Soap Makers Help!

[MullersLaneFarm]

Well, let's just hope they leave those beautiful soaps behind and when another family member notices that they did, gift the soaps to them.


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As an addendum. I know I'm new to this forum, but I'm not new to soapmaking. I don't claim to know everything, but I do claim to know a lot about the fatty acid makeup of soap recipes.

If I ever come across short and snotty, please consider that I work 4 days outside the home, comunting 2 hours and working another 10. One day a week, I work my outside job from home, so I'm only working about 9-10 hours that day. On the weekends, I'm working 5 hours on Saturday at Farmer's Market. Sunday morning is taken up with the glorious admiration of our Father above! I normally do not get on the internet during the weekend.

sooooo, if I'm short or snotty on answers on the weekdays, please realize I'm on my companies payroll and really shouldn't be answering on boards anyway!!!

 

[chiknwhisperer]

Well I certainly won't take it badly. It is very understandable with all the stuff that you do.

 

[redhead83402]

Quote:
Don't we all have our short & snotty moments? lol ~ at 5 foot nuthin', I am short & snotty almost all the time, ;-D ~

However ~ if you DO decide to answer a question or two, I'll just say ahead of time ~ thank you ~ cuz I DON'T have 10 yrs or even 3 months of soapmaking behind me ~ this is my first time ever ~ & I really appreciate EVERYONE who has contributed their knowledge & info on this thread. ;-D
~Red

 

[chiknwhisperer]

I'm sure we all love that all of you with experience have had so much patience with all our questions. Thanks everyone

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

BadBh
PM me if you have problems finding lye. I buy in bulk

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

Red,
That soap totally ROCKS!

I'm loving it!!

OK

Yes, I put EO/FO in all my soap. I've done this long enough, I know how my different EO , EO blends and EO/FO blends work.

Sometimes I have plenty of time, other times, I need to divide and add colorant like a mad woman.

If a soap traces too quickly for me, then I go with the flow. Instead of using a chop stick to swirl, I'll use a plastic spatula to 'plunge, scoop and swirl'

Meaning, if my base soap is too thick and my swirl color isn't thick enough, or just as thick as bse soap, I'll try to pour swirl soap from a great height, hoping to plunge colored soap into base soap (doesn't work, but I alway try!!). Then I take a rubber spatula, at a 45 degree angle and 'dip' the colored soap into the base, then bring it back up. It is trial and error, but you get a feel for it.

Then, since the soap is so thick anyway, I'll make swirls, dips, peaks on the top of the soap, giving it interest.

Since I use Kelsei slab mold (see url in previous post), when I put in the dividers, the colorant that remains on the top goes to the bottom with the dividers!!

Anyway, I LOVE the way your soap looks!

BirdBrain,

I could only dream that my soap baskets looked half as good as yours do!

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

Quote:
Red,
I think I love you

I got 4" on you but I still consider myself short and snotty - but I'm more snotty in the fiber world than I am in the soaping world.

I had some absolutely wonderful soapmaking mentors 10 years ago. All they ever asked of me was to share and pass on my 'secrets' of soapmaking.

Ahh, the 'secrets' aren't too secret in this day and age of the internet (me nearing 50).

So for one and all ... to forgive my 'shortness' and 'snottieness' in the future:

Teens like soaps that are high in OLEIC fatty acids

Men like soaps that are high in LAURIC fatty acids

Women over the age of 40 and ALL folks of COLOR like soaps high in LINOLEIC fatty acids.

There you go .... all my soaping 'secrets'.

Your challenge (and why I created my Excel spreadsheet found on the Yahoo group Tallow_Soapers) and then created into a web lye calculator (as long as it remained free to the soaping community) at www.soaperscalc.com (NOTE: no money is made by either url)

but back to the originial statement: Your challenge is to find out WHICH oils result in the fatty acids you want to create for the age/race group you are promoting your sales to.

And as a special note to chiknwhisperer that wrote
Quote:
All I have to say is that anyone that doesn't share their soaping experience with those around them are not confident of their own soaps.

I teach soapmaking in my small, rural community. I don't give out my 'ultimate' soap recipe, but on my soapmaking website, there are soap recipes that are very, very close (Check out the Aloe & Cream ... make sure you use high linoleic safflower/sunflower oil).

As I tell my students, "I'd rather teach many people how to make GOOD soaps, than have customers come up to me swearing they will NEVER use homemade soaps because of their bad experience with them." To those, I give a free bar of soap, ask them to use it as they see fit. They have become my regular customer base.

Never be afraid to make quality soap or give out good recipes to starting soapers.

I'm going to be. Have to be up at 2;30 am CST for work. ARGHH!

 

[BirdBrain]

Quote:
Thanks Cyndi,
I have been having a lot of fun with them. I found the baskets and 50% off and have wire edged ribbon from previous Christmas projects. I try to get a variety of colors and textures and a few light scents. Since I want a lot of color variation, I end up making about 10 different varieties in batches of about 50 ounces of oils. Then I cut the bars in half which gives me 30 half bars. Since I make about that many baskets, it works out. Some of the larger baskets have duplicates. The smaller baskets have 6 or so half bars.

By the way, I think you are selling yourself short. You can do every bit as good. Your swirl soaps I can only dream of copying at this point. I 'll tell you my secret on the baskets......I found some really lovely gift baskets and shamelessly copied them. Ok, now it is all out in the open and I feel better.

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Hey gang. I've been around, just busy. As much as I'd love to soap all the time, I do have a job to do, and it tends to hit me big time at the end of one month and beginning of the next.

Welcome to all the newbies! I welcome all those who are learning like me, and grateful to the knowledgeable folks who will impart their collective wisdom to help those of us who are just beginning this adventure. Thanks for your generosity!

I'll reply more thoroughly at a later time, but redhead83402's admission of her vertical challenges brought me out to post.

I'm also 5' nothin', although now that I'm getting older I may even be shrinking from that.

I just picked up a new supply of Olive Oil (I was out) so I can soap again sometime soon. I need more scents, so anyone who wishes to mention their favorites, I'm all ears. In particular, I'm looking toward Valentine's day ideas.

The lavender seems to be a favorite in our group - What is your favorite source for lavender EO's or FO's?

I've been playing around with my recipe and know I need to tweak it some - It's nice, but I think it needs more bubbles and I would like more conditioning. Any suggestions welcome. Right now I have Olive, Palm, Coconut, Avocado, and Castor. I'm thinking about buying more oils and would love to know what would be a nice addition to what I have.

And, I have a question - Target has, in the dollar section, some silicone baking molds in the shape of Christmas trees. Since some of the mold makers include silicone liners, I wonder if these molds could be used for soaping. I imagine that hearts are soon to follow and since I was about to buy some of those, maybe I can stock up when they come out if you guys think they'll work. Brambleberry has some nice looking imbed heart molds that look fun.

I really don't want (or need) much for Christmas, so I think I'm going to ask family for GC's from the various soaping websites.

 

[Backyard Buddies]

MullersLaneFarm
New Egg

From: north of Tampico IL

Hey, I know where that is! I have deep family roots just south of you in Bureau County, IL, as well as a few surrounding counties. I was just there in summer 2007.