# New to cold process, please help!



## LunaLe (Apr 18, 2020)

I've been making melt and pour soaps for a few years now and I've finally worked up the courage to try out cold process. I ordered ingredients last night, and I've been watching a lot of videos and reading articles, but I have questions.

1. Can anybody recommend a good video, website, or even a book that really gets into the details of cold process. Like the details of the math. I understand the basic gist of mixing oils and lye, but I don't really understand the math of it. I want to be able to figure out how much essential oil I can add and how much oil I can use to mix colors without compromising the soap. Plus I want to make my own recipes with ingredients that I want (eventually)

2. Could somebody give me tips for this recipe I want to use? I used brambleberry's lye calculator and their basic rule of 30,30,30,10 for oils and additives, but I want to use rice bran oil instead of coconut oil and I want to make a small batch since it will be my first attempt.  Anyways the recipe I came up with is: 
A *Solid* soap, measured in *Ounces* with superfat of *5%*.

LYE & LIQUIDAMOUNTLye (Sodium Hydroxide)3.76 ozOunces of liquid8.40 ozTotal12.16 oz

OIL & FATSAMOUNT%Palm Oil8.00 oz30.08%Rice Bran Oil8.00 oz30.08%Coconut Oil8.00 oz30.08%Shea Butter2.60 oz9.77%Total26.60 oz100.00 %

TOTALSAMOUNTLye & Liquid12.16 ozOils & Fats26.60 ozTOTAL BATCH YIELD38.76 oz


Is this okay? Does anybody have a recipe with these ingredients I could follow instead until I figure this all out better? Should I try this recipe, but a smaller amount? Any advice is greatly appreciated!


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## lsg (Apr 18, 2020)

Here are some you tutorials


Soaping101 YouTube videos

SoapQueen YouTube videos and Blog

You won't have a well balanced bar of soap if you don't use some coconut oil or palm kernel oils.  You will have a softer bar of soap with hardly any bubbles.

Here is an example recipe I came up with using SoapCalc

.8 oz Castor oil
4.8 oz Rice Bran oil
4.8 oz Palm oil
2.4 oz Shea butter
3.2 Coconut oil

6 oz  water
2.2 oz sodium hydroxide
This uses 16 oz of oils.  I usually use about .5 oz EO for every pound of oils.  If you use FOs read the recommendations given by the supplier.

IMO, you should watch the Soaping101 and SoapQueen beginner tutuorials before proceeding.


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## Jersey Girl (Apr 18, 2020)

I would plug this recipe into soapmakingfriend.com calculator.  It gives more detail regarding properties of a recipe. I really like it compared to other calculators. It’s just more user friendly imo. The recipe as you have it will be very cleansing and not very conditioning which could translate into drying/stripping for some skin types.  It will make a hard bar of soap!


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## LunaLe (Apr 18, 2020)

lsg said:


> Here are some you tutorials
> 
> 
> Soaping101 YouTube videos
> ...




Thank you! I will definitely watch those videos! I watched the 4 part series that Anne Marie did, I think it was on brambleberry and a few random ones I found online. My supplies won't be here for a few weeks, so I'm definitely going be watching and reading more in the mean time.



Jersey Girl said:


> I would plug this recipe into soapmakingfriend.com calculator.  It gives more detail regarding properties of a recipe. I really like it compared to other calculators. It’s just more user friendly imo. The recipe as you have it will be very cleansing and not very conditioning which could translate into drying/stripping for some skin types.  It will make a hard bar of soap!



Thank you! I will try that calculator out for sure. As for the soap, I knew shea butter made the soap hard, but I thought it was moisturizing. That's the only reason I wanted to put in the soap. I picked rice bran oil because it was said to be a good substitute for olive oil (plus I like the antioxidants), so I thought it was softer. Should I follow the recipe lsg posted and use less coconut oil than the other  oils to help soften it? I want a somewhat hard bar, but I also want it to be moisturizing.


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## TheGecko (Apr 18, 2020)

Any videos by Soap Queen and Soaping 101.  Watch them all at least twice.

