soap making essentials

This is my recipe
24 oz canola
18 oz coconut oil
6 oz cocoa butter
6 oz castor oil
16 oz olive oil
9.8 oz lye
21-23 oz water

"oz" or "ounce" ALWAYS denotes weight. "fl. oz." ALWAYS denotes volume. Professional bakers rarely use measuring cups. Weight is a much more accurate method when measuring ingredients. Bakers will even weigh their water and milk. This is because of density differences. I would imagine that soap making is much like baking. The recipes work because of chemical reactions between ingredients. So, its crucial to be accurate and to have the right ratio of ingredients.

Part of the confusion lies in the fact that people use an abbreviation of "fluid ounce" when they refer to cups. You always hear people say, "There are 8 oz. in a cup". This is not necessarily correct. Cups have fluid ounces, not ounces. A cup of lead pellets and a cup of feathers both occupy 8 fluid ounces of volume. The lead will weigh a lot more than 8 ounces on a scale, the feathers will weigh a lot less than 8 ounces on a scale.

Here is another example:

8 oz of mini marshmallows = 4.54 cups
8 oz of flour = 1.81 cups
8 oz of sugar = 1.13 cups

As you can see, the weight of these ingredients are the same, yet their volumes are different. This is because of density differences. 8 oz does not always equal 1 cup. There are exceptions. "A pint is a pound the world around, for butter, eggs, milk and water". In other words, a cup of any of these ingredients will weigh about 8 ounces on a scale.

A lot of people are also confused about the term "dry measure". A dry measure is a measuring cup that is flat on top so that it can be leveled. A liquid measure is a measuring cup that has a spout on it. Both a 1 cup dry measure and a 1 cup liquid measure have exactly the same volume: 8 fluid ounces. A lot of people mistakenly believe a dry measure uses a different type of ounce. They will erroneously refer to it as a "dry ounce" or "solid ounce"…. or the will refer to liquid being measured in a cup as "liquid ounces".

Don’t let the term "fluid ounce" throw you off. Volume is the amount of space an ingredient occupies. So "fluid ounce" is simply a name for a unit of volume. It doesn’t matter if the ingredient in the cup is a dry ingredient or a liquid ingredient…. it is still fluid ounces.

Not all liquids have a density such that a cup of the liquid will weigh 8 ounces. A cup of water will vary in weight depending on the temperature of the water. A cup of alcohol will weigh less than 8 ounces on a scale. A cup of honey will weigh more than 8 ounces on a scale.

The soap recipe you posted is supposed to be weighed out… unless the author of the recipe really screwed up and meant fluid ounces.

I we nt into a store and saw them selling African a merican soap with a black model on the box…… I had to giggle bcuz that’s like segregating. my bro had some from from an african shop and they’re rough an
nd smelly. Lol. ….(sent from my new itouch XD )

Eh. Different products have been aimed at different people for years.

Backstreet boys were marketed towards young white girls
B2k was marketed towards young black girls
Sunblock is basically made for white people really
Apple bottom jeans are made for black women when it really comes down to it

nothing new here.

Hi guys will medicated soaps like medimix make skin to become dull or dark my friends told me that not to use those soaps as they have some bad effects on skin is that correct please…… dont take it as silly…..

No. It does not make the skin dark simple as that.Most of the herbal remedies and cosmetics are not that bad as compared to the others.But if you are looking for a fair complexion then you can certainly try a home remedy.I am telling you a home remedy which will not only clear all bumps pimples and scars but also give a glow to your skin and make it look healthier and fresh.Many people are using this and having great results.
Procedure: Take some sandal wood powder with turmeric powder and put few drops of milk or rose water (Just to make it a paste).Mix them all together well and apply it on your whole face and leave for 20-30 minutes then wash your face with water. And if you have rose water then spray on your face.

It would make wonders for you. Do it on daily basis and you will observe the results instantly.

For more information you may visit my blog thanks.

http://acnetreatmentandmedication.blogspot.com/

I really want to start making different kinds of soap and bath scrubs but every place I have found the ingredients online seems to be pretty pricey. Does anybody know of a good place to buy the ingredients?

Welcome to the addiction!!

If you’re planning on making cold process soaps you can get many of your ingredients right from the grocery store.

Olive Oil, Lard, Crisco, Grapeseed Oil. Castor Oil can be purchased at the Pharmacy. Lye from some hardware stores (in the plumbing isle…must say 100% sodium hydroxide or caustic soda)

As for online suppliers, here are is a link to a page I made with tons of suppliers that sell everything you need for making soap, whether it’s cold process or melt and pour.

http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/soap-making-suppliers.html

New Directions has really good prices and a large selection.

Mountain Rose herbs has pretty good prices, especially when you take into account that alot of their stuff is organic.

From Nature with Love has a large selection as well as good prices too.

Check out the link….there are over 50 great places to get supplies from. You should be able to find a place fairly close to you (saves on shipping).

Good luck and have fun!

Tips on saving money weekly can be done easily. There are many ways to save; buy doing some of the following item.

Staying away from the rent to own places will save you money weekly and a lot when the item is paid for. If you are in a business, the computer goes out and has to be in the shop for a week, and you just can’t be without it; going to rent to own is possibly going to save your business. Let them know ahead of time it is only temporary so rent a used one not one that is new. You’d be saving money on a weekly basis because your business could lose money during that week.

