| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Shellie |
Posted - Jul 08 2005 : 4:35:03 PM
Hello,
(Newbie here)
I am looking for a good recipe CP or HP method for a Cucumber soap. I want to use pureed cucumber & cucumber esstianal oil. I also have these oils:
Safflower
Grapeseed
Castor
Olive
Coconut
Canola
Butters:
Cocoa
Solid Fats:
Lard
Crisco
:
Liquid Glycerin:
Aloe Juice (real)
I have no Palm oil & will not get any in for at least 2 weeks. I really want to try this recipe.
I seen one on the internet & lost it before I could save it when AOL had a glitch.
Thanks SHellie
If I knew "Mother Nature", needed an "Apprentice", I will fill out an application.
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| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Eileen |
Posted - Jul 12 2005 : 1:37:05 PM
Robin, Thankyou for all the information you have shared. I had no idea there was a Lye calculator on line!! What a treasure you are to share that with us. I am new to soap making and just completed making my 5th successful batch. I have had a few failures and found the expense of the oils and essential oils too costly for failure so now I will be more excited about this new to me art!
I made a goats milk soap with some almond oil that I had soaked fragrant rose petals in to get a ragrant oil. It is lovely and the soap seems to be ok. I was a little concerned when the goat milk curdled and turned into a slightly solidified mass at the top of the solution before I mixed it into the oils but it worked and all seems well. The goat milk I used the other times did not react this way. My friends are all very happy with the soaps I have made so far and shared. I am not having the dry skin problems I was having before either so i am happy with it too.
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
| ThymeForEweFarm |
Posted - Jul 10 2005 : 09:36:32 AM
I haven't looked at a new soap book in a few years so I'm not familiar with the new writers. I have only one in my house now. I've kept Sandy Maine's first book because it was the first book I bought. One thing to keep in mind when looking at new writers is the length of time and amount of soap they've made. Some things are learned only through experience. If an author has been making soap a year and decides to write a book - avoid it. It might be a good book, but it isn't the best it could be because of lack personal experience to draw on.
Sandy Maine is good. She made a lot of people too paranoid about soap making though. It IS ok to stop stirring, lye and oils don't have to be only a few degrees in difference when combining, you don't have to slowly drizzle lye into oils (I dump it all at once) and you can scrape the sides of the container when you're pouring off into a mold. I do pour room temp lye into 100° oils without consequence. It's fine. Her recipes are basic, simple and easy to change by changing only the additives. However, the world doesn't need to stop when you're making soap. BE CAREFUL, but be reasonable.
Susan Miller Cavitch is great. She's thorough, informative and a very nice woman. I've spoken with her over the phone and was so surprised and pleased at how much information she's willing to share.
Ann Bramson has nice stable recipes. Ann was one of the first soap makers to take on a commercial business.
There are two authors I would avoid. If someone is considering buying a book and would like to ask my opinion of the author they are considering I don't mind being emailed. I'll tell you yes or no. I'd rather not give their names publicly. They're nice people but didn't have the experience needed to write an accurate book when they wrote. There was a time when soap making was such a huge, new rage that publishers were looking for anyone who would write a book. I'm sure everyone meant well but some just didn't know enough yet to know they didn't know enough to write a book. Hope that made sense.
I don't think a lot of soap making books are needed. There's only so much information available no matter how many ways it can be said. There's a lot of information on the web.
Lye calculators take the guess work out of lye. When I first started we used sap (saponification) charts (remember those Susan? groooooan) to calculate the amount of lye an ounce of each oil needed to saponify to the percentage of left over oil we wanted, multiplied that by the number of ounces of that oil we were going to use, then added each oil together. It was a headache!
Keep it simple. Keep it SAFE. When it doubt use a lye calculator. Have questions? Ask! There are plenty of us here to answer.
Robin
Thyme For Ewe Farm
www.thymeforewe.com |
| Shellie |
Posted - Jul 09 2005 : 3:50:09 PM
Thsnk you everyone for your advice, recipe & Help I always use the Lye Calculator (saves me in th elong run)
SHellie
If I knew "Mother Nature", needed an "Apprentice", I will fill out an application.
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| Clare |
Posted - Jul 09 2005 : 09:38:32 AM
Robin, Since you are one of the members with definitive soap making experience, could you please post a list of books that offer reliable information on soapmaking? I'm sure that would help everyone out and keep everyone safe at the same time! Glad we have your experience to draw upon! 
****Gardener, Stitcher, Spiritual Explorer and Appreciator of all Things Natural****
"Begin to weave and God will give the thread." - German Proverb |
| justacitygurl |
Posted - Jul 09 2005 : 08:34:13 AM
Very informational Karen and Robin. Will always use the lye calculator if i dabble again Robin.
Thanks.
just a city gurl wishing she was a farm girl |
| KarenP |
Posted - Jul 09 2005 : 08:05:14 AM
Good thinking Robin!
I haven't made alot of the recipes in the book, but I think if I plan to try one, I will run it thru the lye calculator first just to be sure.
Thanks
KarenP
"Purest Spring Water in the World" |
| ThymeForEweFarm |
Posted - Jul 09 2005 : 07:03:24 AM
I don't want to step on anyone's toes or insult anyone. This isn't my intent.
This recipe is high in both lye and water. When you add the cucumber the water content rises even more. Before using this recipe I suggest running it through the lye calculator at Majestic Mountain Sage. http://thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php
Robin
Thyme For Ewe Farm
www.thymeforewe.com |
| KarenP |
Posted - Jul 08 2005 : 7:40:59 PM
Here is a cucumber recipe
from The Handmade Soap Book by Melinda Coss
14 oz coconut oil
10 oz shortening
8 oz Olive Oil
1 cup fresh cucumber (unpealed and cut into chunks)
14-1/2 oz distilled or spring water
5-1/2 oz Lye
1/2 tsp Grapefruit Seed Extract
1 tbspoon fragrance oil pear
I think this recipe could be used as guide.
Here is a couple of sites to.
http://www.soapnuts.com/indexcp.html
http://www.soapdelicatessen.com/soapmaking/toiletries/lotions/creams/aloeandcucumber/
KarenP
"Purest Spring Water in the World" |
