mountainmadness

Everythings so pretty and kinda rustic looking. Like what you would expect handmade to look like. Love the simpleness of your scents/colors. Im really interested in that honeycomb soap. How did you get that effect?

I made transparent soap, used real honey to make it amber and used bubblewrap for the pattern. Then pulled the bubblewrap off of the transparent soap once it dried and poured CP over the top. It is a process but worth the effort- IMO.

Thanks.

Is that a real banana? Will it go bad?

It is a real dried banana and the soap does have real banana in it. I made it about 6 months ago and it is just fine. I am sure that people will take it off before they use it... I just liked the way it looked.

A couple more of my soaps for the website.

Thanks again for looking.

Jennifer

Dog Shampoo made with pure Tea Tree and Peppermint EO

Honeycomb

Just-Ripe Banana

Turkish Mocha

Okay... One more... sorry.

Lemon Peel- My best seller made with fresh squeezed lemon juice and grated lemon peel.

I am just finishing up my pictures for my website. It has been fun but a lot of work.

I will not post pics of all my soap but wanted to show you some Valentine's Day soaps that I have sold to a local boutique.

Thanks for looking.

Jennifer

Jazzy Love

My Sweetheart

Rosemilk

I like to dry mine because they do not discolor the soap so much... if you are using a FO that will turn it dark brown anyway, then it will not matter.

The kitchen soap that I make does not discolor and I like to keep it a tan.

Although I have never had it happen, it sounds like the FO ate your plastic container.

When I measure my FO I use a glass pyrex.

Jennifer

I have never purchased an oil from SweetCakes that I was disappointed in.

Some of my favorites are:

Blueberry

Clean Cotton (the best Yankee dup ever!)

Clementine

Basil Blossom

The great thing about this company is that they test all of their FO in CP and indicate the results. I use .5 oz. per lb. of oils for very strong scent.

HTH.

Jennifer

If you use ground coffee that has not been used it will make your soap a very dark brown.

What I do is use coffee that I have already used... I just take it out of the filter and lay it on a plate covered with paper towel to let it dry. When you do it this way you can really see the coffee in it but it will only turn a slight tan color.

Coffee is wonderful in soap. Coffee naturally absorbs cooking odors and is a great exfoliant.

HTH.

Jennifer

Good for you! You will have to post a picture.

Brave girl with an attempted swirl on your first batch! I hope that it turns out the way that you wanted it to!

Jennifer

With the research that I have done, it seems that the average is $1.00 per oz. A lot depends on your area, marketing, packaging, etc.

I sell my 6 oz. bars for $6.00. The wholesale accounts that I have sell them for $6.99- $7.99. In our area, there is no problem selling them for this price.

IMO- when making lavender soap either sprinkle the top with the buds or grind them up and add a bit to the soap.

If you sprinkle on the top they will stay purple. If you grind them they will turn brown but look more like flecks... If you leave them whole they look like mouse poop. :undecided

When I first started soaping I purchased the 13# scale from Brambleberry. This was about 4 years ago. I still have it and it still works.

My advise for scale shopping is:

1) Make sure that it has the 'tare' button. This will allow you to zero out the weight of the container.

2) The buttons on the front of the scale are one piece or covered. If you drip any oil on it and it slides down it will fry your scale.

3) The one from Brambleberry also has a button what allows you to change your conversions (either grams, ounces, lbs, etc.)

HTH.

Jennifer

The definition of flash point is actually copied and pasted below. You were not quite right.....

Definition: Also, flashing point. Physical Chemistry. the lowest temperature at which a liquid in a specified apparatus will give off sufficient vapor to ignite momentarily on application of a flame.

I think this thread and your website will just be like a flash point..... a quick momentary spark or flame that then it is out.

I really like soy lotion but with that being said I have tried some soy that was not so great. There are so many variables to lotion due to the large number of oils that you can use.

I just think that it is based on personal preference and what your skin likes.

HTH.

Jennifer

When a batch of CP does not work out the way that you wanted it to you have a couple of options:

1) Rebatch: re-melt the soap on the stove and add water or milk to make it an easier consistancy to work with. You will never get smooth soap like you would when it is CP soap.

2) Use the soap as chunks, shreds, etc. in another batch of soap

3) Throw it out.

You can only do #1 or #2 if your mess-up is still safe to use.. (i.e. no lye issues, using body safe FO, etc.)

Hope that answers your question.

Jennifer

I had a hard time finding some recipes as well using soy wax, so I just made up my own.

Purple Lilac and I did a trade this summer to try each others out.... the soy wax soap is very nice!

Man, you will be a "pro" before you know it at the rate that you are going.:highfive:

Make sure that you keep a bar of your firsts... it is always fun to see the progression as the years pass by.

Happy Soaping!

Jennifer

You should be able to find it in the baking section at your grocery store right next to the canned milks (evaporated and condensed).

At our grocery stores they have both the powder and liquid in that section.

HTH.

Jennifer

That was only my opinion... Don't let me stop you.

My experience was GM CP can be tricky. The milk/lye doesn't act the same way that water/lye does. You often get clumping that will splash if you are not careful when you pour into your oils. If it does burn then it really does stink and you really need to stick blend it well so you remove any clumps.

It sounds like you have read about it if you know about the freezing... IMO though, I would not add any other steps for my first batch.

I just don't want you to have a problem with your first batch and get discouraged.

Jennifer

Bubbly, for sure.

Like the others said, it can be tricky to get the perfect blend of both.

Do you have a good scale?

I read your posts and was wondering if you were going to make GM CP right off the bat? If so, I would advise that you wait until you have a couple of batches under your belt. GM in lieu of water can be tricky (there are extra steps and tricks to keep it from burning). Just my two cents!

Have fun! You will have to post some pics of your first batch.

Jennifer

IMO- your business name is very personal. It needs to be something that you love that represents who you are, the items that you sell and what you want your image to be.

It all needs to tie together. If you are making up-scale, retro or modern soaps and candles then I would not think the name would be fitting. If you are more into the primitive or country look then the name would fit.

HTH.

Jennifer

The ones that I have dealt with seem to be about 6-8 weeks prior to the show. They are all different though.

You will need to contact the board or coordinator and inquire.

HTH.

Our local farmer's market is 90% of my business in the summer. It is held from May- Sept. on Sat. and Wed.

I average $650.00 a day.

You can do really well but it is all about your marketing and targeting the people that shop at the market. Our market tends to draw customer's that are vegan and enjoy very natural things. I use a lot of the market produce in my soaps and have been working on a tri-pack of veggie scented soaps for the upcoming season.

I would say, GO FOR IT!

Jennifer

I make them a couple of times a year.... I do what was stated above.

1) Place the loofah (whole) into your PVC pipe.

2) Make your soap (I always use CP) and then pour it into your PVC pipe covering your loofah.

3) Wait 24 hours, remove the soap and cut into bars.

I sometimes have to freeze the pipe because it will not always slip right out.

HTH.

Jennifer