Lorraine

Has anyone had any experience with the Essentials by Catalina"s Natural Soap Bases? Did you find them drying to the skin? Do they harden up nicely like the SFIC bases do? I find the SFIC drying to my skin. I've added some extra oils and that helped a little. I like the way the bars are good and hard after they set up, as opposed to the WSP Natural Bases, which I really do like, except that they never really harden back up nicely, but instead remain bendable. Please share your thoughts on the Essentials by Catalina's Natural Soap Bases......Thank you!

Thanks Scented! I checked out both Greenleaf and Southern Garden but couldn't find Southern Soapers. Also decided to check out other suppliers and it was interesting to find that many don't even carry Frankincense & Myrrh, and most that do carry it, in reading the scent descriptions, don't even have Frankincense or Myrrh in the ingredients! I only found two suppliers, so far, who's Frankincense & Myrrh actually contain Frankincense & Myrrh! Anyone else have a good Frankincense & Myrrh FO to share?

Thanks! Good to hear that it won't cloud the clear base!

Which supplier have you found to have the best Frankincense & Myrrh FO? I've only tried two so far- Wellingtons and Candle Science. Wellingtons is ok but way too light...hardly any throw in tarts. Candle Science's is very nice but not exactly what I'm looking for. It's not quite as heady as I would expect F&M to be. Anyone use BCN's? What do you think? Thanks for your reviews on this!

Thanks ladies for your replys. Still wondering if the VS is necessary if your adding mica colors. Does it affect the colors? Anyone know if it clouds the clear bases? TIA!

Do all of you experienced M&P'ers use the vanilla stabilizer in all of your soaps? Is it even necessary to use the VS in soaps that you are coloring? Does the VS cloud the clear MP bases? Just trying to decide if I really need to use the stabilizer. TIA for your help! Lorraine

Thanks for sharing the link for Soapies, Danielle. Even though their price is the same as BB, the shipping is cheaper for me from Soapies! Now to decide if I want to go back to using the SFIC...

WOW!!! Been gone for a short time and LOOK what'cha'ya'll have done!!! How awesome is this!!! :whoohoo: THANK YOU!!! Love it, Love it, Love it!!! Lorraine

Thank you all so much for replying! I guess I'll keep the glycerin and keep searching for some recipes to use it in as well as trying it out in my M&P soap! Cindym~ I remember reading that thread! Thanks!!! CareBear~ I'll have to look for some liquid soap recipes! Sounds like fun! Prairieannie~ I'll have to do more searches today! I typed in different things and pretty much came up with where to buy Glycerin! I'll have to try wording it differently. Thanks for sharing! Beau's Momma~ Your testing sounds very interesting! LOL! Unfortunately it says on the bottle "Warning: Not Edible". But when I did those searches yesterday I found where it talked about glycerin being sweet and being used in food! That's what had me soooo confused! I guess the glycerin I bought is a cheap one? I picked it up at the craft store. Hardly ever buy anything there. I always purchase from suppliers on line. They had all of their soap and candle making stuff on sale 25% off! That got my attention (and money LOL!) Hope it's an ok product! Lorraine

in adding some extra glycerin to melt & pour soap bases? I picked some up at the store today but can't figure out where I read about it, or find any recipe that I may have copied down using glycerin as one of the ingredients! Not sure why I was thinking I needed to buy it! :rolleyes2 Oh my, I'm doing good, huh! LOL! Well...... Does anyone use added glycerin? What for? How much? I know, maybe I should just return the stuff huh? I even tried doing some google searches and came up with nothing! :tiptoe: Lorraine

Soycrazy~ I PM'd you! Lorraine

Thank you all so much for your help! I think I'm going to start out with about 30 drops per pound of base and then take it from there. I was just so afraid to use too much but you are right, Kandlekrazy, about people using tea tree directly on their skin! You all have given me some solid information to consider! Thanks again for sharing your knowledge! Much appreciated! Lorraine

Thank you both for your replys! I'll have to keep on playing with my different bases (from different suppliers) and the different oils. After Tea tree oil, I think I'd like to try some Sweet Almond oil next! Too many choices and not as much money!

Thank you for your reply! I'm surprised at such a small amount that is safe! I'm VERY mathmatically challenged but figured out that 1% of 16oz (soap base) would be 0.16---correct?? Not sure how to even measure that. Would that equal like 1 or 2 drops from a dropper? Seems like so little. I realize the essential oils are potent! I did find a recipe for an Antiseptic Soap: 4 ounces M&P 1 TBSP Tea Tree oil 1/2 TBSP Lavender oil 1 drop coloring Not sure about this recipe tho! Seems like way too much EO's in such a small amount of soap base! Scares me! LOL! Maybe you can help me figure out how much would be the maximum amount (in 16 oz of soap base) by drops or teaspoons??? Thanks again~ Lorraine

I want to add some Tea Tree Essential Oil to my M&P soap base but I have no idea as to what amount of this oil would be safe to add per pound. I want to add enough for it to be effective but not so much that it might become toxic! Any help would be much appreciated! TIA~ Lorraine

to your melt and pour soap bases? Been using the SFIC and trying to achieve that "perfect" bar of soap! I currently use coconut oil and castor oil---one for hardness and one for lather. I would like to add an oil for some moisturizing/health benefits. Any suggestions on which oils and what amounts? How about Sweet Almond Oil, Grapeseed oil, Jojoba Oil, Rice Bran Oil, or Tea tree Oil? Would appreciate your sharing any experience with these! TIA! Lorraine

Just found a supplier site that lists the HTP's and they sell all three sizes I'm questioning. According to them, this is the order of smallest to largest: 126, 1212, 1213. I guess that burn rate chart I found is incorrect then. It sure caused me alot of confusion!

Well, having a hard time finding the 1312's on any site and as far as the 1212 and 126 goes---- I always thought the 126 was smaller but according to a burn rate chart I found , it seems the 1212 is smaller than the 126! ??? I just was hoping that someone who uses these can tell me from experience what they have found. Gosh, WICKS! They can make you crazy!

Anyone use the HTP wicks and can tell me which is actually the smallest to the largest (order in which they burn hotter) in these wick sizes: HTP 1212, HTP 1312, HTP 126 ??? I've used the 1212 but was wondering about the 1312 & especially the 126. Thanks in Advance~ Lorraine

Thanks Darbla! I don't remember ever reading that! I do remember reading that adding olive oil in small amounts will harden the bar and adding castor oil will help increase the lather. Candybee~ Thanks so much for your response! I wondered if it was just a really stupid question! So glad to hear that it will make a difference in both the lather and the hardness of the bar! That's great! I will definitely try it! Lorraine

Thank you for responding! You are so right! It is the #1 ingredient and probably wouldn't make a difference at all! I still may just add a bit next batch just to see if it changes anything! Thanks again! Lorraine

Anyone ever add coconut oil to their MP soap? It's suppoesd to have very beneficial qualities. Maybe you can share your findings if you have used it and also share how much you added per pound of base. Thanks in advance! Lorraine

Thank you! Looks to me like the SFIC wins hands down! I believe those are detergents in the Stephenson's--- Correct? I will stick with the SFIC bases. Have tried two so far and love them. Thanks again~~ Lorraine

between the SFIC soap bases and the Stephenson's soap bases? I know the SFIC are all natural. Are the Stephenson's all natural too? Thanks in Advance! Lorraine

Thanks tootie! I'll check it out! I was toying with the idea of trying BC's Ez soy but somehow I think it's going to be alot like the Ky Puresoy. Decisions, decisions! Lorraine