jackie

Thanks. Hopefully it just needs breaking in. I wonder if a light spray of silicone on the bottom would help--now I'm thinking, spraying silicone on silicone? The sides and ends pulled away easily but the mold itself is stiff.

thanks. That first link looks like the recipe was copied into it so I bet it's that one. I've wondered if anyone sees any real diff between brands of veg shortening. I have a small unopened crisco if it hasn't gone bad in the can (it's a couple years old; it's soybean and cottonseed oil). I never use it so I rarely ever buy it. I guess it's time to check the ingredients on those. I do have pure lard so I could try that now and then try again when I have veg shortening (I live 45 mins from walmart so I don't just run to the grocery to pick something up).

Thanks Steve. I was concerned about my swirl attempt because I could see it didn't get to the bottom when I poured it. But I wasn't unhappy with the final outcome for a first attempt. I need to get something to plane my soaps with that will do it evenly despite me (I can't cut anything straight) and doesn't cost alot. I've searched for QuietGirl's recipe a few times, even searching by the username and i can't find it. I can find posts complementing on it but I can't find the recipe in either the recipe section or this section. I even tried sending a message to her. If anyone has that and would like to share, I'd appreciate it. I've started playing with soapcalc and the effect of diff oils but I'm more comfortable with a "tried and true" recipe for right now.

I', inclined to believe it's the shea due to my cool temps and I poured at a med trace. The oils were just purchased, I used distilled water and the colorant was green oxide (dissolved in glycerin). I had read where some people soaped at room temp so I was starting to think temp didn't matter that much. Just shows how little I really know at this stage. Thanks for the replies.

yes it does help. thanks. Now that I know how quickly the lye water can cool, I'll get stuff ready beforehand. Last time the temps weren't close but the lye water was close to 110 and the oils about 80--both much warmer than this time. No yellow spots before but with the recipe being completely different, it's hard to make a comparison. Haven't gotten my timing down just yet.

I just got a silicone log mold from WSP. The sides pulled away from the soap easily but it still wouldn't come out so I waited another day but no change. I put it in the freezer for 2 hours and worked with it and I did finally get it out. When it came out, it came out clean--nothing stuck to the mold. Is this normal for a silicone mold? I had a feeling expecting it to just drop out on the first try was dreaming.

On my second batch, I'm seeing a few yellow spots here and there, not on all of it but I'd like to figure out what it is. The recipe was Kat's creamy bubbles but I subbed shea for the cocoa butter: 27% coconut oil 36% palm oil 25% olive oil 7% castor oil 5% shea butter This is the first time I've tried coloring and I did use F/O--cotton blossom. I didn't have the temps very close--the last time it took so long for the lie water to cool, I used an ice water bath and it cooled so fast I wasn't ready so the lie water was only 65 degrees while the oils were 80 degrees. Could that be it? I had the loaf covered with towels in a warm room but I forgot to peak to see if it was gelling. Any ideas? I'm going to try the same recipe again and was wondering where I need to concentrate my changes.

thanks. I had thought 1 tsp ppo was the max to avoid the soap being chalky. I was trying to keep it to a minimum but I guess I just didn't add enough. Will try a little more next time. I use regular OO (not evoo but not the extra light either--I may try switching to a lighter one).

I added a teaspoon of titanium dioxide to a 2pd batch (dissolved in water) and expected to see it turn white--it didn't. So my question is--I should see it turn white shouldn't I? There's no delayed reaction I don't know about it is there? I went ahead and added color to the entire batch where I had originally planned to have it white with just color swirl. I'm pretty sure my swirl didn't turn out very well anyway. I'll see for sure when I unmold and cut but I did "in the pot" and when I poured it I could tell it did not get down to the bottom.

I love the little open boxes your goat's milk soap is in. Did you make those?