For my first batch of soap I purchased the Beginner's Cold Process Soap Kit from Bramble Berry (currently out of stock).  You get a tried and true recipe, detailed instructions, ingredients for two batches of soap and a 10" Silicone Loaf Mold (10-1" wide bars).  It's one I recommend for the very reasons I bought it...I didn't know if I would like soap making or if I was any good at it, the recipe, the instructions, the ingredients and the mold.  It was a good way to get started without a lot of investment and confusion and if I didn't like it, I was only out $60 and could donate all the stuff on FB Marketplace or Craigslist.  But if I did like it, I had a foundation to work upon.


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## Susie (Apr 18, 2020)

LunaLe said:


> I've been making melt and pour soaps for a few years now and I've finally worked up the courage to try out cold process. I ordered ingredients last night, and I've been watching a lot of videos and reading articles, but I have questions.
> 
> 1. Can anybody recommend a good video, website, or even a book that really gets into the details of cold process. Like the details of the math. I understand the basic gist of mixing oils and lye, but I don't really understand the math of it. I want to be able to figure out how much essential oil I can add and how much oil I can use to mix colors without compromising the soap. Plus I want to make my own recipes with ingredients that I want (eventually)
> 
> ...



Not a good recipe.  That amount of coconut oil will turn you off CP forever.  Go take a look in the recipe feedback forum for tons of suggestions.


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## LunaLe (Apr 18, 2020)

Susie said:


> Not a good recipe.  That amount of coconut oil will turn you off CP forever.  Go take a look in the recipe feedback forum for tons of suggestions.



I will go do that. Thank you!



TheGecko said:


> Any videos by Soap Queen and Soaping 101.  Watch them all at least twice.
> 
> For my first batch of soap I purchased the Beginner's Cold Process Soap Kit from Bramble Berry (currently out of stock).  You get a tried and true recipe, detailed instructions, ingredients for two batches of soap and a 10" Silicone Loaf Mold (10-1" wide bars).  It's one I recommend for the very reasons I bought it...I didn't know if I would like soap making or if I was any good at it, the recipe, the instructions, the ingredients and the mold.  It was a good way to get started without a lot of investment and confusion and if I didn't like it, I was only out $60 and could donate all the stuff on FB Marketplace or Craigslist.  But if I did like it, I had a foundation to work upon.



Thanks for the tip! I already have all kinds of molds from doing melt and pour. I just needed ingredients. =)


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## DeeAnna (Apr 18, 2020)

I get the impression you might be thinking soap has the same properties of the fat from which the soap is made. When fat is turned into soap, the first thing that happens is the fat is broken apart into fatty acids, so the fat is no longer fat. The soap is made from those fatty acids. It's more accurate to look at how the fatty acids in your recipe affect the properties of the soap. 

You can make a milder cleansing soap or you can make a stronger cleansing soap, but I have yet to make a soap that honestly moisturizes. I know people use "moisturize" in a pretty loose way, but IMO "mild" or "gentle" are more accurate words. I use a lotion if I want real moisturization. 

If you want to learn about the calculations for creating a soap recipe, Auntie Clara has a good tutorial -- Lye Calculation Using a Saponification Chart - Tutorial Once you read it, I think you will understand why people usually use a soap recipe calculator to do all the number crunching rather than do it by hand. But you can certainly do the work with just pencil and paper, as Clara shows.


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## LunaLe (Apr 18, 2020)

DeeAnna said:


> I get the impression you might be thinking soap has the same properties of the fat from which the soap is made. When fat is turned into soap, the first thing that happens is the fat is broken apart into fatty acids, so the fat is no longer fat. The soap is made from those fatty acids. It's more accurate to look at how the fatty acids in your recipe affect the properties of the soap.
> 
> You can make a milder cleansing soap or you can make a stronger cleansing soap, but I have yet to make a soap that honestly moisturizes. I know people use "moisturize" in a pretty loose way, but IMO "mild" or "gentle" are more accurate words. I use a lotion if I want real moisturization.
> 
> If you want to learn about the calculations for creating a soap recipe, Auntie Clara has a good tutorial -- Lye Calculation Using a Saponification Chart - Tutorial Once you read it, I think you will understand why people usually use a soap recipe calculator to do all the number crunching rather than do it by hand. But you can certainly do the work with just pencil and paper, as Clara shows.



