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 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:13:21 GMT Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:13:21 GMT soap-making-essentials.com http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/preservatives.html I am looking for a preservative for use in solid lotion bars. I currently use Vitamin E in my soaps and lip balms and lotion bars but it doesn't seem Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:13:18 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/colouring-soap-and-lip-balms.html Which of the following are better for coloring soaps and which are better for adding just a hint of color to lip balms? Micas, Oxides or ultramarines? Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:12:07 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/colouring-soap.html I just want to find out the following about colouring soap: 1. At which stage do you add the colour, e.g. infuse in oil or add at trace. 2. Has cosmetic Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:10:54 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/cure-soap.html Why does it take so long to cure soap? Answer: Hi Grace, The cure time for cold process soap making is usually around 4 - 6 weeks. This is because it Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:05:05 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/soap-packaging.html I wanted to first compliment your soap packaging they are breath taking ideas...and I wanted to ask how did you make the flower embellish soap wraps? Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:01:51 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/goats-milk-soap.html I made a goats milk soap recipe using olive, palm, grapeseed, sweet almond and castor oils. The soap feels great and is very conditioning when you wash Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:57:47 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/homemade-soap-recipe-lemon-verbena.html A fresh and tart homemade soap recipe with a great checkerboard look. Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:10:29 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/big-batch.html My family fell in love with the Shea butter and Coconut milk soap recipe. I was wondering what would be the measurements in making a 10lbs batch for this Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:33:35 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/dead-sea-mud-soap.html Hi, I've been using your recipes for quite a while now. I love them! Almost always a perfect batch! I recently have been hearing a lot of great things Sat, 27 Feb 2010 16:40:54 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/very-fast-soap-trace.html I made a small test batch of soap that firmed up very fast, even before adding the EO blend and about 20 seconds after adding the Coconut Milk and Lye Sat, 27 Feb 2010 16:08:21 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/lasting-scents.html I was wondering what's the best way to store and preserve the scents in cold process soap until it's time to be sold? Answer: The best thing you can Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:13:23 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/giving-your-soap-a-whipped-top.html Hi Cathy, I have been making soap for a while now but can't seem to get the whipped topping look to my soaps. I've used a plastic bag filled with soap Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:08:22 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/shrink-wrapper-for-soap.html I am looking for a good shrink wrap for my soaps. I want something that give a bit of protection but allows the smell to come through - can anyone point Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:54:36 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/white-soap-bars.html Am trying to get my bars of soap to come out white. I don't know if using titanium dioxide would work or maybe using either goat's milk,coconut milk pretty Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:19:09 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/safflower-oil.html Safflower oil is a great oil to add to a handmade soap recipe. Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:11:56 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/homemade-soap-recipe-cocorosa.html This palm free homemade soap recipe is a great choice for the woman of the house. Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:56:26 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/recipe-for-raspberry-and-almond-soap-please.html Hello, My fiance and I would like to make soap for favours at our wedding in May. We are new to soap making and have researched the cold process method. Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:35:01 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/does-lard-smell-bad.html I have only made one batch of soap so far and can't wait to have another go! But this time I wondered about making it with Lard because its so inexpensive Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:01:07 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/olive-oil1.html I am a new soap maker. I have made two batches of soap and I don't really like the way they look. They have a brown discolor to them. Is this because Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:13:50 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/colorants.html Hello, I am just starting to make cold processed soap (room temp my favorite too). I am wondering how you get your soaps such awesome colors. I am experimenting Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:43:54 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/homemade-soap-recipe-rum-runner.html This palm free homemade soap recipe is a great choice for the man of the house. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:21:22 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/camellia-oil1.html Hello, I love your website. Your recipes sound great! I want to try the Camellia Oil Coconut Milk Soap, but I am having a hard time finding Camellia Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:17:22 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/sour-smell-of-goats-milk.html Hi! I'm quite new at soap making. I made my very first batch two days ago :-) I used goats milk instead of water and now, when I touch the soap bars, I Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:10:12 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/preservatives-in-soap.html Preservatives, though optional for soap, are extremely necessary for bath and body products containing water. Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:05:22 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/tea-tree-essential-oil.html Tea tree essential oil is a fantastic ingredient in antiseptic and acne fighting soaps. Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:32:47 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/different-lye-calculators-give-indicate-differant-amount-of-fluids.html Hi Cathy Thanks very much for helping me with structuring my recipes. I have already made the soap and I am waiting for it to cure and to test. I wanted Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:32:02 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/soap-painting.html I have been using Black Iron Oxide to paint on my soaps (i.e. tiger stripes on an orange tiger). I find that, even after a day, the pigment wants to Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:36:13 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/i-got-mold-growing-on-top-of-my-soap.html Hi There, I just made a batch of soap with ground calendula petals inside the bars and whole calendula petals sprinkled on top. Well, it has been curing Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:12:44 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/trying-to-locate-bulk-camellia-oil.html Cathy, I've been mostly everywhere I can think of on the web to find bulk camellia oil. I've found Camelina oil..but looking for Camellia. Do you have Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:46:56 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/do-small-home-businesses-actually-have-all-their-products-lab-tested.html Hi, I am starting a small business (nearly ready to open my site!) and the more that I learn the more I hear about the darn FDA! I understand about Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:49:17 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/natural-sunscreen.html First of all - your site is wonderful! I am new to the soap making world and am trying to start a small business. I have gotten such great advice from Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:41:27 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/goat-milk-soap-recipe.html Hi Cathy Thank you so much for all your information and advice. It is much appreciated. I hope you could help me. I am currently making goat milk soap Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:53:49 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/separating-cold-process-method.html This is first soap attempt, used the following recipe The five main ingredients are 900ml water, 295g caustic soda (make sure you buy pure sodium hydroxide Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:15:25 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/equipment-for-lotion-making.html I am trying to find any information on equipment for making lotions and body butters using extruders and large floor model mixers like the ones that are Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:40:28 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/switching-oils-in-a-recipe.html Hello I'm wanting to make my FIRST EVER BATCH of soap and I'm sooo excited! Your website has really inspired me! I've read so much without actually having Wed, 10 Feb 2010 04:03:29 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/lard-soap-making.html Lard...a great alternative to Palm oil. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:15:28 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/colouring-soaps-naturally.html I want to colour my soaps naturally. what type of clays can i use and what amount must i add to my soap batch. e.g. if the soap batch is 2 pounds, how Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:34:36 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/homemade-soap-recipe-fresh.html Fresh! is a homemade soap recipe that's perfect for adding some get up and go to your morning...a beautiful blue bar scented with lavender, rosemary and eucalyptus. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:13:11 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/homemade-soap-recipe-shea-coconut.html Sensitive skin rejoice...this homemade soap recipe produces a luxuriously rich, creamy and conditioning bar. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:12:22 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/eo-percentages.html Cathy, I recently noted in one of your answers that you made soap using 20 Patchouli, 10 Cinnamon, 20 Rosewood, and 50 orange to make a scent blend. Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:30:50 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/mp-swirling.html I haven't been able to get really nice swirls with melt and pour soaps. I've tried a few different methods but I find one of two things usually happen: Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:31:25 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/soap-swirling.html I'm not a newbie at making soap, however I don't know how to make the beautiful swirls in the soap. I've tried searching for a video but couldn't find Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:45:38 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/question-about-fixatives.html Hi, First off, AWESOME site you've got here! My question is.. how much fixative do you use? say your total EO's are 20ml, how much of that should be Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:07:32 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/how-can-remove-the-smell-of-shea-butter-or-other-dirty-oils.html i have a small quantity of shea butter (around 10 kgm) they have a bad smell . how can i remove this smell before using them in soAP MAKING Answer: Dear Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:09:51 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/camellia-oil-coconut-milk-soap.html Camellia oil coconut milk soap....this homemade soap recipe produces a luxuriously rich, creamy and conditioning bar. Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:05:46 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/how-to-get-blue.html I have been asked to make soap favors for my nieces wedding, would love if you would share with me how to get the blue you achieved in the Eucalyptus Tea Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:16:54 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/soap-for-teeth.html Hello, I hope it's okay to post this question here, as it isn't a question relating to soap making. I recently came across some American businesses Sun, 31 Jan 2010 04:43:51 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/dry-skin-vs-oily-skin-recipes.html I see lots of bar soap recipes on the Internet, but I haven't found recipes that are designed specifically for dry skin, normal skin and oily skin. My Sat, 30 Jan 2010 02:09:07 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/peanut-oil.html Hello, I am loving the site, one of the best I have found( admittedly I've only been making soap a few months) but one of my favorites. I got one of the Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:26:27 GMT http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/making-whipped-cream-soap.html Are there any other substitutes for Shea Butter and Castor oil in the whipped cream soap recipe? Shea Butter and castor oil is rather hard to find, Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:51:35 GMT