ProudMarineMom

Sweetgrass is a very nice fragrance. I picked some up from Southern Soapers to make a batch of soap for a friend of mine. But, they stopped carrying it so have been on the lookout for others. Good luck on the signature scent.

Moonshine, will have to pick up the ones from AH. Have you tried the Sweetgrass and Cedar? I like that 'Horse Whispers'.

Is it anhydrous or are you using water, emulsifier, etc.? If it's just butter and oils you should be able to remelt and whip it. Might want to up your oils or soft butters a bit. If it is an emulsified recipe that you won't be able to remelt.

The last batch of just whipped butter I made, which was a while ago, was pretty firm. I used a recipe of 40% hard butter, 40% soft butter, 18% oils, and 1% each Vitamin E and FO. In my notes I say that the oil percentage needed to be upped, but I haven't played with since then. It was a very nice butter, just not as creamy as I wanted.

My body butter is made with water so it has an emulsifier. I use 20% oils and 10% hard butters in the recipe. I don't go crazy with the whipping but I do use my kitchen aid. I get a much smoother texture than using a stickblender or hand mixer.

Our own Barbara has a few vids and there are soapers from all over the world sharing their ideas but they don't ususally give out their formulas.

Barbara has some excellent videos. Great mention, Steve.

Chandler, this might be Quietgirl's recipe I had found in a thread. But, I can't confirm for sure. The post said it was Quiet's except that the Kokum was Shea.

Coconut oil 15%

Safflower oil 25%

Crisco 15%

Kokum Butter 5%

Olive oil 25%

PKO 15%

Judy, the first book I picked up was 'Smart Soapmaking' by Anne L. Watson. She covers the equipment that is needed and breaks everything down into steps. There are even some very simple recipes. Alicia Grosso also has a book called 'The Everything Soapmaking Book'. There are several editions on Amazon. Her newest version is due out in December but I haven't bought her book yet. She is a well-respected member on another forum and when she mentioned she was updating her book, I decided to wait for the new one.

One of the best websites is Miller Soap. http://www.millersoap.com/ A lot of good information including troubleshooting, info on rebatching and a section of other people's horror stories. As you know, you can learn a lot from your mistakes.

I have this blog marked because she is very creative with her soap designs. She usually has a video on how she makes the soaps as well. Not starting from scratch but once you have the batter made.

http://soapandrestless.blogspot.com/search/label/Cold%20Process%20Soap

I agree with Lorelei, Soap Queen is very good as well.

And of course, you need Soap Calc. Even though you get a tried and true recipe from someone, it's always best to run it through Soap Calc to check the lye. One reason is an experienced soapmaker may use a more concentrated lye solution. Or, the recipe could have been typed incorrectly. For your first batches, you will probably want to use full water or close to it. I think I started with a 30% lye concentration. I now do 33-35% depending on the recipe or fragrance oil. More experienced soapmakers will go as high as a 40% lye solution.

http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp

I think Brambleberry and a couple of other places have a lye calculator as well. I prefer Soap Calc. The one from Summer Bee Meadow I use if I need to resize a batch for a mold. You enter the recipe and click the button. After the recipe redisplays, at the bottom you can enter the dimensions of the mold and get your recipe resized for that mold.

http://summerbeemeadow.com/content/lye-calculator-and-recipe-resizer

Other than that, a good scale, stickblender and work in grams. I absolutely love to make soap! Hope you enjoy it as well.

J

eta: Forgot this link. Good place to calculate a different lye concentration or determine a lye concentration.

http://www.rivercitysoaps.com/dwcp/watercalc.php

Thank you. You just helped me rename NG Christmas Cravings. I knew it was "spice" something but could not think of another word. THIS is it!

Glad I could help!

J

Country Feast, Country Bake, Farmhouse Dinner, Farmhouse Spice or Rustic Spice

All I can come up with...

The color morph does happen because certain colors don't like a high pH, which happens when you have the lye/fat reactions.

Yes this, high PH is what I meant and explained badly. Thank you Janet for making that more clear.

I think the Ruby Red mica from the Conservatorie does pretty good, but am not 100% sure yet. I used it in a batch that I accidentally added TD before pouring off the colors, so they were muted. It was still red, just not the bright red I was going for.

Wow, just looked at Conservatorie to make sure it was Ruby Red I was talking about. The have line in the details that says Soap Making Process and whether it's stable or not. That is new.

Sometimes it can be a combination of both. One of the more experienced CP'ers can probably give you a better explanation, but I will give it a try.

The color can morph in CP soap due to the reaction with the lye. This is why you look for colors that are CP Stable. Not all websites have that information so it is trial and error at that point. Which is why taking notes is so important. If I have a color that doesn't have CP info or I can't find if anyone has tested it, I will do small tests myself. I generally have batter left over after pouring in my molds. So, in the beginning, before adding fragrance or anything else, I make a little cup of the soap, about 2 oz, with the new color and pour into an individual silicone mold. That way I can see what the color does during the cure. Also, if you gel your soap the colors can become darker or brighter, however you want to look at it.

Fragrance oils can also discolor your soap. That information is generally listed on the supplier sites. It can range anywhere from a light ivory to a dark brown, those with quite a bit of vanilla in them for example. The discoloration will also change how the final color looks. You can add titanium dioxide to help fight the discoloration, but any other color you add will lean toward pastel. Or, you can pour off some soap for swirls, topping, whatever, before adding the fragrance oil.

