daniedb

Why the e-wax? I'm curious. If it's already sat overnight, you may be good. My lotion takes up to three days to get to the finished consistency, and I'm thinking the e-wax may continue to harden a little bit. But, what do I know?

Roasted and Sugared Chestnuts Brown Sugar and Roasted Chestnuts Candied Chestnuts

Yeah, it does, but that's not what I meant - I hope it didn't come across that way. There are just so many good opinions out there that I hate for you to miss out on what's been discussed before!

nocturna: http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19677&highlight=silicone

WYW Fresh Linen WYW Lavender and Sweet Basil

I like MC's as well. They sell 2 oz sample bottles, so it's easy to try it w/o committing to a big purchase!

I LOVE all the ones I've tried, and I've sniffed more that I love. Here are the ones I have poured: Tibetan Black Tea Buttercream Crunch Mulled Cider Perfect Storm Fresh Linen Bamboo Lavender & Sweet Basil Sage & Citrus (dead on Yank dupe, IMO) Perfect Pumpkin The ones I've sniffed that I want to try: Hinkoiwood and Cypress Leha Leha Persimmons and Water Orchid Hibiscus and Thai Palm

I'm a little unclear on your question - but I'll answer what I *think* you're asking. If you add the warm butters to room-temp oils, there's a good chance that the butters will solidify too quickly and get weird and clumpy. HOwever, if you slightly warm the oils, where the oils and butters are no more than 15* apart, then they will incorporate perfectly and stay incorporated through the cooling stage.

I think that if you're interested in getting into CP, then go for it! I have made one batch, and it was highly addicting, and not at all hard, in the sense that it was straightforward, and you follow the recipe. Now seizing and swirling? That's hard. Anyway, you may find that M&P is a great entry into the soapmaking world, and there are many cool things you can do with it. Check out the gallery and you'll be amazed at the talent some of these people have. http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3481&highlight=party http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5019&highlight=party http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20181&highlight=fish+log

Do you mean that the whole wick actually moves in the wax, to an off-center position, or do you mean that the burning wick curls to one side? If the first, I would guess that you're not securing them properly to the glass, and if the second, then I know that the HTPs and CDs are supposed to curl to one side as it burns. Don't know about the Zs, but I don't think they do.

Second base. I have IL's in Houston, so when we visit, or they come here, I stock up. I think if it were a trip just to pick up, I would do what sudsnwicks said. I would guess 1-1.5 hrs one way would be my max.

http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8661&highlight=whipped+shea+butter+recipe from maryann, a few posts down into the main thread she posted the recipe. There are a lot of them on the Recipes section, just use the search button for whipped shea and you'll have a lot of choices.

Hey thanks, dude! If it's not thick enough, you can add stearic, or a little b/w, or just increase the soy wax amount. I use (I *think*) like 40 g of soy wax for a 16 oz batch. If you add b/w, cut that in half, it's a lot harder. Don't know about stearic, about 5% is the norm, I think.

I agree, the cold AND hot throw on this wax is unbelievable. I poured the 70/30 with the sample of Maduro that I received, and it is unreal how strong it is. My little jar fragrances the entire house, except the back bedrooms. I'm very impressed. Also, for the soy users, I've noticed that I have to wick WAY down on this - I've never used any type of paraffin, so I didn't realize just how much I have to wick up from paraffin candles. My smallest jar uses a CD16 and I wicked this slightly larger jar with the 16, and I've got a 2" deep MP, LOL! I'm thinking a 10-12 would have been appropriate. HTH!

LOL, Beth! I was so impressed!

THat's what I use! I also wanted to add that if you want a normal consistency lotion (rather than a more body butter type lotion), you will want to make the shea a lower % than your oils. If the shea is equal to or more than the oils, then your lotion will be nice and thick, but that may not be what you're looking for. For my lotion, I usually have the butters = half the amount of oils, and for the butter, it's usually the opposite.

http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15610&highlight=burnoff I think it's an interesting read.

Donita! Hilarious! Cool picture though - I like your popsicle, it's a good idea to start with.

I actually don't use stearic in my lotions, althought lots of crafters do, and love it. I just like to keep my ingredient list as simple as possible - but then I do use soy wax to thicken it a little bit. I do use Germall Plus for my lotions, and I'm very happy with it. AJ gave you a great guide - I'd run with that one, but you can sub the stearic for b/w or soy if you don't want to use stearic.

FWIW, I agree with Bruce - I firmly believe that this will be a Pet Rock kind of trend. Over quickly, and when it's done, it has screeched to an ugly halt, and you won't be able to give the suckers away. Just MO.

Yep, my 4 lb pour pot takes FOREVER to cool to slushy. I just have to plan for it. And yep, you're going to have to stir a couple of times after it starts getting opaque unless you want the sludge on the bottom.

I think it looks terrific! Very simple, yet conveys exactly what your company is and does - big fan!

I think it's actually a very good idea. It also looks professional - like you're a business, that has official standards and rules rather than a couple of people hawking candles. Not that it's bad to just be a few people hawking candles, before I offend anyone...but it's just very businesslike. I like!

Okay, when it's cooling, the first stage is to see a thin film of cooling wax along the top and a little bit of a film along the side and, what I usually see, a small trail up from the bottom. Stir well, incorporate the cooling wax back into the warmer wax, and wait. It will start to get opaque, a little thicker, and still...wait. Suddenly, you will see it, and say, "Oh! THAT'S slushy." It's very obvious, but it takes a while to get there...it sounds like you've never gotten that far with the cooling process. It really looks like a thinned out milkshake. When you pour it, it will pour in a larger stream, since it's so cool. I know this is frustrating, but it really all depends on your area and the weather conditions there, sometimes, as well. In the winter, I can pour when it's syrupy, at the middle stage, where it's getting opaque, but not slushy, but in the warm, humid months, if I don't wait for the slush, I'm out of luck with the aesthetic look of the finished product. Also, I know most soy users don't do this, but I've found that, especially when it's NOT 100* outside, I have to slightly heat my jars to eliminate wetspots. If there's a large discrepancy between the jar temp and the wax, then I get nasty air pockets that I could drive my car through. HTH, and hang in there! I've been using EZ soy for about 2 years, and while I've had my share of frustrations, I'm overall very happy with it...once I've gotten to know it. It's a very quirky beast.

Oooh! Or Peppercorn? Although, I must say, if you use the Tib. Black Tea, you won't be disappointed. What a great, strong, complex thrower.