jazzbo848

make sure that you follow the safety methods listed here and on the miller site.

make sure that your fragrance oil is skin safe, also.....

cheryl

it is almost impossible to get a soap recipe down pat for a newbie (and i am a newbie but have been reading for a year and have made about 7 batches so far) without trying the recipes out.

what process are you going to use?

for instructions on the various methods, the instructions on the lleft panel on this site on very good.

why are you using the oils that you have chosen? there is a font of knowledge about oils and butter on cathy miller's site:

http://www.millersoap.com/

like candles, you need to test your recipes.

cheryl

which ever way you decide to go on this, make sure you have a good scale and that you run the recipe through a soap calculator. two i can recommend are

1) the one from mms

2) www.soapcalc.com

good luck and have fun,

cheryl

praireannie,

i can assure you that there is a great deal of difference between what joann's sell and a good base like sfic.

i teach at an adult community education program and i give my students a list of online suppliers so that they can get the good bases.

i am in no way putting down your products. i am sure that the additives you use take the harshness out of the base, but it is easier and cheaper to just start with a good, mild base to begin with.

cheryl

yes, i have. the base is harsh on skin and is rubbery when melted. online base is so much better, and not that much more (even with shipping) than that sale price.

cheryl

no, don't spray any thing into mold. in fast, spraying into mold could damage surface of mold.

cheryl

try wiping the bars down with rubbing alcohol and then setting the in front of a fan or a/c for a couple of days.

hth,

cheryl

did the fragrance have any vanilla in it?

cheryl

i make mine also because i never has what i needed on hand...if i had strawberries, people orderd apple, etc.

cheryl

not vicky, but you can either crimp the wick about an inch or more above the sand or double glass the candle.

cheryl

to the best of my soapcalc abilities, this makes a tetch over 3 lbs with a 0% superfat.....

please run this recipe through mms and soapcalc to make sure that you are getting what you want.

cheryl

if the fragrances do not test out as gel safe, then no, you should not use them, you would only be creating a safety hazard for your customers.

and i kno that testing can be a pain in the patoot, but it comes with the territories.

what you could do is as you use up your non gel safe bakery fo's, replace them with the gel safe ones. that way you can use them in both gel and wax. since you should test fo's even when you just change dealers, it should not be that big a problem down the road.

cheryl

after running this through the mms calculator, this recipe looks like it would produce a soap with a 1% to 0% superfat discount, which means one needs to have a VERY accurate scale.

when i ran it through the sopacalc, it looks to be a very soft soap with high fluffy lather, but very little stable lather.

not to say it woul be a bad soap, just a soap that one would need to be careful wtih in making it.

jmo,

cheryl

the only thing that comes to my mind is that perhaps the difference in temperature between the soap and the milk was too great.

the crock pot i use has the ceramic liner which i take out and let my soap cool for a bit before i add the milk and then i stir like crazy.

perhaps if you posted the recipe you used???

did you add an fo or eo?

cheryl

did you read the crockpot instructions posted on th eleft under bath and body?

cheryl

the soap looks waxy and does not zap.

there are some very good directions for crock pot hp to the left on this board........under bath and body.........

hth,

cheryl

i would reccommend freezer paper over wax. freezer paper is stronger. put the shiney side towards the soap.

cheryl

just a question, why do you want to make your own when there are so many wonderful bases available. the premade bases are far more forgiving of the constant melting process than the make your own is....

the glycerin could be used in lotions and bath products like bubble bath bars etc..........

cheryl

i do crockpot hp and add my goats milk after the cook. i deduct 3 oz. from the water that the lye is mixed into and then add 3 oz. goats milk after my cook is done. i get no curdling, no ammonia smell and the soap is wonderful........

cheryl

what is the reason for adding water to the bath salts?

i make bath salts using epsom salts, dead sea salts, baking soda and dentritic (sp?) salts to hold the fragrance and don't add water at all.

cheryl

i list the ingredients as listed on the product....when it is a preservative, i list them last, as that is usually the smallest per centage of the recipe.....

cheryl

and reese,

any container candle that is improperly made or burned can cause the container to crack....gel is not the only culprit...............(it just gets blamed more)

cheryl

you have a p.m.

cheryl

sara,

i believe that germaben is made to be usde in formulations that have water in them.

liquapar and optiphen are preservatives that can be used in either anhydrous (no water) or products with water ( the name escapes me......i think my cats ran off with it..)

hth,

cheryl

i can't seem to edit...i do not sue, i use....................

love technology...........

cheryl