http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/soap-making-blog.html The Soap Blog is a great way to keep up-to-date with what's happening at soap-making-essentials.com. Subscribe here. en-us soap making Sun, 13 May 2012 15:49:45 GMT Sun, 13 May 2012 15:49:45 GMT soap-making-essentials.com http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/using-liquid-lye-solutions.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/using-liquid-lye-solutions.html I am looking for a basic recipe, olive oil and coconut oil , I will be using a liquid lye solution 30% lye concentration. How much oils do I need and do Sun, 13 May 2012 15:49:42 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/potassium-hydroxide-soap-turning-reddish.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/potassium-hydroxide-soap-turning-reddish.html I made a batch of liquid soap paste with cocoa butter, castor oil and coconut oil - I diluted it a few times with great results, nice clear golden toned Sun, 13 May 2012 15:26:59 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/substituting-oils.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/substituting-oils.html If I do not have Shea Butter can I substitute with another oil? Answer: You certainly can use other oils in a soap making recipe. Visit my page on Sat, 12 May 2012 16:57:19 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/cocoa-in-soap-making.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/cocoa-in-soap-making.html Can we use cocoa powder/ovaltine in soap making? Answer: You certainly can use cocoa powder in soap making. Not sure about ovaltine as I am unaware of Sat, 12 May 2012 16:51:05 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/goats-milk.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/goats-milk.html Why my goats milk turn brown? Answer: Goat's milk and lye react with one another so a soap made with goat's milk will turn brown and sometimes even orange. Sat, 12 May 2012 16:47:31 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/substitute-and-change-recpie.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/substitute-and-change-recpie.html Can I change recipe from palm oil to vegetable oil or another oil I already have? Answer: Visit my page about Soap Making Oils and scroll down to the Sat, 12 May 2012 16:44:03 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/essential-oils-and-children.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/essential-oils-and-children.html When making soap that children will be using do i need to use less essential oils? Answer: I would keep the essential oils on the lower side but the Sat, 12 May 2012 16:37:28 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/liquid-soap-separating.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/liquid-soap-separating.html I'm trying to make liquid castile soap, but it keeps separating no matter what I do. Any ideas? Answer: Sorry but I specialize in cold process soap making Sat, 12 May 2012 16:26:20 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/how-do-i-thicken-up-my-homemade-conditioner.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/how-do-i-thicken-up-my-homemade-conditioner.html My conditioner is too thin, can I add something to thicken it up? If so, what, and how much per 8 oz of conditioner would I add?? Answer: Sorry but Sat, 12 May 2012 16:23:02 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/using-diluted-caustic-soda.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/using-diluted-caustic-soda.html I have a bottle of diluted caustic soda. Its 30% . What are the quantites i should use when making hp soap. Answer: I'm afraid I am not familiar with Thu, 10 May 2012 03:59:53 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/does-oatmeal-settle-in-melt-and-pour-soap.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/does-oatmeal-settle-in-melt-and-pour-soap.html I am using melt and pour soap and the oatmeal seems to be settling at the bottom of the mold. Answer: Oatmeal can settle to the bottom of the soap mold Wed, 09 May 2012 04:36:50 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/orris-root-benefits.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/orris-root-benefits.html I was readying your recipe for salt bars and it sounds lovely. May I ask what orris root adds to the soap and or why it is used? Thank you so much. Wed, 09 May 2012 04:33:19 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/color-confusion.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/color-confusion.html Hi, I am confused about adding mineral pigments in cold process soap so I have few questions about it. How many grams of mineral pigments do you recommend Wed, 09 May 2012 04:31:05 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/real-lemon-juice-in-soap.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/real-lemon-juice-in-soap.html Hello. I barely received my first order of shea butter melt & pour soap, and i wanted to test it out, so i melted a little cube of soap and i aded 3 lemons Wed, 09 May 2012 04:21:30 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/soap-without-coconut-oil.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/soap-without-coconut-oil.html Can you use vegetable shortening and olive oil without adding coconut oil to make soap? thanks! Answer: Soap can be made from any oil or combination Wed, 09 May 2012 04:14:27 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/how-do-you-determine-how-much-stearic-acid-to-add.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/how-do-you-determine-how-much-stearic-acid-to-add.html Hi Cathy...Thank you so much for answering everyone's questions. :) I have been learning a lot! Thanks Again. Now It's my turn for a question......or 2. Mon, 07 May 2012 13:46:18 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/storage-during-curing-time.