doris

People do that sort of thing to us on occasion, wanting a pattern or specific directions "so they can make one cheaper". I've even caught them practically tearing things apart to see how they are made.

You can make basic bath salts with just epsom salt and eo's. I usually add some grated cocoa butter as well.

I teach soapmaking classes, and they are 2 hours long. They don't learn everything, since no one knows everything, but they get a class that stresses safety, gives them basic info and a recipe, and sources for further info, supplies, etc. I also sell some supplies. Most people who have taken the class have never followed up, but a few have, and have come back for supplies and further help. I learned entirely from a book and online, and they are further ahead after 2 hours than I was after several months. As far as I am concerned, people need to be aware of the safety issues, and at no point do I ever tell them that this is all they need to know. I tell them that my class is merely a starting point.

There will be people who have good quality stuff, and there will always be people who sell garbage. If you go to a grocery store, you will find different brands of the same thing: there will always be the good, the bad and the ugly. Price is not necessarily a gauge of quality. Some suppliers simply buy in huge quantities and are able to pass on the savings to you. I do not usually shop by price alone: I have a few suppliers that I like, and will usually purchase from them, knowing that I will usually get a quality product. If you find the same thing from suppliers who have good reps, but at hugely varying prices, then it might make sense to go with the cheaper one. Also, when looking at prices, also keep in mind the shipping. Sometimes placing a huge order from one company will be much more cost effective than placing several smaller orders from different companies who have better prices. You can easily pay as much or more shipping than your product is worth if you only place a small order. Also try to order from people reasonably close to you if at all possible.

If it smells "bad" as opposed to just having a smell, maybe one of your oils went bad.

Calm down, take a deep breath, and set to work. Don't have any advice for you, but congratulations and good luck. And what cybersix said makes excellent sense: if you underprice yourself, you will lose money and never get your prices back up. When you do your "simulation", don't forget shipping.

Sandy Maine? I thought she only did cp.

Every oil needs a certain amount of lye to turn it into soap. If you have only the exact amount of lye to do this, you will have a harsh soap. We superfat to make the soap more user friendly. We usually superfat 5-8%, much more can lead to a greasy soap. Superfatting oils can either be added at trace or added in at the beginning. Your best bet is to use a lye calculator, and stop worrying about "why?". I usually use the one at www.summerbeemeadow.com, you plug in your oils, set the amount of superfat you want, and it will tell you how much lye to use. There are many other lye calculators as well. You might have problems finding an accurate sap value for shortening, as different shortenings are made with different oils. If you know what yours is made of, just enter it under that oil. In your recipe, just set the superfat of whatever lye calculator you use at 5% and the lye amount will come out right.

The candles just look sort of dusty. If you are using coloured beeswax, the bloom can make the colour look different, so that a red will look like a dusty pink. It can be removed by warming with a hairdryer.

You're right, it doesn't make sense at all. I just adore beeswax, smell, bloom and all.

I was testing some votives at our shop a while ago, and they were actually behaving and doing what they should, and one of my other partners looked at it and said, "There's something wrong with your candle. It's all melted on top. They're supposed to just burn down the middle. All the votives I've ever bought did that." She was right, you know. All the votives I've ever bought in my pre-candle-making days did that, and I had no idea what they were supposed to do until I came here. I used to buy and burn a fair amount of candles, and most pillars were thrown out after a few inches. They would tunnel down the middle, and then become impossible to light. The votives would mess up my votive containers, and I thought the only purpose of a votive container was to look nice. I had no idea of how a candle should behave until quite recently. Thank you!

I was raised a Catholic, and what we now call votives were used then in our church (but white, unscented, often in a coloured glass cup). People would give a donation to light a candle in someone's memory, the votives were the small ones, and there were larger ones as well. I think that the votives that are available everywhere now have evolved from that type of votive. People have just added scents and colour to them, to make them more sellable. If you want another name for them, make one up, or add to the word "votive" - house votive - whatever. Good luck.

I think it is EO, I've heard it's good for cleaning all sorts of things.

I've burnt some HTP 93's since in a tight holder, and they've tunnelled. It's so weird.

I'm not sure how much beeswax weighs compared to others, but a 100 g is a little leass than 4 oz, so "roughly" 2 2-oz votives. Tealights, I've never weighed them.

If you warm them gently with a hairdryer and buff them with old pantihose, they'll get a beautiful glow. I personally don't like the super shiny look that a coating gives them.

Why would you order from a company with a lot of negative comments? I'd steer clear, and stick with the dependable ones.

I haven't tried these, but what is the point of the glycerine? I would think that the glycerine is the reason for the greasiness. Salt tends to absorb moisture, but if you make it oily, that would prevent it from absorbing scent and colour, or so I would think.

I don't know. Someone said the website was gone, but the website is still there. That's all I meant. It's a pity if they've closed, they've been around forever, haven't they?

I just went there and it's still there.

Good luck on your quest! I know her heart is set on the floaters, but look into at least one other alternative. 400 floating candles that will last at least 8 hours and that have to fit into a mason jar and on a limited budget is quite a tall order, and some concessions will very likely have to be made on her part. Less candles, or a smaller amount of time needed, or a larger jar or a larger budget... It seems quite unlikely to me that she will get all that she is asking for, and six weeks doesn't seem like long enough to be able to come up with some on your own.

I get baking soda at my local health food store (they order a bag just for me).

I've never heard of a coconut EO, and coconut oil has no scent. I think your customer is out of luck. There aren't always natural scents for everything.

I make bath salts, and use EO's. I usually don't let them cure. They don't go bad, but the scent does fade after a while. (I package them in tin tie bags). Curing certainly wouldn't hurt, and would probably improve them. I don't make milk baths, but I've heard that unless you use skim milk, they will go bad after a while.

I think it depends on the person. I personally have never had a problem with an EO, but dislike, and have reactions to, many FO's. However, it seems that many EO's don't do well in candles. There's threads on this, look around, you'll find that some EO's do work for some people in candles. I think you'd have to experiment and test a lot.