candlemama

Thanks, everyone! I swirled the clear M&P into the fresh CP which was at a medium-ish trace. First, I put a layer of M&P on the bottom of the log, let it cool and firm up, then poured the CP on top. Finally, I remelted the remaining M&P and poured it onto the CP, first from up higher to make sure it went through the CP, then used a spoon to disperse the rest so it would just sit on top. I sprayed with alcohol between each pour. The red I used is Relay Race Red from TKB Trading. It's a nice red in clear M&P, but turns out pinkish in CP. The third pic on the right, with the pinkish and yellow layers, is also Relay Race Red.

Here are a few of my soaps. The first photo is my experiment over the weekend mixing some clear M&P into my CP batch. It is scented Moonworks Scarlet Moon. I'll see if the M&P holds together with the CP as it cures. So far so good... The second photo is Moonworks Raspberry Patch. I used my Uplands slab mold for this batch. Still trying to get a nice swirl. I can't cut straight either. Oh, well, at least they smell good!! And the third photo is Moonworks Fairy Garden. I love this scent, but it is pretty sweet. I did two batches, both HP, and attempted to layer them. Thanks for looking!

Looks beautiful! I especially love the M&P soap and the lavender. I wish I can swirl like that! What is a rattanjot soap? Whatever it is, please post some pics!! Great job.

I don't know much about making soap, or what makes a good soap, other than reading here, playing on SoapCalc, and trying some recipes. I know I have A LOT to learn. I have just found that my soaps seems to be treating my skin better, and I really don't understand why. I've been looking at a lot of commercial ingredients and have been surprised to see they actually do contain some real soap (sodium tallowate, sodium cocoate, etc). I've also noticed my soaps burn the heck out of my eyes, unlike commercial soaps -- so, if my soaps are harder on my eyes, why are they nicer to my skin? I want to understand not only if handmade soaps can be better than commercial but why. I would like to explain to my friends and family -- not just say "well, it's natural" or "there are no detergents." As both Top and Luminous have said, commercial products can be excellent and handmade products are not all natural! Regardless, I am having a lot of fun making soap, and part of why I'm having fun is because there is so much to learn.

Beautiful! Love the colors, and I bet they smell as good as they look. Thanks for sharing!

I've been making and using CP and HP soaps for a couple of months now, and I've noticed a couple of things. I used to get dry and itchy skin ALL the time, and using lotion didn't help as much as it used to when I was in my 20s. I was just itchy all the time. Also, my heels would crack a lot, too, and if I didn't keep on top of it with regular pedicures and heavy creams (which I rarely did anyway), my feet would look a mess! Fast forward to today, my skin never itches anymore even though I still am lazy and maybe put lotion on once a week if that. Also, my heels aren't cracked anymore -- and I haven't had a pedicure in months! This one was the big shocker for me. It's gotta be my soaps, right?!? So it got me thinking... what makes handmade soaps so good for the skin? I know, no detergents or synthetic ingredients. But, isn't the ph of handmade soap higher than store-bought stuff (I think I read that somewhere)? What makes it soooo good for you???

I'm going to try something I've been wanting to give a shot for a while now... I'm going to make one batch of CP with a little bit of clear M&P swirled in just for looks. I think I might scent it either Moonworks Scarlet Moon or Native Princess. Tomorrow I'm going to try my first salt bar batch and will scent it Moonworks Celestial Sea. I know we're not talking candles here, but I think I'm going to pour a couple of containers with Moonworks Guinevere's Attraction today, too. It's a Moonworks weekend for me!

I agree. Mine has a mild odor or smell as well. My husband also smelled it and described it as waxy. I can't quite put my finger on it. Last night I put the unscented base on my hands and arms. The odor faded after several minutes, so I was just left with soft skin. Today I made two 10-oz bottles and scented one with Moonworks Fairy Garden for me and the other with Moonworks Saffron and Spice for DH. Both seemed to cover the base smell perfectly. I used about 1%, which is actually too strong with these FOs. I'll go down to .5-.75% next time. As for the feel of the lotion, I'm very happy with it. I agree that a little goes a long, long way. My skin feels very smooth and soft. Overall, I'm very happy with this lotion base!!

What does this eo mix smell like? I keep thinking of Christmas or pines or something but have no idea if that's right or not. Love the swirls, especially the fall colors! Great job.

Uh, oh... my gallon of this stuff is scheduled to be delivered today. I'll post later tonight when I get home to let you know if I also detect an odor. Bummer!

Hmmm... I think I'll test it out by making a double batch and splitting it into two. Half right into the mold for CP and the other half into my oven for HP. It's the only way I'll know for sure which one lathers better, or if there's no difference at all! Thanks for all the replies. I'll let you know what I come up with.

Question for you long-time soapers: do you notice a difference between HP and CP as far as lather? I'm still so new that my first CP batches are just now fully cured and ready to use. I've also been making HP and am now finally able to compare an HP bar and a CP bar side by side in the shower. So far I like the CP lather better. It's more abundant and creamier. Problem is, I've used a different recipe for every batch I've made so far. So I don't know if it's the recipe that's making the difference in lather or the process. I guess I need to use the exact same recipe to make a batch of CP and HP for a true comparison, but it will be weeks before I will be able to test them side by side in the shower. Just wondering what your experience has been.

