# Trouble with first batch



## mommycarlson (Jan 19, 2016)

Hi, I am new as of today to making soap.  My first batch was an epic fail, I was in tears as I chopped it out of the pan and laid it in the mold.  I have been reading and researching for months and am so very sad that my first batch is a fail.  I have a picture of it and would love to have help with troubleshooting.  I am new to this forum as well and I have no idea how to post or what to do to get my questions answered so I am apologizing ahead of time if I did it wrong, please help!!  anyone....  Thank you so much!


----------



## traderbren (Jan 19, 2016)

Welcome!
If you post your recipe in weights, including water and lye, and your process, I'm sure someone can help you troubleshoot!


----------



## Obsidian (Jan 19, 2016)

Did you scent it? if so, where did you get the scent?


----------



## mommycarlson (Jan 19, 2016)

I did not scent the soap, but as soon as I added the essential oils it thickened up and that was the end   Here is my recipe, straight from Gregory White's book:

13 oz coconut oil
12 oz castor oil
2 oz cocoa butter
1 oz jojoba oil
16 oz olive oil
13.2 oz water
6.1 oz lye
1 oz lavender EO
2 oz rosemary EO
15 drops chamomile EO (optional) I did not add this
1 egg yolk

First I weighed everything, not measured, is this correct?  
Added lye to the water, stirred.  Melted oils, let them get close to the same temperature and added lye water to melted oils.  Used the stick blender in short bursts and turned it off many times and just stirred with the blender off.  All seemed to be going extremely well, I was at "trace" which is when my instructions say to add the EO and the botanicals, which I am assuming means the egg yolk, this was not specified.  As soon as I added the EO's and the yolk, it got very thick so quickly  and solidified in the pan.  I chopped it with my scraper and managed to put it in the mold but trust me, it's solid.  Any help would be greatly appreciated. At this point I am ready to hang it up and never try it again.  I was so confident because I was using the recipe of an expert.  Thank you


----------



## shunt2011 (Jan 19, 2016)

Hi and welcome.  That's a pretty ambitious recipe for a first try.   We've all had failures. I haven't run your recipe in a soap calc but I highly recommend that you use one and run it through every time. Especially with recipes from books.   I like soapcalc.net

Second, you need to try a basic recipe and no more than 2 lbs.  a good starter recipe is 40% Lard or Palm, Coconut 20%, Olive 35% and Castor 5%.  

No scent which includes essential oils.  

Don't give up.


----------



## Steve85569 (Jan 19, 2016)

Welcome to the forum.

To the recipe:
Water is at 30% by weight of oil. SF is 5%.

"As soon as I added the EO's and the yolk, it got very thick so quickly  and solidified in the pan."

What was the temperature when the yolk hit? Could have cooked the egg right now or Mr. lye could have eaten it. Either way I would blame the egg. The only way I would attempt to use the yoke would be to SB in to the oils before adding anything else.

I would regroup, shrink my second try and change recipes to something like:
Coconut @ 20%
Lard @      50%
Olive Oil @ 23%
Castor   @    7%

I would plug those numbers in to soapcalc.net and try that for a start.

Sounds like you already found out what "soap on a stick" is.
We've all been there at least once.


----------



## OliveOil2 (Jan 19, 2016)

You shouldn't quit, it is the recipe not you! That is a Hugh amount of Castor oil, Coconut, and  EO. It isn't the best recipe for a first time try, adding an egg would be better after you had done a real basic recipe. I know you will get a bunch of ideas from the people here. The EO is what scents the soap, and that was acceleration when it hit the batter.


----------



## traderbren (Jan 19, 2016)

I'm with Steve in that I'm going to blame that pesky egg yolk, at least for some of the problem. I imagine adding it all at once cooked the yolk. If you are determined to use a yolk sometime down the line, you will need to temper it first. Take a little batter, add it to the yolk, add a little more batter, to get them to the same temperature and incorporated better. 

When my husband started soaping, he tried an egg yolk recipe only because we raise pet chickens and have tons of eggs. He determined it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. (Cracked up! Ha!)


----------



## Seawolfe (Jan 19, 2016)

High castor oil will also speed trace.


----------



## Obsidian (Jan 19, 2016)

One egg yolk in a batch that large shouldn't have caused the soap the seize that bad. But then again, I never add my yolk at trace. I always add the tempered yolk to the oils before adding the lye mix.
Where did you get your essential oils?


----------



## mommycarlson (Jan 19, 2016)

Thank you all for your responses, I really appreciate the time.  I don't know technical terms, like SB?  I really just wanted a recipe to try, I'm not a math major (I was just a banker for 8 years  LOL) so all the calculations could make me quit before I even start.  I thought this was an "easy" recipe, at least it seemed like it.  Is there just a regular easy beginner recipe somewhere that I don't have to calculate?  Thanks again everyone!


----------



## mommycarlson (Jan 19, 2016)

I got my oils from Amazon.  I use both Young Living and Spark Naturals but they are too expensive for me to use in soap, especially if the batches have to be thrown away.  Do I have to throw this one away?  
Thanks everyone!


----------



## Obsidian (Jan 19, 2016)

The reason I asked about the EO's is because if they are blended or adulterated in anyway, then they could have been the cause of your soap seize. http://www.naturesgardencandles.com/ or brambleberry.com are a good places for EO/FO

Its possible your soap will be fine, sounds like it was at a nice trace before your additions. I would cure it for 6 weeks then test it.
For most of us, a simple recipe is is just a few oils and no additives like egg.

We can help with a simpler recipe but please let us know what oils you have on hand and what oils you are unwilling to use. You will get many suggestions for lard. Many, myself included, feel lard makes a superior soap but some people are unwilling to use animal fats in soap. It would also be useful to know what kind of skin you have (dry, oily, sensitive, etc..)

SB= stick blender
EO= essential oil
FO= Fragrance oil
CO= coconut oil
OO=olive oil
more here http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=32055

when beginning, you should make smaller batches. I generally stick to 2 lbs, thats the amount of oils used not the total weight. This is my favorite recipe, makes a nice hard bar with creamy lather. The high amount of lard will slow trace so don't freak out if it takes awhile to get there.

lard 16 oz
Olive oil 8 oz
coconut oil 6.40 oz
castor 1.60

water 8.90 oz
lye 4.45


----------



## traderbren (Jan 19, 2016)

You don't really have to do math. Soapcalc (and other soaping calculators) will figure out your math for you. You just plug in the oils you want to use in percentages. There were a few recipe suggestions upthread. 

