Abbiepql

I am not familar with Lotionpro 165, but as an emulsifier, that rate looks a bit high to me as does the sodium lactate which I have always learned to keep under 2%. I think the emulsifier is what is giving you the tackiness, especially coupled with the oils you chose for this recipe. I use cones in all my lotions and creams due to the nice slip factor. I would fix the recipe first then add the cones taking from your oil pecentage I do 2%. Also as for the thickener, don't use them with cetyl alchol which will thicken, and for a cream I would be using less water to keep it stiffer? Hope that makes sense.

I only take custom orders until a certain point and after that they must order what is in stock. I have learned over time what most of my customers like and what most customers order when they don't know someone's likes/dislikes so I load up pouring those in September. In spite of all that, I have been steady busy this year and alot of last minutes requests to drop by and browse!

I have used Smootch by Villianess for a while and it does contain sugar - it's a scrub. I guess she does not mention in that listing, but if you look at the product descriptions it's on there - and every jar I have ever used is an exfoliant type product.

Add to that the fact that all fragrance oils manufacturers are running behind this time of year. The Mid Summer's Night that is on Pre-Buy is TDF. I tested in in soy and soap, it is an awesome floral/fruit combo. Apricot Fressia sold great for me in the spring - I think this one will do the same this year.

Hm...you know what they say about being careful what you ask for? LOL I always cringe when I see posts titled "Check out my new website". My observations: Those wanting to buy your products want to see your products not pictures indicating the scent. You have to do three clicks to see your products - not good. Make your fonts and sizes of fonts consistant througout your site. Long paragraphs in center justification is annoying looking because it leave small sentences and sometimes hanging words depending on the viewers screen size/resolution. I like pictures that are all the same size, the mixed sizes are confusing and look cluttered, especially on the home page. The background on your FB box needs to be colored, it blends in with the background and you can't read it. If you don't have complete links - sale - blog, please don't include them or at least say something explaining why you have lured your customer there with nothing to see! See your terms and conditons for some rogue coding in the returns section. You have some font formatting issues on the title section of candle safety, they are riding on top of each other. And just a side note, of no consequence - but you may want to consider this. Gift sets usually represent a cost savings for the customer. If I add up the products in yours, I get a total of $21.50, I don't know the price of your room/linen spray - I don't see it listed but unless it's over $8.50, a customer would be better off buying the items individually. Just an observation... And finally, you opened this post thanking those here for their previous help and advice, then solicited more help and advice. As soon as the advice and comments became something you obviously did not want to acknowledge - because they were warranted - you flamed back at those that took time to help you previously and were advising and helping you yet again...not good.

Try adding a wax, it's has excellent moisture barrier properties and does a great job protecting your lips. I think the back bone of any good lip balmis 1/3 each oil, butter & wax.

It's personal preference, for me anything blended with lavender smells better than lavender alone! LOL That being said, I sell A LOT of lavender, in any fashion or combination.

It was my impression that business pages had fans, not friends?

I gave up worrying about wet spots years ago - you can do all the tricks to avoid them and then the first time you take them outside for a delivery trip in the cold weather or you burn them in a colder room they reappear. The wax will expand/contract with changes in temperature, not so much the glass as well - it's pointless to worry about it in my opinion -

Enchanted Spice is a awesome nutmeg vanilla - throws great in soy, good seller for me in the fall and still selling actually along with the holiday scents.

Would have loved to be a witness to those happenings! Forget the show, it sounds like you had the best act. Can't even imagine having them inspect your stuff, too funny and I doubt she will ever forget you. Kewl move with the candle BTW - wish I had been there.

AKA Merlin's Forest when it was at Flickers and now at MW Collection.

I feel the same way about Harvest Moon which is on Pre-buy right now too. I understand So-Soy's concerns - I know the frustration. Quite a few suppliers have been hit really hard by these economic times. Some suppliers did not build in high profit margins for their oils. For years it was not necessary, as long as there was routine/repeat orders. But when times get lean, those that did not build in a healthy profit (mark up) suffer, as there is no extra left to invest in the upfront cost of purchasing 25 or 35 lbs. of an oil - all the time crossing fingers it will be sold/bought quickly so you can recoup some funds to buy more. That is why so many suppliers do pre-buys and fast buys - to help them defray the upfront cost by allowing their customers to buy close to cost. It's time intensive to create fragrances, test in waxes and soap and then market them. If it's any consolation, I know that MW has shared some of her oils with Elements Bathy & Body in hopes that it will help her customers until she can bring them back in - but you will not be paying there what you paid before!

Your default font is arial, which is fine. My question is why didn't you use any of the templates provided? They actually have some nice ones. I know you used one - but why all the major modifications? I think that might be one of the issues you are running into - the templates are set up and coded. When you start adding elements that are not taken into consideration for the code is when you start running into issues with fonts, sizing, margins, justification, etc. Especially if you don't know or don't have the ability to change the actual code. Just a thought. Also, as a suggestion - as to my suggestions, take a look at the templates Yahoo Site Builder gave you for ecommerce and you will see what I was talking about with regards to header sizes, font sizes, and the graphical layout of the page - they are all built to standard protocols that have been proven to work well in the ecommerce setting. Since you have chosen to forgo usng the template - determining the "look" you are going for with them as an example might help you out.