I think you're right. I want the bar to be more hard than soft, but a creamy lather. I'll have plenty of time to play with recipes once I get some experience. Right now I just bought the cheapest things I could find. I really want to practice the process and didn't want to lose out on too much money when I mess up, but I would like a usable soap in the end. 

As for calculations, I will definitely check out the turtorial. I will always use a calculator because my math skills aren't the best, I just want to try to learn the math so I understand the process better (not sure if that makes sense).


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## DeeAnna (Apr 18, 2020)

It makes complete sense to me. That's how I started too. Once I understood the calculations, I created my own spreadsheet to crunch the math. Because I realize most people aren't quite _that _geeky, it's good there are online calcs to steer people toward using.


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## Todd Ziegler (Apr 18, 2020)

There's not much that I can add, except this. Plan out your steps and go through them in your head at least a few times. My mistake in the beginning was not being organized, both physically and mentally. Now I walk myself through the steps before each batch. Also read as much as you can about what to look for after you pour soap into your mold. Read about gel phase, ricing, seizing, braining, volcano. Make the decision ahead of time if you want to put your soap through the gel phase and what you need to do. Good luck and ask questions.


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## cmzaha (Apr 18, 2020)

Check your messages.


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## LunaLe (Apr 18, 2020)

Todd Ziegler said:


> There's not much that I can add, except this. Plan out your steps and go through them in your head at least a few times. My mistake in the beginning was not being organized, both physically and mentally. Now I walk myself through the steps before each batch. Also read as much as you can about what to look for after you pour soap into your mold. Read about gel phase, ricing, seizing, braining, volcano. Make the decision ahead of time if you want to put your soap through the gel phase and what you need to do. Good luck and ask questions.



Thank you for the advice! I've definitely been reading a lot and watching a lot of videos. I know for a fact that I want to put my soap through gel phase and honestly, I'm so scared to do it. I've seen videos where only part of the soap goes through it and I'm worried that will happen to me. The only place where I can make my soap and leave it to cool is on my dining table and there's a fan above it. Do you think I should turn the fan off while the soap cools or will a towel be enough to insulate it?


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## Arimara (Apr 18, 2020)

LunaLe said:


> I think you're right. I want the bar to be more hard than soft, but a creamy lather. I'll have plenty of time to play with recipes once I get some experience. Right now I just bought the cheapest things I could find. I really want to practice the process and didn't want to lose out on too much money when I mess up, but I would like a usable soap in the end.
> 
> As for calculations, I will definitely check out the turtorial. I will always use a calculator because my math skills aren't the best, I just want to try to learn the math so I understand the process better (not sure if that makes sense).


You can get a decent starter bar from the ingredients you listed but if it is a creamy lather you want, You may want to bump the palm up to  30%, shea to 20%, keep the rice bran at 30% but bump down the coconut oil to 20%. Oh, and for the record, take care when formulating soap with butters. I've used only 3 types- mango, shea and cocoa. Cocoa butter made the hardest bar to me, followed by mango butter. Shea can actually lead to a softer soap (with 4-6 cure) depending on the type you use so it's best to take care and note what type you use.


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## TheGecko (Apr 18, 2020)

LunaLe said:


> I already have all kinds of molds from doing melt and pour. I just needed ingredients. =)



Wasn't sure what kind of molds you are using.  As for ingredients, keep it simple...start with the 'holy trinity' of soap making...equal amounts of Coconut, Olive and Palm Oils.  As you have no doubt seen already, there are tons of recipes online (another reason I went with a kit).  Just make sure to run each recipe through a soap calculator to double-check the lye/water numbers.


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## DeeAnna (Apr 18, 2020)

_"...I know for a fact that I want to put my soap through gel phase and honestly, I'm so scared to do it. ..."_

Whoa there, Nellie. No need to be scared. This isn't brain surgery. When you learned to ride a bicycle or drive a car or [insert other life skill here], did you do it perfectly right off the bat? 