I'm realizing your batch was much bigger than I originally thought, so no, one little yolk shouldn't do that to your whole batch.

Could you link or take a pic of the essential oils you used?


----------



## mommycarlson (Jan 19, 2016)

I'm going to attempt to attach pictures, bear with me   I'm pretty picky about my EO's, but I didn't want to spend the $ for my soap, I don't really care much about scents, I did buy two fragrance oils from Brambleberry.  My lavender oil was empty and is now in the bottom of the trash, but I have tried attaching a photo off of Amazon's website.


----------



## Obsidian (Jan 19, 2016)

Personally, I would "rebatch" that soap. You want to get it to the point you can actually cut it into bars. Chop you soap up into small bits and add it to a crock pot on low, add a couple Tbs of water and start melting it down. Once its completely hot and the consistency of mashed potatoes, glob it back into your molds quickly.
If the soap isn't cooking down or seems dry/crumbly, add more water but not too much. Max I use is 1/2 cup per pound of shredded soap but thats for older, drier soap. You shouldn't need to add much liquid at all. There are a lot of rebatch videos on youtube is you need more help or visuals.

I'm not the best with EO's but I know some can cause seize like you experienced. Its happened to all of us so don't feel bad, you didn't do anything wrong.
EO's sold by soaping companies are just as high quality as those over priced little bottles sold as "medicinal" EO's. If you don't mind unscented soap, it might be a good idea to make a unscented batch at first.


----------



## Steve85569 (Jan 19, 2016)

^^^ What Obsidian said!


----------



## mommycarlson (Jan 19, 2016)

Thank you so much everyone!  I will put the soap in the crock as soon as I can, is tomorrow too soon?


----------



## Obsidian (Jan 19, 2016)

Nope, tomorrow is fine


----------



## newbie (Jan 19, 2016)

I'm not trying to be a black cloud, but it's possible you won't get very good lather with this particular recipe because the amount of castor is so high. Over 10%, it tends to suppress lather rather than add to it. However, rebatching it will give you a bar (or many bars, as the case may be) to compare to when you are trying other recipes to find out what you like or don't.

For your next batch, I would target making a small batch with about 16 ounces total of oils and the recipes people mentioned are excellent places to start and will make a great bar of soap. You have a scale that weighs to at least 0.1 ounces, I hope? YOu want to be sure you have a very good scale, for sure.


----------



## scott312 (Jan 19, 2016)

mommycarlson said:


> Hi, I am new as of today to making soap.  My first batch was an epic fail,





/hug


----------



## Susie (Jan 20, 2016)

I would not even rebatch that soap yet.  I would unmold it and set it aside.  Then I would make a new batch of unscented soap. (any of the aforementioned recipes would do fine)  See how that goes.  Then, once I had made a successful batch, I would make a third batch and grate up the first batch to use as confetti.  I would use no castor oil in the third batch to help compensate for the large amount in the first batch confetti.  You use one part confetti to two parts new soap for best results.

BTW- My first batch was an epic fail, also.  But I learned so much that I count it as a success, anyway.


----------



## mommycarlson (Jan 20, 2016)

I'm guessing that once I use the crock for soap it's finished for food?  I don't have a crock dedicated to soap.  Can I do this on the stove?  I hate to keep putting money into this "hobby" that is creating more stress than hobby.  This recipe is a solid shampoo.  As for my scale?  I bought a less expensive one, can anyone recommend one that won't break the bank?  Mine was probably under 20.00.
Thanks for the hug 
My scale claims to measure accurately in precise graduations of 0.05 grams
And I have absolutely no problem with lard, I use it in my pie crust


----------



## Obsidian (Jan 20, 2016)

I use my crock for soap and food, its enamel and nothing remains behind to make it bad for food. You can use a double boiler on the stove but the crock is better.
The scale I use is a $25 from walmart, I've not had any issues using it.


----------



## mommycarlson (Jan 20, 2016)

my crock is ceramic, would it be okay to use for both?  Do you think I need a new scale?  Mine says it measures in precise graduations of 0.05 grams.


----------



## DeeAnna (Jan 20, 2016)

That might be a recipe from an experienced soaper but it's not a good choice of recipe for a beginner. Too much complexity, too much castor, and much too large. 

I also wonder if the EOs were cut with an alcohol ... that could have caused an instant seize. Just a guess....

Next time this kind of thing happens, you may want to switch over to a hot process method in which you continue to cook the soap batter. It should loosen up as saponification continues and you'll end up with a soap that is safe to use and looks tolerably like soap.

But for now, set your sights on making a good, classic soap in smaller batches. Save the egg yolk, expensive jojoba, and spendy EOs for later when you've built up your skills and have more confidence.


----------



## Bamagirl (Jan 20, 2016)

I am also a newbie. I made my first batch of soap right after Christmas. I posted a thread here about a really basic recipe for a beginner and got the following recommendation:

50% lard
30% olive oil
15% coconut oil
5% castor oil

I plugged the % into soapcalc for a small batch (1.5 lb) and made it with no colors, EO's or FO's. I didn't have any problems, and it all happened like I had read on here and seen on youtube videos. It was 3 weeks old yesterday and I have been testing it since week one and must say that it is some really good soap already. 

I'm sorry I can't really help you with the batch you have already made as I don't have that much experience, but I did want to give you the recipe that was recommended to me because it worked really well and am hoping it would work out great for you too. I know it must have been discouraging and hopefully the next batch will go smooth with no problems.


----------



## mommycarlson (Jan 20, 2016)

Thank you!  I will give it a whirl soon and let everyone know how it turned out.  In the meantime I am going to rebatch the first batch, wish me luck!


----------



## Seawolfe (Jan 20, 2016)

I use the same crockpots for soap as I do for cooking - they end up squeaky clean after soaping  Just make sure that the enamel is intact - no chipping.

Bamagirl - thank you for recommending our most excellent basic recipe


----------



## dixiedragon (Jan 20, 2016)

Good luck! Your crockpot will be fine. Respect the lye, but don't cower before it! It's not radioactive. I have a separate crockpot I use for soaping that I got for $3 at Salvation army. The only reason I have a separate one is that I'm concerned that I will break the crock while washing it b/c it will be VERY slippery! And also I'm concerned about spilling soap into the heating part of the crock. But if I hadn't found a cheap one at SA, I would be using my regular one.

