My first from-scratch liquid soap zapped my tongue after four hours in the crockpot, and I could not figure out why until I reread the label on my lye.
Use castor oil at about 5 percent of your oils, with a workable range of 2 to 10 percent. It does not make bubbles on its own, which surprises most beginners;
Felted soap is a bar wrapped in two or three thin layers of pure wool roving, then rubbed under hot water until the wool mats into a snug, scrubby skin.
My first exfoliating melt and pour bar came out with every poppy seed packed in a gritty layer at the bottom and a blank slab on top. I have made hundreds
Use cosmetic-grade activated charcoal at about 1 teaspoon per pound of oils for a dark grey-to-black bar, dispersed in a little oil first and stick-blended
Homemade soap detergent comes down to three things: a grated bar of hard soap, washing soda, and borax, blended dry or cooked into a gel.
The first time I made goat milk soap I poured the milk straight into the lye, watched it hiss and turn the color of canned pumpkin, and knew before it
Artisanal soap is cold process soap built on a deliberately balanced oil blend, superfatted around 5 percent, and cured a full four to six weeks.
Making soap gems means pouring clear glycerin melt-and-pour base, colored with translucent jewel-tone dyes and shimmery mica, into a faceted gem mold or
I added turmeric to soap for the first time because I wanted a gold bar without buying synthetic colorant, and I overshot the dose so badly the lather