If you don't achieve perfection on the first batch, welcome to the club. Most of us don't. Sometimes my soap doesn't gel or doesn't gel completely. There are fixes for that, including just being patient. 

If things don't work the way you wanted them to, figure out what didn't go quite right and try again. As a friend says, "Practice makes better!"


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## LunaLe (Apr 18, 2020)

Arimara said:


> You can get a decent starter bar from the ingredients you listed but if it is a creamy lather you want, You may want to bump the palm up to  30%, shea to 20%, keep the rice bran at 30% but bump down the coconut oil to 20%. Oh, and for the record, take care when formulating soap with butters. I've used only 3 types- mango, shea and cocoa. Cocoa butter made the hardest bar to me, followed by mango butter. Shea can actually lead to a softer soap (with 4-6 cure) depending on the type you use so it's best to take care and note what type you use.



I will try this out, thank you!



TheGecko said:


> Wasn't sure what kind of molds you are using.  As for ingredients, keep it simple...start with the 'holy trinity' of soap making...equal amounts of Coconut, Olive and Palm Oils.  As you have no doubt seen already, there are tons of recipes online (another reason I went with a kit).  Just make sure to run each recipe through a soap calculator to double-check the lye/water numbers.



I was debating whether I should just put the rice bran oil to the side and go with olive oil. I just might for the first few batches until I get used to the process. There are so many options! I've been driving myself crazy with all the videos I've been watching. There are so many techniques I want to try, but I know I need to go slow and learn the basics first.



DeeAnna said:


> _"...I know for a fact that I want to put my soap through gel phase and honestly, I'm so scared to do it. ..."_
> 
> Whoa there, Nellie. No need to be scared. This isn't brain surgery. When you learned to ride a bicycle or drive a car or [insert other life skill here], did you do it perfectly right off the bat?
> 
> ...



I shouldn't be scared, but I can't help it. I know that I will mess up and probably more than once, I just don't want to. LOL

Thank you all so much for the tips and advice! I truly appreciate it!


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## Arimara (Apr 18, 2020)

LunaLe said:


> I was debating whether I should just put the rice bran oil to the side and go with olive oil. I just might for the first few batches until I get used to the process. There are so many options! I've been driving myself crazy with all the videos I've been watching. There are so many techniques I want to try, but I know I need to go slow and learn the basics first.


Rice bran's fine, especially if you don't have olive oil. If you do have olive oil, make two separate batches of soap, one with olive and the other with rice bran. It's a nice way to see if you like the latter.


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## LunaLe (Apr 18, 2020)

Arimara said:


> Rice bran's fine, especially if you don't have olive oil. If you do have olive oil, make two separate batches of soap, one with olive and the other with rice bran. It's a nice way to see if you like the latter.



That is a good idea. I'm going to do that. Thank you!


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## Todd Ziegler (Apr 18, 2020)

LunaLe said:


> Thank you for the advice! I've definitely been reading a lot and watching a lot of videos. I know for a fact that I want to put my soap through gel phase and honestly, I'm so scared to do it. I've seen videos where only part of the soap goes through it and I'm worried that will happen to me. The only place where I can make my soap and leave it to cool is on my dining table and there's a fan above it. Do you think I should turn the fan off while the soap cools or will a towel be enough to insulate it?


Not a problem. Just wrap it up in towels and every 30 minutes check to make sure that it is not getting to hot. I like for mine to get around 120°F for 1-2 hours. Get yourself a infra-red thermometer or IR thermometer for short because that's the only way to check your soap temperature during gel phase. You can get a reliable one from Amazon for around $20. It is great for checking your oil, lye temperatures also. I would say it is a necessity but that's my opinion only.


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## rdc1978 (Apr 18, 2020)

Todd Ziegler said:


> There's not much that I can add, except this. Plan out your steps and go through them in your head at least a few times. My mistake in the beginning was not being organized, both physically and mentally. Now I walk myself through the steps before each batch. Also read as much as you can about what to look for after you pour soap into your mold. Read about gel phase, ricing, seizing, braining, volcano. Make the decision ahead of time if you want to put your soap through the gel phase and what you need to do. Good luck and ask questions.