In my short time as a soaper, I've noticed already that soapcalc numbers don't always translate into my bar. For example, I made a few of my own recipes that had high bubble and creamy numbers on soapcalc. Then I tried a recipe posted here (Kat's Creamy Bubbles) which actually had lower bubble and creamy numbers on soapcalc. When I compare a bar made with my recipe to a bar made with Kat's in the shower at the same time, Kat's is creamier and bubblier. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but my recipe was at least 5-6 points higher, yet it still didn't create as nice a lather. I think the soapcalc properties are good to use as a guideline, but what works best is to make lots of batches, keep good notes, and tinker with a good recipe until it becomes great. I know many people have said this before, that you have to experiment a lot, but I was really hoping I could just use soapcalc to find a perfect recipe! It would be so much easier and faster if it would work that way...

That is so true for me, too! I stumbled across this forum a few months ago when I decided it would be cheaper for me to make my own candles than buy them (yeah, right). I looked at the soap making a little, and just didn't get it. Why make soap? But the threads slowly started drawing me in, and the next thing I knew I was spending more time reading about soap making than candle making. I finally got up the courage and gave it a shot -- and I'm hooked! Now I can't figure out why I ever spent money on B&BW or other store bought "soaps"! The only drawback is now I spend more time in the shower because I have to test every bar (I currently have four bars in there with different FOs and recipes), so I'm not being very green and wasting lots of water. It's just so cool that I can take some oils, add some lye, and I have soap that actually works better than the store bought stuff. Who knew?!?

Well, I've decided to give Aquatech hemp lotion a try. Just placed an order. I also like that I can pronounce all the ingredients and that I didn't need a dictionary to figure out what everything is! Also, the description on the website said the ingredients are known to help with eczema, which my son has. It was a tough decision, though, since all of the bases seem to be so popular. I will post my review of the lotion when I get it.

I'm almost out of my homemade goat's milk cream (used a kit from LotionCrafter) and have decided to go the lotion/cream base route this time. I love the cream I made, but it's a PITA and I'd rather make soap! By researching the other threads, I've narrowed my selection down to four. This is for personal use only for me, hubby and my boys. I don't sell anything. If you've tried any of these bases, which do you like? WSP GM & Honey Lotion Base: http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/ProductDetail.aspx?CatalogID=2&GroupID=332&CategoryID=832&ProductID=3273&ProductName=Crafters+Choice%e2%84%a2+Goat+Milk+%26+Honey+Lotion EBC Whipped Body Frosting Base or A, C, & E Lotion Base: http://www.essentialsbycatalina.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=885 http://www.essentialsbycatalina.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=672 Aquatech Omega-3 Hemp Lotion Base: http://www.aquatech-skincare.com/htmls/Omega-3-Hemp-Body-Lotion.htm

Looking good! Love all of them.

Very nice!

Speechless! Absolutely gorgeous. Off to check out your Etsy store now...

Looks great!! You're addicted now. Just like me... looking for some recipes now to try a couple more batches because what else would I do on my day off? Isn't it fun?!?

I finally tried a bar of soap made from this recipe, and it's my favorite so far! I did CP, and it's been curing for five weeks, but I couldn't wait any longer to try it out. Great bubbles, super creamy lather. Feels great. It's my husband's favorite so far, too. Next time I'm going to make this recipe with goat's milk. Try it out. It's a great recipe!

I'm using the regular white base, not the natural base. I've only tried a sample of their natural white base and was able to get about 2 bars out of it. The sample I got seems to be harder than the regular white base and also has a tinge of a soapy smell that the regular does not have. I haven't used it often enough yet to compare it to the regular white base to see which is less or more drying. I will double check my ingredients for the regular white base when I get home and post them for you. I can't recall if there is a sulfate in it or not. If there is, I don't believe it's SLS at least.

I have been doing both and haven't decided which I like better! I like HP for all the reasons mentioned above. Plus, I also have small children and was really worried about the whole lye thing until I finally gave it a try. So HP is nice because once I mix my oils and lye, I just throw the pot in the oven and don't have to worry about caustic soap and my children. Plus, I can use less FOs with HP and even use ones than cannot be used in CP. CP does need to complete the saponification process and cure longer than HP, but (please correct me if I'm wrong) I think the saponification process really only lasts a couple of days in most cases. So I just make sure my mold full of CP batter is up high away from my kids while it is setting. Then I place all my bars, whether CP or HP, high on shelves to cure. And I know this is a no no, but I have gotten raw soap batter on my hands when making CP, and to be honest, I did not get burned as I was expecting. I've also used some of my CP soap right out of the mold to wash my hands with to check for bubbles/lather. In either case, my hands just felt dry and a little red -- no ugly lye burns or blisters! My first couple of CP batches will be ready in a week or so after their 6-week cure, so I haven't actually compared a fully cured CP bar with an HP bar yet and cannot comment on which performs better. I have read that CP has better texture and lather but don't know if this is true or not. HTH

I use SoapCalc: www.soapcalc.net. Just enter the oils you want to use by either percentage or weight, and the calculator will tell you the properties of the bar.

I posted some info in my thread on natural soap base in response to your questions there but will add a little more detail here. I mostly use EBC white base but recently tried a sample of their natural base. My husband has used my M&P soaps more than me and swears they are super moisturizing. I use them for washing my hands but use my CP & HP in the shower. I have never had a problem with dryness on my hands with the EBC bases. I do load my white base up with additives, similar to PA's recipe. I like to load my white base up then swirl in some clear, which makes it both moisturizing and bubbly, not to mention pretty! My M&P soaps definitely hold FO and color better using less than I do for CP or HP. My M&P soaps don't last as long as my CP or HP, but it's not a huge difference. HTH!