batch using pomegranate juice and when I poured it into the mold, it was the color of chocolate syrup. When it cured, it was...light brown. I find that pretty much all my soaps are a shade of brown, but that's because of the liquids I use.

Unless, of course, you can turn miracles with soap color like Grumpy Girl!

I use yogurt in an orange castile and never had a problem. I make a 75 oz batch and use 20 oz milk and 8 oz yogurt. I use fruit and veggies in some of my soaps also, and haven't any go bad.

Go ahead and give it a try!

It's an interesting article, but even in her list of naturals, there are things listed that could cause allergic reaction in people who are already allergic to those things, such as honey or wheat, cocoa butter or shea butter. It really all comes down to being an informed consumer.

Knowledge is power, after all!

A few words of advise, it is always safer to use EXTRA safety measures than to use none at all or minimal till you know what you are doing easily! If you weren't afraid at all, you would possibly be careless and someone could get extremely hurt!

The safety issue is the most important. Wear long sleeves and gloves! Lye burns hurt alot!!! You don't want to find out the way I did!

As long as you follow proper procedure and take proper precautions, everything should go just fine.

I sell 4 oz and 2 oz size. Although where I live, people are more interested in the 2 oz size. Cost is a big issue here.

Is this regular whipped butters? What did you use? I've been thinking about doing a whipped cocoa butter/coffee butter. Can you share?!

Thank you Crafty!!!

I always feel so much better after talking to you guys!

And that super thick lotion that I made previously that had separated? Well, I'd stuck it in the fridge and stirred, and several days later and it's still ok!!!

Yea for me!

Sorry, I couldn't control myself. I'll go back to my corner now.:whistle:

So then, do you not use any glycerin? Personally, I can't stand the feeling of glycerin (too sticky) and I end up going to wash the lotion off. But I also don't have super-dry skin (the absolute opposite). But I have friends with really dry skin that want a lotion. Should I use glycerin, or just use a higher percentage of oils? I've been thinking about getting some sodium lactate, but I need to use up the glycerin I have first (I was thinking about finding kids crafts that use glycerin!). What is the consensus?

Thanks Bunny!

I'll give that a try my next day off. The other batch I actually stuck in the fridge and stirred it up every hour or so. It did set up again, so I put some in a jar and put it in my car to see if it would separate again! I'll have the olive oil store wait more time before I give her anything else. Sometimes she's really friendly, and other times she's really pushy. She asked me to do some balms once and I put them in tins. When I gave them to her she said next time do them in the clear jars. I told her I didn't know about that, and she said "No, you will do them in the jars." Needless to say, I don't put balms in jars and I haven't made any more balms in months.

Ok.

It's an Olive Oil store, so she asked for an olive body butter, which someone had supplied to her in the past. I got some olive butter from Oils by Nature, whipped it up with some sunflower oil and it came out great, no problems, she couldn't keep it in the shop. Then summer came with a heat wave. Butters melted. I told her, no body butter until fall. That was ok. Went on vacation for 2 weeks, came back, she wants more body butter. So I thought, I can do a really thick lotion instead. Although I mostly think this all isn't worth it!

Ok.

15 oz water

1.5 oz steric

1.5 oz Ewax

4 oz Olive

3 oz hemp

3 oz avo

1 oz vit E

.3 oz cornstarch

.3 oz preservative

.4 cyclo

I'm trying to make a REALLY thick lotion that imitates whipped body butter. The store I sell to keeps ordering body butter even tho I keep telling her it's too hot and the butter melts. I have like 50 jars of butter sitting around, melted, that I have to re-whip. Now she calls and says she's got someone coming up from San Jose (a 2 hour drive away) for some butter for someone with eczema! I'd like to say tough nuts, but that ain't gonna happen.

