CandleFreak

Thanks ladies for the links....hmmm another thing to put on the to-do list and read up on!!!! Does it ever end?

interesting reading...would like to see more info.... are there different recipes/oils to use for say...dry/color treated hair...normal...oily hair???

I luv that watermelon soap...pretty realistic!

why not try green clover & aloe??? I personally love it...it's a nice mellow green scent! although I do love me some WT&G...

I am able to pick up my wax, containers, and some FOs...but I do factor in cost of gas into the price of wax, etc... most FOs are shipped so a break down would be: Container 1.25 FO (1oz pp) 1.50 wax 1.10 wicks 0.14 labels 0.20 $4.19

many factors go into the cost... my 16oz costs roughly $4 (that is with a $1.25 container) to produce container, FO, shipping/overhead are biggest factors for my pricing edited to add - i use parrafin - i see from another post you were asking about soy/parrafin differences...

great ideas so far...I looked up some plants and so forth from the country for inspiration for an ingredient list and its pretty open for play... plants of panama include: Palm, Coconut, Mango, Papaya, Guava, Cilantro, Cocoa, Castor, Coffee, Lillies (think Cala), Orchids, Bouganvillea, impatiens, vinca, hibiscus, poinsettia, amaryllis, pomarosa many of this we already use for soapmaking!!!! So keeping to a "strictly" panama" bar of soap would be easy.....maybe come up with a catchy poem on your tag to explain your ingredient list(kinda like their "tree mail")...(i love the idea of the antiquing and twine for your label) maybe for your scent you could do a floral like the lily or orchid....use coffee grounds for exfoliation (i'd definitely want a good scrub after 36 days of filth!!!!!) maybe you could make a presentation platter with "frond like" plant matter and tuck in an "impatien" bloom with each bar

Bunny...have you tried the goat's milk...how does it compare to the cow's milk....and since you've tried about every form of cow milk...which do you prefer???

2.48oz is 0.155lbs soooo 1 lb 2.48oz = 1.155lbs the calculator is converting to an all lb measurement

Send them a link to the regional conferences....the one in Dayton and the one hosted by candles and supplies....let her pay to learn!!!!

Nice setup...I'm totally in love with the galvanized tubs!!!!

Hmmmmm...I'll throw some names out... Herbal Comfort Comfort Blend Blended Comfort Herbal Relief Comforting Relief Relief Blend Nature's Relief Nature's Comfort Nature's Companion Natural Relief I dunno...maybe it'll help someone else's creativity

Ask to speak to the manager of your local grocery store (or file maintenance manager)...my mother used to work for Krogers (chain grocery) and says they would take requests and actually start selling items requested....just a thought! It never hurst to ask!

OMG looks good enough to eat...and I bet that smells heavenly!

Thanks everyone...so far the WT&G is my fav....it's a combo between the recipe and the scent that really has me on this one...I am gonna play with this recipe some more as I love it.....get it tweaked to perfection!

THanks a bunch...it's on hubby's "honey do" list...if it's not done in a sufficient time frame he is gonna be sorry....'cause I will order one...and who knows what else I will order with it! bwwwwwaaahahahahahahaha

gorgeous soaps E...I like the bevel too! I think I love the coloring on the santirini bar the most! for some reason that link isn't working.....i'll try again in a few....

Thanks everyone for the positive comments!!! It's because of continually seeing everyone's beautiful soaps that I even tried....I have read, read, researched, accumulated oils and just broke down and soaped...now I am debating which recipe to try next...as these 3 were all different recipes......

Just wanted to share with you my first three batches of soap... 1st: BCN's Jade FO, which attempted to accelerate/rice on me...managed to stick blend it and made a thick swirl which was smooshed into the mold..I found a few air pockets when cutting [ATTACH]4580[/ATTACH] 2nd: White Tea & Ginger, everything went smoothly, which was kinda scary! [ATTACH]4581[/ATTACH] 3rd: Summer Sorbet from TriState, everything went ok until it hit the mold and the purple swirl disappeared........recipe got a bit hot during "gel" phase...leaked some FO which eventually soaked back in [ATTACH]4582[/ATTACH]

I just CAN"T stop laughing at this.......that's classic!!!!

hmmm...so I guess I'll be looking for some swapping action...and pass out bars to every family member and friend I have or send them to work with hubby...all his buds at work were my candle testers!!! See if I can get some feedback...

Bunny...sign me up for samples!!!! I'd love to see/feel a difference...I need all the education I can get!

I have made 3 batches of soap so far....and I am wondering how am I gonna pay for another addiction! After making these 3 batches of soap I have more questions than BEFORE I made them! How do you "test" your soaps??? How do you know if your recipe is good??? (most handmade soaps are better than commercial so that's not even a comparison...) Do you offer one recipe with a ton of fragrance variations or do you sell multiple recipes??? How do you settle on a recipe??? (I've tried 3 so far and they are each good in their own respects and I'd like to try more...I don't know when to stop) What are some key points for consistency in product??? How do you know when you are ready to sell??? (I know I'm not...gotta work on recipe, consisitency, etc) Are there any seasoned soapers that would be willing to "test" for me or something??? ok...this is just the tip of the iceberg of my questions...but I'd love to see some responses...I need to think of this from a fresh perspective!!!

Well Bunny... I tried it... and it did work... but not as nicely as I wanted it to. I had this huge pile of soap scraps left over.....I think it took too much off at once. It was somewhat inconsistent but it was also my first time attempting anything of the sort! I've only made 3 batches of soap period! but that's a whole different story! So I think I am gonna order the beveler from for crafts sake...and save up for a better cutter...for now I'll deal with the cheapy one I have!

Would a wire cheese cutter work as a beveler???? may have to experiment....thanks for posting this....i was wondering myself...since my soaps look so sloppy compared to the pics in the gallery!