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FAQ - Formulation

Formulation

Question:

I use distilled water and am researching distillers. Is there a water distiller you would recommend and that does not take up a lot of space?

Answer:

You would be best to go with reverse osmosis (RO). Distillers are a real pain, lots of maintenance, energy costs are very high and they take up a lot of space. Distilled water is dead water....no life. Distilled water provides no benefit to a product at all, except as a medium. Some studies show that when consumed, distilled water actually leaches minerals and nutrients from the body.

We actually sold distillers at one time but found RO equipment to be much less costly in equipment, energy efficiency, easy to install and very little maintenance. An RO unit will produce cleaner water, less than 0.1 ppm (parts per million). Cost is pennies a gallon. A unit producing, 50 or more gallons (190L) per day, will take up very little space, around 18"x 18"x 12" (46cm x 46cm x 31cm).

M&P Soap Additives

Question:

I have a question – do you know of something that I can add to my M&P soap mixture (I’m using a shea butter M&P base) that will harden the soap? They come out pretty soft.

Answer:

 Stearic acid can be added to M&P soap to get a harder, longer lasting bar of soap. Try adding about 1 tsp of stearic acid per pound of soap. Adding any more than that, may affect the lather of your soaps. Another thing to be aware of is that stearic may make your soap slightly cloudy. As a result, stearic acid is best used in opaque soaps.

M&P Soap Sweating

Question:

I have had some problems with my M&P sweating. Do you have any tips to alleviate some or all of this?

Answer:

Melt & Pour soap does have a tendency to "sweat". Try adding 1 teaspoon of Aloe Vera liquid, per pound of base, at the same time as adding your scent and colorant. This works for both clear and opaque. In addition to its beneficial effect, Aloe Vera makes the base even softer and more "pliable" than it already is.

Depending upon how pliable you want the finished product to be, you can add either, ½ -1 teaspoon of Jojoba Oil or a "pinch" (approximately 1/8 tsp.) of Stearic Acid, per pound of base. The Jojoba Oil works with either clear or opaque bases. Stearic Acid has a tendency to "dull" clear M&P, so you may prefer to use it only with opaque M&P.