SOAPFREAK

I have found that most fo's don't behave well with discounted water. I gave up on doing it that way because I had so many batches ready to swirl and it seized up on me so fast. The sugar is for boosted lather.

Oh dur be dur! Sorry! I'm so stupid! I know what you mean about the browning, it sucks! I wonder if you can use TD successfully in cream soap.

Yes TIA it did turn a medium brown. I was pretty disgusted. It does turn brown in soap but not sure on lotions and body butters etc. I wish someone could make a non-browning formula.

I wondered if this one is good or not. Anyone?

Here is my tutorial: I finally figured out that superfatting is the enemy when making liquid soap. Mine always turned out to be this thick yucky goo. This was not what I had in mind for liquid soap. They say you can superfat with glycerin or FCO after the cook without jeopardizing the clarity, but I think it does. Your recipe needs to be 0% superfat if you use the soap calculator. I used a method suggested from another forum member of putting into a cooler overnight and a recipe from Catherine Failor’s book in the gel section. Her recipe formulas are not the same as the soap calculator. I was scratching my head trying to figure this one out but gave up and just took the advice of someone on another forum and used her recipe. You need to read her book and find out how she formulates her recipes. Also with the help and tips of others from this and other forums, I was able to successfully make liquid soap. Instead of using a pot, or double boiler, (which I hate using), I used a crockpot set on high and switched to low after adding the lye water while I was stick blending. It also fits perfectly inside my cooler. In addition, it helped insulate too. I made mine in the evening and didn’t dilute the paste until the following evening. As long as you keep it in a sealed container you could wait up to 7 days to dilute. After 7 days, put the paste into the refrigerator. This worked perfect for me because time didn’t allow me to do it the next morning. It was still quite warm when I pulled it out, even 24 hours later. It was the most, perfect thick Vaseline, transparent paste. It was so beautiful! Sorry, I am so emotional after four times trying. This size recipe, which is 3 lbs. of paste, fits perfectly in a tall traditional crockpot. Here is the recipe I used. 24 oz Olive Oil 21 oz coconut oil 3 oz cocoa butter 12 oz Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) 36 oz distilled water Heat oils in the crockpot on high heat. The cocoa butter takes a little longer to melt so stirring will help it melt faster. Heat the oils to about 150-160 degrees... You may have to adjust to low heat to achieve this. Mix the potassium and water, stir well, let settle for about 5 minutes. Pour slowly into the warm oils while stick blending. Turn the heat to low. Now stick blend constantly until you get sudden soap-on-a-stick, somewhere around 5 to 10 minutes. Cover tightly with lid and aluminum foil. Line bottom of cooler with a thick towel, unplug the crockpot and place into a cooler stuff with towels, pack it well, (sides and top) then close the lid and no peeking! It will turn into paste overnight. The next day, or up to 7 days after, bring distilled water (1/2-2 lbs of water per lb. of paste)(I like 10 oz. per lb. of paste)to a boil in a tall pot and add 1-3 oz of borax(depending on how thick you want your soap)until dissolved. Scoop out the paste, add to the boiling water, small chunks at a time. If not small chunks, break up the paste using a knife, and let the small chunks of paste warm and become softened. You can either turn off the heat, cover, and let it sit for several hours, leave it sit overnight, or you can take a stick blender to it and beat the chunks to smooth out but it isn’t easy. It just sticks to your stick blender. If you stickblend, wait until cleared. Don’t panic, the bubbles will clear up. I do a heat on medium for 10 minutes with lid off then shut off heat and cover again. I alternate this throughout the day. Makes it dilute a little faster. When cooled, skim off thick gooey crust off the top with a strainer. I used a large slotted spoon. You should have crystal clear soap underneath. Heat back up and separate into mason jars, color and fragrance. Test for thickness by drizzling some soap onto the bottom of a chilled glass or pyrex cup. Cover with clear saran wrap. Boil soap until you reach the thickness you want. Boil with lid off. Hot soap will always be thinner than cold soap. So if it’s thick when it’s hot, it will be really thick when it’s cooled. If you want to superfat, add a tablespoon of glycerin or FCO after the cook into hot soap. Edited to add: When you skim off the thick white layer from the top save it and when you take out all your soap, put the white stuff back in the pot, heat it up a with a little bit more water. I stickblend this and try to retreive more soap out of it. Usually this thick layer has some until dissolved soap past e still in it. You will have to skim another layer off the get the gel at the bottom. I did this the last time and got another 1/2 mason jar full. The soap to me doesn't have a funky smell. The paste is fully saponified and is still hot when you put in the cooler. Don't forget, the clearer your soap is the less superfatted it is. So clouding is probably a welcome site. This gel soap I didn't add the glycerin to. This one is Creme Brulee so I didn't color it. But the other ones did make a haze when I added the glycerin. Maybe I added too much. I think Failor's book is very confusing. You don't have to cook this soap at all. Just always remember don't this with the lid on or you will have a mess all over. If you want your soap thicker you are boiling to rid the soap of excess water. But if you just leave your soap to dissolve by itself with no heat, leave the lid on. If you notice any white settling on the bottom or spots in it, I sit the soap filled mason jar in a pot of boiling water and boil for about 10 min. then I flip the jar upside down and right side up 3 or 4 times to mix. The stuff at the bottom was probably undissolved fo. I hope this helps! I'm not an expert by any means but this is the second time using this method and it has worked both times. I tried 4 times before to make gel soap and failed all 4 times. I almost gave up. This was by far the easiest method for me. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. This ended up a true gel soap.

