I started with MP soap many years ago & added everything-- fresh fruit, ground spices, you name it-- & never had a problem. Grapefruit seed extract & Rosemary extract will inhibit rancidity in added oils; potassium sorbate will inhibit some rot in water-based materials. If you are worried about your products, tho', make a small batch & let them "rot". I find a sunny window in a humid bathroom will tell me lots in just a few weeks... I started CP soap WITH MY CHILDREN when they were in kindergarten & never had a problem, but they were not allowed to 1) mix the lye or 2) pour the lye into the soap. They WERE allowed to stir the soap, dump in the oatmeal, etc. but usually got bored & wandered off before we even got that far... We hated the goggles, but loved the long yellow gloves (which you can find in pink, too & with rings, even.) However all that said, if I am teaching soap, I INSIST that the person/group have a babysitter there for all kids under 12 because once CP soaping has started, you cannot stop it & don't want your attention diverted from it. Plus, we Moms have to have some time to ourselves, you know... I remember getting up really really really early in the a.m. to make a batch before anyone bothered me....

Olive 35% Palm 35% Coconut 20% Shea Butter 10% A nearly 2 pound batch with a 5% super fat and full water would be: palm 7 oz coconut 4 oz olive oil 7 oz shea 2 oz fo/eo 1.2 oz lye 2.79oz water 6.85oz This makes a really nice hard bar that lathers well! Also the numbers are nice: lodine 55 total ins 152 You can change that recipe for a more castile type bar to: 80% olive oil 20% coconut I personally think if you sub out a little olive and add castor oil at even just 3% (I like 5% better) it will help bunches. You can buy castor at nearly any "mart". Do you understand all about how to grind the oats and how much of them per pound and the eo/fo to use? I just kinda assume that people new to soap making have read everything top to bottom on Cindy Millers place. Good luck!

I haven't made any soap. I'm looking for soap base recipes. I have 1 soap base recipe, the person that supplied that took pics and inclued them in the recipe. That soap base turns a red-ish clear color (from the pics). I have no ingredents because I have no recipes minus the one I mentioned. I am looking for Saop Base recipes that come out a white-ish to clear color. It doesn't have to be a perfect "clear" it can be cloudy. I just want to be able to add my own color to it and it be that color. Thank You

I am looking for a recipe for a shaving soap made from M&P bas that does not call for any liquid soap to be added. Does anyone know of any? Thanks, Dianne