naninkansas

That looks very pretty, creamy too. I'd be proud of that for my first.

That looks yummy. Coffee soap is on my 'to try' list.

I'm in agreement with Carebear about not doing the additives especially if this is your first batch. I probably wouldn't even do HP and just do CP and do it with a whisk instead of a stickblender. If you're not happy with the results and you've done something more complicated, it's going to be harder to figure out what went wrong. I'm getting the idea that it's very important to you to understand the "why's" of soapmaking which is good. For that reason I would do the basic soap, watch what happens as it changes, keep notes on what oils you used and the results, and then make changes and start doing additives from there. Just my opinion, and I'm new at this myself.:rolleyes2

I can see it, but I would be way more impressed if it only appeared sporatically and brought wealth and good fortune to all that witnessed it. Now that would be miraculous AND ebay worthy.

I believe that I got my Calendula from Texas Natural Supply. I'm going to try the rice water as well with mine.

See now I just love the brown soap. I love that it looks rustic.

I'm impressed. I think they look very soft and pretty.

I ordered some stuff from Texas Natural Supply and thought the prices were good and the shipping was pretty quick.

It's a pretty sunny window. I think since I want to make this next week I'll leave it sit, then put it in the crockpot overnight on the warm or low setting. Probably warm because my crockpot tends to be a little hot. I'll probably be back to ask questions when I get ready to make this!

Okay, I have the calendula in the olive oil in the sunny window. How long does this process take for infusing? I would like to make this later next week but it doesn't have to be that soon if it needs to infuse longer. I will not use any scent. I would rather soap that is as safe for a baby as can be than to even take a chance. I appreciate all of this good advice. You guys are wonderful.

I like the idea of infusing the oil and I will definately do that with the calendula and possibly lavender. Thank you so much!!

It's new to me . Up until fairly recently I thought the only soap out there was what I picked up at the variety stores.

I can't wait to see how this one works out for you. I have a feeling it's going to be soooo good. I never would have thought of a tomato soap.

Thank you all for your help. I'm going to take all of this into consideration and will probably go with unscented and the olive and castor oil.

Oooh, I missed the idea of a rose hydrosol. I don't even know what that is, but it sounds soooo nice!

I like the idea of a very faint and soft flowery fragrance, not necessarily a baby lotion or powdery smell. I have lavender fo, not eo but could get some if that would be a better choice for a baby's skin. It either has to be mild or not there at all. Chamomile sounds nice but I don't have any and I think the eo is pretty expensive. I'll probably stick with the olive oil. I had my hubby pick some up the other day and ouch, I think I'll be making a small batch for now. Or possibly I could add a bit of PKO and a bit of sunflower oil as a small percentage to make it a slightly larger batch since I have those already.

I'm going to be a grandma again at the end of Feb. , and my daughter has asked me to make baby soap for her. She knows that it won't be a tearless soap. I assumed that I would make a castile that would be either very lightly scented or unscented. I also considered using goat's milk. Yesterday we were out and about and I took a look at the back of a bar of Johnson's baby soap and saw that the main ingredients listed were tallow, palm and coconut oils. They also listed fragrance. I was surprised at the oils they used (thought it would be mainly olive oil). So if you were to make soap for a baby, what would you use? She's probably not going to use it for at least a month after the baby is born but I still want it to have a good long time to cure. Thanks in advance. Nancy

I also thought it was CP before I read. Very pretty.

Thanks for giving me a starting point with the citric acid. I'm making a note so that when I get around to trying this I at least have an idea of where to start.

Beautiful, just beautiful!

That sounds like good advice with the citric acid. I have no idea of how much to add or what would be a good amount to start out with. About how much are you adding per pound of soap during the rebatch? I've also got short hair and have been shampooing with the soap bar. So far I've been happy with it but if it can be made better that would be great!

Oh my gosh, that's amazing!

That looks beautiful. I've never tried a scrub and hope to do that soon.

Thank you all so much. I really like a simple and natural look and think I'm going to strive for that. I'm having so much fun with this and I have to say that my family is loving it as well. I make soap and my kids come and steal it and take it home. They know that it has to cure, but they like to set it out at their own homes just so they can enjoy the smell. They're going bonkers over the lavender.

Yesterday I made 2 batches of CPHP, first Lavender and then Oatmeal, Milk and Honey with goat's milk. This is the second time doing crockpot soap and I think it's my favorite way so far. I had trouble getting the coloring right in the lavender. I mixed the powdered color (ultramarine) in olive oil and then added it to some soap I removed right before pouring into the molds. I still ended up with some specks but I can live with that. I washed my hands with a scrap of the goat's milk and it was heavenly! I can only imagine how good it will be after it cures!