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/storage-during-curing-time.html I am trying to figure the best way to store the soap while it is curing for 5-6 weeks. Does it have to sit out in the air totally? I am concerned about Fri, 04 May 2012 06:12:25 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/are-mp-fo-the-same-as-cp-fo.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/are-mp-fo-the-same-as-cp-fo.html I am new to Cp and was wondering, some of the craft stores carry alot of M&P supplies and they carry FO and EO but they just say soap making. Would they Fri, 04 May 2012 06:05:20 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/vanilla-powder-in-rt-method.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/vanilla-powder-in-rt-method.html I read about the Room Temperature Method and now is my favorite method!! I want to ask you if I can use Vanilla Powder in trace. Answer: I'm not familiar Fri, 04 May 2012 05:59:21 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/what-size-soap-recipe-will-work-in-a-85-crockpot.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/what-size-soap-recipe-will-work-in-a-85-crockpot.html I bought a 8.5 crockpot what is the largest size recipe that will work in this? Answer: Hot process soap batter will bubble up quite a bit during the Fri, 04 May 2012 05:54:10 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/sulphur-soap-not-getting-hard.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/sulphur-soap-not-getting-hard.html I'm making soap with sulphur in it using the hot process method. It is not setting up. What could I be doing wrong? Answer: Miss measuring the ingredients, Fri, 04 May 2012 05:45:35 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/too-much-essential-oil.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/too-much-essential-oil.html I made some homemade shampoo and put in too much peppermint oil. Will it still be safe to use? Answer: Peppermint can be sensitizing to some individuals Fri, 04 May 2012 05:39:05 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/all-my-batches-failed.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/all-my-batches-failed.html I have attempted several batches of soap to no avail. At first I couldn't figure out what went wrong but I luckily spotted that the olive oil I'd been Wed, 02 May 2012 05:49:57 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/palm-oilcoconut-oil-mix-up.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/palm-oilcoconut-oil-mix-up.html Some time ago I bought two large tubs one each of coconut oil and palm oil. I my recent move the lids with the names for these pails were removed. Now Wed, 02 May 2012 05:40:14 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/brown-streaks-through-out-my-soap.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/brown-streaks-through-out-my-soap.html I made a Room Temperature Cold Process Soap 4 days ago and I allowed it to cure about 24 hours in the wooden mold I have and put the secure fitting Lid Wed, 02 May 2012 05:36:45 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/substuite-for-vanilla-absolute.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/substuite-for-vanilla-absolute.html I am new to making soap and have a recipe that calls for vanilla absolute. Is there a substitute for this? Can I use FO or EO instead? Thanks Answer: Wed, 02 May 2012 05:28:36 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/local-suppliers-vs-purchasing-online.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/local-suppliers-vs-purchasing-online.html I started making my own soap about a year ago. I love it - cannot say enough good things about its amazing benefits! I'm having a problem with not Wed, 02 May 2012 05:26:47 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/what-is-free-fatty-acid-formula.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/what-is-free-fatty-acid-formula.html How do we determine free fatty acid of a medicated soap? Answer: You may want to pose this question to a chemist as I am unable to supply you with an Wed, 02 May 2012 05:21:12 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/fda-guidelines.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/fda-guidelines.html Hi, First I want to say : I love your site, and am so thankful to have stumbled across it months ago!!!!! I have asked a few questions here and there, Sat, 28 Apr 2012 05:03:15 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/natural-colorant-darkening-after-cure.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/natural-colorant-darkening-after-cure.html Hello, I use a soap recipe that is tried and true. I use a wooden soap mold that I insulate with a blanket for the first 24 hours. I recently started Sat, 28 Apr 2012 04:31:55 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/essential-oils-additives.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/essential-oils-additives.html If I want to add essential oils not found in a soap recipe, do I need to recalculate the liquid or just add them in addition to the amounts given? Answer: Sat, 28 Apr 2012 04:24:04 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/cows-milk-liquid-soap.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/cows-milk-liquid-soap.html Is it possible to use cow's milk for the dilution of the paste instead of water? I've seen the recipes for adding slushy to frozen milk for the lye/water Sat, 28 Apr 2012 04:19:07 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/cpop-sank-why.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/cpop-sank-why.html I followed the CPOP soap recipe from 'Lemon Coconut Cream Soap recipe'. to the 'T'. I was excited to give this new technique a try, particularly after Sat, 28 Apr 2012 04:08:02 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/selling-soap1.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/selling-soap1.html Hey there! I've been considering trying to sell my soap at a local farmers' market and had a few questions about some logistics. If any of you have ever Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:56:39 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/low-ph-in-liquid-soap.