I was happily making a huge batch of lotion, everything was going great - and it separated. Right now it's in the fridge, a lumpy oily mess. I found an old post from 2004 that describes my lotion exactly, but there's no reply as to how to fix this mess! The mixture was pretty much done. I had half of it in a jug, and half was still mixing when I saw the problem. I put the separated half in the fridge, looked at what was in the jug, and thought "Oh good, at least this is ok." Then I cleaned up, went back for the jug and, it was also separated. Does the fact that it's nearing 100 degrees have anything to do with it? Can this be saved? Or do I have to start all over again?

And apparently their other goodies are Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, EDTA, Tetrasodium Editronate (which I still can't find what this is!). I'm not even sure what EDTA is, but I don't use it. That comany may call their stuff handmade soap, but it seems like every other commerially made "soap" to me!

You know, I glossed right over the guest sized bar thing! But I am sitting here with one of those wicker laundry baskets *%$# full of soap ends! I gave 10 of them to my mail carrier the other day, and she doesn't even have bathrooms! (They're being remodeld).

So, you want soap, I got soap. I changed my setting, so if you want, email me your address and I can send you some of mine. :highfive:

So, in regards to shipping, etc., is it better to order everything (bottles, jars, butters, oils, FOs, EOs, additives ...) from one company, or split up the order and buy bottles and jars from company a, butters and oils from company b, FOs and EOs from company c... you get the idea.

I live in northern CA and I've been ordering mainly from WSP & MMS 'cause they have everything. But should I split up my orders? Shipping from WSP has sometimes cost almost as much as my order, but then, I'm ordering several pounds of oils and butters too.

I have 2 boys (6 1/2 & 3 1/2) and they've learned to stay away from my soaping corner of the garage. They know not to touch anything over there and to stay away when momma's working. But then, they've also seen what lye burns can do! (Those random splashes always seem to find some small, uncovered spot on my arm no matter what!)

But you know your daughter best. If she's the "helping" kind, maybe bribe her with helping to bake cookies later! When you hear the soap siren song, you can't hold back for long!

My sources state no more than 6% of the total weight of oils. I add my honey at light trace. But that's just me.

Since it turned out great, why are you doubting yourself?

Deep, long-held pyschological issues. Can I blame my mother?:smiley2:

But I think I am going to stick with my formula. Compared to the other stuff I made this recipe is way better.

Thanks!!

Thanks for the input. I think just to put my mind at ease though, I'll do 3% ewax and 2% stearic. That shouldn't really alter it too much. And unless it's a problem with the preservative not being able to handle the extra 2%, I may just stick to how I did it.

I'll see what happens!

I used the lotion calc on Herbal Soaps etc. by RJ. Here's what I got:

batch size: 20 oz

oils: 17%-3.40 oz

liquids: 76%-15.20 oz

emulsifier: 2%-0.40 oz

stearic: 3%-0.60 oz

other: 2%-0.40 oz

preservative: Germaben II 1% - 0.20 oz ( the preservative seems to be an extra)

Then, after I had heated the oils and wax, etc I realized I'd forgotten vit e, so I threw 0.20 oz in. And really, I love the way it turned out!

But did I do it wrong???

I did use preservative.

What effect does the extra vit e have?

I made a lotion yesterday that I love, but I'm freaking out over the percentages! It blended great, never separated, didn't have to keep shaking it to make sure it blended, feels great on my skin, no extra greasiness or stickiness, but I'm still doubting myself. So, tell me what you think.

Oils: 17%

Liquid: 76%

Ewax: 2%

Stearic: 3%

Glycerin: 1%

Cyclo: 1%

Then I threw in an additional 2% vit E.

As I said, this came out great, feels great, and not sticky or greasy (I HATE the feeling glycerin leaves!). But even tho it didn't separate, I feel like maybe I didn't use enough Ewax. So, give me opinions. The thing with making this stuff is the endless variation, which drives me nuts. Sorry this is so long. Now I'm just rambling!!

I made a coconut soap not too long ago and did sprinkle flaked coconut on top. Some bits stayed white (the bits that didn't sink into the soap) some bits turned tan. However, it does fall off pretty easily. But on the whole I like the effect.