Jola

I've purchased it at Safeway in the spice section

how much does this kind of insurance cost? I'm still at the hobby level, but may want to do the biz thing at some point.

I've been doing heaps of research on CP soap making and it wasn't until a day or two ago I even heard about insulting it once it goes into the molds. Is it something that is an absolute must? What exactly does it do? I've already made 3 batches... they look ok and I didn't insulate any of them. :rolleyes2

Okay, so KY is another distributor? With all the talk of oils, I seriously thought you meant your KY lube was coming today and you were excited about it! I thought wow, she's quite open! lol

oooh goodie! I'm so excited about this recipe! My Mom and I saw a lotion bar at a farmer's market once and thought it was neat but it was really expensive. That's the only time I've ever seen/heard about them. I just started making CP soap, so these are exciting, I can make and use them the same day! waoo!

lol, too cute! nice job

I made the feather eyelashes and did the rhinestone make up for a Mardi Gras theme pub crawl Jola hoops! Vinyl Record wall vase magazine coaster record bowls bra purses

adorable! I need to make some of these. I have 2 friends that are obsessed with cupcakes!

(click to make pics larger) First MP First CP - very plain, and no, that's not all of it Second batch - salt bars. Are those dark spots supposed to be there? I don't mind the look of them but not sure if that's what is supposed to happen (this is after being in a warm oven for 2 hours) Third batch is still in the molds and needs to be named.

Nope, it was just water and lye. I went ahead and used it since it was the second batch that turned out the same way. I'll let you know what happens with the soap.

Is the lye water supposed to get completely clear? I don't remember how it was with my first batch. It's not cloudy anymore but it has lil tiny floatys in it. For lack of a better description, like sea monkeys. Are these going to form lye patches or is it ok? This is the second batch of lye water I made today. I threw the first one out because of the lil white things

Anyone have advice on the salt amount? I've heard both, 100% and 80% of the weight of the oils. This is a crazy hobby for me to be taking on since I suck at math! lol

Probably a basic question (I'm new, so forgive my not knowing)... I want to make salt bars but the recipe I'm looking at calls for: 12.8oz Coconut oil 2.4oz Avocado oil 0.8oz Castor oil 4.82oz Water (reflects a 20% discount) 2.43oz Sodium Hydroxide (reflects a 15% discount) 16oz Sea Salt ...I don't have Avocado oil, can I use canola or olive ( I have palm too, but I think that's another solid) instead as long as I run it through a calculator? any other advice on salt bars would be appreciated too. I understand they need to be cut soon after being made before they get too hard.

yay, I just picked some up for 49 cents each at the local thrift store. I got stars and hearts.

oooh, I may have to make a run out to IKEA! Does anybody use the ice molds (silicone type) for soap from there?

I just finished my first batch. It was a small batch but I didn't realize how small it was going to be. It barely even filled my pot 1 inch! lol. Since it was small it took awhile to trace. And I didn't want to use the stick blender much because of air bubbles. I guess good practice right? It's now happily sitting in some PVC pipes. Can't wait till tomorrow to unmold and cut it! The lye really wasn't as scary as I thought it was going to be. I didn't smell it or anything when I added it to water. (Of course, I was in full safety gear that included a face mask). I think I'm going to do an oatmeal batch tomorrow

Hi! I'm new to the board and soap making. I have been researching and reading like crazy! It all started a couple weeks ago when I was searching for info on homemade laundry soap and stumbled upon something about homemade soap. For some reason it grabbed my attention and I have been a soap information whore ever since! I have about 30 bookmarks of hints, tips and recipes on my computer and I purchased The Soapmaker's Companion book. After scouring yard sales, thrift shops and my Mom's old kitchen wares I have all the equipment I need (for under $15!). I've acquired the oils and the lye (after a few trips to the natural food stores and hardware stores). So I am FINALLY ready! Tomorrow (or I guess technically today) is the big day! I'm going to make my first batch! I'm so excited! I'll be posting pics shortly. Thanks to you all for all the useful info I have already picked up on this board!