I bought that same book--Smart Soapmaking and read that first. Plus I printed out the tutorial from this site. I think the book is good for a beginner. My only complaint with it is that it's strictly CP--nothing on HP or CPOP. I doubt I'll do anything other than CP but I want to understand all the processes. I've only made one batch so far but getting that first one done made me feel more confident. I soap in my basement and just close the door to keep my pets out. I have a laundry sink down there and I do everything in that sink. I have a couple of cheapie folding tables that I set everything out on beforehand (including the tutorial). then I kinda go through the process in my mind so I know I'll have everything I need within reach. I do wear long gloves, goggles, long sleeves, long pants and tennis shoes. (That's normal for me for winter but gotta remember that in summer). Keep good notes. I try to write down everything (even my list of supplies/utensils--helps not to forget anything next time) so if something does go wrong, it'll be easier to figure out. The first batch went just fine though. I didn't color the first batch, trying to keep it simple. I was a bit paranoid of the lye so I even wore a painter's mask the first time but now I think that was overkill. I saw that tip about using the dryer sheet on the lye container so I went ahead and did that. My husband does woodworking--if he doesn't pay close attention, he can lose a finger (which almost happened a couple of times) so you always need to keep close attention to whatever you're doing (even cooking is dangerous). The first time I just used oils I could get at the grocery. No use wasting money if you decide you don't like it. I never tried M&P; just doesn't seem the same as doing it yourself. I have since ordered a few things for my second batch (which I plan to do today; everything is set out for me to use). I don't have any small children so you'd need a time when you can be sure they will be otherwise occupied.

Does shea butter need to be whipped or something before adding to a lotion base? I melted a little and stirred it into a lotion base and now it doesn't feel "smooth", it feels like there's tiny little bits of something in there. It absorbs just fine--it's just the initial feel of it coming out of the jar that's not quite right.

thanks for pointing that out Dawn. I bought my Roebic at Lowe's--- I didn't even think to check Tractor Supply--they have it for less than Lowe's here.

I've seen clamshells for M&P soaps--is that what your referring to? those little molds seem kinda expensive to me but I haven't researched bulk purchases.

Where are you guys finding the no-stir palm oil--I saw it on soapers choice but I don't want 50lbs; any that sell smaller quantities?

I was looking at the beginner recipe for goat's milk soap which basically says to chill the goat's milk and then don't insulate the mold. I've read that some people refrigerate milk soap overnight. I understand the milk adds heat and you don't want it to scorch. So my question is--would this be an "either/o"r situation where you either chill the milk OR you don't do that but you refrigerate the soap so it does not overheat. I was going to do both but then got concerned that if was too cool, the soap wouldn't turn out properly. I want to try the same recipe both with and without the goat's milk so I can see the difference, if any. Thanks in advance.

My first batch of soap seems kinda strong on fragrance; I used 1 ounce for 2 pounds and I was wondering if it mellows as it cures. It's BCN clean cotton frag. I'm wondering if I need to cut back for the next batch.

Your story reminds me how spoiled we are with our automatic washing machines and such. My husband says his mom made lye soap--he didn't like it so he's not real excited about me making soap (he doesn't think anything is as good a irish spring). Hopefully when I get some cured, I'll change his mind. If not, I'll use it and give to friends and he can stick with his irish spring.

thanks. I was thinking about freezing part of the butters (I do that with lard too). I'm wondering how Palm Kernel Flakes fits into it--any idea how that holds up to freezing?

I just ordered several oils and a couple butters. I want my oils/butters to last as long as possible so I was wondering if it helps to store them in the fridge once they've been opened. I store lard (mine is pure lard) in the fridge but I never stored bacon grease that way and it did fine. I don't normally store cooking oils in the fridge and haven't had any go rancid. So I'm wondering if it matters.

thanks. The water soluble is cheaper (atleast where I'm looking) so that works out great.

Some titanium dioxide says for water and some for oil. Does it make a difference in CP soap making (other than which you dissolve it in)? Can both be dissolved in glycerin? Also, candlewic has titanium dioxide at what seems a good price (8lb for $28 and since I'm buying wax too, it won't affect shipping much) but they've never tested it for soap (just wax) and don't know if it would work. Seems like if it's pure titanium dioxide, it should work.

thanks for the tip. I'm grateful for all the advice I can get.

Thanks alot.

My husband likes the fragrance of original irish spring. Any suggestions on similar fragrances?