Regarding essential oils, it's good to be particular, but Young Living and Do Terra have a bad reputation around here for being ridiculously overpriced. If you decide to use EOs, we can recommend several good suppliers - Camden Grey, New Directions Aromatics and Liberty Naturals come to mind.

I have never made soap with egg, I am concerned that it might get very gross and nasty smelling in rebatch? If it does, please don't give up!


----------



## paillo (Jan 20, 2016)

I use separate crockpots for food and soap, got one for a few bucks at a thrift store. They're both ceramic.

After a year, the one I use for soap is scratched and cruddy looking, and I wouldn't dare use it for cooking. Just my opinion...


----------



## mommycarlson (Jan 20, 2016)

I rebatched the soap today, although it doesn't look as I thought it would, it looks MUCH better than yesterday, I don't know if it will be usable but I feel much better about how it's doing now.  Thanks everyone!


----------



## Obsidian (Jan 20, 2016)

It looks much better now and it should be just fine. Rebatch is hardly ever nice looking but its a great way to save a messed up batch. Did any scent remain or did it all cook away?
You might want to find someone who does wood working and have some frames made for your molds. My molds are made from scrap wood and work just as well as over priced fancy wooden ones.


----------



## mommycarlson (Jan 20, 2016)

Still smells pretty strong, so I think it still has some scent, I'm sure that will fade as it cures, actually my whole house smells like the soap!  Good idea on the woodworking friend (hubby, sons) can handle it, I wanted to make sure I can do this first before I get them involved.  Thanks again!  I'm going to try the recipe in this thread soon.


----------



## cmzaha (Jan 20, 2016)

A word of caution when using some ceramic crock pots, the lye can eventually damage them. You could still use it for soap, but not food. As far as Essential Oils, there are really no therapeutic class for Essential Oils, even though many sell as such. FDA is after DoTerra and Young Living. You need to purchase quality Essential Oils from supplies such as Bramble Berry, that is hard for me to say... Liberty Naturals, Camden Gray, and most other soap suppliers. DoTerra, Young Living, and others selling outrageously priced essential oils, purchase from some of these suppliers and re-bottle. A few drops of essentials oils is simply a waste of money in soap. Many use 3%, I usually use in the neighborhood of 5% EO in my 5-6 lb soap batches


----------



## penelopejane (Jan 20, 2016)

Until you get a wooden mold made to support  the silicone liners Lee Bussy on this forum has come up with a cheap and fairly easy idea. 
I used 1.5 inches around of core board just because I had it. 

"Get a piece of cardboard at least an inch larger all around.  You really  can use anything you are comfortable cutting   Matting, foam board,  whatever so long as it is rigid.  Cut a hole in it exactly the size of  the outside of your mold.  Then cut again maybe an inch or so further  out (size/distance is not important and does not have to be exact).  You  now have the most basic frame to keep your mold square.  You can tape  this to the outside towards the top of the mold, use it as a "frame" to  set the mold down in another box, stab pencils or toothpicks through it  to make legs, whatever."


----------



## Steve85569 (Jan 20, 2016)

I rebatched the soap today, although it doesn't look as I thought it  would, it looks MUCH better than yesterday, I don't know if it will be  usable but I feel much better about how it's doing now.  Thanks  everyone!

And next one of the getting started recipes.

And forms for the silicone liners.

So the addiction ( craft ) begins.

Just (try and ) wait until the soap you are making gets to a good cure say in 4 or 5 weeks. You'll never be happy with a soap from the store again.

Oh look. Wonder if that would make a good soap mould. Can I make soap with XYZ oil?
Yeah we understand.


----------



## mommycarlson (Jan 20, 2016)

Carolyn, I am learning about EO's and have spent way too much on them in the past.  Penelope, thank you for the mold diagram, that will work great for me, for this batch when it was still soft I stuck a big book in between the mold and the pan and that held it up pretty well, I hadn't done it yet when I took the above photo.  
Steve, my first batch caused several reactions, I was shaking, sweating, and crying sometimes all three at once during the making of the soap, LOL is this normal?


----------



## penelopejane (Jan 21, 2016)

mommycarlson said:


> Steve, my first batch caused several reactions, I was shaking, sweating, and crying sometimes all three at once during the making of the soap, LOL is this normal?





I am sorry to say it is. Next hurdle will be gelling problems and after that dreaded colours. But good times are around the corner when you get to use your soap. 

Obsidian's idea (post 16) of confetti-Int a bad batch is also good. It means grating or cutting up a bad batch and adding it to another batch. It makes a sort of terrazzo looking soap. Like this one from vice and velvet.


----------



## mommycarlson (Jan 21, 2016)

That looks great!  I don't know if I'll ever get that fancy   I unmolded and cut mine today, it looks pretty good, time will tell, it's on a shelf curing.  I can't stop looking at it!


----------



## Steve85569 (Jan 21, 2016)

I have a batch of confetti that I'll post pics of later today. I just cut it and I used trimmings and scraps for the confetti. Milk soap and confetti! (edit) got it!


----------



## penelopejane (Jan 21, 2016)

mommycarlson said:


> That looks great!  I don't know if I'll ever get that fancy   I unmolded and cut mine today, it looks pretty good, time will tell, it's on a shelf curing.  I can't stop looking at it!



This is not that fancy.  It is a great way to use up all the little bits of soap that you cut off to get square edges etc and all those mistakes that just happen. These add up over time.  

To make this one you just divide you batter into three.  Pour plain batter in the bottom of the mold and level it off.  Mix your cut up or grated bits in with 1/3 of the plain batter and pour into the mold next and level it off.  Then pour the last 1/3 of batter into the mold.  All done.


----------



## Steve85569 (Jan 21, 2016)

^^ What penelopejane said. 
It's a simple way to use the trimmings from previous batches. You'll be there almost before you know it!
I did a rebatch from some soap that just didn't work out the way I wanted this afternoon and added a bunch of trimmings so I have another darker batch I'll cut in the morning. Cleans up my scraps and "plop and swears".:mrgreen:


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 5, 2016)

Hi All, I did not disappear, I had a family emergency in Texas, I was down there for a few weeks just got back.  I plan to make a batch using the recipe someone posted earlier in the thread, probably Monday.  I am looking forward to it    I'll let you know how it goes.  The rebatched soap I did a few weeks ago is doing pretty well, seems to be drying nicely and the house smells so good!