To this end, I bought a 1.5 pound mold that allows me to test out fragrance samples AND try different techniques and practices.  

LOL, not a one of those smaller soaps have been a winner, but it's so helpful for understanding some of the challenges of making the soap on a larger scale.  It also isn't as big an investment in time and resources.



Todd Ziegler said:


> Not a problem. Just wrap it up in towels and every 30 minutes check to make sure that it is not getting to hot. I like for mine to get around 120°F for 1-2 hours. Get yourself a infra-red thermometer or IR thermometer for short because that's the only way to check your soap temperature during gel phase. You can get a reliable one from Amazon for around $20. It is great for checking your oil, lye temperatures also. I would say it is a necessity but that's my opinion only.



I'd only add that for me, if I'm soaping at like 90 degrees, I normally put the mold on a cookie sheet, cover the mold with the top of a cardboard box and wrap it all up in electric blankets.  It seems to work well for me, because I'm not sure if my soap gets hot enough for get phase with regular towels if I soap at 90 degrees.


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## KiwiMoose (Apr 19, 2020)

If you're going to put it on your dining table, assuming it's wooden, then please make sure you have something sturdy between your soap mold and the table. it will stop the heated soap making a mark, and also any bits of raw soap batter that might be on the mold from ruining the surface of your table.  I reckon a wooden chopping board or something oughta do it.


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## penelopejane (Apr 19, 2020)

LunaLe said:


> Thank you for the advice! I've definitely been reading a lot and watching a lot of videos. I know for a fact that I want to put my soap through gel phase and honestly, I'm so scared to do it. I've seen videos where only part of the soap goes through it and I'm worried that will happen to me. The only place where I can make my soap and leave it to cool is on my dining table and there's a fan above it. Do you think I should turn the fan off while the soap cools or will a towel be enough to insulate it?


The annoying thing about soap is everyone's skin is different so one soap that is perfect for one person will be hated by another person.  That's why you really have to try a few recipes and discover what suits your skin.

To achieve gel you want to keep the environment around the soap stable so it can reach its own saponification temp and hold it until it gels all the way through.  To do this wrap the soap in a blanket (not just a towel for the temps I get in my house) and definitely keep it away from a fan.  Don't open the soap for 12-18 hours or you will lose all the heat. 

If it is cold in your area you can preheat your oven to 110*F and turn the oven off and put the wrapped soap in the oven for 12 hours without peaking.  All this does it keep the environment around your soap a little more stable so it can do its own thing.

I really like soaping 101 and this forum for info.


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## atiz (Apr 19, 2020)

It seems like you've got plenty of good advice here! The only thing I can add is don't be scared of the process. It's really not more involved than baking a more elaborate cake recipe. Just line up everything you know you'll need, and then go. Your soap may or may not gel, but that's not the end of the world. Be careful with the lye, but don't be scared of it; just wear your goggles. Good luck!


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## SoapSisters (Apr 19, 2020)

My best advice is to make small batches in the beginning. I've been soaping for a bit over a year, and I still make small batches (~500g or 16oz). This way if soap doesn't come out as expected, you haven't "wasted" ingredients. I've been able to experiment much more because only 500 grams of oil are riding on it each time. I can always make the recipe again if I like the way it came out.

I would also recommend changing only one thing from recipe to recipe. I found that if I had too many new variables, I couldn't figure out which was making the difference in the new soap. So for example, if you use rice bran oil first, maybe the next time you make soap you'll keep everything the same and just substitute olive oil for rice bran. And so on. 

I am personally very sensitive to the cleansing (drying) effects of coconut oil and use 10-12% only in my soaps. I think everyone finds their soap preferences along the way, by trial and error.   Good luck - and enjoy!


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## DeeAnna (Apr 19, 2020)

_"...that's the only way to check your soap temperature during gel phase. ..."_

A year or so ago a person here on SMF was insisting their soap never gelled, but photos of the soap showed it had a partial gel "bullseye" ring. Come to find out, they were using an IR thermometer which was telling the soap maker the soap was a lot cooler than it really was.

