mountainmadness

I know how that is right now with Christmas coming. That is what I keep saying to my hubby..... "But sweetie the Christmas season is coming and I need these supplies to get my projects complete!"

Yes, it is CP soap. I used to make soap in a slab but once I got the hang of CP I really enjoy it in a simple mold. Plus it is different than most in our area. Thanks for the kind words.

I actually have them made for me. A company out of CA. I have thin plastic molds made so I can use them a couple of times and they are disposable. I have 20,000 trays made yearly.

Okay. Okay. One more... I do not want to over-do posts! This is a basket of my soaps at market....(left to right). Blackberry Jasmine, Soapy Clean, Grandma's Kitchen Soap, Coconut Lemongrass, & Lemon Peel. You are making me feel so good!

I posted some pics in the Business section also. I have been a member for quite some time but have not posted pics. My hubby came to market on Sat. and took some. Thought that I would share my favorite soaps right now.... Pic. #1: Blackberry Jasmine with seeds Pic. #2: Basil Blossom

I am finally posting pictures. This is my first farmer's market year. I am setting myself up to have a store front in the next 18 months. I hope that you enjoy the pictures. I am unsure how to open pics and attach so I can make my notes underneath so forgive me. Pic. #1: (left to right/ front to back) Asian Green Tea, OMH, Clementine, & Basil Blossom Pic. #2: (my very favorite right now) Blackberry Jasmine. The brown flecks are seeds. Pic. #3: (left to right) Blackberry Jasmine, Soapy Clean, Grandma's Kitchen Soap, Coconut Lemongrass, & Lemon Peel Pic. #4: A close-up of my Basil Blossom Pic. #5: (left to right) Sweet Pea & Coffee Bean

400 lbs. last me about 6 months. I am very careful with the storage. I seperate it out and place the lye that I am using in a 20# plastic bucket.

Okay. Okay. My two favorties... Grapefruit and Spearmint EO- smells like Wrigley's Gum (I make a Gardener's soap with it) and my very favorite Blackberry and Jasmine (creamy white and blackberry swirled with blackberry seeds in it). They are 2 of my top sellers.

I do not think that is high priced. My main supplier sells 1# for around $20-$25. If you invest in the good FO than you use far less, the scents are normally tested and reported in certain applications, and the scent lasts the use of the bar. I have always believed that you get what you pay for.

I make a lavender soap with EO. I use 1.5oz. for a 6# batch. It has a nice scent and lavender seems to hold well in CP soap. It is strong but not knock your socks off strong..... If you know what I mean. HTH.

Clay is awesome to use in soap. I have used green French clay, red clay, white clay, etc. Some people swirl it for color, some make a solid bar. It does give the soap a slippery feel... Everyone has their perferences but I use clay in my shaving soaps. It provides slip for the razor and acts as a barrier between the blade and the skin. It seems that soaps dry quicker with the clay too. Probably because clay is a water absorber. HTH.

I do not believe that there is any difference other than the shape. Red Devil lye are pearl shaped not flakes. As long as it is pure sodium hydroxide you are fine. You measure by weight so I do not think that the shape makes any difference. I do believe though that if you live in a dryer climate that the pearls tend to get more "static charged" than the flakes..... I just found bulk lye locally today also and I am so excited. No shipping and they carry it in stock. There is a $300.00 min. order so I will have 400 lbs. of lye in my garage! I understand your excitement!!

Wishing you the best!

Like the saying goes, It takes money to make money. After 4 years of making soap and 2 years of really selling it, it will pay off. The biggest part is staying focused and loving what you do.

Sweetcakes has a great Chocolate Chip Cookie FO. Their customer service is great also.

I find most of my natural colorants at the health food store in the bulk section. They usually sell them by the ounce. I know that some of the grocery stores sell them too in the organic section. HTH.

It sounds like things were way to hot. It looks like you did not use FO or EO. Sometimes that is what causes an instant set-up. I use room temp lye (usually mixed the night before) and oils around 120 to mix. There is always rebatching......

Wishing you the best! Let us know how it goes!!

1) Christmas shows 2) Farmer's market 3) Family, friends, and co-workers Too bad 1 and 2 are only seasonal......

I am a naked bar girl. I did it just this way for our market. Eco-friendly, no waste in packaging, they use the soap and do not buy it because it has "pretty" wrapping on it. When I really started marketing my business a couple of years ago I would wrap in fabric and then make a cigar band. I spent more time wrapping then making soap. Too time consuming. I have a lot more repeat customers now because they are actually using the soap and not leaving it wrapped because it looks nice. I am having custom boxes made for Christmas to place a bar in if customers are purchasing for gifts. I needed something that will look nice but not take hours and hours out of my soap-making time. I think that it is personal perference for most and depending on the image that you want for your business. HTH.

I did years of testing color before I started selling my soaps. The most tried and true colorants that I have found is from the Pigment Lady. You can google pigment lady and get the website. Her colors are awesome and hold true. You use just a tiny bit of powder. I mix mine with veggie oil and beat it with a fork to get the clumps out and then mix it with my soap. When I do not use a natural colorant, I use her pigments. You can get a lot of color change from FO also. The suppliers that I purchase from will list the colors that the CP soap will change with no colorant added just from the FO. China Rain- light mauve anything with vanilla- browns Blueberry- grey Baby powder- brown, etc. HTH.

I just used up what I had left of my Magnolia scent. This sells like hotcakes right now in my area. I have had no problems with it (made about 6 batches) and does not discolor CP soap. HTH.

Or what I do because I dislike paying shipping... is buy a roll of kraft paper (used for mailing) and put it through my paper shredder. If I want it crinkled, then I have a paper "crinkler" that I bought and use that on the shredded paper. Where I live that crinkle paper is extensive and you do not get much. A huge roll of that paper costs about $3.50 and lasts me through all of my Christmas shows. HTH.

You will have to play around with it. I use my shredded CP soap and water. Sometimes I heat my shredded soap pieces in a pan with water... and then just adjust the amount of water that I need. Sometimes I just put it in the bottles without heating it. As far as how long it will last, it depends how much you use. It is nothing like bar soap.. I am having problems understanding that question. I would not add any additional oil, it will not mix with water anyway. HTH.

The soybean wax amount should be varied depending on how creamy you want your lip balm. I, myself, prefer a somewhat soft balm that you can put your finger in the jar and squish if you push hard enough. Some people like harder balms and if you use a tube it cannot be as soft. I think that you will have to mess around with the amounts to see what you like better and what kind of tube/pot etc. that you will be using. I do not think that jojoba has the same properties in it that vitamin E does. You can try it and see is my only advise on that. :undecided HTH some.