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 8, 2016)

My second attempt at soap, it looks really good to me, although I am not sure since my first batch was a train wreck.  This is the basic recipe someone posted earlier in this thread, using lard.  It's been in the mold for 7 hours and looking really good.  It did not go through the "gel phase" that I've read about, hopefully that's okay.  So thank you everyone for all of your input, I wasn't even nervous this time.    I took this photo right after I poured the soap in the mold.


----------



## penelopejane (Feb 8, 2016)

^^^ Looks great!  :mrgreen:


----------



## Steve85569 (Feb 8, 2016)

Now to wait for time to cut!
Looks Way better than the first try. 

Since you mentioned DH and son are wood workers you might ask if you can "borrow" a miter box. :twisted: They make great guides for cutting the bars.


----------



## Seawolfe (Feb 8, 2016)

That's a nice looking soap! I bet you really like it when it's finished curing.


----------



## cmzaha (Feb 8, 2016)

mommycarlson said:


> My second attempt at soap, it looks really good to me, although I am not sure since my first batch was a train wreck.  This is the basic recipe someone posted earlier in this thread, using lard.  It's been in the mold for 7 hours and looking really good.  It did not go through the "gel phase" that I've read about, hopefully that's okay.  So thank you everyone for all of your input, I wasn't even nervous this time.    I took this photo right after I poured the soap in the mold.


Very nice and creamy looking. Soap does not have to gel but will often stay zappy for 72 hrs and will be softer in the beginning. I do not gel most of my soaps


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 9, 2016)

Thanks everyone!  Do you all wait 24 hours to cut?  I've read 24 and also another book says 48.


----------



## penelopejane (Feb 9, 2016)

You have to wait until it is ready to cut. Every mold and every recipe is different. 

You will know when you try to get it out of the mold if it is too early. You pull the sides of the mold away from the soap - if the soap deforms or is sticky you have to wait a bit.  If you leave it too long it will be easy to get out of the mild but difficult to cut. There is a sweet spot for each recipe.


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 9, 2016)

the sides of the mold are already pulling away from the soap, so I may be unmolding and cutting today!


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 16, 2016)

Okay, now that I have two batches of soap under my belt, I am ready to make a coffee soap.  I found a recipe online.  Do you think I need to use some sort of calculator to make sure the proportions are correct?  Here is the recipe:
Coconut oil, 15 oz
Olive oil 17 oz
Palm oil 12 oz
What germ 2 oz
strong coffee 19 oz with 1 T salt
lye 6.95 oz (for a 10% superfat)  

At trace add 5 oz castor oil mixed with 1/4 c coffee grounds

I also have some coffee scent that I purchased at Brambleberry but I don't know how much of that to add.

Advice?  
Thank you!


----------



## kchaystack (Feb 16, 2016)

You should always run recipes from the new thru a calculator.

I also would skip the wheat germ oil.  It has an incredibly short shelf life - and that means it can speed up rancidity.  

If you are doing this as cold process, adding the castor at trace is not needed.  Add it all upfront.  

As for the fragrance oil, you need to look at the BB site and find the usage rate.  it is probably between .5 - 1 oz per pound of oil.

If it is the espresso FO, it discolors - so be ready for that.


----------



## IrishLass (Feb 16, 2016)

Hi Mommycalson!  - Yes. Rule # 1 of soap-making.....never get caught with your pants down- always, always, always use a soap calculator to double-check any recipe you find online. You'd be surprised at how many new soapers get into trouble by using a recipe found online that turned out to be faulty in some way- either because of a typo or because the recipe was just plain bad. 

I just took a look at the recipe and here are 4 things right off the bat that concern me:

1) I feel that the superfat is too high for this type of formula (at least in my estimation); 2) adding 5 oz. of castor at trace is completely unnecessary; 3) the water/coffee level is way to high (unless you are going to make this via HP instead of CP??); and 4) I would use less coffee grounds. 

I'm not sure of the intent the originator of the recipe had in mind for adding the castor at trace, but if it was because they thought it would remain as a superfat, then they are sadly mistaken (it will not remain as the superfat). 

Other than those 4 things, the formula in terms of the oils/fats %s used looks fine to me. If I were making it, this is what I would do:

1) I would include the 5 oz of castor up front as part of the formula calculations when determining the amount of lye/water to use, and I would mix it in with the other oils before adding the lye/coffee solution. 

2) I would use much less water/coffee (14 oz. tops)

3) I would superfat it no higher than 8%.

4) Instead of 1/4 cup, I would use 3 tablespoons coffee grounds, tops . 

As for the FO, I would check out Brambleberry's scent calculator on their site.

Hopefully others will chime in soon to add their advice. 


*Edited to add*: looks like somebody just did! 

IrishLass


----------



## amd (Feb 16, 2016)

I would lower the castor oil. Looks like 5 oz is approx 10%. I usually do 5-7%. My only exception was a 90% olive oil bar.


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 16, 2016)

Okay, I plan to do cold process.  I wasn't sure what soap calculator to use, any favorites?  I've never used one, so any advice would be appreciated. I just tried the fragrance calculator on BB, it asked me for my batch size in ounces or grams.  So do I just add up the ounces of the oils?  Or do I also add the ounces of water and lye?  I appreciate all the help, I'm very new so I have a lot of questions.
And WOW, I just looked at a soap calculator website, that is WAY over my head....closed it quickly.....yikes!


----------



## IrishLass (Feb 16, 2016)

mommycarlson said:


> Okay, I plan to do cold process. I wasn't sure what soap calculator to use, any favorites?


 
I myself am a long-term user of SoapCalc, which I would venture to say is probably the most commonly used soap calculator across soapdom. Here is a tutorial by one of our members that guides you through how to use it: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=49627 

And SoapCalc itself has it's own tutorial on how to use it on-site: http://soapcalc.net/info/helptext.asp

There is also another calculator that many here have been using of late called Soapee. I've never used that particular one myself, but those that do use it say that it is more newbie-friendly. Hopefully those that use it will chime in soon.

MMS also has a calculator, and so does Brambleberry.