An IR thermometer only "sees" surface temperatures, and this can mislead a person into thinking the soap is much cooler overall than it really is. I insert a barbecue temperature probe into the center of the soap if I want to monitor the temp of CP soap during saponification.


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## LunaLe (Apr 19, 2020)

Thank you all very much! I really appreciate all the tips! I was watching more videos and reading last night and I'm feeling a lot more confident about everything. I just bought a thermometer on Amazon and I'll be ordering a stick blender later today. I tried finding mixing bowls at the dollar store, but none of them had the little triangle with a 5. Most of my bowls from doing melt and pour are glass, so I don't want to use those.  I'm having a hard time finding a measuring cup that can handle making the lye water in, any suggestions for that?


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## LunaLe (Apr 19, 2020)

DeeAnna said:


> _"...that's the only way to check your soap temperature during gel phase. ..."_
> 
> A year or so ago a person here on SMF was insisting their soap never gelled, but photos of the soap showed it had a partial gel "bullseye" ring. Come to find out, they were using an IR thermometer which was telling the soap maker the soap was a lot cooler than it really was.
> 
> An IR thermometer only "sees" surface temperatures, and this can mislead a person into thinking the soap is much cooler overall than it really is. I insert a barbecue temperature probe into the center of the soap if I want to monitor the temp of CP soap during saponification.



This is good to know. I have a stainless steel thermometer already, I guess I will use it as well and compare it to the temps that I get with the thermometer I just ordered from Amazon.


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## rdc1978 (Apr 19, 2020)

DeeAnna said:


> _"...that's the only way to check your soap temperature during gel phase. ..."_
> 
> A year or so ago a person here on SMF was insisting their soap never gelled, but photos of the soap showed it had a partial gel "bullseye" ring. Come to find out, they were using an IR thermometer which was telling the soap maker the soap was a lot cooler than it really was.
> 
> An IR thermometer only "sees" surface temperatures, and this can mislead a person into thinking the soap is much cooler overall than it really is. I insert a barbecue temperature probe into the center of the soap if I want to monitor the temp of CP soap during saponification.



I did the same thing and with the same thought in mind, because I wanted to make sure the middle of the soap was getting hot enough for gel.  Good to know it's what the pros do too!


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## rdc1978 (Apr 19, 2020)

LunaLe said:


> Thank you all very much! I really appreciate all the tips! I was watching more videos and reading last night and I'm feeling a lot more confident about everything. I just bought a thermometer on Amazon and I'll be ordering a stick blender later today. I tried finding mixing bowls at the dollar store, but none of them had the little triangle with a 5. Most of my bowls from doing melt and pour are glass, so I don't want to use those.  I'm having a hard time finding a measuring cup that can handle making the lye water in, any suggestions for that?



So, I've been using the plastic measuring cups with the spout from the dollar store to mix lye water.  I have a ton of them, but the original one does not seem to be degrading after a number of uses.  I've also seen that the plastic containers for mixing paint can be used. 

For my mixing bowl I splurged and got a really, really thick glass mixing bowl from brambleberry.  It's pretty heavy, but I've never had a problem.  For larger batches I use a large stainless steel pot I got from Walmart.  That works well too.


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## TheGecko (Apr 19, 2020)

LunaLe said:


> I shouldn't be scared, but I can't help it. I know that I will mess up and probably more than once, I just don't want to. LOL



My first batch of soap...from the kit...was perfect.  The following three months were a mixed bag of successes and failures...about 50/50.  And while I celebrated my successes, I didn't let my failures get me down...they were simply opportunities to learn more.  And no matter how long you have been making soap, you will still have 'opportunities'.  I follow several soaps on YouTube that have been making soap for years and they deal with ricing, morphing colorants, accelerating fragrances, etc.


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## cmzaha (Apr 19, 2020)

DeeAnna said:


> _"...I know for a fact that I want to put my soap through gel phase and honestly, I'm so scared to do it. ..."_
> 
> Whoa there, Nellie. No need to be scared. This isn't brain surgery. When you learned to ride a bicycle or drive a car or [insert other life skill here], did you do it perfectly right off the bat?


