7 Pawz

Just getting back into soap making again and have made 3 smaill batches using olive oil this week, with a citrus sage, lavender chamoille and spiced plum

I thought about throwing the books out, but instead I corrected the parts that said to add water to the lye in BIG LETTERS. Tho I don't know if I'll use the books anymore, I question the recipes in them now, wonder if they are sound ones to use.

works for me

The odd thing is, it's 2 different books, not sure if the publisher is the same or not. But I will continue to add lye to water

That was me to, I 've had both of those books for several years and just decided to check that out now; I did run across some old postings on another forum, apparently one of the books caused quite a stir on the internet a few years ago because of the lye info

If I have this in the wrong area, please move it As I was going through samples of fo this weekend,( checking to see if needed more ) I came across a sample of Wild Cherry, that was 2 yrs old, the minute I opened it, I knew I was going to add it to a candle that I wanted to make for myself. The scent was still strong out of the bottle. The wax was about 2lbs of pillar wax that had been recycled and I added 2.5 ounce block of beeswax( trying to use it up). Needless to say, that candle has a very strong cold throw. Will be testing hot throw later in the week. Will definitely get more Wild Cherry.

I remember you to, welcome back. tell us more about your writing

Thank you also, I will continue to add the lye to the water, I hope others that have those books realize their error before something bad happens.

Thanks Scented, I agree with you. I'm sure that you've probably run across these 2 books, they've been published for years, but I wonder that the error wasn't caught sooner.

Hi guys, hope someone can give me a definitive answer . I was checking a couple of books for instructions on lye safety to be sure that I was on the right track, out of 4 books, 2 of them instructed the soaper to add water to the lye, those 2 being Norma Coney's Complete Soapmaker and Ann Bramson's Soaping and Enjoying it( I think). Of the 2, Ann Bramson's book was one of the first books I purchased when I started making soap a few years back, I don't make a lot of it, so I sometimes have to go back to be sure that I'm adding things correctly and I just happened to notice this about both books. Other books and instructions I've read for a soap recipe say to add the lye to the water in your container. I've always weighed the water and lye in separate containers and I add the lye to the water. I guess my question is, have I been doing this right?

Thank you, all

Just gorgeous!! Thank you for sharing

Hello all: I've been out of touch for awhile, thought i'd come and look around again I know that the site has been revamped, but was surprised to notice a lot of older members haven't posted as much. Guess life kind of gets in the way, business changes and interests change, but this is still a good place to visit and gain a little knowledge. I am a hobbyist candle and soap maker, almost 10 yrs now, don't do either one as much as II'd like to, but still enjoy it. Wondered if we lost any of our members due to special circumstances, I haven't posted in quite sometime, but my knowledge was limited at best. Have a great day.

Thanks, I'll be testing many cedar scents in the next few weeks, this looks like one I can try as as well

I've been making candles and soaps about 7 yrs, just a hobbyist though. I started by purchasing a few books about candle making, reading them and joining this board. There is a lot of good information here, but you must search and do a lot of reading. Sometimes the question that someone else asks may turn out to be your answer. Your books will help get you started and this forum has a lot of helpful people, many who have probably been candle making a long time, not to mention those who have a business making and selling their candles. I am sure that it has taken them a long time to learn by trial and error as it has me and I know that I have a long way to go. If you truly want to learn, this is the place to be.

Hope u can still find a use for your shea. i've decided to continue using the palm kernal oil; i havent had any problems so far with it. QUOTE=green-tangerine;979712]Yes that smell stays with you forever! I had bought a box of shea that was discounted because they were closing, when I finally opened it OMG! I'm still trying to figure out how to get rid of it. I think we become more sensitive to smells too.

Ordered the <edited by Scented ... no need to mention specifics of a sale> sample FO this last go around, have tried only one of them so far and it was weak out of the bottle and no scent at all in mp. I'm looking for a good, sharp cedar, so I'm testing several cedar scents in the next few weeks. Their customer service is great though.

Thank you everyone I'll use the oil, it doesn't smell, still is white in color, who knew that it would last that long?

I bet it is pretty, this color seems to be turning tan, but i can still see streaks of light orange going through it. can't wait for it to cure

no weird smell, i didn't add color to it, no telling what it would've looked like But really like the scent

I have 2 unused jars of palm kernal oil that is 7yrs old. I opened one jar, it hasn't melted, still a very white color and has no smell. Could I still use this for soapmaking?

LOL Yes it was the first time that I used the oil, love the scent though, haven't tried it in candles yet. Well, got 3 wks to go before its cured, so I'll see if stays orange or not

I made a batch of cp soap 2 nights ago using Peak's Peach Mango, a great scent. Soap cured as usual, demolded after 24 hours, it had orange streaks ( not spots) going through it. Today, the 3rd day, it seems to be mellowing out. Not sure yet what the final color will be, no dye was added and I used canola,olive and coconut oils. I'm guessing the FO may have given the soap the odd color. Oh well, the soap smells great and I should be able to use it

Might try that to, the scent would probably last longer wouldn't it?