SimplyBea

Okay - this might sound like a silly question with all the great suppliers out there but........ At the market I go to, there is another person who sells M&P soaps and she isn't too concerned about what there is in them...... I get lots of questions from customers and I find it hard to explain the difference without putting my foot in my mouth..... I do CP because I like knowing what I put into my soaps..... and I wanted to make up a batch of MP from scratch for demo purposes but can't find any recipes online..... Anyone has a basic recipe available to share?

I haven't soaped since my accident in May and am looking forward to just making some basic bars of EVOO soap. I had no iea that I was so low on stock as I hadn't been to the markets or anything for a while until last week and then kapow - couldn't fill an order last week! So...... bread and butter lines first before playtime........ for this gal anyway. Happy soaping everyone!

Thanks Kitn - yes, it feels really good to be in control of what I use on me and cool that other people like what I make as well....... !

Well, my 1st batch of soap was somewhere in April/May last year. I was only going to make soap for myself and faily/friends and since then I have given so many bars away with such great feedback that I have decided to try selling my soaps. They are just very basic, no frills soaps and people are loving them so now I am registered to sell soap. The registration is expensive but it takes a weight off my mind and i know I am now 'legal' and we will see if it is a worthwhile exercise. I wanted to thank everyone on the board who has been here for me through my troubleshooting and helping out with great advice. It was scary (and still is at times) but it is just so rewarding when I get someone come back to me saying that they really enjoyed using my soap...... now to see if they liked it enough to pay for it? :)

That's a good trick to remember! Since I had a seized batch and then a riced up batch of soap with Sandalwood FO I just haven't been game to try adding any sort of FO to my soaps. Soaping today so I will try a small batch!!!

Thank you for the replies & links folks. I got busy prepping for a jewelry exhibition and market and got swamped.......... I will place the order after Christmas at this stage as it would just be crazy timing now for anything much less overseas deliveries and I wouldn't want it to go missing. Thanks heaps and I will post to say how it went when it happens!

Thanks for the link - it was one I found on the forum but they don't have any stock of the monoi. Any one else out there with any other hints? TIA

Hi Folks I am really desperate for a supplier who sells (and ships to Australia) for monoi de tahiti. I have not been unable to find any wholesale resource. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Bea

Wish I could even begin to understand, let alone help......... what is DSM??? ;0

Thank you ladies - the soap is cut up into smallish logs now and there is no trace of oozing oils or lumpiness below the surface. The rice grains are still on the top but it smells nice and I think it is okay. I sliced off a small sliver to try and it lathers nicely. Thank you everyone ONCE AGAIN!!!!!!

Meredith as always, you are quick to the rescue! I finally unmolded th soap just now - more than 48hrs later. It is firm but still pliable (like the other basic unscented batches) and apart from the 'rice grains' on the top it looks okay inside. I washed out the knife I used to cut it up and there were nice bubbles - do I still need to do the ZAP test? I have never done that before and am afraid! The numbers should have been good, I have used this recipe many times now and it has been good (until I try FOs) and is a soft bar to start but firms up and holds well. The Lye (6% discount) & water (0% discount) were based on SoapMaker3 calculations - that's the only other difference in this batch. I will try adding the FO to the oils next time! CareBear - I bought the Sandalwood FO from an Aussie supplier - I don't know if that will help troubleshoot. F&I - next time I will hand stir! I just didn't expect it to go so fast from light trace to 'rice bubbles' !!!!! How will I know for sure it is safe to use? It looks okay apart from the top.... but is there anything else I have to look out for??? cheers

I knew it was too good to be true.......... I was having a whale of a timemaking up batches of soaps and working on a stash to take home to my family next month..... and yesterday I made a batch with a Sandalwood FO....... it was a DISASTER!!! Everything was fine until I added the FO at LIGHT trace...... it turned all crumbly like cottage cheese and started hardening in the pot so I just panicked and poured it into the mold. I spread it out as best I could, covered it in glad wrap and put it away in the esky. About 5 hours later I peeked and it looked dark and felt soft.. there was a lot of heat generating from it and I just thought I'd best leave it. This morning it feels firm but I think it still looks like cottage cheese (stuck together) hardening! What should I have done? Coconut Oil 500gm (25%) Olive Oil 900gm (45%) Rice Bran Oil 400gm (20%) Castor Oil 200gm (10%) Sandalwood FO @ 30ml/1000gm Lye 271gm Water 671.7gm I waited til Lye and Oils were 100F before soaping....... I have NO idea what went wrong :confused: Can I use this soap if it hardens up? Thanks

I have just been using the 'bits 'n pieves' from my CP bars which come off as I cut/unmold and I never would have thought that I could live withouth conditioner but now I CAN!!!!! I put all those little bits in a squeezy 'sauce bottle' and add water, give it a shake to mix up a bit, add some more water just before I need to use it and I am JUST LOVING IT!!!!! I really never thought I would be able to have clean hair wothout using conditioner but it is just so liberating to know it can happen! I have STRAIGHT, THICK ASIAN hair!!!! and @ 50 I can wash and not have to condition and I have a CLEAN scalp and nicely conditioned hair finally!!!!! Can you tell I am pleased????