As a gracious man told me once when we first got big boat and had to get it into the yard. My hubby was struggling and I was standing there watching nervously. A sailor that had just come in told me he will get it and, "we are not born knowing how to handle a boat." He also helped guide my husband in, which is unusual in our area for sailors and powerboaters. It took practice to get that boat in her slip when we got her to her home. Everything takes time, patience and practice.


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## KiwiMoose (Apr 19, 2020)

LunaLe said:


> Thank you all very much! I really appreciate all the tips! I was watching more videos and reading last night and I'm feeling a lot more confident about everything. I just bought a thermometer on Amazon and I'll be ordering a stick blender later today. I tried finding mixing bowls at the dollar store, but none of them had the little triangle with a 5. Most of my bowls from doing melt and pour are glass, so I don't want to use those.  I'm having a hard time finding a measuring cup that can handle making the lye water in, any suggestions for that?


I'm pretty wedded to a large measuring jug than actually came with my partner's stick blender as part of a set.  It's actually a number 7 plastic - clear and rigid  plastic that almost looks like a pyrex.  Before that I had a set of 6 nested measuring jugs that I bought from K Mart that were also good. The big one was for the actual soap mixture, the smaller ones for measuring lye etc, and the mid size one for mixing the lye water.


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## shunt2011 (Apr 20, 2020)

I've only used a thermometer a handful times when I first started soaping.  It's a good idea for beginners until they are comfortable.   I've never ever used it for testing gel phase.  I've always just wrapped them with a couple towels and let them be, check them after an hour or so and then again about an hour later.  If all looks good, no overheating I just leave them be until ready to unmold.


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## lsg (Apr 20, 2020)

If I want to force gel, I usually do CPOP


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## LunaLe (Apr 20, 2020)

lsg said:


> If I want to force gel, I usually do CPOP



I think this is what I'm going to do. How do you put your soap in the oven? Do you spray it with alcohol or cover it with anything? Does it get soda ash often?


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## Dumfrey (Apr 20, 2020)

I started out religiously checking temperature.   And after I got lazy, saw more problems and issues.  Controlling the temperature of the lye water and oil is an important variable to record.


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## lsg (Apr 20, 2020)

I heat my oven to 160-170*F and turn it off. I just set my loaf mold, uncovered, in the oven and leave it for at least overnight.  If you are using cavity molds, then set them on a bread board or other sturdy surface before putting in the oven.  I usually don't spray with alcohol.  I don't usually get soda ash.  If the soap does get ash,, I just wipe it off with a damp cloth.


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## cmzaha (Apr 20, 2020)

LunaLe said:


> I think this is what I'm going to do. How do you put your soap in the oven? Do you spray it with alcohol or cover it with anything? Does it get soda ash often?


I strongly suggest putting something on the rack below or setting your mold on something to catch any spills in case your soap overheats and volcanos. It can happen and the raw batter will ruin the finish of your oven. Caution is better than replacing an oven, especially a built-in oven, which many times cannot be replaced easily. Even an aluminum sheet pan can catch spills and it cheap to replace. It would be ruined but who cares, I would not.

The same advice goes for setting molds on tables, counters etc. If it has a surface you do not want destroyed put something under the mold to catch spills, volcanos etc.


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## Arimara (Apr 20, 2020)

LunaLe said:


> Thank you all very much! I really appreciate all the tips! I was watching more videos and reading last night and I'm feeling a lot more confident about everything. I just bought a thermometer on Amazon and I'll be ordering a stick blender later today. I tried finding mixing bowls at the dollar store, but none of them had the little triangle with a 5. Most of my bowls from doing melt and pour are glass, so I don't want to use those.  I'm having a hard time finding a measuring cup that can handle making the lye water in, any suggestions for that?


Look for type 2 or 5 plastic containers for mixing lye. Those hold up the best. You may occasionally hear that type 7 is also fine but the US is not as detailed as some other countries can be when it comes to plastics (type 7 plastics tends to be a general mixed bag of plastics). I just have a whole bunch of plastic measuring containers, a stainless steel pitcher and silicone spatulas.


