sudsy

Babassu. Love that stuff. quote]

Ditto. Also loving the cocoa oil at Oils By Nature.

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.

Thanks ladies!

I use individual molds so I'm not worried about cutting. I'm too lazy to cut! I'm going to try this over the weekend. I'm excited!!

I have never made a salt bar, but my curiousity is piqued now. Here's the question, I usually do HP, is is possible to do HP with a salt bar? I was thinking of adding the salt after trace and letting it cook since I assumed that the properties of the salt bar have something to do with the chemistry of the lye and salt mixing. Am I wrong? Should I add it after the cook??? Please help! Thanks.

You didn't do anything wrong. That's what CPHP looks like. You do have to slam the molds down to be sure and get out the air too.

I use individual molds and don't always trim. I call them grubby soap and the people who like grubby stuff love it.

Daystar is a great place for fragrance oils. They are really good quality. Oils by Nature is also a great oil supply business. They have a great selection at good prices and good service. When she accidently shipped my order to the wrong address (we had just moved) she fixed it right away.

Yep, let it keep cooking.

I would put a preservative in it since it may come in contact with water.

Gets some lard, olive and coconut oils. Go to soapcalc.com and create a recipe.

Good luck!

Cold Process you bring to trace and pour. The curing is done after and you need to wait until it's cured and ready to go.

Hot Process you go beyond trace and continue to "cooK". It "cures" as it cooks and you can use it right away. (Yes, waiting a few days gets you a harder soap).

In CP your fragrance can accelerate trace or cause ricing or seizing.....HP it already cooked when you put in the fragrance so this isn't an issue. CP is prettier because it's more liquidy when you pour. HP gets thick and gloppy.

There are reasons to love each.

Once you get into making your own recipe, http://www.soapcalc.com/calc/soapcalc18.asp is an invaluable tool in my opinion. You get a good idea of what your soap will be like before you make it.

If any soapers live near you ask if one will walk you through your first batch. That's how I made my first batch and it was great. Loretta from Nature's Wild Child taught a small group of us to do CPHP.

Ask your doctor first, but I think if you take the proper precautions you'll be ok.