sudsnstuff

I use Roebic from Lowes all the time and never had any problem. It is cheaper at our local tractor supply company.

Dawn

Suds ~n~ Stuff

How about soap dough? That has been a huge boy hit for me.

4oz melt and pour melted

1/4 c cornstarch

1 TB glycerin

This is the official recipe I have but I use a little less glycerin because I found mine to be a bit sticky.

Melt the soap add the cornstarch and glycerin. I mixed mine with an electric mixer as it was cooling. It seems really weird at first but then it starts to solidify as it cools and ends up a big blob. Turn it out onto cornstarch and coat your hands with it. Knead the soap dough. Mine has been sticky at this point but I just let mine sit over night in a blob and it has gotten to a perfect consistency.

You can scent them with all the cool boy scents you have talked about and even color it.

I usually store mine in those little condiment cups from a resturant supply store or bulk store and I have also bought the "play dough" from the dollar store and used those containers but you could easily put it in a ziplock baggie with a label.

The only instructions I give other than playing with it is if it gets too sticky in the water you just let it dry out a bit.

When I gave it out to my testers one boy said it only lasted one bath (but it is fun in the shower too) which disappointed me because I didn't think people would buy it for just one bath but then his mom chimed in that bath was hours long because she couldn't get him to quit playing with it and get out.

Dawn

Suds ~n~ Stuff

My silly banz soaps are popular too. I even layer them so they will get more than one but you have to work for it.

For the money soaps I used those a lot around June as graduation gifts or wedding gifts. It looks really neat if you look up money folding online and fold it up. I just wrap mine in plastic wrap before I put it in the soap.

http://soap-queen.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-08-18T23%3A29%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7 These soaps are really fun and I do them with all kinds of vehicles. I think my most popular one is my tractor. I get those little squishy animals and put them in the windows.

Soapsicles are fun too. I use a popsicle mold and put stuff in it like erasers. If you look on the Soapylove website you will see them. There are directions all over online.

My only advice on this is when I have made really fun ones I get a ton of people pick them up and say how cute they are but they say "they are too cute to use" put it down and walk away so the soaps that are plain but have something in them have been the best sellers.

Good luck

Dawn

I have used cocoa powder with stuff and it has been fine.

I am not sure on this but my thinking is that there isn't water in chocolate it is cocoa and some sort of oil. I just read that you can have chocolate for years before it goes bad so if you add it to something that doesn't have water wouldn't it be ok?

Dawn

I used lemon grass and tea tree oil but I also added cintronella oil which I originally used for a little bit of bug repellent but everyone has said it smells just like outside without knowing why

Dawn

Could you soften some shea and keep adding it until you have the consistency you like? I think making it into a salve is a nice idea. Play around with adding beeswax and maybe some lanolin. I have made some lovely products out of mistakes!

I did do that with the shea to make another batch that I needed but I have alot of this stuff to use up.

I will just play around.

Thanks

I was making whipped shea butter tonight and some how got waaaaaaay too much grapeseed oil in it Couldn't be because I was trying to get the kids in bed at the same time could it? nahhhh.

So I have this liquid sort of stuff that is shea butter, grapeseed oil and vitamin e. It is thick like pudding. Does anyone know what I could do with this? I have no idea what the ratio is on it.

I thought about just using it to add to stuff like lotion bars and lipbalms and stuff but thought maybe someone might have a better idea.

I thought about doing some sort of a salve with it too just by adding some more stuff. I do have beeswax and emulsifing wax I could use.

Thanks

Dawn

Suds ~n~ Stuff

I just made some M&P embeds in my HP soap and it works just fine, you just have to wait until the HP soap cools enough so that the embeds don't melt.

What I did was use a small metal star pillar molds & pvc pipes and fill them with the M&P. I put one layer of HP soap alittle less than half full in my mold and then take the M&P (which is like a log of M&P soap out of the pillar molds or pvc pipes) then I place that on top of the first layer of HP, and then I fill the rest of the mold with the rest of the HP (which would cover the top of the log of M&P "embeds").

Hope you understand what I'm saying...lol

Got it. Thanks. I will give it a try. I guess the worse that would happen is the HP would absorb the M&P if it melted. I just didn't want to waste a whole loaf of HP somehow.

