TallTayl

Oh gosh, that's a tough question... I find not only seasonal but regional preferences.' This time of year, Peaks has a nice selection - and a decent offer on tester bottles so you can try a lot without braking the credit card: CranApple Marmalade is nice, Mistletoe, Apple Jack, Gingerbread, Pumpkin... CandleScience.com has quite a few decently priced that have always worked well enough, as does NaturesGarden. Both of those are reasonably priced for what you get. One of my favorite vendors for fragrance has to be AromaHaven, followed closely by The Scent Works. Most of my best of the best fragrances come from these two. I guess I'm of no help at all

Kind of remind me of the soy dots that companies like beanpod sell. though this is the first one I see that offers wick options to make a candle. I remember the Hobby Lobby wax 'sand' like product. Made crappy candles, but was fun for a while The concept of the company is really well done!

The inner 12 year old boy in me always snickers at the name of that company. Sorry. Carry on. Have to agree that the recycled tin cans are probably not the container of choice when so many others are available that pass safety testing.

Every darned day it seems. Use it as the impetus to push through the edge and emerge in a new comfort zone. It feels great when you make it to the other side.

A number of conditioning agents used in hair conditioners are mild surfactants. Also a number of commercial conditioners contain surfactants to help minimize buildup. Which conditioner are you finding you like?

I've heard of attempts at using citric acid as a chelating agent in soap but believe it was added after HP, not CP. You don't want to lower the pH of the solution too much or SAP won't happen as you're used to. Tetrasodium EDTA is a more common chelating additive in CP. I personally wouldn't use borax in soap for use on my skin. I do use borax in my laundry powder. It would help identify likely culprits if you would share your formula.

Permatex fan here too. I've seen too many failures with other methods.

Regular coconut oil melts at 76 degrees. A bowl of hot water works well, as others have said. I've been known to cut the top off the big containers and repackage if melting each time becomes a pain.

I use Satsuma Guava (TSW) in soap. It sold like gangbusters for a while, then leveled off.

There are a few nice Satsuma's out there. The Scent Works has Satsuma Guava that will knock your socks off. Natures Garden has straight up Satsuma. It's not as strong as TSW's version, but neither is the price. Wishing you well on your new soap scenting adventure

You're welcome. I add Vitamin E to the jugs of soft oils when I open them to help retard the inevitable oxidation for as long as possible. It's pretty nice to have on hand.

Personally, I think it's far too high on the Castor. You'll likely end up with a spongy soap that will take a very long time to harden, then later during use will soften quite a bit. I have not run the numbers through SoapCalc tocheck the fatty acid profile. I'd cut the castor to about 5% and increase the balance in the OO, and the palm. for your first attempt at CP, I'd stick with the water. Adding GM is possible, and will yield a very nice soap, but the technique requires some skill to avoid burnt milk solids. Nobody likes the ammonia smell in their first soap Have you looked at the Miller Soap site for recipe ideas?

Vitamin E Acetate (INCI: Tocopherol Acetate) is vitamin E referred to in your formula. It will provide antioxidant properties to your scrub. MMS, Lotioncrafter, soapers choice and many others online sell it.

Those are cool trays! Is it wrong that my mind didn't go to wax for them? I have tons and tons of little doo dads that would be very happy in that case!

Will it pop out of the cup you poured it into if you froze it for a bit? Like many others, I like the candlemakers special layered candle with all the different fragrances that emerge. I hedge my bets that it will smell great by keeping one going for florals, another for bakery, etc. If I'm planning ahead well enough, tea lites made with the excess are a nice bonus. I get to keep those all to myself

How about LX-14? I use that in my PB votives and have found happiness.

I really like her concept. Her simple, eye catching, yet tasteful designs make a simple wax clam shell seem pretty special. the price point is great too. Some look like they contain little charms - perfect for a special little collectible that a kid (or kid at heart) can use on something else. I'd buy them at a show that I saw them at for certain for the novelty. Judging just by her stats a lot of people have done the same

Very pretty! Nice photo staging too

It would help to know the exact formula and process you used. An exchange of ewax and BTMS would definitely impact the final texture of the product. Ewax is a more powerful emulsifier than BTMS. Adding, deleting or substituting ingredients, such as the glycerin, can also alter the final texture. the FO and preservative choices can also cause separation as you have seen. It's like baking a cake... If you accidentally mix up baking soda for baking powder the texture will be different. Then add in extra milk on top of the oil called for and you get pudding. B&B, like baking, is based on formulas. Changing one variable makes a different product in that formula. Likewise, the order of ingredients and amount of time spent stirring at different temperatures can change the final outcome in both baking and B&B formulation. What I would do is go back to the original formula that worked, and make that one again exactly as written, then sub out one variable at a time to identify where things are beginning to go wrong.

@Shar - Blue Sugar by The Scent Works is the best of class IMO.

Butterfly Hugs Hummingbird Black Cherry Bomb Lime Cilantro (good as blender too) Tibetian Amber Egyptian Musk (it's very light, so I renamed it Light Egyptian Musk)) Mojito (good blender) Sweet Grass (heats in mold, so be prepared) Mardi Gras Nutmeg (good blender) Indian Summer is too light to even smell OOB. Skip it.

Hanging vertically. There's a psychological response to looking up at a product versus looking down at a product on at a table. Plus, when things are hanging you have a greater distance over which chance to catch the eye of passers by. KSRanch - great adaptation of a CD rack! It would catch my eye and draw me in if that were sitting on a table for sure! Products that are shiny and look like candy really evoke an interest to me as a consumer. Here is your photo rotated vertically.

What wax? What color? What FO load? Too true. It scares me to see unsecured wicks in any container type candle. I treat a tea lite juts as I would any container candle complete with the hi temp RTV gasket sealant to secure the wick. It's a PITA to wick hundreds at a time, but it makes me feel far more secure burning them.

so very pretty. Reminds me of ribbon candy.

I have seen them at Jo-Ann and some of the other stores you mentioned also. Check in the cake baking sections. I remember seeing blue ones at Michaels too.