RNSandSCENTS

It is so complicated because of the type of services your business offers and, well, choosing a business name is personal, for some of us. I remember when I was thinking of names for my salon, man, it liked to take forever so I know how you feel. Handcrafted Interiors & Candles...that way the name is not leaving out anything? I googled both and Handcrafted Interiors is being used in OH *I think it was OH* but the web address is not being used. And I got nothing for just Handcrafted Interiors & Candles. I hth and I wish you the very best of luck....I am sure you will pick a name that will suit you.

I've been looking at log molds and wanted to know if anyone had a recommendation and your reason for the recommendation. Shoe boxes are not an option as they all currently have residents in them. I went to the Silvermoon site and it appears it is down. Besides that, a couple of threads I read said there are issues with availability. I also read the thread regarding IKEA Fira molds but I wanted a mold that had a lid, something like this one... http://www.candlesandwoodcrafts.com/woodensoapmolds.htm I prefer to buy molds rather than start using alternative containers so that I can also learn how to cut, stamp and bevel my bars as well. One of my pet peeves is that I hate spending money on something I really didn't want in the first place because eventually I am going to buy what I wanted anyway. Also what is the best way to store butters & oils? Should I put them in the refrigerator or just in a cool, dark place?

Yoyo, how is this recipe as far as the life of the scent? I know this will vary from fo to fo but overall, how does it do?

Man oh man those are so cute!!!! See, this is why I must learn to soap! Very nice job!!!

I can tell you now in complete embarrassment, I am a candle wh*re. I have about 40 out in my house and ususally there is at least one burning all the time, well at least it seems that way. I stopped making candles about 15 years ago and recently started making them again....the reason? SOOT! My goodness, I could spend about $1000 a year buying candles from you know where but this year what I noticed....the jars are turning black ALL THE TIME! I can blow it out, let it harden back up, tirm the wick, and reburn if I am burning longer than a couple hours, and it did not matter. And then they have the audacity to raise their prices again! WTH! I pay attention to the burn quality, packaging and all that because I love candles and consider them a part of my decor. But the lack of quality and the price is what drove me back to making my own. Yes the consumers are paying attention....

I don't think I was clear about the cure time. I was under the impression that soaps with high amounts of OO take 6 months or more to cure. For a new soaper, I figured that making a soap with a cure time that long would take me forever to test, therefore, I wanted a recipe that cured in a shorter amount of time.....more like 4-8 weeks. All of the recipes that I have cure in that time so I'm good. I do have an extra crock pot and may even try hp method one day but for now, 1 step at a time and I will focus on cp. I agree with the others, this has been an awesome thread. The responses have been simply wonderful. I am so glad that I started asking questions and even happier that the answers are helping others as well.

Actually, I'd prefer to make soap that does not take that long to cure. I figure making batches that take such a long time to cure would severely slow my testing process. So I am leaning more toward recipes without OO. I have a few that I will try and see what I come up with. And I too would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this thread. I feel I am in such capable hands here and my little soapies will come out wonderfully!!!! Hugs & Kisses to you all!

For my other b&b test batches, I used SaveOnScents, Vera Wang, Escada Tropical Punch, Pearberry & Vanilla Bean Noel. But I think for cp I will give Scent Works a try. Reading the thread, scents that rock in cp soap, I will try Coconut Lime Verbena & Sweet Pea to start with.

I am going to take a rookie's guess and say that ricing has to do with fo acting crazy and taking a turn for the worse....smell wise. Or at least that's what I read but the soapers will give you a more accurate answer....I'm just testing myself here...

6 month cure for OO soaps....ok. I can wait six months. Now since it takes so long to cure, it will have to stay in the mold longer initially before you can unmold it and cut it then, right? How long would I leave this in a mold before attempting to remove it? Still use the rule of press with your finger and if it is firm enough for you not to see your finger print then you can unmold it or is there a different process for OO soaps? And I also need suggestions for wooden molds as well or can I use plastic....I know both would have to be lined with freezer paper.

I planned on allowing my bars to cure for a minimum of 8 weeks. I do remember reading that OO bars needed to cure longer....do you have any suggestions for how long I should let this cure?

:laugh2: I just tell by the whoa nellie there!!!! But I just want to make sure I am going about this right. It's reassuring to know that I am actually learning from all the notes and information I have been reading. For a while it all seemed like a blurr and was starting to run together but I did actually retain alot of what I read. And NO I don't have a line of customers for the soap.....I am calling P & G as soon as its cured to see if they will market it....just kidding. Seriously, I want to make thoroughly sure I understand the stages, especially colors and the fo's work before I sell....not looking to do that til late spring early summer, and only if I feel I am ready. I did consider getting a kit at first, BUT, I have all this oil and other stuff around so I wanted to forego the kit and just use a tutorial of some sort first. But thanks for the suggestion..... I think this is the same tutorial that is on Peak's website. I did not want to use it because it had all the color swirling stuff and fo added. Since testing this in my house is a must, can someone please recommend a fo that is unisex and would most likely not give me any problems, based on your experience of course. I haven't a clue but if I chose a fo for myself it would be something like Pink Sugar or Vera Wang and I am not sure if those are troublesome....or a vanilla sandalwood would be better. Ok Meridith, lets see if my abbreviation interpretations are good too. This would be CO=coconut oil, 76; PO= Palm Oil; OO= Olive Oil....am I right???? I'll have to order Palm Oil....are Palm Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Red Palm all the same thing, cleansing oils that is? Sweet Almond, Rice Bran, Macadamia Nut, Apricot Kernel, Avocado, Grape Seed, Safflower, Castor, Coconut 76, Fractionated Coconut, and Jojoba are what I have on hand. I also have Cocoa, Kokum, Shea, and Mango Butters. So I guess I'd need a rookie friendly combination of these oils? I will run some of these through the calculator and see what I get back. Thanks everyone for your input.