There should be a different size text for headers (and some of them you have put on two lines - not necessary) but the description text where you are describing the items should be consistant thoughout the website - preferably the size it is on the crystal's page and from a graphically more pleasing standpoint not in bold or italic black - Font issues are solved by using only fonts that are universal - if you picked ariel it should show on all browsers, but save font size, boldness and italics to place an emphasis, not as a matter of routine. The main issues is getting your design and elements in line with each other, the same on each page so there is consistancy. Right now, a viewer is clicking each page and having to find where to start, sometimes its left, sometimes it's midde - sometimes the pictures are on the left and big, sometimes small and in the middle - it's a subliminal, and the consumer won't know why they feel confused or lost, but they will. Also consider adding pages in there that a reader would expect to see when visiting a site "about us", "how to order", etc. Your purpose of your page is to sell correct? Than why is how to buy the bottom of the page? Make a page and link in the main navigation bar at the top and explain how to buy, leave if off the additional pages unless you use it as a button on the side bar to link back to the "how to order page". Move your pictures to the top of the main page - and make them a bit smaller if you can - that text on the bottom of that plain header is not inviting at all - and now due to the large font they have to scroll on some monitors to see the pictures.

Strictly from a web design viewpoint and please don't flame me and say I am being mean - I did this stuff for a living many years: Your pages jump from left/right and center justification, pick one and make it consistant from page to page. Your banner jumps around from page to page too. Same with your page body, if you are going to do pictures on the right, text in the center/left - make it consistant. If you are going to put text on the pictures, do it consistantly - sometimes you are on the top, sometimes it's on the bottom. Your font size is too large in the description text. As a result the paragraph justification is fragmented. Like you have four words on one line and two on the next. From a graphic styling preference it would look better to reduce the size of your font and maybe try an off white text since you background is so dark. See the text size on Crystals - make it all the same - consistancy is important - it's what makes a site look professional. Line your pictures up on the tops, they are offset ever so slightly. Design wise the page is too long considering content. Your pictures are so large and the text is so big. As a result...viewers have to scroll down to see one picture and text...not desirable. I did not read text - this was just what I noticed in passing -

I asked SFIC one time what was the shelf life and I was told it was fully saponified soap product - it would last for a very long time. I was skeptical so I found a pound of clear I bought when I first starting crafting and used it - worked fine. Held up just like the new stuff!

While googling check out copyright "fair use". For issues regarding names, titles and short phrases, check out "trademarks".

This was discussed in another thread recently. From what I understand soy protein is the trigger in soy allergy issues - food allergies - and from what my Mom's oncologist has told her regarding hormonal/estrogen related issues. From what I have learned and like Top mentioned soy protein is not present in soy oil.

In soy it's awesome!

Technically what Candybee said is true - everything written by someone is copyrighted regardless of the author having a notice that it is copyrighted. Look up the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works and the USA inclusion after 1989. You should assume it is copyrighted and ask permission to use it - Yes, I know suppliers allow purchasers to use their descriptions - all I was pointing out is that it's best to get permission. You never know. Once a material is used to create a product - the resulting product is YOURS - you are the manufacturer of the sum of all parts (as explained to me by my agent when discussing product liability issues) regardless of who created or manufactured the raw materials. Suppliers are not manufacturers - they resell manufactured fragrance oils and supplies. Now I am done...

Legally, you should get permission to use something that someone esle wrote - if for no other reason than CYA. I addressed interpretation because regardless of what the supplier discloses, fragrance is very subjective. What I think smells like ginger and honey might not smell like ginger and honey to someone else. If the supplier did not make the FO or order it made, they only have the manufacturer's description to use - which may or may not adequately describe the FO. Regardless of the legality of it, if you made it and are selling it - in my opinion you should write the description.

My suggestion (for whatever it's worth) is this... Take the FO and make up your own descriptions based on what you smell. I have written descriptions for suppliers and have seen them posted all over the internet and I laugh because that decription was MY interpretation of the fragrance and the supplier agreed with me! When a supplier gets a FO in stock they sometimes get descriptions from the manufacturer - but often it's very vague or they get a detailed listing of all the components that is overwhelming and would make you gag if you did not know how each lends/works into the "overall" fragrance. That is the reason so many suppliers don't have descriptions, or they are very brief and generalized. I look at it this way - it's my job as a scent artisan to provide my customers a description that fits my interpretation. I don't go off the ones provided by my the supplier because it's not the way I interpret the fragrance and I am the one using it to create the product.

My money is on the fragance oils. In most cases before becoming a candle maker, burning scented candles occasionally gave me headaches, but nothing compared to some fragrance oils I work with currently. The exposure rate of a scented candle is minor compared to working with the actual oils. I have a saturation point where if pushed I will get horrible headaches in addition to not being able to smell anything for hours! I have heard this debate about soy allergies and candles - so I did some research. I have always told those allergic to soy not to use my candles if they suspect they would have a reaction. That being said -from what I have learned - soy is a FOOD allergy - created by the ingestion of soy protein - soy is EVERYWHERE, in almost everything we eat. Pull up a list and you would be floored. Chances of ingesting soy in foods is in my opinion is much more likely to cause a reaction. Additionally, the protein in soy that causes the allergic reaction, is from what I understand not present in soy oil (which is hydrogenated to make soy flakes). Does eating a doughnut cause a reaction? Chances are soybean shortening fried it! Personally the smell of heated soy makes me nauseated as well if not scented in volume. It reminds me of the fryers in a fast food place and ever since I was pregnant that smell of grease has made me ill. LOL

It will smell funky and could become discolored! Now that is 100% soy so maybe your blend won't do that. I did it in a Presto pot when I first started and threw it out, it just smelled odd and even with the FO it was not right. Now in my melters I have a stop on 200 - so I don't turn it higher than that.