From Saponification to Success
One of the most common areas that soapmakers DIY in their businesses is building their first website. While so many platforms promise you won't need to think like a web designer to make magic, I know that the concepts of successful web design can't be guaranteed with a website …
Read the Article » 6 Books That Will Help You Think Like a Web Designer
One of the common questions that come up on Modern Soapmaking, especially in hot process and liquid soapmaking tutorials, is how to pH test handmade soap. It's easy to understand why when there is so much conflicting information on the internet! I hope to clear up a lot of …
Read the Article » How to pH Test Handmade Soap Properly (And Why It Matters!)
One of the most common issues I run into with soapmakers is not understanding how the lye solution in soapmaking works. For instance, a soapmaker might take one of our recipes and incorrectly use the "water as a percentage of oils" option instead of the "lye concentration" option …
Read the Article » Understanding Water Discounts and Lye Solution in Soapmaking
Think goat's milk is just for cold process soapmaking? Think again! Today, we're diving into how to make a creamy hot process goat's milk soap! I adore goat's milk as an ingredient in soaps: the sugar adds wonderful bubbles to the lather and the cream is a skin-softening …
Read the Article » Is Creamy Lightly Colored Hot Process Goat’s Milk Soap Possible?
One of the most common questions I get here on Modern Soapmaking is how to replace an oil in a soap recipe. I know and understand that not everyone uses or stocks the same oils in their soapmaking studio, so I figured it was high time I wrote about it! If you have made the …
Read the Article » How to Replace an Oil in a Soap Recipe Accurately
A lot of soapmakers start formulating on their own based on SoapCalc's soap quality numbers, even though they are surrounded by mystery. Most soapmakers aren't exactly sure where the numbers come from or what exactly the numbers mean. So much so that students in my Formulating …
Read the Article » Understanding SoapCalc’s Soap Quality Numbers
In 2012, I participated in the Lather Lover's Additive Testing swap on the Dish Forum, hosted by the fabulous Shannon of Scenter Square. I kept the samples from the testing for a couple years after the initial tests, and ran follow-up lather tests in 2013 and 2014 before I threw …
Read the Article » Updated: Lather Lovers Additive Tests, One Year Later!
Every time I work with soapmakers, I find that a large number of them allow the soapmaking process to control them rather than taking control of the process themselves. This usually manifests in being afraid of trying new design techniques or creating intricate and complex …
Read the Article » Controlling Trace in Cold Process Soapmaking (Without Letting it Control You!)
Back when I wrote how to create the absolutely best soap recipe ever, I had no idea the post would become so popular. My biggest piece of advice in that article, however, is to learn your fatty acid profiles and that seemed to stump a lot of folks. I'm often asked for a range …
The best soap recipe produces a bar with a luscious creamy abundant lather. It creates a rock hard bar of soap that is long-lasting (but not too long-lasting!) A perfect soap formula cleanses without being overly drying and has just the right amount of skin-nourishing oils …
Read the Article » The Secret to the Absolutely Best Soap Recipe
The biggest part of soapmaking that I enjoy is formulating and testing. Trying different formulas, additives, fragrances, and colorants adds up to a lot of testing over the years. Last year, I finally branched out and started getting in touch with the vast soapmaking community …
