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mrsadler05

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Everything posted by mrsadler05

  1. :laugh2::laugh2: That was my first thought when reading this.
  2. I think the biggest problem is the number of posts asking for the same information. The redundancy of newcomers asking the same question that was just answered a few days ago is ridiculous. I read this forum for weeks before ordering any products or asking any questions. I continued to read and tried to ingest as much info as posible but I had information overload. I posted a question then immediately went back to researching- this time with my notebook and pen. I took better notes and made wick/wax charts to help me. Yes, the research is tedious, but all of the veterans have put in their time. I am still a newbie myself and I have so much to learn. You can't call Coca Cola and ask them for the recipe and think they will just hand it over. Research is your best friend. Sharing your findings and bouncing ideas off of each other after you have done your research is probably the most efficient way to use the forums.
  3. Thanks for the info. I ordered some Lipidthix on Monday and I can't wait to try it.
  4. What part of Colorado do you live? I have a good friend in Evergreen. I was supposed to go visit last summer but never made it there.
  5. I will be at a business meeting during Mardi GRAS this year. You should definitely try to come one year. It is just one crazy party.
  6. Give me about a week and I will be on my way to figuring it out. I just placed an order for my original butter and original preservative. As soon as it comes in, I will start back at square one and try to figure out what went wrong. I thought it was the butter because I still had the Tinosan for all of the batches except the last one and they all separated.
  7. Thanks for the info, CBE. I have been mindful of my temps and I have tried both force cooling and letting the product cool naturally. This last batch has cooled naturally although the weather has been pretty cool the last couple of weeks. I was using the Tinosan preservative which worked fine but I am now using clear jars and the Tinosan is light sensitive. I switched to PerForm preservative and forgot to mention that this is another alteration from my original recipe. I want a preservative that is both formaldehyde and paraben free. If you don't mind sharing, what have you found works for you?
  8. Thanks for the link. That thread was very helpful. I joined that board a couple of months ago and forgot about it because I always come to CT.
  9. Yes, very expensive lesson learned. Now I have a bucket of green tea butter I won't use.
  10. I wanted to revive this post to see if anyone has had any luck making their own exotic butters. I used the green tea butter (palm oil) from Texas Natural and my body came out great. When I ran out of the gt butter, I ordered more from MM (veggie oil) and now all I get is a big mess. Grrrrr.
  11. I started making body butter using the green tea butter from Texas Natural. My first couple of batches came out perfect until I started trying to get creative. I ran out of gt butter so I ordered some from Majestic Mountain because it was cheaper. I was still experimenting and every batch began separating. I used the orange butter from MM and again, it separated. I finally tried my original recipe, the only the different was the MM green tea butter. Again, separation. I finally smartened up and compared the oils. Texas Natural uses a palm oil base, MM uses hydrogenated vegetable oil. I assume this is the problem, but I am going to order a small amount from TN to retest. Live and learn.
  12. I have read somewhere about over whipping can actually break an emulsion causing separation. Have you experienced this before? I am going to search the topic but thought I would throw the question out there while I was thinking about it. I was using a hand mixer but just bought a stand mixer as I read some people use them.
  13. Classic, Your wife is one lucky woman and I am sure she knows it. Ravens, Soy and Stella- you my girls! Sorry. We just got in from celebrating Valentine's with a group of friends and I had to share the love!
  14. No, I am not putting the blame on the company. I did not compare the ingredients from one company to the other so it is my fault. I just hope someone can learn from my mistake. I am out tons of money, time, not to mention a good batch of body butter. My skin is sad.
  15. Do you EVER have anything positive to say? I have read through many of your posts and, my goodness, you come across as a combative, negative, miserable person. The fact is that the original poster asked how long to cure a candle with no additives for whatever reason she has. Others came back with educated answers about crystal formation and resources to back it up. You immediately start attacking and belittling these people and give stupid advise with no resource other than how long you have been making and selling candles. It is not up to you to decide for everyone else what is the correct way to test, what is important and what is a waste of time. I read in another thread that someone asked you not to comment on a post if you had nothing positive to say. Obviously, the problem isn't with everyone else, it lies with you. The choice is yours. You can make it a great day or you can remain miserable. I hope you choose to make it a great day.
