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bravo5

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Posts posted by bravo5

    FDA regulations- penalties?

    in Bath, Body & Cosmetics

    Posted

    Can anyone point me to documentation of the penalties of not following FDA regulations? Such as labeling laws, marketing a cosmetic with medical claims (making it fall under a drug), etc? I am assuming there are fines, etc, but I want to have documentation of what these penalties are.

    I follow all the guidelines and regulations, and hate to see someone else that is not following them. Many claim ignorance, but that is no excuse! I usually point them in the direction of the FDA website, but want to have documented proof of what the penalties are for them as well. I thought I had something bookmarked from a long time ago, but can't seem to find it now.

    Thanks!!

    BCN Woodland Trail

    in Fragrance Discussion

    Posted

    Anybody have luck finding a replacement for BCN Woodland Trail?

    I am considering looking into having it duped if there's not a suitable replacement yet. If so, I'll post in the co-op section as I know I can't afford a whole drum of it!!!!!!!!!!!

    Newbie CP help

    in General Soap Making

    Posted

    Ok, I finally got brave enough to try the tongue zap test on this soap today. I didn't get anything that I noticed, anyway. If it has a zap, would I definitely notice it?

    I took a little bit and washed my hands with it, and got a nice thick creamy lather. Not big fluffy bubbles. I like the thicker creamier lather, so I was happy with this!

    The bars are hardening up nicely. If I really squeeze I can dent them, though. So does this mean that these batches are okay, just more of a softer bar?

    Next time I definitely want to try for a harder bar, but I'll be happy if I can use these for myself! :D They smell YUMMY!!!!! They're curing in my basement, I can smell yummy soap as soon as I start down the stairs. :yay:

    I have been way busy this past week and haven't had time to try again, and am already going nuts wanting to make more! :wink2: I think I'm hooked!

    Supplier of small boxes?

    in Business Side of Things

    Posted

    Anybody know a supplier for tiny little boxes? I am looking for little boxes for glass roll on bottles. Should be about 3.5" long x .75" - 1" square. I've been looking at the box suppliers that I know of and they don't have them that small.

    Oh, little cardboard tubes would work too, if I can't find boxes.

    Thanks!

    Newbie CP help

    in General Soap Making

    Posted

    Cool, I will try it! Thanks!

    Since the lye calc confused me last time, what do you recommend for me to start with for the settings for lye concentration? Should I just leave the defaults to start with and try that?

    Ok, I see how this recipe has changed the properties. :D

    Newbie CP help

    in General Soap Making

    Posted

    This is all so interesting to me! I am starting to understand a bit better.

    As a beginner, I will take the advice given here and have you guys help me with a good beginning recipe. I have lots of good oils to play with here, so I'm itching to make soap! :D I don't need anything too complicated- I can play more with the different oils later to see how the soap comes out. What I'd really like to make first is a nice basic veggie bar, then go from there!

    I don't use any animal products, so tallow and lard are out.

    I have lots of:

    - lots of olive- pomace (from columbus foods) and several gallons of various cooking type OO (virgin, extra virgin, etc.). Does using different types of OO make a difference when figuring out a recipe?

    - coconut

    - palm kernel flakes

    - palm oil

    - soy

    Then at least 1-2 pounds each of of:

    - crisco

    - apricot kernel

    - safflower

    - sunflower

    - shea (natural and refined)

    - cocoa butter (natural and refined)

    - grapeseed

    - FCO

    - rice bran

    - sweet almond

    - jojoba

    - castor

    - 8oz of macadamia nut oil

    Newbie CP help

    in General Soap Making

    Posted

    Yay, more info! I am so fascinated by the soap making process and am loving learning all that I can. :D I am reading everything I come across as fast as I can and I know it's confusing my little peabrain... but slowly things are starting to sink in! So pardon all the questions.

    I'm still trying to get the soap calculator figured out- did I do something wrong when I calculated this?

    The first batch (the bit crumbly one) ended up okay, it was just kind of drying to my hands after awhile. Could that have been because it was lye heavy?

    These next batches are definitely hardening up. I can pick the bars up and squeeze them now, and while they're not really "hard" yet, it doesn't leave an indent anymore. The oven processed one is the harder of the two.

    So I guess I am going to play with the soap calc with the oils I have and see what I can come up with! I know I want to use olive, pko, coconut and soy, and then I'm pretty flexible about what else to use at this point- just no animal products. I have small amounts of a bunch of other oils to try- so I'll play with recipes. Can you suggest any good all veggie recipes to try next?

    Newbie CP help

    in General Soap Making

    Posted

    Sorry, this is going to be long... Trying CP again! Made several batches with other soapers, and the first on my own quite a few months ago now- finally made solo batches #2 and #3 yesterday. :yay: I tried a recipe from the forum here that seemed pretty cool, and I had all the goods for it! :D

    Crisco 15%

    Coconut Oil 15%

    PKO flakes 15%

    Shea Butter 5%

    Safflower Oil 25%

    Pomace Olive Oil 25%

    I played with the soapcalc.com a bit and put in to superfat 5%, and set lye concentration to 33%. Don't ask me why I did this- I can't remember- I may have confused myself somewhat here.

    Batch #2- used 1oz PP Patchouli (DPS wax- my fav patch!), and mix of red and blue liquid colorants from KB. Hand-stirred and came to a pretty thick trace in about 4-5 minutes. I had too much for my mold (3-in-1 do-right), so I poured the rest into little silicone muffin molds. I wrapped these in towels. I tried to oven process the main part, but only got about half hour and had to leave on emergency and had to shut oven off. When I got back about aan hour later I wrapped it in towels and a blanket.

    Batch #3- used 1oz PP Purely Herbal (BCN) and tried a pathetic attempt at a swirl with green liquid colorant from KB. The colored part traced really fast once I added color (I had to spoon it in) so I stick blended the remainder but when I poured it was about medium trace. I oven processed this batch- a hour in 180 degrees, then shut oven off and left overnight. This one was in a wood slab mold. I think it kind of gelled in the oven- I kept peeking at it, and it did change consistency, looked softer and such, and kind of got wet looking on top.

    So, today after 24 hours I unmolded and cut both. Both were really soft- kind of like a hardening clay. Batch #3 was better, but batch #2 was really soft. A couple chunks stuck to the plastic mold and kind of pulled off on both ends when I unmolded. I could easily put finger marks into it-it really reminded me of modeling clay. The pieces that broke off I easily made into a soap ball.

    Now CP attempt #1 a few months ago was opposite- different recipe, though. I oven processed that one too. When I unmolded after 24 hours, it was more hard and crumbly- a few pieces crumbled off when I cut it. I knew that wasn't right. This one ended up being really drying on my hands too- but the recipe did have a lot of coconut. (Was just coconut, palm oil, and olive.)

    So am I right to think that it's not supposed to be this soft when I unmold and cut? Should I have left it in the mold for longer? I had some on my hands after cutting and washed it off, and it got a tiny bit sudsy but not much.

    Both smell yummy so far, though! :wink2:

    Sorry so long- wanted to give details in case I did something wrong!

    Need Advice

    in Business Side of Things

    Posted

    Can't tell you which show to do without knowing more info, but about the retail store...

    I may be reading the wrong, but it sounds to me like the candles will sell for $12 retail, of which the store owner keeps $4, and you get $8. Am I reading this correctly?

    If so, that sounds much more reasonable. Is this a consignment deal then? If so, make sure you get a consignment agreement with things like- what happens if a candle is damaged/stolen/etc? When does the store owner pay you? Etc.

    Good luck!

    Suppliers selling email addys or perhaps stolen...

    in Business Side of Things

    Posted

    Ok, I got some info on how this works. If you use your credit card at say a Michaels, a candle supplier etc. the credit card company itself assigns what is called an SIC code. It is a government code that would be assigned for a specific industry. In this case it would be assigned as a craft code. Then from there the credit card companies compile lists of these target customers with names and addresses and sell them to marketing firms. From there anyone with the money to purchase them and the know how of where to find them can buy a list of names of people that would perhaps be interested in their products. Which is how my name ended up on this list. It kinda irks me that they do this but honestly not much we can do. However it explains how some of us who never use the CC or name/addy elsewhere got on the lists. Thank your beloved credit card company. They are the reasons we are on lists such as this. Gives ya a real warm n fuzzy feelin' doesn't it? NOT!

    The lists DO NOT come from other suppliers. Plain and simple folks, why would any supplier sell a list to a competitor to make money? That makes no sense at all, they would be cutting their own throats. :wink2: Just thought I would explain what I found out so that we are not accusing the wrong persons for "selling" something that was never sold. If you want to be mad at anyone be raging angry at your very own credit card company. I certainly am. :D

    Ok- how would this work if I have never had a credit card billed to the address it was sent to? The only thing I have ever used this address for is shipping. It was my old work address- nothing to do with the craft business.

    Suppliers selling email addys or perhaps stolen...

    in Business Side of Things

    Posted

    I got one today too. I've never bought from the Jar Store- have only looked at their website. I don't even make candles- I looked for someone else. It couldn't have been from a state list, is mine was sent to my OLD WORK address. Nothing to do with my business. The only time I ever used this address was as a shipping address. So for me- it had to have been from a person or business that I have purchased from in the past. That doesn't make me happy. :mad:

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