In my recipes I have also noticed certain things can change the look of my colors sometimes, such as honey, buttermilk or teas. But, that is probably in combination with my soap recipe as a whole, not just because of those specific ingredients. Again, you have to work with it and take notes.

I really like and use a lot of micas and trying to learn how to use natural colorants as well. There are also ultramarines, oxides, pigments, liquids, and gels like you use. For micas, TKB Trading is excellent. They have a lot of info about each mica, whether it is stable in CP soap and if it will bleed. I also get quite a few from the Conservatorie. But, they don't have CP information listed. Other places like Brambleberry or MMS have ultramarines, oxides and pigments in addition to some micas.

There are also certain ingredients in micas that are known not to be CP stable. Such as carmine (found in reds) and I think it's ferric ferrocyanide (found in blues) that will morph. But sometimes, you can get some real pretty colors from a morph. BB Celini Blue will morph into a purple or a mauve, depending on your recipe.

Sorry, information overload. Hope that helps out some.

J

I bought some off the classies here because I wanted to see how close it was. I had tried the version from Brambleberry and that wasn't close to me at all. Sweetcakes is closer, but still missing some of the sweetness I remember. Now, I tried it in lotion and scrubs, not soap. Maybe it would cure out differently. I have enough left, might have to give it a try.

Back in the day that was my favorite shampoo and cream rinse. Absolutely loved it.

That is really cool. I love it!!

If I've read the labeling requirements correctly, plus all the information here on the board, the label should indicate the actual net weight (or fluid ounces if a liquid). Don't know how they have it listed on their label, but probably just giving an idea of the jar size used for the product. My 4 oz jars hold 4 ounces of bath salts but only 2 ounces of bath milk. Kind of gives you a perspective.

I originally grabbed some IPM from Southern Soapers before they went out of business. After that, Lotioncrafter. They have great products and customer service. And, shipping is pretty reasonable as well. But, if you can find it at a supplier you already use, all the better.

I recently found another supplier that I have been getting some ingredients because LC doesn't have them and the prices are pretty darn good. You do have to look at the different shipping options to find the best price. So far, the products I have ordered seem to be good quality. Place is called The Chemistry Connection (Save on Citric) - not the same place as The Chemisty Store.

http://www.saveoncitric.com/ismy.html

Good luck with your whipped butter!

J

IPM would probably work good for what you are trying to accomplish. It will cut the greasiness and help the butters sink in. I wouldn't go overboard with the IPM because it can make the butter a bit more difficult to spread and might feel drying. Are you using an emulsifier or just making a whipped butter?

In my body butter I use Dry Flo, don't need much, because it gives me a nice slip and bit of a silky feeling. But, it's designed to just apply and let sink in.

Holy cow, Scented, those are gorgeous! Love the Amber Sunset. The layers are perfect.

I've seen the basket boxes at Papermart, Nashville Wraps and others, but they are too big for soap. So, not sure where they are getting that size. I know they must have them, Krystal's and White Castle use something similar for their little square hamburgers.

Madina here as well.

I ordered Red Maple Leaf, Lavender & Chamomille, Salty Sea Air and Kettle Corn today. Will get them in soy next weekend.

I'd be really interested in what you think of the first three.

I have a list going (and added a couple of these!) but when I went to place my little order, oils were like $25 and shipping was $11. I decided to wait until I need more.

Make sure you are on their mailing list, you can sign up from the News, Sales and Updates link. Usually around August they have a sample scent event where the 1oz size is less than half price. Great time to try a lot of their oils.

Paul, thanks for posting about their new oils. Haven't buzzed by their site lately.

I used to use their Mango Sage Tea.

They have that one in their test market fragrances. Have you tried it again to see how it compares to the old version?

I am signed up too and received notning. Do you know if the Lily of the Valley was their old formula or a new one? In the old one, you could actually smell the green in it without it taking over the flower petal part of the scent. Their old Pumeria was beyond amazing too.

No, sorry I don't. When I started making candles they were pretty much out of business. So, never had an opportunity to try their fragrances. Thought I had read, somewhere on the board, that their Osmanthus was one of the best. They have that one in their test fragrances.

They had Lily of the Valley, Plumeria and Hawaiian Sandalwood on co-op in April. I'm signed up for their newsletter but did not get the notice. Apparently they are also advertising on Facebook, which I don't have. The first two sold out but they are supposed to be putting them back in their stock fragrances. Hawaiian Sandalwood has already been added.

I think their Blackberry Fig is the best out of the original 5 they offered. Ordered more of that to try in CP as well as the Hawaiian Sandalwood. Just poured a CP test batch of that. Candybee said it was a unique fragrance and it really is. It's definitely a sandalwood plus other notes that make it complex. I really liked it in my oil warmer. Also ordered the Harvest Fields test fragrance. Thought it might be a good fragrance for a wheat beer soap. It's a fresh, earthy fragrance. Might be a good Fall scent that is a little different than the pumpkins and spices.

EF, let us know how you like your samples. Since they now have them in the smaller sizes might try a couple more.

I placed an order with them and had to make changes. They were wonderful to deal with and made the process very easy. Their customer service has been top-notch for me.

Surely you're not Tolkien about us!

Too funny!!

Right now my favorite is Oregon Trails Egyptian Musk. Love, love love it in soap.

And a successful one. Very pretty!

Yup, see the faces. Pretty soap, though!