LOL - you are SO RIGHT!!!! I am not even making soap for sale, just for myself, family and friends and my 'soapy purchases' have already hit the 4digit mark! Ssssshhhhhhhh - don't tell BF.......... !!! I made him some shaving soap ALL for him to use (so he shouldn't complain) and his family are enjoying the 'fruits of my new love'....... so..... it could be a long term addiction here! I am loving, loving, loving it tho and so are my 'testers'......... !!!!!

Castor Sugar is the really fine white sugar which is used especially in making cake icing......... I am pretty sure (I don't bake)! It is really fine grained and I find it nicer on my (older) skin........

Carrie - I line my wood mold with greaseproff paper. Folks, I 'solved' the problem....... the soap has saponified and is now out of the mold (2 nights ago but I have not been online since) - it was the paper I used to line the mold. It is thinner than the previous roll, I thought I had bought the same sort but must have made a mistake. It got really soggy and was actually hard to see once I got the block out of the mold. Spent ages trying to get the paper off the soap. It is now curing and looks like the other batches.......... *relief*

Hi Meredith The previous bars from this recipe are nice and hard - just takes a bit of time. Update on this batch - it still won't come out of the wooden mold this morning but it has at least hardened. I will wait until this evening and worse case scenario might have to use a knife on the edges to get it out. It feels firm enough at this stage...... *keeping fingers crossed*

Hi Meredith Thank you - that's what I have been doing and so far so good (with a few 'panic attacks' in between) even with the softer soap recipes. What do you mean by "...soap with my lye hot to melt the butters...." ? That sounds interesting...... ?

I have difficulty working out 'best temperature' for soaping - is there a source for some basic guidelines? The recipes I see don't always have soaping temperatures and I get a bit nervous as to whether I am doing it right. thanks

Hi Jeana I took another look and it looks firmer now! I have no explanation - it has been sitting in the esky (that's where I put my soaps over night) and this morning it was still soft in the mold. It was only about an 90minutes ago that I peeked at it and panicked - it might still be okay later tonight. yes - it is a soft recipe but it actually hardens up quite nicely within 10 days and I love the feel of it. I have made 3-4 batches now and they have all come out okay but this was the first time I had added an FO so I was really nervous. Thank you for getting back to me so quickly and I will post the final result when I take it out of the mold.

I have made this same formula several times now and it has been good so I thought I would add an FO (frangipani) for the first time and I also added salt & sugar as in THIS thread........ and it is still soft after 16hours! Should I despair or bite my fingers off until 6pm tonight!!!! :confused: The recipe Coconut 25% Olive 45% Rice Bran 20% Castor 10% FO 56gm/kgI should have stayed with the tried and true unscented recipe!!!! but my girlfriend who loves the basic soap I have sent her also loves frangipani and I thought I would try and make one batch up for her!!!! What can I do if it doesn't set! Can I still save this batch somehow?

This could be my first contribution in repayment for all the tips I have had from everyone.....!!!! In the early days of my googling and searches I came across many recipes but they seemed to need more than I had (at that moment) on hand so I just dove in and tried a 1 oil + castor sugar combo and I loved the effect and result.... this is all I use to spoil myself once a week/fortnight..... I use it on my face and body.... Castor sugar whatever amount you think you will need, I used about 1 tbsp and it was plenty, this is not a keeper, it's make and use...... and I just use a glass dropper and add Sweet almond oil (my favourite) or Avocado oil and 'cream it' with an ice cream stick until it looks like creamed icing...... last week I added some shavings of my soap and it was actually quite nice..... Hope this was what you were looking for? I just love the tingles I get when I use it and it's not too oily to rinse off after that - no mess in the shower and I just feel nice and moisturised without being greasy...... enjoy!

Hi Birdie Thanks. I followed the link and the supplier for Australia is actually in New Zealand so I imagine shipping would be quite costly. Will keep your link and see if there are other items I might try from them to make it more sensible for shipping. Thank you soooooo much though for your kindness in following this up for me. :cheesy2: Have a GREAT DAY!!! cheers

EdenSong - thank you. I will see how I go with trying out the moisturiser first once I get the supplies. thanks!

Birdie - that looks like what I might be looking for! Thanks for the link. I have virtually run out of time so I had to bite the bullet. I have already ordered a small amount of the Organic Olive e-wax & soy lecithin to try. I could not find any sunflower lecithin here. We leave in mid September and being so isolated, it takes a while to get supplies delivered and I did want to have a go before it got too late to try some recipes out. thanks!