i see this conversation is a few years old, however it's 2016 and i'll bring it up to date: last night ..... very badly burned olive oil in the bottom of a not-very-spendy stainless steel pan .... the fixer: BARKEEPERS FRIEND .... HANDS DOWN ... i read this site and a few others to get the fix and b/c i own barkeepers friend {bf for easier typing} i tried it ... amazing ... completely AMAZING ... the oil was heavily burned on and i figured i would probably not get it off ... i shook the bottle, squirted a bit in the bottom of the pan, enough to cover the oil burn, let it sit for ...... uh, maybe 15 mins {i'm impatient} took my non-abrasive green and yellow scrubber and in a circular motion started scrubbing the oil off .... took me about three tries, each time leaving it on the burn a bit longer, not overnight, and voila ... amazingly the burn is gone .... thanks for all the advice here .... i appreciate it ... bf is a great product and i will not be without it now .... i've belonged to gardenweb for about 20 years, before it became so *sophisticated* and this is a wonderful site, sooooo much information on so many topics ... i love it here .... thanks again .... darlene

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....

botanical_drifter, To clarify, what you're wanting to make is not soap. If you read the labels, you'll learn what basically make up these items that you want to make. With Dove (this is not true soap), consider sodium lactate for the smoothness that you may be after. Soap makers may use a number of ingredients to create a smooth feeling in their soap, you did not ask for this specifically, so good luck!

I only use SFIC bases, which are top of the line. Lower quality bases won't lather well, or at least, well enough to please me. I buy my SFIC base from Acorn Soap and Candle Supply (on line). To boost lathering, you can also add one tablespoon of caster oil (the same castor oil you buy at a drug store or Wal-Mart) per pound of base. Susan