Tag: soaping
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How to calculate the yield from a soap recipe
When you’re making a soap recipe, one thing you might wonder is how to calculate the yield from your soap recipe. Yield noun – the amount or quantity produced or returned. There is a really easy way to calculate the yield from any recipe. However, some real world variables will affect the calculation, and in […]
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Soapmaking: What is a water discount?
A water discount is a reduction in the amount of water needed to dissolve sodium hydroxide lye. When you use a water discount, the soap will harden faster because there is less water in its batter (the mixture that eventually becomes soap). You only use a water discount for cold process or hot process soaps […]
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Easy AHA exfoliating melt and pour soap recipe (variations for all skin types)!
This recipe is super-easy and so good for skin, especially in wintertime when dryness can be an issue. It seems like the combination of leggings, hot air indoors and going out on cold wintry days can cause skin to become flaky. Add to that, on a cold day, no one wants to spend time moisturizing […]
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How to get a swirl effect in melt and pour soap
A lot of soapmakers tell you that you can’t get nice colour effects in melt and pour soap. They are wrong. Today I am going to share some of the colour effects I’ve achieved using swirls and layering techniques in melt and pour soap, and explain how you can do them too. Once you’ve tried […]
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How to safely use essential oils in home-made soap (infographic)
Essential oils can cause harm if used incorrectly because they are potent substances. Putting the essential oil on the skin neat (undiluted, or straight from the bottle) causes irritation and can leave your skin burnt. The oil is diluted in soap to a rate of about 3% (average) which makes it less likely to cause […]
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10 ways to get essential oils to be more intense in your soap (melt and pour and cold process)
So you’re probably looking for how to get your essential oils to be more intense in your soap. You might be making cold process soap or melt and pour soap. Maybe you’ve made some homemade soap with pure essential oils and it didn’t come out with a strong scent, or perhaps you’re planning your first […]
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History of using essential oils in soapmaking
Essential oils have been used for thousands of years. We have evidence dating back to Ancient China, India and Egypt of the use of fragranced oils (they’re mentioned in the Book of the Dead). Frankincense was mentioned in the New Testament of the Bible and lipid residue analysis from archaeological sites shows plant oils were […]