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## penelopejane (Apr 20, 2020)

LunaLe said:


> I think this is what I'm going to do. How do you put your soap in the oven? Do you spray it with alcohol or cover it with anything? Does it get soda ash often?


When I was using the oven to CPOP (before I got larger molds that don't fit in the oven) I used to preheat the oven to 110*F.  If your oven temp doesn't go this low turn it on for 10 mins and test with a thermometer until you know how long it takes to get to 110*F. I used to slide the soap mold into a cardboard box and wrap it in a piece of a blanket and put it in the oven and turn the oven off as soon as I put it in.  Don't open the oven door for 12 hours because this is a slow method and checking it all the time takes out heat.  Put a not on the oven nob so you (or someone else) doesn't turn the oven on while the soap is in there.

The idea is to keep the soap in a warm micro-environment and let it do its own thing. You are not cooking the soap. This will avoid partial gel.

Now I use silicone molds in timber boxes with a lid and I soap at 110*C and put them in a polystyrene box with a lid and cover them with a doona and leave undisturbed for 12 hours.  It works the same way.


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## Zing (Apr 20, 2020)

I found my plastic lye pitcher at a thrift store (along with most of my soaping supplies).  I soap in the low 100s and have never done CPOP yet.  I pour into loaf molds, spray with alcohol, cover with plastic wrap, cover with a piece of cardboard, and cover with several towels.  My soap gels -- my simple pleasure is to reach under the towels to feel the heat -- and I don't get soda ash.

Have fun, keep us posted, and take notes.


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## Noreen Moore (Apr 21, 2020)

Love watching the addiction hit others!!! Hee hee hee! You are going to love CP! After a crumbly soap from not gelling I gel all the time. However that crumbly soap? Probably one of my most conditioning lovely soaps! Surprise!!! Happy accident? 
My math is horrible too! I use both of the calc's everyone mentions. 
And I truly tip my hat to those who crunch the numbers themselves! Math guru's are out there! 
These forum members are the best too! Always willing to help! 
Have fun LunaLe!


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## LunaLe (Apr 24, 2020)

Thanks everyone! The place where I can leave my soap to gel, the temp won't be very stable. I'll have to turn the fan off and there's an air vent close by. Plus we leave the air higher during the day when nobody is home and then we turn it down at night. If I put it in the oven to gel then I know it will have a stable environment. I'm so excited to try my first batch out. It's just taking forever for everything to get here. Shipping is so slow right now =(


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## Susie (Apr 24, 2020)

cmzaha said:


> I strongly suggest putting something on the rack below or setting your mold on something to catch any spills in case your soap overheats and volcanos. It can happen and the raw batter will ruin the finish of your oven. Caution is better than replacing an oven, especially a built-in oven, which many times cannot be replaced easily. Even an aluminum sheet pan can catch spills and it cheap to replace. It would be ruined but who cares, I would not.
> 
> The same advice goes for setting molds on tables, counters etc. If it has a surface you do not want destroyed put something under the mold to catch spills, volcanos etc.



There are these aluminum foil oven liners that do a beautiful job of catching everything.  I use one of those every time I CPOP.  I have a Teflon one I use every day, so I just lay that aluminum foil one right on top.  It stores easily, and if it gets messed up, it is recyclable (as long as there are no chunks of food or soap) and easily replaceable.


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## IdahoSoapMaker (Apr 24, 2020)

Great resource for understanding the chemistry of soap making:   * Kevin Dunn's  Scientific Soapmaking: The Chemistry of Cold Process*


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## KiwiMoose (Apr 24, 2020)

Something like this @LunaLe : Sam's Club


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## Jersey Girl (Apr 24, 2020)

KiwiMoose said:


> Something like this @LunaLe : Sam's Club



Oh, those are nice and what a great price!



 Wish I had a Sams Club membership!  I’ve been using paint buckets from Home Depot, but recently upgraded to a batter bowl from the dollar store lol. It’s actually pretty nice considering and it doesn’t drip when pouring which is great!  I have to say that the paint bucket served me well for almost 3 months!


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