ProudMarineMom

Wow Paul, they are probably like 10-15 min from me. Definitely going to check out some of their stuff. Thanks for posting.

ChrisR, how do you make the hemp milk? Do you buy seeds from somewhere?

You have been busy. Very nice!!

MMS has a good starting recipe for a lip balm and is easy to customize. I do use a sweetener, a little liquid stevia. https://www.thesage.com/recipes/recipes.php?.State=Display&id=19 You don't have to make large batches to test, I think I started with about an ounce. I also just used some small containers I had on hand until I found a recipe I really liked. Then started to put into tubes. You are going to love it!!

I would recommend making your own and I prefer tubes as well. Check out Elements Bath and Body. They have butters and oils that are great for lip balm. And, they have a nice selection of tubes. They don't really have a lot of candle supplies, but do have some wonderful FO. Another supplier is Natures Garden. They have a great selection of both candle and B&B products. Unfortunately, just one lip balm tube style that I know of. Aroma Haven/Rustic Essentials. Has a good selection of candle supplies and a fair amount of B&B. They carry a couple of butters, some carrier oils and lip balm tubes. They also have some nice tutorials. Majestic Mountain Sage (MMS) is another great supplier of B&B products. They are in Utah and closer to you. There is also Brambleberry out of Washington. They have some candle supplies but focuses more on B&B and Soap products like MMS. All of these suppliers have quality products and excellent customer service, at least in my experience.

I love this! I'm glad your melts performed so well, great job. Hope this gets you some well-deserved business.

Yeah, what is that bottom piece? I think I got some rounded ends and was going to have to figure out how to stand the mold.

I've only had fresh, so that is a good to know. Thanks for the info.

All of these places have very nice EOs. If you send AT an email they will send you a bulk password to buy in larger quantities. I have oils from all 4 of these places and have been very pleased with the quality. A couple of them have some unusual oils. Btw, check your PM. New Directions Aromatics http://www.newdirectionsaromatics.com/ Eden Botanicals (Also has lots of CO2 and Absolutes) http://www.edenbotanicals.com/ Anatolian Treasures (Beautiful oils) http://av-at.com/ Liberty Natural http://www.libertynatural.com/index.html

The reviews on the review board are mixed on the acceleration. One mentioned it accelerated on her but others had no issues. Discolors to an off-white and the scent holds well at .7 oz ppo. Scent seems to really develop during the cure. A couple of people thought it was too earthy for their tastes but the others really liked it. The last review was from 2011. So, results may be different if it has been reformulated since then. Good luck!

Outstanding job and a beautiful cake. I don't think I would have the patience.

I really like the concept, but would have a couple of questions. First, is the interior of the tube lined with anything. I would think the oils and butters would eventually seep. Second, is getting the lip balm out. It doesn't have a twist-up so I guess it would be like a push-up? I think it would mangle that tube like I do toothpaste. Probably wouldn't be very practical for putting in your pockets. I can definitely see the attraction though.

Another big thumbs up for the Acorns and Black Oak. Fabulous scent and both men and women like it, very popular. I'm hoarding my last little bit. Egyptian Dragon is wonderful, which you have already tried. Dragonfly Moon, clean beautiful scent, I hope this stays as a regular fragrance and not a special order. Persian Limewood, very strong. I can't stand Lavender but Tassi at least doesn't make me ill. I use it in bath salts and truffles as well. I really like Maharani Padparadscha (SS version) but it does discolor. I think she calls this a Sandalwood Rose. The cured scent is different than when you first pour. Going to have to try the Blue Chamomile and Ginger Lime Zinger. Wonder if that is like the Ginger Fish from Brambleberry. Anyone know how her Sangre De Drago compares to Tony's? Grapefruit Jasmine, hmmmm. My son (and me too) absolutely loves the Bella Flora from BBW, which is now retired. The label says grapefruit zest, jasmine and orange blossom. I've tried the notes separately with FO and the jasmine just overpowers. I tried the blend with EO, using neroli, and it was much closer. But, that would be too expensive. Maybe I can blend this with the Neroli from AH.

