Chemistry Thursday: Chemical reactions

I see it all the time: Vendors being asked if they have lye in their soaps because it’s a “dangerous” ingredient (which is usually followed by someone saying they have a friend who makes soap and she doesn’t use lye…). If the soap maker said no, there is no lye in her soap, she’d be...

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Why the heck did I buy this and what can I do with it Wednesday?

Or WDIBT&WCIDWI Wednesday! (Yeah, I’ll come up with a better name!) Have you pulled a jar or bag or bottle out of your ingredients storage place only to wonder why you bought it? Or have you received a parcel filled with things you remember ordering for a forgotten project? That’s what this post is all...

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What can you ask me or e-mail me?

I love e-mail, so the answer is just about anything! I want to hear about what you’re making. I want to hear about the recipes you’ve made and see pictures. Ask me questions about a recipe you’re working on – but please include the entire recipe and process, including what types of oils and things...

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Surfactants: Sodium cocoyl isethionate or SCI – a comparison

I recently bought some SCI from Aquarius Aroma & Soap, and they’ve changed from prills to noodles, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to share with you some of the various ways you can find SCI or sodium cocoyl isethionate. This is the new SCI flake…but it looks like a noodle! This is how...

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Ingredient: Solubilizers – a comparison (updated)

I spent last week testing PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, and I thought I’d share my initial thoughts and compare it to some of the other solubilizers you might use. If you want to see what I’m referring to, click on one of these posts… Ingredient: PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil My method for testing Part 1:...

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