It will sweat because glycerin is a humectant and there is a LOT of glycerin in this soap. I would advise wrapping it in plastic wrap as soon as the finished product is made, regardless of your ambient humidity. I kept it, unwrapped, in a room with a dehumidifier, but it stll sweated somewhat, though as it was just for my experiments and not customers, I wasn't too concerned about it.

I have no idea. I don't actually use melt and pour soap as I mention in the video, I just know how the bases are made. As the percentage of additives like niacinamide is usually very low, I can't imagine there being an issue with it not setting. On another note, I remain unconvinced of the benefits of putting expensive active additives like niacinamide into soap in the first place, given that it is immediately washed off the skin.

I used Black Raspberry and Vanilla from Craftastik in the UK

Well, natural soap makes its own glycenie, so I wouldn't suggest adding extra. The only way to find out is to try it out! I did a series of soaps with different milks. Did you see that yet?

@@sugarwelluk Going to watch it now, thank you 😄

Kaolin makes bars softer in my experience. . Salt makes soap hard (you have to watch out) at cut, so you have to cut it early. Still cures as soap, though. It is just troublesome to cut. Hemp Seed Oil - check out my experiments with single oils.

It takes about an hour, so not a long process.

There is a video of lard soap but not really part of the experiment. I think lard soap is great and it was one of the first soaps I ever made when I was practising (because I didn't want to waste money on expensive ingredients), but it did have a slight whiff of bacon about it!

Yes, it was a relief!

It's a honey fragrance.I already tried adding it at trace last year and it went really weird, not really ricing but very lumpy and after saponification there were these huge oozing pockets where (I guess) the biggest lumps were. The soap was a complete write off, basically. If something goes wrong once, I first assume it's something I've done. If it happens twice, I suspect the fragrance oil. So, I opted to try it this way instead.

I absolutely love the egg soap. I'm so tempted to add an egg soap to my range.

That is what I was trying to find out with this series of experiments. Did you watch the updates to see how the rice bran soap was after curing?

@@sugarwelluk I didn’t watch.

It is absolutely fine (Raspberry Vanilla) , although I do use kaolin and titanium dioxide which will help. My fragrance is from Craftastik in the UK, who I find to be quality suppliers. And markets.... my sales have been down by around 60% on average (but I haven't worked it out properly, so that's a reserved estimation) on last year, so not good at all. Now I hear cocoa butter is going up to 5x the usual cost!!!!! I don't imagine my customers will want to pay £9.00 for a cocoa butter lip balm....

@@sugarwelluk oh gosh I know I just read about Cocoa butter increasing as well. It's very difficult with olive oil and now cocoa butter going crazy prices. 😬. I'll give craftastik BRV a try, thanks 👍

Disappointing is an understatement! This coming weekend's event is a biggy - the biggest I've ever done (est between 15K to 18K footfall), and it's costing me £200. I'm really worried it won't meet my expectations based on how poorly I've done these past 3 months. Very worrying. Fingers crossed for yours. X

@@sugarwelluk oh wow, £200 for a stall. Good luck. Keeping everything crossed for a good one 🤞🙂

The only thing I was adding was mica, so I could tell the soaps apart. Other than that, all experiments were made using just one single oil and lye. I made the original videos 2 years ago (this is a compilation) and no longer have the files. I believe the quantities I used for each experiment are outlined in the intro. And, yes, you can make this hot process as you can with just about any cp formula.

I did this series 2 years ago and don't have the files, but I give the quantities in the video intro. They are the same for each soap in the series. Only the NaOH changes and the correct amount for each oil can be found using a lye calculator like soapcalc. This series wasn't about soap recipes but about exploring different soap oils to find out what qualities each brings to a soap blend.

You can't beat handmade soap!

I melted the oils on high (at least I think I did - it was a while ago now), then turned it to low, but as a slow cooker doesn't get really super hot anyway, I suspect the whole process could be done on high. I'm sure it would be possible to do it straight on the hob, but it might be dodgy on a gas hob because of the alcohol and flames mix!

Thank you ma❤

I've only ever eaten it in curry but I like the sound of fried! Is that just fried naked or is it battered?

@@sugarwelluk It's cut into 1/4 to 1/3 inch chunks, dredged in flour with salt and pepper, and deep fat fried. It's great with fried shrimp or pan-fried pork chops. Try it. It's good stuff. Classic Southern not-very-good-for-you food.

Food that isn't good for me is my favourite! I'll definitely have to give it a try, thanks.