I like SoapCalc because it gives me the fatty acid profile of my soap, as well as other things that I like to keep track of. 




mommycarlson said:


> I just tried the fragrance calculator on BB, it asked me for my batch size in ounces or grams. So do I just add up the ounces of the oils? Or do I also add the ounces of water and lye?


 
I've never used the Brambleberry calculator since SoapCalc has a box where I can calculate it, but for what it's worth, most of us figure the rate of scent as per pound of the oil amount of our formulas only.




mommycarlson said:


> And WOW, I just looked at a soap calculator website, that is WAY over my head....closed it quickly.....yikes!


 
LOL I can understand how intimidating it can all be at first, but it'll all make sense sooner or later. Just read through the tutorials and it will become clearer and clearer in no time. 

Don't hesitate to ask if you don't understand something. Questions are welcome here.  

IrishLass


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 16, 2016)

Thank you Irish Lass, it's fair to say I am overwhelmed.  I just thought you chose a recipe (like baking a cake) and followed it, no clue that there needed to be calculations.  I will do some research and see what I can learn.


----------



## The Efficacious Gentleman (Feb 17, 2016)

If you're serious about soaping, getting used to at least of the calcs is not optional, but required. They might look complicated but they are actually really simple to use - just look at one of the numbered sections at a time and answer that part. 

What type of lye are you using? Simple to answer. 

What unit of measurement? Also simple to answer. 

Before you know it, you're clicking on 'calculate' and seeing then recipe


----------



## Seawolfe (Feb 17, 2016)

Actually, that's a really good point: so many new soapers think that soaps use a recipe, but it's really a formula. That's why we speak in percentages so often. And why my favorite formulas may not be yours. By all means get ideas from others recipes, but formulate them yourself using a calculator, and tweak them to suit your needs.

Edit to add: the Brambleberry fragrance calc is for weight of soap, or lotion etc. I like it because it spits out a range from light to strong scent.


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 17, 2016)

I think the tutorial page actually  made my anxiety worse.  How do I know what percent of water I want to use? And amount of lye discount?  I've read several books but I feel like I know nothing.  How do I decide these things?  I've put the oils in that I plan to use but it won't let me calculate a recipe, I have to put in a value for the oils.  What does that mean?  I'm sorry I can't figure this out    thank you


----------



## kchaystack (Feb 17, 2016)

mommycarlson said:


> I think the tutorial page actually  made my anxiety worse.  How do I know what percent of water I want to use? And amount of lye discount?  I've read several books but I feel like I know nothing.  How do I decide these things?



These are important things you have to figure out by trial and error.  

What I would do is change from water as % of oils to lye concentration and enter 30%.  This is a nice starting point, and as you go along you can adjust as you learn.

As for lye discount (also called superfat) I would use 5%.  This is the default and will be fine for your first batch.

The most important thing is to stay calm.  Being anxious does nothing but make the process stressful and not fun.


----------



## Seawolfe (Feb 17, 2016)

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=49627

As the tutorial says - use the default 38% of water as oils at first. Not sure where you are seeing lye discount, but on Soap Calc keep the superfat at default 5%
You add oils by double clicking, and you can ask the calculator to formulate by percentages or weight for the oils. Just follow the tutorial I linked to step by step and you'll get it


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 17, 2016)

I took a deep breath and found the tutorial someone posted that is actually on the soapcalc website.  This did help some.  it's the whole water % issue that has me stumped.  Thank you kchaystack for your help, I am getting closer to a recipe on the calculator!  I used to be excited about making soap but math is not my strong suit, and this does not make me calm  LOL.  Once I have a recipe I will be fine.  I so appreciate all the feedback from everyone.

Okay!  Thank you guys, I did it, I have a recipe!  woohoo!  now I just need my last oil to arrive


----------



## BusyHands (Feb 17, 2016)

There are some Soap Calculators on the web. Some are more in depth than others. Just start out slow to get the feel of things. A good way to start is by making 1 lb tester batches of soap or even trying a one bar "recipe", just to see how you like each formula; during the curing process and as a finished product. Bramble Berry has a simple soap calculator on their website. Another is Soap Calc, it's more in depth. There are others, so test them out for your comfort level. The calculators will decide for you on the amount of water (liquid) & lye to use based on the amounts, types of oils you choose; at a superfat percentage. To start out, I would stay with a 3%-5% superfat. I hope this helps & doesn't make your nervousness worse.


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 17, 2016)

Thank you busyhands, I'm feeling a little better now that I have an actual recipe.  The soapcalc calculator was very intimidating at first, the tutorial helped.  What tripped me up was the % of water and the superfat.  I'm so new and all those things are foreign to me.  I hope I will get to the point of knowing and feeling confident.


----------



## navigator9 (Feb 17, 2016)

penelopejane said:


> You have to wait until it is ready to cut. Every mold and every recipe is different.
> 
> You will know when you try to get it out of the mold if it is too early. You pull the sides of the mold away from the soap - if the soap deforms or is sticky you have to wait a bit.  If you leave it too long it will be easy to get out of the mild but difficult to cut. There is a sweet spot for each recipe.



And this is one of the benefits of gelling soap...you can unmold and cut the next day. I gel nearly all of my soaps because I need the (almost) instant gratification, and when I don't, I always try to unmold too soon, and end up messing up my soap. Gelling or not is strictly aesthetic, some people prefer to gel, some not to. Most of us have pretty strong feelings one way or another. This is something you can experiment with to see which side of the debate you end up on.


----------



## dixiedragon (Feb 17, 2016)

mommycarlson said:


> Thank you busyhands, I'm feeling a little better now that I have an actual recipe. The soapcalc calculator was very intimidating at first, the tutorial helped. What tripped me up was the % of water and the superfat. I'm so new and all those things are foreign to me. I hope I will get to the point of knowing and feeling confident.


 
I am not great at math either, so don't let that stop you! Soapcalc has good defaults: Lye as percent of oils 38% (section 3 on the page) and superfat 5% (section 4). At this point, there is no need to change those. 

Regarding using a recipe - it's actually really the same thing! Lots of people publish crappy recipes. Bad recipe = bad food. Bad soap recipe = bad soap. Very similar! Making soap is less like making soup and more like making bread, in that certain chemical reactions are going on. If I add 10 carrots instead of 1 carrot to my soup, my soup will be fine, just extra carrot-y. If you are baking bread and add too much or not enough of something, your bread won't rise.

