Kelly

I like more natural looking soaps, that makes me think you are going to say to go with HP or CP then, but I don't really know where to start. I'd like to be able to try it in the microwave or oven, I don't want to try the crock pot.

okies I'll give it a try!!

Too easy! Thanks!! Would you guys recommend spraying with cook spray lightly before pouring into the molds?

I guess I am slightly nervous about the M&P because the previous experience with Michael's stuff. There was no lather and just a waste of time and money. I could avoid that (but bring on a whole new batch of problems) with the CP or HP. I guess I'll give the M&P bases a try, they can't be worse than Michaels!

Do you have a recipe you can share for HP oven (or microwave) soap? Or point me in the right direction? An "easy" recipe that is!!

What can you use to clean soy wax out of a votive mold? I forgot to order some cleaner and mold release so wish me luck! TIA

I have one other thing you could try. Maybe, and this might be a little out there, but when you were pouring this scent, it's possible it stuck in the air in your house and you aren't smelling it because you are used to it. I would use an oderless air freshener to clear the air in your home and try again. I had this happen with hot apple pie from BCN, I couldn't smell it for the longest time someone recommended 'cleaning' the air and ta-da I was able to smell it perfectly at a 6% FO load. That's probably not the problem though, I just thought I'd offer the suggestion.

I'm in Madison. Not sure how far Lisle IL (Nature's Bouquet) is from me. I will look into it. Thanks for the suggestion. I want to also find a supplier that is willing to help with ingredient listing incase I add some additives or something. Do you find Nature's Bouquet to be helpful?

My first brand (see my other thread) was Michaels brand. It was awful! I'm kind of new to soap making (other than the Michael's adventure) so I'm not really sure where to start as far as M&P bases are concerned. I was going to try the one's from BCN since it's close to me and shipping probably won't hurt tooooo bad. But maybe I'd like to try my hand at HP or CP. That's why I hope I get tons and tons and tons of responses to this thread so I can hear about how others feel about these processes. I'll probably have to try them all to see what works for me. But will customers (not that I have any) really buy M&P soap? Aren't they more interested in the HP or CP soaps?

Lol, yeah I guess I shouldn't have asked for the pros for M&P. I think those are probably obvious! I'm also afraid of lye! But I wonder if I may need to overcome that fear if I want to make a great bar of lathery goodness. Thanks for the reply! Kelly

What are the pros and cons of using M&P? What are the pros and cons of making HP Soap? What are the pros and cons of making CP Soap? -Base this on your own personal experiences, this is not intended to start an arguement over what is better than the other.- I hope to get tons of responses!! :) TIA

Is direct heat HP soap, soap you make on your stove top in a pot? Or is that the crockpot kind? Where can I find instructions on the various ways to make HP soap? I don't think I can do CP since I live in an apartment and have no where I could put it. This is a great thread!

When I first tried M&P soaping, I tried Michael's brand (can't remember the exact name of it). I got frustrated fast. The bars turned out ok, but they didn't lather well and were nothing special. I'm considering trying M&P again, but using some more "professional" bases such as those at BCN. Would you recommened I try again or just stay away from it considering the first results using the Michael's stuff. I'd love to hear some advice on this! I think I'm ready to give it another try... I think?! TIA Kelly

Lol, I have no idea what it is. I have never heard of MULO TV either. I didn't want to keep the page open too long incase it was installing spyware, better safe than sorry. Hopefully your hosting company can figure out where they are coming from or something though. I'm positive it isn't my computer doing it, since I'm at work and we are pretty well protected. Business' have to be. Even if they are independant from your site you still need to figure out why it's happening (if possible).

I wasn't really sure where to post this but the FO's must come from somewhere. How are they made? Can a person make thier own? Seems like you'd probably need a still but I was curious if anyone here has tried this. Edit: I guess this should have went in the fragrance discussion thread. Oops!

Ok, I opened your site at work again so I could see where the pop-ups might be coming from. These are the really sneaky kind of pop-up/behinds. They are the kind that just randomly pop-up (I had to close your site because they kept coming and I couldn't click the "X" fast enough and I don't want to get in trouble at work). They also don't have the "Address" bar indicating the location of the website (you know, you couldn't see the http://blahblah.whatever,com/ it was disabled). Anyway, I really hate these kinds of pop-ups but I did get the titles of two of the pop-ups before I had to close it. This probably won't help in any way, but one was for "Professional Web Search Engine" and the other was for "Mulo TV.com". The Mulo TV one had somewhat of a "racy" picture on it, but what we in the US consider a bit much, might be considered fine in Europe so it's hard to say. Neither site was candle related that's for sure!! All I know is I absolutely hate these tricky kinds of pop-ups/behinds because if a computer isn't well protected, these can contain virus' and harm and individuals computer (it's happened to us before and it was hell fixing it). I'm not saying that the ones that pop with your site do, but I would be concerned. Sometimes, these pop-up/behind creators will disable the "X" so you can't close them and they will automatically start downloading spyware and other junk to your computer. So those without protected computers could be at risk. I hope you get this figured out!! Kelly

Have you tested it in a small room such as a bathroom to see if you can get any hot throw in a smaller area? I don't put lids on until the next day though but I don't think that's the problem. Maybe you just a got a dud FO?

Yup, that's the problem. I originally viewed the website at work where there is no pop-up blocker, however I checked again at home where we do have a blocker and no pop-ups. The issue of getting rid of those still remains, not everyone has pop-up blockers and because of it you could lose some customers. Of course, it's your choice, but if it were me I'd lose them because that's how much I hate them.

I went to your site, very nice even though I didn't understand very much of it, but is there a way for you to get rid of those pop-ups and pop-behinds? I think I had 3 pop-ups. Doesn't make for easy browsing.

Ah that is extremely helpful! TYSM!! Although my wick centering tools will be useless now.

Well I wish I had a wick in front of me right now but I thought both sides look like: ^ ^ ^ ^ I guess I'm probably wrong! So one side looks like the 'graphic' your provided and the other side should look like: V V V V ?? Am I understanding right?

I will, but I think it'll be too hot. I've also considered putting them slightly off center so that it would burn a little more even. But if I put them a off center in the wrong direction that could be bad!

I think this is probably because the wick you replaced wasn't secured to the bottom, so when the wax was melted it wasn't held in place enough so it tipped over.

7 Paws: Yeah that's what I was testing was the 104's in the 8oz jelly jars with the 2 1/2" diameter. Behind the wick (the backside) there is a little hang up, which usually catches up, but where the wick curls and the sides I get a great MP in the correct amount time it should take. It's just that stubborn backside that's bothering me. If someone didn't give the first burn 3 hours I have a feeling the hang up would be much worse and not catch up. I can't watch over everyone that burns one of my candles to make sure the first burn is 3 hours. I really like how little they smoke when blown out and how little soot, I think these wicks are great but for whatever reason they just aren't working the way I want them to. Maybe (if our camera comes in the mail tonight) i'll post pics, but hopefully I am describing the problem well enough? Kelly

Very interesting! Thanks for the links. I'll have to give this a try. Again thank you!!