I made this video some time ago and, sadly, Jack is no longer with us. I got the cutter from Amazon, but have no idea what seller, though I'm sure the same design will still be available and there'll be still be multiple sellers . I tried it on my own hair and it was fine! However, bear in mind that human hair likes a ph on the acidic side of neutral.

Rest in peace Jack! You probably have the best looking fur in heaven!

I didn't realise my overwhelming beauty is so distracting!

No. You want to use isopropyl alcohol at 99% purity to get the best solvent action. It's really important if you want to get it very transparent. 40% vodka means it's 60% water (and maybe some other impurities) and water will not solubilise the oils.

Thank you!

I most certainly do! It's not about the method but testing ingredients, so really, I could have miseed ou the making entirely!

Thank you!

Thank you!

I have made meat soap (well, streaky bacon) before, when I used a pink in a stripy pour....

Thanks.

Thanks!

As I don't make melt and pour (and I'm assuming you mean the pour technique rather than the gold spots) I don't really know, though I have a feeling that it's probably not because melt and pour is thin and liquidy. If you give CP soap a try, you'll probably wonder what took you, because once you have a handle on emulsification and trace, you've basically got it!

@@sugarwelluk okay, thanks!! I'll see and try when I get started on CP then!

The ingredients I use for all the experiments are outlined in the beginning of each video. I used 300g of oil for each experiment and the amount of lye appropriate for each oil.

Thanks! I know I need a bigger piping tip, but all the squeezing hurts my hands (especially my thumb joints) and I don't have the best grip, so it is difficult for me. Whipped soap is great for shaving anyway, just as is, but I feel adding in the extra ingredients gives it a little more oomph!

Glad to help! I bought the SCI noodles by accident and knowing they are hard to work with I decided I must persevere to find a way to use them with more versatility than just for solid shampoo bars, especially because the SCI noodles are half the price of SCI powder!

It's the standing that does for me. I don't ever take a chair, and even when there is one available, I spend most time standing. It's much worse when it's very cold, like it was at the end of March, because my arthritis doesn't like it!

Thank you!

I state the essential oils I add in the video. I believe the mix I use here is primarily lavender, rose geranium and neroli. I used to make a, more mind-clarifying blend that includes rosemary. The video is really about my base ingredients and method. You can add whatever oils you like the most, although I heartily recommend always including the menthol, as this really helps making breathing in the therapeutic, mood enhancing oils easier.

If you are just learning about how to make soap, I suggest experimenting with a plain, unscented soap using whatever fat, oil or butter is cheapest in your part of the world, so you don't waste too much money while you are learning. Always use a lye calculator to make sure you are adding the right amount of Sodium Hydroxide for the fat you are using - that is VERY important. Many people use a lye calculator called SoapCalc, which you should find easily by doing an internet search. However, it IS in English, so if your English is quite basic, you may need some help from a translation app. You must always be very careful using Sodium Hydroxide because it can cause serious, deep burns. So if you are just learning ALWAYS cover exposed skin, wear gloves and eye protection, at least until you become accustomed to working with this caustic material. I don't really do tutorials, but you might get something out of watching the other videos on my channel.

Trial and error is probably the best way to learn. It's mostly how I've learned, and it's an ongoing process that I thoroughly enjoy. For example, when I first explored soap making, even though I'd watched loads of videos on trace - emulsification and trace being fundamental, it was only by actually getting stuck in and making soap that I really learned how to recognise emulsion and trace.

Thanks for watching!

Glad you enjoyed it!

I already tried the usual ways and had much worse problems! The moment the fragrance hit the batter (and I usually stop blending at emulsion, so my batter is always pretty thin before I add fragrance), it clumps up, which is why I thought I'd try adding the fragrance into the oils first, kind of hoping mixing it through the oils would sort of dilute it so the clumping wouldn't be as severe. I also used a higher percentage of water this time too. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as the last 2 times I made this honey soap trying it this way.

I think so too!

Glad you liked it!!

Thank you!!

If that works for you, it works for you! This is just the formula and method I came up with that worked for me, and am passing it on. I've found there is usually more than just one route to achieving successful results. Regarding the alcohol, which is really the magic ingredient for getting a really transparent result - because this evaporates off, so is not really an end ingredient in the resulting soap, as long as enough is used to fully dissolve the other ingredients, I suspect a lower percentage should do the trick, but I don't know what that ratio is. I also guess the ratio will depend on what oils are being used. On Castor Oil - I did see this being used in one formula during my research. However the maker mentioned there was a slight brown tinge to the end soap, which she attributed to using castor oil, so that is one reason why I opted for just the coconut oil and stearic acid.