Candy, how easy do you think it will be to get the mold out of the box with soap in it? With other molds there are screws to remove a side or two. Wondering if you might have to put a bit of saran wrap or freezer wrap between the wood and silicone liner so you can lift out the mold. I really like the box though. Dave yeah, if you accidentally on purpose left off the last word of the hint, you might have yourself a good argument going!

Yes, the Rainbows are actually included with the purchase of their 2 lb silicone mold. So, I thought that made the cost of the mold pretty good. I've been having a hard time with those silicone molds from WSP and BB and the soap releasing. I'm hoping this mold works like my larger Woodfields, which I love. Would like to pick up one or two of the ED molds. Nurture lowered the price of their mold box for the liner by $5.

Stopped by Publix on the way home for a Dr appt this morning. They had all sorts of different flavors of the Almond Breeze, except coconut <sigh> . So, grabbed another couple of cans of the coconut milk I have been using. Candybee that is actually a pretty nice base recipe. I played with it some on SoapCalc and came up with some nice recipes. Thank you for sharing.

The soap turned out wonderfully, Steve. Did you use one of the new molds? I picked up one of the 2lb log molds from Nurture that Candybee listed. It will be here Monday so excited to see how that works. She has a special with the mold that includes a sampler pack of the Rainbow micas. So, going to do a side by side test with the Pops. She does have pics on her website and they look pretty close.

Av-At has beautiful EOs, as Irena mentioned. Also check out Liberty Natural, libertynatural.com, and New Directions Aromatics, newdirectionsaromatics.com. All three of these places have an aged Patchouli and are very nice. Another place that I've used, very nice EOs as well is Eden Botanicals, edenbotanicals.com. They have some unusual EOs and a nice variety of CO2s and Absolutes.

Wow, Nurture has Rainbow Micas which they are saying are Pop replacements. Might be worth to get a sample and see how they compare. I still have a little of the Pops I've been hoarding.

Chai Tea from Oregon Trails soaps very easily, but does discolor to a medium tan. Which works for the scent. I'll add a little cocoa or brown mica to the bottom layer for a darker base then layer with uncolored base. Sprinkle with a bit of nutmeg or cinnamon. Turns out very nice.

Pumpkin Creme Brulee - Aroma Haven Country Bumpkin - NG When they did the Goddess pre-buy at SGS, I picked up some of the Burberry. This is absolutely wonderful in soap. Have not tried it in wax yet. And, like everyone has said, their Dragon's Blood is the bomb. eta... Just saw you wanted this for CP. I haven't used the Pumpkin Creme Brulee in soap but did try the Country Bumpkin. I used some pumpkin puree and it moved very fast for me. Almost soap on a stick.

Leather and Lace - Maybe blend it with Tuscan Lace from Elements? However, Tuscan Lace is a beautiful, delicate fragrance (I don't mean weak) that the Leather may overpower it. I don't have any Leather FO (do have Suede from MW) to try this. I can send you some Tuscan Lace if you would like.

I think 1 Tblsp pp is the norm and too much kills the bubbles. It was suggested to lower the superfat a bit Also read that it may(?) discolor a little. Trying to find my notes. This one is still on my list to try. Your FO choice sounds very nice. eta... Well, will have to try how Blanca prepares it. No issues with it killing the bubbles? Do you use the avocado as part of your water or as superfat?

Very nice soaps! And you'll keep both camps happy. Went to high school in Alabama and you were either " 'For 'em or again' 'em ". Just had to make sure which one they were talking about.

Is your CO abbreviation Coconut Oil or Castor Oil? Coconut Oil has a Fairly High rating on the charts for blocking pores. Both Castor and Olive Oil are low. When I was researching this method I did read that a couple of people had a sensitivity to Olive Oil in their blends. Switching to Sunflower seemed to resolve this problem. From my understanding (pretty limited), Castor is what really cleanses the skin. Including other oils offsets the drying affect of Castor and helps the castor to penetrate the skin to draw the impurities to the surface so it can be removed. I'm not sure if you would get the same cleansing if the blend didn't have Castor. I would try subbing out the OO with another oil. Not sure I would use Coconut though. You probably found these, but here are a couple of charts that I have bookmarked. http://www.beneficialbotanicals.com/facts-figures/comedogenic-rating.html http://www.soapnuts.com/noncomo.html Good luck with your blend. J