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Hello @patcroz , You can check this thread about the longevity of soaps. https://www.soapmakingfriend.com/forum/threads/longevity.11/

Hello Daphne, I am from Lebanon, and we have been in an economical crisis for 2 years and I have been in a similar situation. I switched to creams and lotions, and some easy formulations such as scrubs and body oils. I am making enough profit to maintain my business. In some cases I give...

I usually use what is called "Hydrolat", it is the aqueous phase of the essential oil extraction by steam distillation. It contains the volatile compounds that are water soluble. They do have a smell that is different from the essential oil but is acceptable. The research is scant on Hydrolats...

Hello @LisaLopez, From the first look, you took a dive on the deep end of the soapmaking pool. You started with a very complicated recipe. The first remark, is that you did not reach a trace. But the amount of solid particles thickened it a lot. It would not be good news for your stick...

Sorry I cannot suggest a recipe, it is a costly and a long process. I can correct a recipe if you wish.

Hello @pankaj, A soap is usually designed to remove unwanted stuff from hair/skin/... So adding water soluble molecules to your shampoo bar is not a great strategy because it will wash off with the water and go down the drain. The best approach is to use conditioners that are nonionic and are...

Hello @Mike365, I would suggest that you modify your recipe as following: - Olive oil - 74% - Coconut Oil - 22% - Hemp Oil - 2.7% - Jojoba Oil - 1.3% I usually do not recommend superfatting, but if you wish just leave the Jojoba oil out of the lye calculation and use it as an external...

Do not worry about the soap, just leave it covered with a nylon sheet, or isolated from ambient humidity, for at least 72 hours and the reaction will finish, then redo the zap test just to make sure. In the case that you may have exceeded the required lye content, do not worry also, just leave...

Sorry for the late reply, but usually my weekends are usually electronics free. As for your question, the loss is not uniform molecule-wise, a fragrance contains a mixture of molecules with different volatilities, so you will loose the most volatile first and you will remain with the less...

Fragrances/Perfumes/Essential oils are cold mistresses when it comes to soap, only with experimentation and extensive notetaking that you master the art of adding them. My recommendation is to smell it during baking, then after cooling, then after 48/72 hours, then after 1 month and if you have...

Usually the recommendation is to not go above 5% or you risk irritation. But depending on the fragrance/perfume, you can play it safely between 1 and 3%. and yes, the best way to go is by your own sight and smell.

For: 1. The timing is about right, but always better to check the pH or do the Zap test. if you like looking at videos, I recommend the Martin de Candre soapmaking workshop (Saponification - @martindecandre) they show their whole process on instagram and frankly I found it very helpful, they use...

To the best of my knowledge it is difficult to find triglycerides of one single type of fatty acids. On the other hand, you can find easily (on amazon, ...) purified fatty acids. The most common known fatty acid is stearic acid, it is used in soap and candle making and relatively cheap. Oleic...

I agree with all what Yooper said, but I would like to add a few more notes. 1. What is the max temp you would heat your oil/lye mixture to make sure it does not burn? I assume you are taking about the hot process temp, not the cold process. There are several parameters to take into account...

Hello @Homeslice, All fragrances/perfumes/essential oils are constituted of several molecules (unless you are using a simple molecule as a fragrance (i.e.: menthol). Those molecules that constitute the mix of the fragrance have different volatilities and of course properties. So the safest way...

You're most welcome Homeslice, Hello to you in Texas from Lebanon, too. I hope to visit it one day just to learn how to make brisket. I buy my FOs from local dealers, so sorry no websites to recommend, but I can recommend the manufacturers but you have to look for local dealers in your area or...

Hello Homeslice, There is such a thing such as soap fragrance/perfume, but they are usually custom made in Houses of Perfumes according to customers requirements, usually they are sold in bulk and are exclusive to big soap manufacturers. So usually soap makers do not have access to them (at...

Volcanoing is due to what is called a temperature gradient, the surface is cooler than the middle, so when the honey overheats the middles, the paste will dilate and crack the surface to make room for the new volume, but when the whole soap is heated it will dilate evenly avoiding the volcano...

If the heat is homogeneous and coming from outside l the soap to the inside for a long enough time it will not volcano.

Hello CathyB, While you cannot force a gel, you can use a method called CPOA (Cold Procees, Oven Assisted), where you start your soap the way you usually do, then after pouring you put it in an oven on a temperature between 60 to 80 degrees celsius (it depends on your oil blend and lye...