Saving money at what time you visit the grocery store by going weekly instead of two or three times a week. Don’t go grocery shopping when you’re hungry because every thing will look good and you’ll end up buying things you don’t need.

Recycle your plastic grocery bags by using them to line your wastebasket. Why buy

Use liners each week for the wastebasket when you can use grocery bags that you got free when you did the shopping.

Watch the sales when shopping. Save on a weekly basis by stocking up on items that are needed when they are on sale this will save you weekly as well as monthly.

Driving into town once or twice, a week instead of three or four times will save you money. Making a list of things that need to be done; and do more than one thing while you’re in town. Go to the doctor, grocery store or pay bills all on the same day instead of making three trips you’re only making one. You’ll be saving money for gas, the wear on the car as well as time.

Laundry can be very expensive when making a trip to the laundry mat each week. Check out the used appliance stores in your area, buy a washer, and dry even if you have to pay $50.00 a month for 6 months. You’ll be saving by not spending $25.00 to $30.00 a week depending on the size of your family versus $50.00 a month. Having your own washer and dryer can save you gasoline, time, and money when you only have enough cloth to fill half a washer or dryer.

Saving money at home on a weekly basis at what time, you are doing the laundry by doing a full load at a time instead of one or two items. You’ll save here on laundry soap, fabric softener and energy doing a full load of cloths instead on a half a load.

Recycling your used fabric sheets after drying your cloths is a way to save money weekly. Put them into a baggie and use those to dust with saving you the expense of buy furniture polish every week or two. They can also be used to clean soap scum from the shower doors too.

If you have, access to a dishwasher saves by using it once a day or three times a week. Don’t run the dishwasher with just a few items make sure it is full. Dishwashers use less water too versus doing dishes by hand two or three times a day. Doing one full load once a day will save you on dish soap and water:

Save money on a weekly basis by drinking water instead of pop. Don’t buy your water get a water purifier to attach to the kitchen fasuet or a pitcher to run your drinking through. This will save you money not having to buy your water and is better for your health.

Martin Lukac
http://www.articlesbase.com/investing-articles/tips-on-saving-money-weekly-113504.html

particularily cold process soap? i have sensitive skin and I would like to be able to know/controll what ingredients go into my soap. Is cold process soap making hard? How much is the intial cost/investment when u start soap making? Is it worth it?

See if you can find Kirk’s Castile Soap first:

http://www.kirksnatural.com/

I used to buy it in my local market or drug store. I moved and now I have to get off the web.

If you watch dramas or soaps, you see how sweet and beautiful the bed scene is when the couple is making love unlike how people have sex in porn films.

When I had committed relationships in the past, my exes and I never had sex like the couples in dramas or soaps and we "performed" pretty much like the people in porn films. So I’m wondering how often do you guys have sex that is sweet and beautiful in dramas and soaps unlike how the couples "perform" in porn films?

i’ll say 6 to 1 ratio porn vs. soap

I would like to make my own calamine lotion soap at home. I usually buy Lush’s Fresh Farmacy but the price is way too much for me (its sold by weight). So I want to make my own soap, any ideas how?

Calamine Lotion Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

12 ounces of white glycerin or goats milk soap
2 tablespoons of calamine lotion
5 Vitamin E capsules
2 drops FDC Red #40
1/2 oz bubblegum FO

Instructions:

Melt either 12 oz of white glycerin or goats milk soap in a double boiler. Add 2 tablespoons of calamine lotion. Enhance the pinkish color by adding 2 drops red dye. Add 5 capsules of vitamin E. Add the bubblegum FO.
Pour into a round PVC mold. Cool completely, and slice into 3 bars.

particularily cold process soap? i have sensitive skin and I would like to be able to know/controll what ingredients go into my soap. Is cold process soap making hard? How much is the intial cost/investment when u start soap making? Is it worth it?

No…it is quite fun once you get the hang of it.
making cold process soaps may involve a lot of trial and error before you get it right but once you do, you will love it. If your not ready to try cold process yet than start out making the melt & pour glycerin soaps, but if you care about quality don’t buy it from the craft store. Get yourself some good quality natural M&P soap base from SFIC (The brand name) made in California. You can buy it here…

http://www.tkbtrading.com/item.php?item_id=213&category_id=45

For cold process soap the initial cost will vary widely depending on which oil or fats and scents you choose to use in your soaps. It is not a cheap hobby but if you start small it’s not too expensive. To save some money at the start, don’t invest in any molds yet and only buy a few fragrances as they are quite expensive. Use cardboard boxes lined with seran wrap (to prevent leakage) and then lined with either freezer paper or wax paper (to prevent wrinkles on the bars of soap). You can also use cheap (soft) plastic bowls as molds but they can only be used for soap and not for food (unless you don’t mind the foods stored in them tasting like the fragrance of the soap). Don’t spend money on molds at first until you have learned to make soap and know what shape and size of soaps you really want to make.
Soap making is a very satisfying activity and you will quickly love doing it!!
Is it worth it? YES

Whatever kind of soap you decide to make come visit us at:
Melt-PourSoapmaking-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
We welcome soap makers of every kind and are glad to help you learn.

to learn more about soap making go to teachsoap.com and millerssoap,com they are both excellent sites for teaching beginners.

If you know what you are doing maybe but why bother when there are companies like Melaleuca that make healthy products that are cheaper than Wal-mart.