candlemama

I just used the default percentage on SoapCalc which was 27.261% lye concentration, and the lye/water ratio was 2.668:1, with my water as 38% of oil weight. I'm also using the lard in a bucket from Walmart, white bucket with green writing. I wonder if it's because I overheated the lard? I really like the soap otherwise and LOVE that lard is so cheap. I'd like to keep using it. For those of you who have no lard smell in your soaps, how do you melt the lard?

Thanks for all the suggestions. Now off to search suppliers' sites and spend some $$$!!

For candles, so far my favs from CS are mac apple and cinnamon buns. Both have great throw. Think I'll go light my mac apples up, now that I think about it!! I've tried very vanilla and buttercream in B&B products and like both. Rain water's nice, too.

Those are soooo beautiful! How much fun it will be to use them and see the different swirls come out. Great job!

If you're wanting to make it into a shaving soap to be used with a brush like the old fashioned kind, I'd add some bentonite or kaolin clay. I haven't made a shaving soap yet, but keep reading in recipes for both CP and M&P that clay is the key ingredient that enables the razor to glide across the skin. Here's a link to a recipe for M&P. http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/soaprecipes/a/mpshavingsoap.htm

My husband has requested I make him shaving soap for father's day and wants a "clean scent that's not too musky" (it's all I can get out of him!). Preferably, I'd like something that's more unisex so I can use it, too. I'm a noob to soaping and haven't decided if I'll do CP or HP yet for this batch and would like to order an FO that would work well for either. Supplier doesn't matter. I'm willing to give them all a try!! Thanks for any and all recommendations!

Thanks. Now reading everyone's posts, I think I may have melted it too high. I did 30 sec spurts in the microwave until it melted. Next time I'll try a double boiler method on low temps.

Those are absolutely gorgeous! So much inspiration. Thanks for sharing!

I love hurricanes but have only attempted one with not so good results so far. I've actually thought about doing a print somehow, like a damask pattern, on all four sides and think it would be a great decor accent. If the wallpaper isn't too detailed, you can probably scan it and reprint it on thinner paper with good results, especially if you have access to Illustrator or Photoshop. Or what about cutting out the pattern, again if it's not too detailed, so that you don't have a lot of excess paper blocking the light? However you do it, please post a pic. I'd love to see it. Good luck!

That looks absolutely amazing! Please, please post cut pics!! :drool:

Thanks, everyone! EBC stands for Essentials by Catalina. They sell M&P bases, lotion bases and a few other B&B products. They just happen to be located about five miles from my house. Wish I could find a candle supplier that close!

Ah, maybe that's why my OHP batch has a stronger oil/lard smell than my CP batch or even my rebatches. I kept the oven at 180 degrees when I did my OHP. Is that too hot for lard? I'd say the smell is fading from my first unscented CP batch I did last week. I just noticed it again when I grated it for the rebatch. So, hopefully, it will continue fading over time. Thanks for the replies, everyone!

Beautiful! I love how delicate it looks. Is this technique hard to do?

I've made one batch of CP, one batch of OHP, and one rebatch so far, using the same basic recipe of grocery store oils: 50% lard, 25% CO, 20% OO, and 5% Castor oil. The CP batch was made about 5 days ago and the HP last night. I know they haven't cured much yet, but I am still noticing a oil or lard smell on the soaps. For example, I just grated one of the CP blocks to make a rebatch and the oil/lard smell seems pretty strong after I grated it. Will this smell fade as the soaps cure, or is the smell just part of my recipe since I used a lot of lard? Just curious for future batches/recipes. Thanks.

This recipe is on my list to try. Looks fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing. I love the way your soaps look. Very beautiful!

Hmmm... personally I like sugar scrubs better. The salt scrubs I've made tend to irritate my skin, while the sugar scrubs don't. As far as which one is more moisturizing, I'd say it's a toss up. I really haven't noticed a difference between the two in personal use. It could be because I use the exact same recipe with the same oils, just switch out the salt for the sugar. Mine are emulsified as well.