Generally speaking, recipes tend to err on the side of high superfat rather than low superfat. Superfat is the amount of oil over what the lye will saponify (turn into soap). Generally it is good to have at least 5% superfat - it gives you a margin of error. Many books contain recipes that have a 15% or 20% superfat, which is a LOT. The "average" here on SMF is 5%. There are plenty of people who go lower and higher, but 5% is a good starting point.


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 17, 2016)

Thank you dixiedragon, that helps make me feel better.  And the analogies of bread vs soup vs soap are very good!  
And Navigator9, neither of my batches have gelled yet.  I'm wondering if it's because both times I've used those long thin molds?  I've read somewhere that you need your soap in a larger mold for the gel phase to happen.


----------



## The Efficacious Gentleman (Feb 17, 2016)

That is a good analogy.  If someone says to me "use 100 eggs and 10 grams of flour" I know that something is wrong.  I don't know what each ingredient brings to the party, though, so I struggle to fully 'get it'

Look through the recipes that are posted all over this forum and you'll get a feel for what goes where and then things will make more sense.  Like when people use a SatNav and then have no real idea of where they went, just using a recipe blindly means that you miss out on the "why" of the recipe, which is a crying shame.  I strongly suggest reading back through the recipe sections of the forum for 10 pages or more, looking at what is suggested and why, then recipes will really start to make sense to you.  You'll start to know what the cleansing oils are and how much you should look at for each type of soap and why.  Going beyond the basics in to getting understanding.  

You never need to "do" maths, as the calcs do it for you.  But the difference between a 15% castor and a 5% castor recipe is something you can pick up easily


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 17, 2016)

Thank you EG, much appreciated and I will look through the recipes section.  Now I have a question.  When do I add the coffee grounds to my coffee soap recipe?  At  trace?  And how about the Espresso fragrance oil?  Does that go in at trace as well?  And do I need to warm it first?


----------



## kchaystack (Feb 17, 2016)

mommycarlson said:


> Thank you EG, much appreciated and I will look through the recipes section.  Now I have a question.  When do I add the coffee grounds to my coffee soap recipe?  At  trace?  And how about the Espresso fragrance oil?  Does that go in at trace as well?  And do I need to warm it first?



I would add them at trace, since they are heavy enough to settle in a thin batter.

I do not remember espresso causing acceleration, so I would add it to your oils before you add the lye.   It does not need to be warmed.


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 17, 2016)

Okay, great, thank you!


----------



## dixiedragon (Feb 17, 2016)

mommycarlson said:


> Thank you EG, much appreciated and I will look through the recipes section. Now I have a question. When do I add the coffee grounds to my coffee soap recipe? At trace? And how about the Espresso fragrance oil? Does that go in at trace as well? And do I need to warm it first?


 
Aaaaand here is when you find that many questions have multiple "correct" answers. I add the coffee grounds to my lye water. In my experience, coffee grounds are light enough and soap is thick enough that they don't settle in.

Regarding your FO: I generally use 1 to 1.5 tablespoons per pound of oils (PPO). Unfortunately BB's fragrance calculator is down so you can't check their recommendation that way.

If I have a 1 OZ sample, I use it to make 20 ounces of soap. I tend to scent on the heavy side.


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 17, 2016)

My soap recipe has 49 oz of oils, is this too big of a batch for my 3rd try?  Should I do just a half batch?


----------



## Seawolfe (Feb 17, 2016)

For early batches I would recommend around 2 - 2.5 lb of soap out of the mold or around 21 - 25 ounces of oils. Much less than that and small errors become larger problems.

Plus you don't know what you like yet - this is how you find out


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 19, 2016)

Okay, thank you Seawolfe.  I cut the batch in half (per the soapcalc calculator) but I do have a question about the salt.  The original recipe calls for salt and 1/4 cup of coffee grounds.  Someone said to cut the coffee grounds down to 3 T, so should I do less than that since I am doing half the batch?  And the salt, so instead of a T of salt, do I add 1/2 a T?  Is the salt necessary?  What is it for?  I'm going to make the soap hopefully today.
Thanks!
Also, I would like scale advice please. I bought a cheap one from Amazon, it measures in the correct measurements but it jumps around so much it's hard to get an accurate measurement.  Then I got the Biggest Loser one from Walmart but it doesn't measure in the correct measurements.  Can anyone please recommend one that doesn't break the bank, but is a good one?  Thanks!


----------



## SoapingChick (Feb 19, 2016)

I'm guessing the salt is for initial hardening of the soap - to get it out of the mold easier. I've never used it myself as I imagine it will cut just a teeny, tiny bit of lather and I want ALL the lather. I just wait a bit longer, one time almost 2 weeks! (It had a lot of extra glycerin.) I do add sugar at 1 T ppo (disolve in water before adding lye) for even MORE bubbles, if you haven't tried it yet I recommend, made a significant difference in my recipes 
As for the coffee grounds, most people add I think about 1T ppo. Depending of the level of scrubbiness you want, you can adjust/play around with the coarseness (?) of the grounds. What I like to do is split my batter and only add grounds to part of the soap and either swirl (in the pot) or put the coffee-part in the bottom and do a pencil line and then the rest on top, so I only have scrubbies in the bottom part. Did it in a slap mold, so the soap had a scrubby side and a smooth side, split with a gold mica pencil line. You can use micas, cinnamon, activated charcoal, I'm guessing parsley tho I don't recall seeing it (anyone used powedered parsley for pencil line?? Should stay green, right?)
Best of luck :-D


----------



## SoapingChick (Feb 19, 2016)

I now know my kitchen table is uneven, my scale will jump if it's not on a COMPLETLY flat, level surface. I now put it on a big glass plate when weighing. It's a cheap (BAD) one, but it is precise. (It's (BAD) cause it turns off automatically in 60 seconds, regardless it's still counting. DON'T get a scale that has no off-button!) 
I don't have any recommendations tho, but I imagine the price goes up with the quality.


----------



## shunt2011 (Feb 19, 2016)

mommycarlson said:


> Also, I would like scale advice please. I bought a cheap one from Amazon, it measures in the correct measurements but it jumps around so much it's hard to get an accurate measurement. Then I got the Biggest Loser one from Walmart but it doesn't measure in the correct measurements. Can anyone please recommend one that doesn't break the bank, but is a good one? Thanks!


