BekkaF

Nice mold and great swirling girlie

I also think these soaps are gorgeous. Very tranquil looking and is perfect for the name

Yummie!!!! I want to dive in and slather.

You did a great job on presentation. Very very nice looking labels. Bet what's inside those tubes is equally appealing. Huggs, Bekka

Hmmmm, I'd consider the safety issues that might be involved, but other than a temporary tightening I don't see any redeeming qualities paraffin will add to the skin. I know it is suppose to help with carpel tunnel, but I think its more the heat than any thing else. I've seen soy candles used to burn a melt pool and then used as a lotion. Again there may be some safety factors to consider and I don't feel there are any true skin benefits in this regard either.

I have a batch of LS about done, and am making a batch of roseclay cream soap. Yesterday I made pumpkin masque, my own dupe of BBW's simplicity pumpkin masque. This is so much fun and I have this week off. I'll be making lots of CP soaps too. Huggs, Bekka

I just ordered an upland single log mold for a gal who is going out of business and selling her uplands off Huggs, Bekka

I agree, it sounds like a disclaimor. Unfortunately, there are people who will use an ingredient and products inappropriately and disclaimors can become hardliners to warn people to know how the ingredient or products can safely be used. I do also agree this could be stated less abrasive while informing the customer. Huggs, Bekka

Prayers for your mother and for you for strength. In regard to formulating products for persons having cancer and treatments, do not add any fragrance. Simple clean and pure are important here. Also choose your preservative wisely, no parabens. I have a friend/also a formulator who underwent cancer and treatments and used optiphen as her choice of preservative. Let me think on this a while, and I'll be back. Huggs, Bekka

From a personal viewpoint, you mentioned your skin doesn't tolerate palm or coconut oil very well. I'd like to ask, have you tried palm kernal flakes in place of coconut oil??? I have eczema and tolerate palm kernal flakes very well. If I use coconut oil, I have to stop at roughly 20%, and I take a lye amount of 6% superfat. It does nicely for me ; ) Although I love RBO in soaps, I would still drop it down a tad and add half in Olive Oil. Another good oil for sudsing action is sesame oil; the more refined kind made by spectrum that doesn't have a scent to it. Sesame oil is easily found in health food store, or if you have a super grocery store like Wegman's with a health food section. I don't use that high of a %age of castor oil. I use right around 2.5%. On another board a chemist tested out castor oil in CP at different percentages and found the higher the percentage of Castor Oil added after 5% actually dampens lather. Might make your recipe a bit soft too. You can boost the hardening factor by using some shea butter, paiy-na butter and optionally maybe an ounce or two of cocoa butter. Also, crisco for me does irritate my skin. It makes a wonderful soap for most, but I have had more than one person tell me they itch when using those bars. Not sure if it is the additives to keep shortening white, ie BHT, but I dropped it for that reason. I still miss those shortening pours and love the way I could swirl in those batches ; ) Huggs, Bekka

I have no problem with using fresh liquid GM and ending up with nice almost white bars of soap. No fluid discounts in my full GM soap batches. I don't do slushies I want to make sure all my lye is dissolved, so I use a heavy on the ice water bath. Adding the lye, stirring it in a sprinkle at a time, while hand stirring, might take me all of 20 to 1/2 hour. And nope it doesn't turn orange or curdle on me. Meanwhile, I have all my other ingredients fats/oils/ butters cooled down to around 80 to 85 degree, so I'll be ready to go ; ) In the summer, I refrigerate the soap in the mold, in the winter, I might set the mold ouside under the covered patio. I really believe every one has a natural tendency towards the type of soap they do best. Mine just happens to be ungelled. It comes easy and happens on its own most often. Huggs, Bekka