For the sake of your blood pressure CareBear, I don't have any lye yet . I bet you about died when you read this didn't you? I am waiting to order it in case I find somewhere a little closer to me to order from....shipping has been killing us all! I figured this recipe was a lil on the BIG side for me. Thanks for answering the question because I also don't know I did not understand that you used soapcalc to get the lye and water amounts......duh! Even though I feel like a real idiot but that is why I wanted to do this first before I had everything so I have a pretty good understanding of this before I started throwing lye around.....I don't need nor want anymore burns, trust me.

I have Grumpy's tutorial ( I think its Grumpy's) and those were the only questions that were not answered....the ones that I asked. And I do believe the recipe for the tutorial had more expensive oils that I really did not want to experiment with just yet.

Now what I need is some help from the soap queens and kings. I have never made soap before. I know about the lye calculators but don't exactly understand what all the numbers mean. In my notes, I have written down the following numbers that I found on here somewhere *scratches head*... Hardness...35 and up cleansing...10 or above conditioning...over 50 fluffy...20ish stable...mid 20's and up This seems like the easiest recipe on Miller's site: 28 ounces of coconut oil (2 jars) 24 ounces of olive oil (the cheapest and lightest in color) 30 ounces of vegetable shortening (the cheapest, and purest you can find) Crisco??? 12 ounces of lye (one standard can of Lewis Red Devil) 32 oz. cold water (4 cups) 1.5 - 4 ounces essential and/or fragrance oil depending on strength and your nose, if soap is not intended for remelting Will this recipe fall within the numbers above and give a hard bar with good lather? Do I need to add anything to the above recipe to account for the fact that I am not using a fo? I have read in another post to keep it simple and get a few batches under my belt before adding fo's/colors unless someone here knows of a fo that would be good to use for a first batch??? One that will not accelerate that process of give me trouble. Oh and I am also open to recipes for newbies if you have one that you think is better than this one. Some recipes I found only give you the hard and soft oil percentages (totalling 100%) but no percentages for water and lye....how do you go about figuring how much lye and water to add? Also, I am getting my lye from AAA Chemicals, unless someone has a suggestion of a source closer to Maryland? It is against the law now for hardware stores to carry lye on the shelves here so thats not an option. Sorry for all the questions, but, these were questions that were not answered in the ton of threads I read up till now....TIA:D

I vote for votives as well. For a candle that little I don't think I would want to waste my time. Besides, aren't votive holders cheaper than the jars? A retail opportunity perhaps? Just a thought but I burn a lot of candles. There are almost 40 candles/votive/tealight holders total in my house...with more in storage. With the votives, I like the fact that I can reuse the container with a new votive. I do not think I would try to reuse a candle jar that small because it could be larger than the votive.

Grumpy Girl.....I look at your soaps and . I want to learn how to soap and be THAT good! I showed your soaps to my friend and we were both in complete awe....like how did she do THAT?! So to read your post is an honor really, thanks for your input. I agree with you about the Miller site in that it has a lot of great information that gets lost because of the flow of the site is definitely lacking. There is a ton of information here and I have spent countless nights researching and taking notes. As a burn victim, I am super sensitive to things related to those types of injuries so, YES, safety and quality are of great concern to me. I guess I will just have to find some lye (can't find any local so more shipping costs....ugh!) and get over the fear and just be careful.

Thanks April! I have read the Miller site front to back and I am planning to order The Soapmaker's Companion book. My desire to make homemade soap is for a skin condition. My friend and my youngest both have eczema and I have been reading for years that homemade soap would be best for both of them. I took candlemaking as therapy, I am a house fire burn victim and its so funny how I am comfortable with the candles but not lye. Also, I have a MyWeigh Ultra Ship 35 scale....is that one good for soaping? It's seems pretty accurate with my other measurements for b&b. I really appreciate your advice and will print it out for my notebook. Thanks again. When I finally do try I will let you know my results...

The lye is what keeps me from making my first batch. I am scared to death. I have looked around for a class or workshop and can't find any. The market for handmade is completely unsaturated here and I so want to learn to make soap *sigh*. So for now, I just keep watching videos and tutorials of how its done trying to get the courage to try. So that I can prevent this and do this the right way, could you ladies (gentlemen too) give me some tips on how to go about this? THE RIGHT WAY!

Posted in wrong place but rec'd an answer. Thanks!

I had a link for these I thought I saved in my favorites but I cannot find it. Does anyone know where I can find these? TIA

I did not ask in my last post, can you use another software program besides Adobe? Avery #5293 is 1 2/3 round which is your 1.6". I am pretty good with desktop publishing so if you could tell me exactly what problems you are having maybe I can offer some more suggestions. HTH

Have you tried Avery Design Pro? I know I read on here somewhere that it wasn't user friendly but I found that it was and you can download it free from the Avery site; the limited version is free. Also, somewhere on here I read about a program by Novel called Labelmaker its $30 on amazon.com. I made some sample labels using Avery as a part of my business plan presentation and actually one of the small details that sold my plan. I think the circle label is 2" though.....lemme go and look.

That's really cool looking Grump!

Roaster oven for soaping....you all will have me broke with these wonderful ideas!!!! More toys to buy.....