Here are some photos of my latest soaps. I can't stop making soap even though I don't sell them and haven't given any away yet! I'm running out of places to stash them in my house, and I'm gonna make some more today! (I think I need to seek professional help.) On the plus side, I have never washed my hands so many times a day until I started making my own soaps. Anyway, the first photo is my M&P clear and white base from EBC (both really nice bases), mixed with some liquid soap colors from TKB Trading, and scented with Watermelon FO from Miami-Erie Candle Supply. It's more of a candy watermelon scent, but it's not bad. I meant to have the green on the bottom and red on top, like the actual fruit, but my plans never seem to work out the way I envision! The second photo is of my very first CP batch! Can't wait till they cure to try them out. The white bar is unscented, and the pinkish round one is a rebatch of my unscented CP soap with CS White Tea and Berries. They look pretty primitive, but I'm still a proud mama!! Thanks for taking a look...

Can you post the photos of shaving soap and store bought shaving cream? It would be really interesting to see a comparison.

Looks beautiful! I love the name of your beach scent. Shaving soap is on my list to try. My husband really, really wants me to make some! I actually love the look of HP soap. I like the rustic quality. Gives it more of a handmade, upscale look to me -- something you'd find at an expensive boutique -- if that makes sense. I'm sure you'll have no problems selling those bars!

Very nice! Love the colors. I haven't ever thought of using stencils and candle paints. Great idea. They're beautiful!

That sucks! Sorry to hear that. I'm sort of in the same boat with my first CP batch. Having a little lye sweat... Ugh. What about rebatching?

My oils cooled to about 90 degrees, and my lye solution to about 100 degrees. They may have cooled a bit more once I mixed because it took a few more minutes for me to get set up after I took the last temps. I'm reading the Miller Soap site troubleshooting guide and see improper mixing could cause a bit of lye sweat, as well as ash -- and I sure have lots of ash. I know I also didn't insulate as well as I should have, and the batch never went through a gel stage at all, which I guess could also cause ash. I used a stick blender, and I definitely had trace. The mixture was a thin pudding when I first started pouring and was a thicker pudding by the time I finished. I've moved the cut soap to a rack now, and they don't appear to be sweating any more. I have noted a few small holes here and there which I didn't notice before, but nothing oozing from the holes. Not sure if those are just air bubbles or if they are lye pockets. The lye sweat, as I said before, is just a thin, small amount on the areas that weren't exposed to air. The weird thing is, not all of the cut bars had this sweat, only a few. Thanks for the help!

My understanding is yes, you do need VS for vanilla FOs in other B&B products if you don't want your product to turn brown. I made some lotion with Very Vanilla from CS about a month ago and added VS to it. It hasn't changed colors and is still white.

Okay, my first batch I was so proud of... seemed to be doing okay after I cut it this morning (about 36 hrs after pouring). No zap, didn't see any lye pockets or big holes when I cut the soap. But I just checked and some of the bars are sweating a little, mostly on the bottom or side where it is resting on the counter top, not in any areas exposed to air. It is most definitely lye sweat. I touched it with my finger and then touched my finger to my tongue, and ZAP! Plus, I didn't use any FO or color in this batch. Also, it is not humid here. About 74 degrees in my house. I am sure I measured everything correctly and didn't leave any oils out. The only thing is maybe I didn't stir it enough? Although it had the consistency of thin pudding when I poured, maybe I didn't get everything incorporated enough... I don't know. I had planned to rebatch the soap anyway so I can add FO but am wondering now if there's just too much lye leftover? Question is... is this normal? It's been about 44 hrs now since I poured into the molds. I used SoapCalc to get my recipe: 3lbs of oils: 50% lard 20% OO 25% CO 5% castor oil 193 grams lye 517 grams distilled water

I think you're right. It was much firmer this morning, and I was able to cut it. I took a small piece to wash my hands with -- I got bubbles and lather! No oil slick. Oh, and it passed the zap test. I had my husband give it a test, too, in case I was missing something -- no zap! Yaaayyyy!! Now I want to make another batch tonight with color and FO... Between my new CP habit and my M&P, I have about 75 bars of soap in my house right now. Guess I have to give some away so I can make more! :yay: