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Rebecca_IA

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Everything posted by Rebecca_IA

  1. Rebecca_IA
    May I suggest you buy "Making Natural Liquid Soaps" by Catherine Failor? Everything you need to know to get you started is in this book. I wish I could help you, but I'm new to this also. There is a pretty good tutorial on the dish too.
  2. Rebecca_IA
    Angel, I'm not in your country, and I'm not sure if there are other Aussie's here or not. If you don't get an answer, perhaps join up at the soap dish and ask in their soap forum. There are several Aussie's over there that would be able to help you out with this, I hope.
  3. Rebecca_IA
    Do a search on it, it's been discussed before and I believe I gave an answer then, but I can't remember off the top of my head. Cosmetic grade does have something else added to it, but it's a proprietary thing so they don't have to tell you exactly what it is. It has the same SAP and fatty acid profile I think. Or you could call Mike and ask him.
  4. Rebecca_IA
    I've never paid any attention to it at all. I do pay attention to the percentage of "hard" oils/butters and the fatty acid percentages. I think that holds more weight, IMO. Others will have different opinions.
  5. Rebecca_IA
    It might be the FO, you're right. What FO was added?
  6. Rebecca_IA
    There IS lye in this recipe. She tells you to plug the oils into a lye calculator to get the correct amount. There are many vendors that sell lye in smaller quantities online, maybe you already buy from them and can add onto your order the next time you order. BCN, BB, the chemistry store, the soap dish, snow drift farms. Good luck.
  7. Rebecca_IA
    www.scent-works.com
  8. Rebecca_IA
    Meredith, you should also be able to buy cream of tartar at any grocery store that sells bulk spices/herbs/baking ingredients, maybe at your health food store. Check the price out there, it might be cheaper than buying online when you have to pay shipping.
  9. Rebecca_IA
    Abanga Karite would be a good place to check out. Their virgin CO is the best I've ever used. And if you purchase it in quantity, the price goes down. If she's going to use it for cooking and eating, I'd suggest breaking 10 lbs down to 1 lb containers and freezing all but one pound to preserve the freshness. BTW, I'm sure I misspelled that company name. They do have a website.
  10. Rebecca_IA
    lmao, yup, that's the worst, had that more than once and it's a memory you never forget. friendlymom, I wouldn't try to up the FO. If you can't smell anything with 1 oz pp of oils, upping it another .5 oz probably won't make the difference and it will be just wasted FO. It could also potential make the batch bomb (adding too much FO sometimes does this). If it were me, I'd find a cuke & melon from another vendor that is tried and true in CP. Bittercreek now sells the BNL one that ChrisR referenced and IMO, that's a good one.
  11. Rebecca_IA
    Look up the melting point for each butter/wax. Take the highest one and then add 5 then slowly/gently heat the balm back up to this temp (if it's 140, heat to 145). Make sure to stir it very well and then take the temp. If you are adding flavoring or EO's, warm them up first, don't add to the mixture straight from the refridge (hold the container between palms to warm up or leave out on counter for a few days). Add flavor/EO's. Pour into containers and allow to slowly cool down. Don't let them cool down to fast. You should be fine.
  12. Rebecca_IA
    I used a few drops massaged into the ends only and that is enough for my hair and it is on the longer side.
  13. Rebecca_IA
    Even doing this process, you want to use in and then rest it. Takes longer, I know, but soon enough you will have enough knowledge to fix your recipe so it traces faster and you wont need to use it so much.
  14. Rebecca_IA
    I've never heard of a brand that has a really bad reputation, so I would say buy what is in your price range. Use it one minute one and one minute off, two minutes on max or you will burn the motor out real fast.
  15. Rebecca_IA

    Lye

    Rebecca_IA replied to Darwin's topic in General Soap Making

    I've been to both of the Lowe's local to me and neither one of them are carrying in and according to the manager of one of them, they have no intentions of doing so. I am glad for those of you that found replacements for the red devil lye in your local area.
  16. Rebecca_IA
    the only thing I'd be concerned about is static cling, which lye is very prone to. I don't know where you live, but when it's the season for this, take a dryer sheet and wipe the inside of the container before pouring the lye and it will all then come out on it's own. Wouldn't hurt to wipe the outside of the container that holds the lye too so the lye pieces won't get stuck there (if it's plastic). As long as you aren't mixing the lye (just measuring) in this container, anything but aluminum is fine.
  17. Rebecca_IA
    The only instance of using "just Vit E" would be okay would be if there is only oils/butters in the product, any water at all, it will not be sufficient. Keep in mind, Vit E alone will not keep the product stable if water is introduced to the product after you make it, folks dipping their fingers in the product with wet hands or a shower running behind them, etc. if you are making whipped butter for yourself, I wouldn't add a preservative, vit E should be sufficient. For customers, better be safe and use what you need and have it tested.
  18. Rebecca_IA
    Adding a bit of it to any treatment for the skin or hair is good (lip balm, lotion bars, shampoo, conditioner).
  19. Rebecca_IA
    That is one number I rarely pay attention to. I wouldn't worry about it so much as I would making sure my fatty acids were leaning towards facial soap and that the lye amount is accurate.
  20. Rebecca_IA
    another addict is born, congrats!!!!
  21. Rebecca_IA
    It's kind of a hard call as to what is causing the soaps to smell off if you're not measuring anything. I've never used Micheal's FO's or mp soap, so I can't speak of the quality. Generally speaking, you can get better quality online, but that isn't always the case.
  22. Rebecca_IA
    Sodium Lactate.
  23. Rebecca_IA
    They don't. Given enough heat, any whipped shea butter is going to melt and fall.
  24. Rebecca_IA
    Off the top of my head I couldn't tell you. I can tell you that I bought it from OldWillKnot off of ebay. I am at work so I don't have it too look at and I can not check ebay from work. Look him up by his id on ebay and take a look at his scales. I wasn't sure which one to pick but I knew what I wanted it to do. I emailed him and he sent me links to 2 of his auctions for scales that would fit those needs. I think Jen at www.lotioncrafters.com has a scale that weighs in smaller increments also.
  25. Rebecca_IA
    Robin that pdf on stability testing is an awesome doc. Thank you for posting it. It's even written in lanquage for the non-chemist. Thanks!!!!
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