Woohoo! I will be placing an order tomorrow 
A little update on the balm texture - itās been unseasonably cool here (normally in July/August weāre about 30 degrees Celsius (86 F) and really humid). Itās been closer to 20 degrees Celsius (68 F) and down to single digits at night, and my balm is quite hard. I would again compare it to butter. Itās actually a bit tough to get it out of the container with my fingers now that itās solidified so much, and itās definitely lumpy when I do get some out. I have to rub my hands together quite a lot before I can apply any balm to melt the lumps.
I still like the results, itās just a bit tougher to use. I would prefer it a bit softer. I have a feeling in the winter Iāll have to keep it at home otherwise it will be unusable.
I wonder if in the winter I should adjust the formula to be softer? Hmmmmm ā that would work unless I was sending to Australia!
Iām in humid NJ and mineās kind of hard too?!
I just pulled some out of a tester to condition the seat of my leather tropical riders, and the one in my bedroom was too hard as well.
This is where you guys come in as the best customers ever ā Iāll change the formula for a batch or two and see if I make it softer, what happens.
If my suspicion is correct that thereās beeswax/cocoa butter in the formula (and then some oil based products as well to thin is), even a slightly change on the amount of solids to other ingredients could affect the melting point of the suspension and, therefore, how soft the finished product is. My guess is somehow some batches have more/less cocoa butter because that sh*t is HARD at room temperature. I had always heard beeswax, cocoa butter, and some type of oil in 1:1:2 ratio for softish conditioner. If thereās something non-oil based in there, that would be my guess for the graininess problem. Maybe some moisture/water snuck in during some batches unintentionally? Course I am guessing here since I donāt have the actual secret recipe 
it is the cocoa butter ā I need to play around with other secret ingredients to see what I can do about consistency!
A wax that is the consistency you want at room temperature might help. Either that or change the solids to liquids ratio a bit.
More fairy dust!
And cowbell. Always need more cowbell.
^^^
There can never be enough cowbell.
Bensmom, you have too many options! The friend who borrowed my soap decided to buy her own. We had a 3 hour long discussion via texting about which scent she should buy. And I donāt even want to know how long she debated before she texted me!
Received mine a couple of weeks ago. I havenāt had time to clean my saddle yet, but it rode around in my car for two weeks with no change in consistency. Itās been surprisingly cool in Chicago lately, but worth mentioning. Hoping once I open it up, it will convince others at the barn to order. LOVE supporting small businesses
i received my soap and balm on friday and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. i got the lavender vanilla soup and it smells lovely but doesnāt leave a scent on the leather after use. iām super thrilled with how my leather goods feel however i did notice that my saddle is a bit tacky after using the balm. i think i may have put too much on though so thatās clearly a user error and not a problem with the product.
Just wanted to let everyone know that Libby & I are putting together a big giveaway/contest with lots of other companiesāthe prize package is really looking great! Weāre hoping to make the announcement later this week.
Have you seen the latest Higher Standards Facebook post?? All kinds of teasers in there! Hop on over (link in my sig) there and ālikeā us if you havenāt already.
You wonāt want to miss itā¦
Yep, the giveaway is growing daily! Weāve had it in the oven on slow bake for a few weeks and the crust is just about the perfect shade of golden brown. Egg timer dinging is imminent!!!
Yes, Iām hungry.
In all seriousness, you WILL want to enter this giveawayāI wish I could!
Ummmā¦Must one be a Facebooker to play? Some of us otherwise sane folks will not frolic on Facebook.
[QUOTE=frugalannie;7111507]
Ummmā¦Must one be a Facebooker to play? Some of us otherwise sane folks will not frolic on Facebook.[/QUOTE]
This one is, yes. I understand the FB aversion, as I only have a business FB account, not a personal one.
I will be doing a non-FB-based giveaway on my blog in a month or two, though!
[QUOTE=Bensmom;7104672]
I wonder if in the winter I should adjust the formula to be softer? Hmmmmm ā that would work unless I was sending to Australia![/QUOTE]
I remember when I worked in the research lab of a large cosmetics company, the chemists had to add certain ingredients for āstabilityā so that it maintained the same consistency under varying conditions. Do you know a chemist who might be able to help with this? Not that its a big problem, I can manage fine with it as is.
Did everyone see the article on Libby and Higher Standards in this weekās COTH?
Dear Bensmom -
I am mad at you. Why? Because Iām addicted to this cleaner. And it only comes in so many varieties. And I have now purchased one of all of them. The ālimited editionā ones as well. And I do not have enough tack to clean to use these all up so I can buy MORE!! :lol:
I had asked about using them on my tall boots. Oh my, it works so wonderfully on them. I have even turned my trainerās assistant on to this (the one who cleans the tack after the trainer rides). No one believed me on how good this stuff was. But now they do! And Iāve supplied my barn with enough to keep all our tack looking good (yes, I am addicted) It even turned my old unused HJ bridle back into a lovely usable piece of tack. Sigh. So much so soap, so little to clean.
I have the balm on my list to try after the consistency is sorted out. I am sure I will love that just as much!
