sudsy

I agree with the lemon, lavender etc. What about greeen tea or lime?

Daystar Stone Washed Cotton or Cranberry-Nanna Jam.

I find that Daystar and Oregon Trails rock in soap.

I second Alicia. The Everything Soapmaking Book is killer.

Wow! Lucky you!

Your HP will not be smooth like your CP. LovelyLathers is right, slam that puppy on the counter a few times to get the air out and make it as flat as possible. I tongue test before I scent and pour. I pull a bit out, blow on it to cool and tongue test. Congrats on a successful batch!

Enjoy your crock pot! It's my favorite way of making soap.

If you are adding fragrance when your soap is still VERY hot it certainly can mess with your scent. (ask me how I know!) My favorite tried and true supplier is Daystar.

Liquid soap is a whole different animal, even uses a different lye. You have to make a paste, let it sit and then dilute it. To my knowledge you can't make it by melting/diluting regular soap.

My first batch was CPHP and I have never made anything else. I love it! Fast, easy and can be used almost right away. You have been given good advice. Start small, maybe a 2# batch with locally found oils. Once you get the basics down you can experiment and have a blast!

I make mine that way all the time, only using hard oils/butters. Just melt them and use in place of your oils in the recipe you have.

Try BC, they bought BNL and BNL had a fragrance called Tranquil Tropics that is da bomb!

If you ever got a zap there would be no question! It's the difference between the "taste" of the soap and the "feeling" of it zapping you.

I have also never seen a batch go through all those stages. First few times I assumed I was doing it wrong, but it has always worked out so far. I still get rough tops, but I like them. I think it looks kind of grubby.