Can you use M & P embeds in HP soap? I am assuming all the awesom soaps with embeds probably just make them in batches but I don't want to wait

Thanks

Dawn

Suds ~n~ Stuff

I found my customers liked a smaller bar so I found some small square plastic containers at the dollar store. I can actually pour the bar right in there to harden then I pop it out put it back in.

Around Valentines day they had cute little plastic hearts to put candy in. A little heart lotion bar from the silicone mold fits perfect in there.

For sample sizes I use a mini ice cube mold (star or heart shaped) and then bought the little condiment containers from like a resturant or bulk food store. At one craft show I even sold those little ones really cheap. Seems people who were looking for something little so spend money on ended up buying them and then loving them. I also stick one in with my orders to win them over.

Dawn

Suds ~n~ Stuff

I always put mine under the my lower back so the ones that float drive me crazy because they keep getting away.

I think it must have something to do with packing because I have had some float and some sink and I always use the same ingredients

Dawn

www.sudsnstuff.etsy.com

I know! I always giggle when I am rinsing out my crockpot and it bubbles up. My family is getting sick of me yelling "look, it works!":yay:

I finally got brave enough to try my own recipe and so far I am liking it. It has 7 oils. Almond, Avocado, castor, coconut, olive, shea butter, palm kernel

Just a simple tip for you that I learned. I bought some plastic pitchers with tops and when I measure out oils for a batch I will measure out a bunch at a time. I am so messy and end up so greasy that it is easier for me to just get that way once for about 5 or 6 soaps. I just line them up and when I have one oil I will measure it out for all the pitchers and then start over again.

Just put your lids on and you are ready to go when you are ready to make a batch. It takes some time in the beginning but it is nice to be able to make a quick batch when I don't have a ton of time because the oils are ready.

Dawn

www.sudsnstuff.etsy.com

I use a silicone muffin pan too. Just a little tip that I found works well for me. I pour a little bit into the mold first and let it set. Then I will make the scrubbie part. It makes the bottom look so nice and finished.

Yes they do. I wonder if the heat from the tub water releases the aroma. I don't know, but I have used bombs for personal use that are VERY old and the scent is amazing when it hits the water.

I think it is that the baking soda absorbs the smell like it would in your fridge and then when it melts in the water it releases it.

bubble gum machines have really cute stuff too. I feel kind of silly with my pocket full of quarters shoving little kids out of the way to fill my purse with prizes

I have found that even though my bombs don't smell very strong dry they do release the scent in the tub. I usually make tiny little sample bombs for craft shows and dump them in a bowl or cup of water to show people how the smell comes out

I will pour a thin layer of m&P soap and then cut it with tiny cookie cutters and put that in the bomb. After the bomb melts you have your soap

Dawn

www.sudsnstuff.etsy.com

When I was looking for my scale I read that a postal scale works well. A postal scale is used to setting a package on and getting a weight. You can't put something and pour slowly. Once it beeps it is done and you have to take your thing off and start over. Very frustrating so whatever you get check that you can keep adding.

Dawn

Suds ~n~ Stuff

wow those are awesome!

Dawn

Suds ~n~ Stuff

I use a cheap vodka in mine as a preservative. I do still keep it in the fridge because just reaching in the jar with warm wet hands would be bad plus the cold jello soap feels great in the summer.

Ditto on the Dawn dishwashing and it has to be the original not the ultra. Usually you can find it at places like drug stores or hardware stores. I get mine at Family Dollar. If you can't find that you can try an older plain old ordinary soap like ajax.

I also use distilled water and the solution gets better if you let it sit at least overnight.

Thank you so much. I am struggling with the "business" of it all so my etsy site needs some work. I would rather hang out and make bath bombs and soap all day.

Super cute. Thanks for the recipe!

Dawn

Suds ~n~ Stuff

You can totally do more than one color. I use two and three colors for mine. Just make your bomb powder up, seperate into two bowls, pour in your oil, fragrance and a different color in each one and mix it up well. Just layer your colors in your mold as you go. You can make some really cool patterns with it.

That is as much of my ancient chinese secret as I can tell you but you can check out my colors on my etsy shop. Just scroll to the bottom and look at color changing bath bombs.

Dawn

www.sudsnstuff.etsy.com