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Try this for help. Elaya Tsosie, Ph.D. http://www.angelfire.com/biz/sonote/coop.html ( co-op pages) http://www.angelfire.com/biz/navajo/index.html http://www.angelfire.com/biz/Countryman/index.html owner soap-newbies listserv

        is there a news group for soap making questions?         i am a beginner and have some questions         annemarie         This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Hi Soapers, we are novice soapmakers, and though our soap, using a recipe from Susan Cavitch's The Natural Soapmaker came out fine, we want to use beeswax.  None of her recipes include beeswax, and all are done at 80 degree lye, 80 degree fat temperature.  We realize that  beeswax will start to harden at that temp.  Does anyone know what temp we could use with this all vegetable recipe (olive, coconut and palm oils}? We used grapefruit seed extract for a preservative.  Would higher temps destroy its effectiveness? Is there a source for vanilla scent without buying (very expensive) vanilla absolute oil? We have read that fragrance oils can cause a batch of soap to seize. Many thanks for any advice.

Hi, I am a novice soapmaker also. From what I gather from the soapmaking mail lists (you should subscribe if you  havent already done so, lots of nice soapy friends & discussions) some people  melt a portion of their oils (i.e. coconut &/or palm) with the beeswax until  thoroughly mixed and than add it too the remaing oils right before the  lye/water mixture.  This is from memory so beware! LOL.  I did it the wrong  way, melted my .5 oz beeswax per pound and added it too my oils, the beeswax  solidified into tiny bits and I poured the lye anyway, wishing for the lye  monster to do magic...  wound up with little beeswax scrubbies  :::humpf:::  FYI, rebatching didnt help either. I put together a newbies web _link_s (resources & info) web page and it has _link_s  to join the soapmakers mailing list too.       http://members.aol.com/jillspc/soap/soap.htm hope it helps Jill

Hi Soapers, we are novice soapmakers, and though our soap, using a recipe from Susan Cavitch's The Natural Soapmaker came out fine, we want to use beeswax.  None of her recipes include beeswax, and all are done at 80 degree lye, 80 degree fat temperature.  We realize that  beeswax will start to harden at that temp.  Does anyone know what temp we could use with this all vegetable recipe (olive, coconut and palm oils}? We used grapefruit seed extract for a preservative.  Would higher temps destroy its effectiveness? Is there a source for vanilla scent without buying (very expensive) vanilla absolute oil? We have read that fragrance oils can cause a batch of soap to seize. Many thanks for any advice. In using beeswax in soap recipes, you need to increase your temperatures to about 110 degrees F.  This will keep the beeswax in suspension while it saponifies.  Beeswax should be added to your soap recipe at the rate of 1/4 to 1/2 ounce per pound of fat.  I normally use a temperature of 110 for making soaps except for those containing lanolin. In that case, I try to use temps closer to 100. As far as grapefruit seed extract (GSE), I wouldn't bother with it. A properly made soap batch will not need a preservative.  I recommend that you target your soaps to have a finished excess fat amount of approximately 5 to 6 percent. Fragrance oils CAN seize soap if they are not formulated for it.   We are currently testing a vanilla fragrance oil formulated for soap. You can check out our other fragrance oils at http://www.xmission.com/~mmtnsage/catalog/fragrance.html I have included a recipe for soap with beeswax.  I used the Lye Calculator from http://www.xmission.com/~mmtnsage/services/calculator.html to come up with this recipe. Soap with Beeswax

Hi Soapers, we are novice soapmakers, and though our soap, using a recipe from Susan Cavitch's The Natural Soapmaker came out fine, we want to use beeswax.   Try heating your beeswax with your oils and then let them cool to about  110-120.  You'll probably have to stir often to keep the wax from congealing  around the edges of the container. I wouldn't bother with the grapefruit seed extract as soap does not need a  preservative as long as you aren't superfatting over 10%.  If you're  superfatting higher than that, then I'd use the GSE.  If you're using  shortening, I'd use GSE as I have samples of shortening soap from many soapers  and most of them have gone rancid. Linda at Sweetcakes has an absolutely gorgeous Special Edition Vanilla which I  highly recommend.  It's soap safe and not tempermental at all in soap.  Linda  tests all of her fragrance oils to make sure they are cold process soap-safe.  She has a web page at http://www.sweetcakes.com or you can e-mail her at   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it No, I'm not affiliated with her but I am a satisfied customer. Melody Rainbow Meadow