rebeccajo99

If you have a water softener any hand made soap doesn't last as long. My mom has one and the same batch bar will last 1/2 as long if I use it at her house vs using at my house with no water softener. Seems it should be the opposite but it's not...guess the soft water softens it enough to where it washes it away quicker.

interesting find. I would have thought the same as you. I don't have a water softener... so that isn't my problem. I just started a test bar Saturday after having it sit out all week. We will see what happens with that one.

My cats tail went up in flames like a roman candle from one of my own candles as I was in the house getting ready for work in the bathroom with the candle right in front of me...hmmm...I wonder if I can sue myself for stupidity...lol :rolleyes2

Needless to say my cat never swhished her very fluffy tail again over one of my candles!

poor kitty. Even though that does sounds like something my kitty would do.

I think people these days are way to sue happy. Slapping all these warning labels on things will still not stop the village idiot. We just need to make our products safe enough for even the village idiot.

ok so 2 of my friends want to host a candle party for me, i have known them for a long time. and they want to put it in the paper, and want me to invite anyone that i wish to. well i was talking to my sister today and she said i shouldnt be inviting anyone because i am not hosting one. but if i dont invite my family and friends and they see it in the paper or somewhere else they might get a little mad about not being personally invited.

anyway what are your thoughts about this ?

If your friends are giving you permission to invite who you want... then why not. The only way I see it as a problem is if your friends did not say that you could.

I probably wouldn't invite my family just because they are constiantly getting my stuff to test and buy the stuff that i already have done, but that is just me and my family probably wouldn't come anyways. If your family is one to get mad... maybe say to them "my friends are hosting this party and are putting an advertisment in the paper. You are welcome to come if you want."

Thanks everybody for your help. I made up a couple of bars in some of the bases that I have and will let them sit out for a week.

Hopefully I have at least 1 that works the way that I want.

Thanks everybody for your comments. I have been without a computer for a week and came back to your nice comments.

Testing of this soap is going well so far and hope to be able to try some of your suggestions later this week.

I think I will keep the name after all of your comments.

Thanks again

I am trying to find a m&p base that last longer than 2 weeks in the shower without adding additives. I am making a 4 oz bar of soap and keep it out of the shower between uses, but it still only lasts about 2 weeks (depending on the base I use).

I want to make soaps that use the clear base for designs that I can market for shower/bath use. Whenever I add additives to the clear base... it clouds it up and you cannot see the designs.

I would like my bars to last 1 week for every oz of soap. Am I being unrealistic or is there a base out there that will give that to me.

Thanks in advance

thanks everybody for your nice comments and suggestions. My friends who have come over to look at them said they looked nice too.

I'm going to try some of the things that were suggested and see what happens.

I am still looking for a soap mold of the hope ribbon and I thank everybody who has posted in my other thread. I have always liked the look of a loaf mold over other shapes for decorative soap, but just could not figure out how I would do what I wanted for ”hope soap"

My husband came home from work the other day and we sat down and brainstormed together and this is what we came up with. I think it turned out ok, needs some work around the edges yet. I would appreciate any feedback on how to make it better.

Also, if you can help me think of a nice name for it. Once I get it how I want, I am going to use these soap as a way to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

I am looking for a soap mold for awareness ribbons. I want the ribbons to be by themselves so I can embed them into a larger bar, but want them big enough to fit in my bars without looking to small.

My main soap mold is 2.5 x 3.75 oval.

I found these on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/AWARENESS-RIBBON-Soap-Candy-Mold-Molds-8-Cavity-NEW_W0QQitemZ380106454766QQcmdZViewItem?rvr_id=&itemid=380106454766 which will fit my mold.

Is there any other companies out there that make these molds besides this ebay store???

Thanks in advance

Hi there flutterbye,

That's terribly sad news about your depart from the hand crafted candle world. I really do bet your candles are missed by everyone who sought them out.

Here's a thought for you that you could consider that I have used to overcome this problem.

"Your customers" aren't the people who are looking for those cheap run-of-the-mill, no heart and soul put into candles.

Your customers are those who truly appreciate a finely crafted product that you used your hands...heart...and soul...not a machine to create. ...Yes those people are out there.

When someone says something like:

Just laugh it off because you should not give a little rats tush about selling to them. They are the bargain seekers and would more likely cause you problems anyhow. They aren't looking for something of your caliber.

They simply want something to smell half-way good, look decent, and be CHEAP!