 
I highly recommend a KD7000 or KD8000.  I have the KD8000 and love it.  Also, it's not expensive.  I got mine from Amazon.  Make sure to get the plug for it as well if you decide to get one.


----------



## dixiedragon (Feb 19, 2016)

What do you mean by "correct measurements"?


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 19, 2016)

I read that you need it to measure in the 0.05 oz and the Biggest Loser one only measures in the 0.0, so if I need 6.69 oz of water, the BL one only measures 6.6  it doesn't give me the .09  Does this make sense?


----------



## The Efficacious Gentleman (Feb 19, 2016)

Is it near anything electrical? We have our microwave under the work top and when it runs my scale goes haywire


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 19, 2016)

nope, just sitting on the counter.  it just seems extra sensitive, when I put a tiny drop of water trying to get the right amount it jumps way up sever grams, then I take some out and it is back down too far again, I do a lot of monkeying around trying to get just the perfect weight.


----------



## kchaystack (Feb 19, 2016)

mommycarlson said:


> nope, just sitting on the counter.  it just seems extra sensitive, when I put a tiny drop of water trying to get the right amount it jumps way up sever grams, then I take some out and it is back down too far again, I do a lot of monkeying around trying to get just the perfect weight.



Try putting a nickel on the scale.  It should read 5 grams.  Unless it is really old and worn, then it might be a little less.


----------



## dixiedragon (Feb 19, 2016)

mommycarlson said:


> I read that you need it to measure in the 0.05 oz and the Biggest Loser one only measures in the 0.0, so if I need 6.69 oz of water, the BL one only measures 6.6 it doesn't give me the .09 Does this make sense?


 
Yes, I get it now. Don't worry about it. You aren't going to find a scale that measures hundredths of an ounce unless you get an extremely pricey scale, like a jeweler's scale. Round lye down and everything else up. So if you need 6.69 oz water, 6.7 is fine.


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 19, 2016)

I put a nickel on the scale, it weighs 5 grams.  I had already attempted to weigh my lye, which would only weigh either 3.49 oz or 3.53, I need 3.51, no matter what I could not get it to weigh 3.51.  What do I do in this case?
and the salt, should I use my regular iodized table salt or my himalayan salt?  I think that might be spelled wrong


----------



## kchaystack (Feb 19, 2016)

.02 grams is not going to make a difference.  I would get to 3.49 and go with that.


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 19, 2016)

done, thank you!  my coffee is hot, so I'm waiting for that to cool down, and wondering about the salt.
perfect, I got it to 3.49, waiting to add the lye until the coffee cools down.  and wondering about the salt?


----------



## kchaystack (Feb 19, 2016)

mommycarlson said:


> perfect, I got it to 3.49, waiting to add the lye until the coffee cools down.  and wondering about the salt?



Either regular salt or the pink would be fine.  If you are just adding a spoonful or so to harden the bar I would just use regular salt, not the more expensive stuff.


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 19, 2016)

awesome, thank you!


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 19, 2016)

Coffee soap is in the mold!


----------



## kchaystack (Feb 19, 2016)

looks good


----------



## topofmurrayhill (Feb 19, 2016)

mommycarlson said:


> Coffee soap is in the mold!



That sure looks promising.


----------



## BusyHands (Feb 19, 2016)

mommycarlson said:


> Coffee soap is in the mold!


Looking Good!!


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 19, 2016)

Thanks everyone. Soap looked great, but here is what happened.  I had the soap in my top oven, turned off.  I turned on my bottom oven and put a pan of potatoes in it.  The steam from the bottom oven vents through the top oven, so my soap was exposed to some warm steam for about 5 minutes before I noticed.  The top of the soap feels sort of velvety, it's still solid, and warm to the touch.  Did I just ruin it?  I've taken it out and am hoping that it's okay.  Please advise!  Man, just when I thought I was feeling more confident!


----------



## Steve85569 (Feb 19, 2016)

It's wet. It'll dry.
The extra water on top will slow cure and maybe saponification a bit.

As for scales:
You can find a set of dime scales ( measure to the 0.1 gram) on eBay for a decent price. ( I had trouble saying that). As long as you are not looking for a high range scale. They tend to max out at around 3 kilos ( 3,000 grams or 6.54 pounds). I have two sets that measure to 3K and they are fine for what I am doing. Being able to plug in to the wall will cost $10 more. They start in the USA at about $15.


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 19, 2016)

That is great news Steve, thank you!  And thank you for the advice on the scale.  Should I put the soap back in the oven to keep it warm (oven off) now that I'm done steaming it? Now that I've looked at it, the middle is getting dark like maybe it's doing something


----------



## kchaystack (Feb 19, 2016)

mommycarlson said:


> That is great news Steve, thank you!  And thank you for the advice on the scale.  Should I put the soap back in the oven to keep it warm (oven off) now that I'm done steaming it? Now that I've looked at it, the middle is getting dark like maybe it's doing something



It is likely going into gel stage.  Perfectly normal.  

You can put it in the oven if you want - if you do not have it on, all it will do is keep it out of the way.  Which if you have cats, dogs, curious kids/partner might be a good idea.


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 19, 2016)

It's been out a while now, might as well leave it out, the upper oven is still warm from the bottom oven being on.  No animals here, just a hubby who nods and smiles and says "nice job honey" in regards to the soap, but could really care less.  Thanks for all your help!


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 22, 2016)

Considering a coconut soap today.  I have run a recipe through soapcalc, but the recipe calls for coconut milk as the liquid.  The coconut milk I buy is very thick, like a paste, the recipe says to freeze half the coconut milk in ice cube trays and use that to cool the lye/coconut milk mixture.  What kind of coconut milk would you use that isn't solid?  Or would water be okay?  I'm going to add a coconut FO from Brambleberry, does anyone know if this causes the batch to seize up at the end or can I add it with the rest of my oils?  Thanks!


----------



## penelopejane (Feb 22, 2016)

You can use the split method that doesn't require freezing anything. Use just over 50% of the water required to mix the lye. Reserve part of the remaining water to mix colours etc. 
Substitute the remaining water with coconut milk. Mix the coconut milk into the oils before the lye. And add the FO at this stage. Then add the lye and mix to a light trace.