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/low-ph-in-liquid-soap.html I used citric acid to lower the ph in my liquid soap. I put too much in and the ph is now 6. I would like to raise it to 8 or 9. Is there a way that I Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:49:37 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/my-lye-solution-and-oils-separated-what-do-i-do-now.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/my-lye-solution-and-oils-separated-what-do-i-do-now.html I have a bowl of stuff, thick stuff topped with oils that smell like lavender and vanilla. What am I supposed to do with that stuff? Answer: I would Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:40:00 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/citrus-essential-oils-in-room-temp-soap.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/citrus-essential-oils-in-room-temp-soap.html The smell of citrus essential oils always evaporates in cold process soap... does the room temperature method help this problem? Thanks, Ornitte Answer: Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:35:10 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/silica-microspheres-in-whipped-body-butter-recipe.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/silica-microspheres-in-whipped-body-butter-recipe.html I am wanting to add silica to my whipped body butter recipe because I heard it helps the butter absorb into the skin better. I am not sure how much Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:30:20 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/substitution.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/substitution.html So, I own a winery and I want to make soap. Is it possible to substitute wine for the water? Or at least grape juice? I'd love to incorporate our wine Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:27:23 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/floating-soap.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/floating-soap.html Using say a glycerin base melt and pour soap, what can I do to make it float or is there another base I can use to make a melt and pour soap that floats? Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:21:05 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/dark-ring-in-soap.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/dark-ring-in-soap.html What causes a dark ring in my goat milk soap? Answer: Most likely the soap didn't reach a full gel. What you are likely seeing is a partial gel. The Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:14:54 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/soap-lost-its-scent.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/soap-lost-its-scent.html I made a few of your recipes and two of them have lost their scent. They are still curing as it`s been 3 weeks only. Should I rebatch the soap. They Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:12:36 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/layering-soap-problems.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/layering-soap-problems.html I made a batch of cp soap and poured the second layer over the first like I usually do and this time the second layer popped off after it cured and cut. Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:05:33 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/is-the-business-of-soap-making-profitable.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/is-the-business-of-soap-making-profitable.html I am currently in a women's home and we are trying to find ways to involve the women in bringing income to the home. An idea was selling home-made soaps. Mon, 23 Apr 2012 02:53:50 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/bath-bombs.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/bath-bombs.html Can I use liquid sodium lauryl sulfate for making bath bombs? Answer: I'm afraid I do not know anything about using sodium lauryl sulfate of any kind. Mon, 23 Apr 2012 02:31:50 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/no-suds.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/no-suds.html I just started making soap using the melt and pour methods. I have used the shea butter and some of the goats milk bases. Some of the soap doesn't Mon, 23 Apr 2012 02:29:30 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/hand-blender.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/hand-blender.html If I use my hand blender to make soap can I still use it to cook with? Answer: No, you should not cook with your hand blender after using it to make Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:23:23 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/substitute-for-coconut-oil-palm-oil-oil.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/substitute-for-coconut-oil-palm-oil-oil.html I read that the palm oil is not environmentally friendly and coconut oil, although is very cleanse but creates dry skin. I read the table in section Soap Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:53:24 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/strange-colors-of-my-soap.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/strange-colors-of-my-soap.html Last night I made my new batch of soap. I have included almond oil 3.79%, avocado oil 0.91%, coconut oil 25.99%, grape seed oil 9.05%, olive oil 36.56%, Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:28:53 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/mixing-dried-fruit-herbs-leaves-in-the-cp-soap.html http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/mixing-dried-fruit-herbs-leaves-in-the-cp-soap.html I have used Ann Watson's book with great success and in her recipe for the first try which contains shea butter, olive oil and coconut oil I want to add Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:12:37 GMT