Do you have a link?

I've used various cutters since I started soaping with several breaking and I'm getting disgusted. I have been using a butcher knife for a while and I'm getting sick of not having straight cut soap. Can you give me some ideas of some cutters that I can cut zigzag cuts and straight. I need the box cutters. What are some of your favorites you couldn't do without? If you have ones that use guitar strings that would be great too. I need the kind to cut logs.

I would like to buy some french green clay. Does anyone have any they want to bring to the conference and sell?

As far as I know you can keep hitting them with a heat gun as many times as you want. I've done mine twice.

I don't want to cause any waves here but it doesn't state anything about a browning vanilla in RedRosie's original post.

I use the tea tree and like it but does anyone recommend any others? Thanks!

It does take awhile for them. It seems like when I order they always say it will ship the following Thurs.

I love the Amber from Sweet Cakes but they are so expensive and I don't have anything else to order from them. I checked the review board and they only had something on the Ra's white amber. So I was just curious about the regular amber.

I would try a small batch to see how it turns out. Sometimes the glitter just doesn't want to show up. Maybe start with a smaller amount pulled out of the batch like 4 oz. instead. Glitter isn't as forgiving as mica.

Hi Ladysj, If you add the glitter to the whole batch it will get lost in the soap. For glitter to show up you would have to pull out a small amount of soap maybe 8 oz. or so and I would add about a TBsp. or more of glitter. Then do pour on top of base layer in a slab mold and swirl. Don't forget the glitter will probably make your soap scratchy. For mica you can use the 8 oz. and add maybe a tsp. or 2 and do a ITPS or in a slab.

LOL, the next time she does one I'll let you know.

Well she said she won't be doing a co-op until everybody starts screaming for some. I can let you know when if you like.

Let me find out Kymber if she will be doing another co-op soon.

The lav. chamo huggies type from BB but they are only 10 lb. quanities. It is awesome! If Oak Tree is a member here she sometimes does co-ops on this.

Yes I did Lorrie.

Very nice soaps! Who is Wendy? I would like to get that fo winter candy apple because I had a request for it.

Looks yummy! You will love the creaminess it adds to your soap.

Post some pics for us. Sometimes when you cut them your like "That's not the color I wanted!" But when you let them sit out in the air for awhile they will turn. You have to follow that color chart to a "T". Also I noticed you don't need as much as they say when using the hp method. 1/2 tsp. for hp equals the amount of 1 tsp. of cp. It's because there is no active lye to effect the colors.

I tried to add my favs and it says the list is too long.

I do have to tell you whatever you think will make a color you will be wrong. What I mean is, don't think you can mix blue and yellow together to get green. It turns pink. It doesn't work that way. You HAVE to follow the color charts.