----------



## kchaystack (Feb 22, 2016)

Canned coconut milk separates into a solid phase (mostly coconut oil) and liquid (mostly water).  Just mix it really well, maybe take a stick blender to it.  I would also put it in a freezer bag and seal it.  Then put it flat in your freezer.  It will freeze faster, and you can break it up into with a rolling pin so it is easier to deal with than cubes. 

Of course distilled water is always ok. 

Not sure if the FO accelerates - but it is going to discolor.  I don't think I have seen any coconut FO that has no vanillan.


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 22, 2016)

Okay, great, thank you!  I'll give it a whirl 
I set that up to make only one pound of soap, I'm pretty disappointed in how small the batch is.  My question is, can I make another soap and pour on top of this one?
Ended up making a half pound of soap, leaving out the FO and added 1/2 t cinnamon at trace for a top layer with a different color.  Looks pretty good so far  
How long should it take the soap to firm up?  Usually the leftover stuff in the pan is set up by now but it's still "buttery", the stuff in the mold is firming up some, but it's still a little soft.  My other batches hardened up in the molds pretty quickly.


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 25, 2016)

I had my first homemade soap experience this morning. WOW!  It's my own soap, I made the solid shampoo on 1/19, it seized up when I added the EO, so I rebatched it, per everyone's advice here on the 20th, cut it on the 21st.  It's 5 weeks old today.  It's amazing    The lather is outstanding and my hair feels wonderful.  It was so hard not to use it as a body soap, so my question is, is it ok to use it as a body soap or should I stick with it only as a solid shampoo?


----------



## Seawolfe (Feb 25, 2016)

Of course you can use it as a hand, face, body, dog, soap, why not?


----------



## cmzaha (Feb 25, 2016)

mommycarlson said:


> I had my first homemade soap experience this morning. WOW!  It's my own soap, I made the solid shampoo on 1/19, it seized up when I added the EO, so I rebatched it, per everyone's advice here on the 20th, cut it on the 21st.  It's 5 weeks old today.  It's amazing    The lather is outstanding and my hair feels wonderful.  It was so hard not to use it as a body soap, so my question is, is it ok to use it as a body soap or should I stick with it only as a solid shampoo?


Your body will enjoy the soap much more than your hair will. You made soap Not Shampoo and soap is not good for hair over time, trust me on that one. You want shampoo make a shampoo bar that is not soap. Here is a good starting point for "shampoo" bars. Do your research on what the ph o fsoap does to hair. Once you damage hair, which is very resilient, you can not actually fix it, only cutting will get rid of the damaged hair
http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2009/10/shampoo-bar-visual-tutorial.html


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 25, 2016)

This "soap" is actually a shampoo bar, made from a recipe in Gregory White's book.  Thank you all for your responses!


----------



## Susie (Feb 25, 2016)

mommycarlson said:


> This "soap" is actually a shampoo bar, made from a recipe in Gregory White's book.  Thank you all for your responses!



Shampoo bars are still an alkaline salt of a fatty acid resulting from saponification.  That makes it a soap.  No matter what anyone calls it, or what part of the body it is used on, it is soap.  

Carolyn's point is that the high pH of soap, AKA "shampoo bars", can be very damaging to hair.  Not everyone has this issue as fast as others, but some people can really damage their hair by using soap to wash it.  I did, and I am now back to using synthetic detergents to wash my hair, and the last of the damaged parts should be able to be cut off on my next haircut.  

Carolyn also was (or is currently) a licensed cosmetician who's job depended on knowing how to properly care for hair.  This makes her way more expert about hair than people who make soap. 

Only you can decide what you are going to use to wash your hair, but Carolyn would be remiss not to tell you that you could be damaging your hair.


----------



## shunt2011 (Feb 25, 2016)

^^
This.....Can't use soap on my hair.  What a mess it was.   Not good on colored hair at all.


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 25, 2016)

Thank you for all your feedback


----------



## penelopejane (Feb 26, 2016)

Some peoples hair seems to take longer to react and guys don't suffer so much damage, if they keep their hair super short (constantly cut the damaged parts off) but soap does damage the follicles.


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 26, 2016)

I have a pixie cut, very short hair    I appreciate all the feedback.


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 29, 2016)

Hi All,
I would like to make a recipe from a book that I have.  I put it into SoapCalc, but it makes 163 oz of soap!  I wanted to make a 25 oz batch.  For the life of me, I don't know how to reduce the recipe.  Is it just simple math of dividing and putting it into the soap calculator?  I tried setting it for a 25 oz batch but it did not change the amounts of the oils called for in my recipe.  Thanks for your help!


----------



## Susie (Feb 29, 2016)

Summerbeemeadow has a recipe resizer:

http://www.summerbeemeadow.com/content/lye-calculator-and-recipe-resizer


----------



## topofmurrayhill (Feb 29, 2016)

mommycarlson said:


> Hi All,
> I would like to make a recipe from a book that I have.  I put it into SoapCalc, but it makes 163 oz of soap!  I wanted to make a 25 oz batch.  For the life of me, I don't know how to reduce the recipe.  Is it just simple math of dividing and putting it into the soap calculator?  I tried setting it for a 25 oz batch but it did not change the amounts of the oils called for in my recipe.  Thanks for your help!



You can use summerbeemeadow but SoapCalc can also resize your recipe and you only have to enter it once. Here are the steps:

1 - Choose ounces in section 2. Don't worry about the number there.

2 - Select your oils in section 6. Enter the amounts from the book in the Oz column.

3 - Click the Calculate Recipe button.

4 - Percentages have now appeared in section 6. Select the % instead of the Oz column.

5 - Go back to section 2 and enter 25 ounces.

6 - Click the Calculate Recipe button again and you'll have the info you need.


----------



## mommycarlson (Feb 29, 2016)

Thank you both for your help!  Worked like a charm!


----------



## mommycarlson (Mar 1, 2016)

I plan to cut up some of my first batch of soap and add it to a batch of new soap (as soon as my ingredients arrive)  I'm reading up on confetti in soap and have seen some different methods for adding it, from adding it at trace to layering it in the mold.  What are your favorite ways to add confetti?  I also want to color the new batch with cocoa (25 oz batch) but am unsure how much to use, a teaspoon?  I would like to use all natural colorants and either no scents or EO's so I'm experimenting with color right now.  I used cinnamon in my last batch, looks pretty good.  Thanks in advance for your advice.


----------

