jackie

that's so creative. I would never have thought of those combinations. I would have thought the food items would cause spoilage (I know the oils are food items too but they have longer shelf lives than eggs and such).

That sounds like a good idea. I've never used a pastry bag so I didn't think of it. Thanks.

thanks. I have several shoe boxes I could use and lots of shipping boxes (I keep it all).

If you store in boxes should you cover them? I'm thinking dust here. I have mine in boxes with some wax paper loosely over the top.

I've been using a funnel to put lotion into boston rounds but there's got to be an easier/faster way. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks. When I was looking at the regular milk section, I saw Silk but definitely no coconut milk there. We're rural so we don't have lots of stuff bigger areas carry. I'll give my canned a try.

I got a can of the Thai. Glad I can use it. It was cheaper than goat's milk. I don't sell. It's just for me, family and gifts for friends. The Silk is soy milk, right? I was wondering how different soaps turn out with the different milks.

All the coconut oil they had at the groc contained guar gum. Will that still work?

same question here. I'd love to start with a kit--I need recipe or specific guidelines as well. My husband saw a show on tv awhile back about the bad stuff that goes into cosmetics (he even said arsenic sometimes)--don't know if it's true though.

I got SL from WSP. I know Brambleberry sells it and I imagine most soaping suppliers do. Where do you get silk fibers? Is liquid silk the same thing--it's expensive stuff?

Look great. Those colors are perfect for me (if you want a "tester"). Now you've got me to thinking about wanting to try this---in addition to candles, soaps and I just started lotion.

I got a box of Godiva candy for Christmas and the first thing I was immediately measuring the box to figure out how much soap it would hold. Candy is gone but the soap mold it came it lives on.

I read one book (Smart Soapmaking by Anne L. Watson), picked a recipe from this forum, bought oils at the grocery and gloves/goggles and just tried it. It seems alot more scary before you do it. I've only made a few batches now but I feel like I learn more each time. Soapcalc confused me at first but I'm more comfortable with it now too (it does the math for you but you do need good scales). Some sites just have too much info and it's confusing to a newbie. I'd say give it a try. It's lots of fun. I did not scent or color the first batch to keep it simple. Stuff gets easier to understand when you're actually working with it rather than just reading.

I made a similar recipe with 5% castor, 45%OO and pure lard instead of palm. I'm still letting it cure (it's been 5 weeks) but so far seems like a very nice soap; lots of lather. Definitely not white though. I used just regular OO (not EVOO). I don't understand getting a naturally white soap with 40% OO but I'm a newbie.

shipping is a killer. I don't have any local places so I order everything. I wait for sales to help offset the shipping cost and try to let my wish list build up in the meantime. Atleast for now, I often don't have to pay sales tax from out of state retailers so that helps offset shipping cost too. I know that won't last but I appreciate it now. Every little bit helps. I love the scents from Peaks. Hope you enjoy yours.

They're all beautiful. the china rain is my favorite.

Thanks for the tip Kitn. I'll try that next time. Can't wait to do another batch. It's so much fun.

This is my first CP batch with the new silicone log mold I got thru the co-op. Stuck a little on the sides but it's only my second batch of soap so it's prob something I did. Overall I'm happy. My fragrance has already muted though--I used 1 ounce of fruit slices from CS and I think I should have used more (that's only .57oz ppo). Loved the fragrance initially.

I like an exfoliating facial cleanser so this sounds like it might work--I was thinking of trying oatmeal (like oatmeal honey soap) but this might be better.

I'm going to try the cheap plastic mitre box from Lowe's. I have a pastry scraper for the cutter. thanks for the idea.

Absolutely gorgeous. I'm a newbie and hope someday maybe I can do something half as pretty.

here's one link http://www.craftserver.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-18774.html this one refers to the lye http://www.craftserver.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-64880.html

I'm a newbie but for CP you let it cure 4-6 weeks (unless it's something like Castille, that does need a long time to cure). If you're in a hurry, then you might be more interested in Hot Process - I haven't done that yet but I believe it's ready to use almost right away. CPOP is ready sooner than straight CP. I'm not in any hurry so I like the simple straight-forwardness of CP. When you make candles to sell, you test and retest your formula before you try to sell it. Letting soap sit for a long time to see how well that formula soap lasts, is just part of testing. Experimenting with oils, colors and fragrances is part of the fun.

I've only made 2 batches but I peeked on the first one to see if gelling and washed my hands with a sliver of both right after cutting (made sure there was no zap first). Can't help myself.