Here's a good tidbit of marketing advice I learned several years back about pricing.

"The marketplace takes you at your own appraisal"!!

If you compete with the discounters, what are you saying about your product? You are saying that what you make is as cheap and crappy as the Mainstays Candles at walmart.

Who cares if all the discounters are selling cheap stuff...the people who buy it know its cheap crap. But they are buying for different reasons than the people who are looking for the caliber of candles that you create.

If you put your heart and soul into making beautiful candles...then price them accordingly.

Don't try to be in a price competition...because you can't win (and you don't want to win at being the cheapest.)

Being the cheapest or even in the average price range is rarely the best profiting strategy.

You can always give compelling reasons with your marketing as to why your candles are worth much more than your closest competitor.

Don't worry about bargain shoppers...the upscale buyers are out there!!

Go find them!!

Holly

nicely said Holly

ok guys... finally got around to testing both bases (had them for a week now)

Initial impressions

1. both smelled the same

2. both appeared to be the same thinkness

3. both felt the same on my hands

4. both stung the same cuts on my hands:laugh2:

So I think they may be the same (let me know if you have any other questions)

I did not try them scented yet. I am told that some FO's are totally imcompatable with it that will turn them water. If somebody has a scent that they have tried that works, let me know and I will see if I have it and will try it scented for you. Otherwise... I am going to brainstorm and come up with a couple of scents and place an order for a bigger bottle.

Also, if anybody has a good place to purchase little 2 oz bottles that I can use to package them. That would be great. I am going to start doing research on that as well. Hopefully I can get these added to my line before the flu season is over

looks great!!!

I don't know how you would do it.... buy my guess would be pouring a flat candle.. and then when it is almost set up (soft and plyable yet) twisting it???

That would be my first guess on what to try

I am normally reluctant to use a place that does not show shipping costs because i take that into consideration when I am price shopping. I decided to bite the bullet on this company and try them anyways. (purchased some FO). I was so happy that I did, love every one that I got. shipping was very reasonable. They are now in my favorites and one of the first websites that I go when I am looking for products.

Love the cow one. Love them all... the cow is my favorite

I talked to them via e-mail and they said that they were working on the website. So I waited for today and just placed my order. (they also e-mailed me when they were finished working on it) With kids running around, don't have the opportunity to really sit on the phone. Love thier support via e-mail... I'm sure their phone support is top notch.

How does your love spell do. I can't stand that smell, but i have some of the scent here (and a bottle of lotion that somebody got me for christmas a few years ago... think maybe 1/8 is used )

Well... I just ordered a sample pack from BCN and Candles and Supplies. I like the sample size from BCN better since it was bigger So hopefully the 1.5 oz sample size from candles and supplies will be big enough for me to determine which one I like the best!!!

Have any of you placed an order with them today. I am trying to place an order for some samples and it keeps giving me a security error message. Trying to figure out if it is my computer or their website.

Thanks

I like that better. Doesn't look as busy. Only thing I'm wondering is about the scent name. It was hard to see with the picture, even blowing it up.

Thanks for the information. I am going to try that next time Off to the store to buy olive oil. My tests with the bars of only stearic are looking good, but the weighing of them is showing that is still loosing about .2 to .4 oz each day... which I don't think is going to withstand the length of time I want out of a shower bar.

I'm looking at hand sanitzers and was wondering if anybody has tried the sanitzer base from Candles and Supplies. The base from BCN seems to have good reviews on this board, but could not find anything on Candles and Supplies base.

Thanks in advance

I don't know where you are getting your base from, but I am having that to. I am playing around with coconut oil and stearic acid (i baught the palm stearic). I tried beeswax, but had to add additional additives since my bubbles dissapeared with the beeswax. All of which is supposed to be harden up the bar. I just poured some yesterday with just stearic and will start testing that to see what happens. You may want to give that a try as well.

I started playing around with powdered oxide in my soap. First batch... not so well. Lots of speckles, but only on the top of my soap. I was just going to chuck up this soap and make a chuck soap out of it, but have 2 quick questions.

1. should i cut off the speckles and throw that part away, or would it be safe to use in my chunks since it will be less concentrated.

2. I was going to make some green and red chunks as well for the "gumdrop buttons", but was not going to scent that because it will be such a small amount. Should I still put the Vanilla Stablizer in that since it will be surrounded by soap with the gingerbread scent.

Thanks in advance

I have a sample of it... but have not put it in wax yet. It smells good in the bottle.