  16. I started making boddy butter a few months ago and I have been trying to add different herbs and ingredients for a specialized formula. Each new formulation I try keeps separating so I decided to go back to my original formula then take baby steps from there. Lo and behold, my original recipe seperated. I can't tell you all how many batches or how many dollars in ingredients I have wasted over the last few months. I realized today that the only change I have made as far as my original recipe is concerned is the supplier for my green tea butter. For my first batch I used the butter from Texas Natural and my problem batches have been made with the butter from Majestic Mountain (The Sage). I just compared the two butters and come to find out, Texas Natural uses a Palm Oil as the base and The Sage uses a cheap hydrogenated oil as it's base. Now I have to order more butter from TN and try again to see if this fixes the problem. Arrgh. I hate waiting for shipments.
  17. The bottom line is it is up to you to determine how much you want to know about your candles and the wax you use. It is obvious from this thread that some people prefer to start with the basics and progress in stages thereby learning what characteristics will change with each new addition. Others prefer to "just do it" and don't see the merits in the scientific approach. Some choose to share with you what has worked successfully for them, others choose to antagonize their peers for using their chosen method of testing. Ultimately it is up to you to decide what is the best approach for you and tweak it along the way. Personally, I would never go to a hairdresser who didn't study color theory and application and let her apply any old hair color to my hair because she put the same one on her cousin, Sally, and it looked great on her.
  18. Ignorance is bliss for some people, I suppose. I sure hope they are insured. :laugh2:
  19. Classic, I think you understand this business better than many that are already in business. It is your understanding and respect for research and quality control that will make you a success and instill customer confidence and loyalty once you are confident that you have produced a consistently high quality and safe product. As you can see from posts by Steve (Wessex), Bella Rose, Stella and EricofAz, research, then testing and continuous re-testing of your products is the most important factor in making a reliable, quality product. I firmly believe in baby steps. Start with the plain wax to get a general idea of wick size. Add one ingredient at a time to see how that alters your burn. Once you add your fragrance, you will more than likely have to test wicks again for ultimate ht and burn. You can't write a book if you don't know the alphabet. A professional, scientific approach should be taken when making candles. Too much is at risk if you jump in to making candles, gloss over the most important test phase then bring your product straight to market to make a quick buck. What if someone were to sue you because they were injured or had property damage because your candle caught on fire? If you don't have your research and testing documented, you won't have a leg to stand on. To answer your question about how long the candle should cure first, I would trust Stella's advice and reasoning and wait at least 48 hours for set-up. She has put in the time and research required to be truly successful. But the best thing you can do is pour a few plain testers. Burn one at 24 hours cure time, another at 48 hours and maybe another at 72 hours depending on the results and differences you see with the previous testers. This will give you a basic idea of how your chosen wax will set up in your climate under the same weather conditions. (Climate changes is a whole other topic). Once you achieve a good, even burn, test another. Then move on to stage 2: add an ingredient and repeat the testing. You will see that once you add fragrance, your cure time could take from a couple of day to a couple of weeks depending on your fo. Best of luck!
  20. And I would not want to be a customer of yours if this is your philosophy and business ethic. Make it a great day!
  21. As it should be when these people are selling to consumers who put forth their hard earned money as well as their trust that they are buying quality products. How many duds have been sold because of laziness and lack of due diligence? More importantly, how many lives have been risked by fires originating from poorly tested/made candles? It is sad to see that so many people have lost the values of quality, workmanship and responsibility because they are too lazy to do the testing or too selfish to make a quick buck.
  22. Over the counter products are never the way to go for skin care. They are buffered down so much they really aren't effective and many are filled with junk ingredients. Artificial fragrances and colors can irritate sensitive skin as well. Jojoba oil is one of the best hydrators to apply to the skin because it mimics the oil we produce so closely; however, to help with rosacea, you should use anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant ingredients as well. These will help soothe and strengthen the skin, protect the cells and reduce redness. If you are looking for a ready made, clinical strength product, search www.imageskincare.com You will have to call them to find a local supplier as Image only sells to physicians and estheticians. Trust me, their products are top notch. I am a licensed esthetician and have tried many products. For moisture, I would try the Hydrating Anti-Aging Serum (as long as you are not sensitive to the Vitamin C), The Max Creme (it is a ultra premium product but, oh so worth the money), or the Balancing Anti-Oxidant Serum.
  23. I would try them again. Parts of the country have been having really bad snow storms and business and shipping has been extremely affected by it.
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