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Common soaping and e-mailing abbreviations, soapmaking jargon and technical terms
Soap
We include here the common abbreviations and symbols used by soapmakers we are aware of. If you know of any more, and particularly if what you're looking for is not here, please let us know!- CP
- Cold Process, Cold Processed. Soapmaking method where the soap mixture is mixed and poured at room temperature (more or less).
- CPHP
- Crock Pot Hot Soap. Soapmaking method where the soap mixture is cooked in a crock pot.
- CPOP
- Cold Process, Oven Process. Soapmaking method where the soap mixture is poured into moulds, which are then placed into the oven and "baked" at very low temperature.
- CSDBHP
- An HP method where the soap mixture is cooked in a Closed System Double Boiler (for instance, with the method described in the Soap Naturally book, which is also referred to in Marina's soapmaking methods overview).
- CSHP
- An HP method where the soap mixture is cooked in a Closed System (for instance, a pressure cooker).
- DH
- Rather than Dear Husband, it's Direct Heat. Yet another of the many HP methods, where the soap mixture is cooked in a pot placed directly on the stove.
- DOS
- Dreaded Orange Spots. Under certain conditions, yellow/orange spots appear on the surface of natural handmade soaps, and the soap develops a "stuffy" smell, which usually covers the original scent. We are working on a series of DOS case studies. In the meantime, you can have a look at the picture of Ersilia's DOS example.
- DPG
- Dipropylene Glycol ...a mild lubricant generally used to dilute fragrant oils.
- DW, DWCP
- Discounted Water Cold Process - a recently formalised soapmaking method, suitable for those who are already familiar with Cold Process soap making. For further information, refer to Marina's soapmaking methods overview and Discounted Water instructions.
- EO, EOs
- Essential Oil(s). Conventionally, essential oils are natural essences.
- FO, FOs
- Fragrance Oil(s). Conventionally, fragrance (or fragrant) oils are synthetic essences.
- GM (soap)
- Goat's Milk soap.
- HP
- Hot Process, Hot Processed. Soapmaking method where the soap is made as in CP, then cooked using one of the many HP methods.
- IPM
- Isopropyl myristate, another solvent, like DPG, with slightly different properties.
- KOH
- The chemical name of potassium hydroxide, which is the alkali used to make liquid soap.
- M&P
- Melt & Pour, also called glycerin blocks or glycerine base. This is a special commercial base (which is not natural) that can be remoulded with the addition of fragrance and colour.
- MSDS
- Material Safety Data Sheet - An information sheet written and provided by the manufacturer of a material, containing information on the properties of the material, with particular attention to possible health hazards.
This is because Material Safety Data Sheets are designed to be used as part of the workplace safety procedures, to protect workers who handle chemical or cosmetic materials from undesired side effects. In Australia, suppliers must provide an MSDS for all those materials that are classified as "hazardous", according to the criteria of Worksafe Australia (if you have problems loading the Worksafe Australia page, try the Australian National Occupational Health and Safety Commission instead). - MWHP
- Micro Wave Hot Soap. Soapmaking method where the soap mixture is cooked in a microwave oven.
- NaOH
- Actually, this is the chemical name of sodium hydroxide, aka caustic soda, aka lye.
- Rebatch, rebatching
- A soapmaking method where a natural soap base is melted and remoulded after adding extra nutrients, essential or fragrance oils, colours etc. Handmade rebatching is also (improperly) called "remilling" (see below). For further information on the process, refer to the Soap Naturally soapmaking reference section. Links to suppliers of natural soap base for rebatch are available from the Soap Naturally soapmaking supplies section.
- Remilling, remilled soap
- An industrial soapmaking method where the soap base is ground, remilled and extruded (that is, "moulded") using a mechanical process. Industrial remilling usually implies the addition of synthetic materials, such as, for instance, lubricants to allow the soap mass to "flow" through the machinery.
Email messaging
We include here the common abbreviations and symbols used in email messages we are aware of, as well as a couple of technical terms related to mailing lists. If you know of any more, and particularly if what you're looking for is not here, please let us know! (For further info on smilies, see also Cordelia's page)- Digest
- In a mailing list, a digest is a large message containing everything that was said on the list on a particular day. Digests are not edited and include exactly the same information as with a normal subscription. Soap Naturally digests are delivered daily, or possibly twice a day when the amount of activity on the list is much higher than usual.
- Listowner, List Mum, ListMum
- The people who have the responsibility of keeping a mailing list alive. ListMums can be any gender... :-)
- MLM - Mailing list manager
- The special software that controls and distributes messages to a mailing list. In case you want to know, Soap Naturally now uses Mailman version 2.0. For technical problems and help with your settings, please contact the Listowners.
- Nomail
- A member of the mailing list might suddenly announce they are going nomail. This means they are changing their settings to stop incoming messages from the list to their mailbox (they might want to do so because they're going on holidays, for instance). Chosing this nomail setting will allow them to stay subscribed to the list and read the messages from the list archives page, which members can access from any computer. Please keep in mind this is a temporary setting, used in special circumstances only (for example, if you are unable to access your mailbox for a period of time, like when you go on holidays).
- OT
- Off Topic. Usually prefixed to the subject of messages that are posted to the list, and are not strictly related to the main "scope" of the mailing list.
- Sub/Unsub
- Back in the olden days (which is, three or four years ago), several mailing list managers had the bad habit of reading the text of email messages posted to the list and try to "interpret" it. Using words the MLM would interpret as commands was absolutely forbidden (and often drastically chastised by the ListMums); therefore, members of the mailing list would commonly use "sub" and "unsub" - together with many spurious versions, such as su**bed, u*nsubsc**bed and similar - instead of the words "subscribe" and "unsubscribe", which were forbidden.
Luckily, we don't have to worry about these "forbidden" words anymore, because our current version of Mailman (see MLM) does not try to interpret the messages addressed to Soap Naturally. - :-) or :-)) and also :-)))
- The basic "smilie" indicates the writer is smiling (sympathetically, jokingly or apologetically) at those who read. The number of brackets following the dash is an indication of how "wide" this smile is.
- ;-) or ;-)) and also ;-)))
- Smilies starting with a semicolon are actually grins or winks (never heard of "grinnies" or "winkies", though). Like with the basic smilie, the number of brackets following the dash is an indication of how "wide" this grin is.
- :-( or :-(( and also :-(((
- Here, the simulated facial expression is sadness, regret or sorrow. Again, the number of brackets following the dash gives an indication of how deep this sadness, regret or sorrow are.
- <G>
- Stands for GRIN. In other words, the writer is grinning.
- <BG>
- Stands for BIG GRIN (see above)
- <HTH>
- Hope This Helps
- <IMHO>
- In My Humble Opinion
- <LOL>
- Laughing Out Loud (with many variations, as explained below).
- <ROFL>
- Rolling On The Floor Laughing
- <ROFLOL>
- Rolling On The Floor Laughing Out Loud
- <TTYS>
- Talk To You Soon
Soapmaking Books: |
Editors & maintainers:
Ersilia Vitale
[ ccdream --at-- iprimus.com.au - Cosmetic grade colours: oxides and ultramarines ],
Marina Tadiello
[ Soap book co-author, Soap Naturally - Ingredients, methods and recipes for natural handmade soap ]
[ AquaSapone - natural soap, essential oils, soap making supplies & kits ]
Email mailing list on natural soap making: information & options