# Hi! I'm new here! Need some advice



## mightykg15 (Jun 30, 2014)

Hello everyone... My name is Keith... And I want to start making soap any advice for me out there? Thanks in advance!...


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## coffeetime (Jun 30, 2014)

Read the stickies, then start searching through old threads for things that seem confusing. If there are still questions, come on back and ask.


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## LuckyStar (Jun 30, 2014)

As a visual learner i would recommend taking a look at all the videos on youtube. I'm a big fan of soap queens four part introduction to cold process soap making. A nice balance of teaching the safety, some technical terms and then some more artsy stuff


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## judymoody (Jun 30, 2014)

All the info you need is here.  But if you want a book to pull it altogether, I recommend Alicia Grosso's Everything Soap Book.  And welcome to the forum!


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## Donna (Jun 30, 2014)

Read, read, read. In addition to the book recommendations and tutorials on this forum, you will find great info. on Soaping 101 on Youtube,
and Soap Queen on Bramble Berry's web site, just to name a few. Start out simple and safe. Any questions along the way, feel free to post. 
Someone is always happy to share info. or suggestions.


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## IrishLass (Jun 30, 2014)

Welcome to the forum! 

Ditto what everyone else has said. Pull up a chair, make yourself comfortable, and read, read, read.  To help get you started, I dug up some threads addressing beginner-type questions for you that I thought would be helpful:

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=26052&highlight=aluminum

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=46303&highlight=aluminum

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=41799&highlight=aluminum

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=24670&highlight=newbie

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=43980&highlight=checklist

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=35627&highlight=aluminum

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=34799&highlight=aluminum

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=34843&highlight=aluminum

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=31000&highlight=aluminum

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=29633&highlight=aluminum

A couple of good words to use as your search criteria are:

1) "aluminum"- because many of the threads addressing beginner questions have warnings about using aluminum utensils with lye.
2) "+ new +questions" - under 'title only' content
3) "newbie"- under title only content

Also- a really good site that was very helpful to me when I first started out is David Fisher's site: http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/soapmakingbasics/a/How-To-Make-Soap.htm

And as Coffeetime and Donna said- feel free to post any questions along the way.


IrishLass


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## SparksnFlash (Jun 30, 2014)

Hello Keith!  Since you appear ready to take on this addiction, I will offer the following:  Read as much as you can, in particular please pay attention to safety procedures until the first thing you think when you see a soap-maker on UTube without gloves and with short sleeves is:  OMG!  She/he should be wearing gloves/long sleeves, etc.  Think of lye as one of the only caustic, nasty, dangerous, harmful and potentially injurious things that you can turn into something wonderful and beautiful, if you give it due respect. (Not many other things you can do that with.)

 You will find terrific advice and assistance here, as is already posted.  You will find mountains of advice and instruction on the internet, in the library, in bookstores, etc.  There is already a lot of info for you to check as posted, and much more to come.  Among the most important (other than safety already stated) is measure accurately, know your oils and what they do or do not do.  

 Learn to laugh when things go wrong, because they will.  Be grateful when things go right.  Enjoy yourself and your creations.

 There will be many more pieces of excellent advice for you, far loftier than mine.

 Best of Luck :grin:


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## Jerry S (Jun 30, 2014)

I think one of the most important things to remember and this isn't just for the beginning soap maker is to keep a container of vinegar near by when making soap just in case you have an accident with the lye or splash lye water on your work area. Its a great neutralizer....

not recommended


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## judymoody (Jun 30, 2014)

Actually, the best thing you can do if you spill lye solution on yourself is to rinse with copious amounts of plain water.  Don't put vinegar directly on your skin in the case of a lye burn.


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## Bex1982 (Jul 1, 2014)

Why not? Doesnt the lower ph neutralize the lye? I must be dummy.

Edit: I just read the thread from 2009 where you guys talked about this. So water is better. My buddy was talking to me not long ago (science geek) and he said to make sure I the vinegar handy. I guess it really is a widespread myth. I've been using it but I only ever get small burns on my wrists or hands.


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## navigator9 (Jul 1, 2014)

In addition to all the good advice you've already received here, I would strongly advise that in the beginning you should do yourself a huge favor by keeping it simple.  When you're first starting to make soap, the process itself can be very intimidating and confusing, so don't make it any more so. Go easy on yourself. Here's how you might do it.

Choose a simple recipe. Few ingredients. The "holy trinity" is the holy trinity for a reason. Olive oil, palm oil and coconut oil are the basis of most handmade soaps and a good place to start. Equal parts of each, or 50% olive and 25% of coconut and palm are some good starter recipes. Three ingredients, no fragrance, no color, additives, swirling, etc. Get comfortable with setting out all your supplies, checking the batteries in your scale, making sure your lye solution and oils are at the right temp, double checking your ingredients and their weights, make sure you have gloves and goggles on. Get used to the process, combining the lye solution and the oils, what does emulsion look like, how long does it take to trace,  light trace, heavy trace, oops, too far gone, have to shove it in the mold! Make a few batches like this, they can be small, practice batches, so you don't have to use too much of your supplies, but enough batches so that you feel comfortable with this process. IMHO, you should be able to duplicate a successful batch of simple soap over and over before you move on to more complicated recipes.

Then you can add one variable, either color or fragrance. By adding one variable at a time,  it makes it much easier to troubleshoot if you have a problem. When I read a newbie's post saying, "I made my first batch, with a three color swirl, with a floral  FO, a mica line, goat's milk, pureed avocado, honey, and these ten ingredients, I don't know how to use Soap Calc, so I kinda winged it, and it didn't work out........can you tell me what went wrong? " Whaaaaaat!!!  If you are capable of producing a simple soap successfully over and over, and then you add a FO and it goes wrong, chances are pretty good that it's the FO that caused the problem, and you can start there.....was it a FO that typically accelerates trace, or causes ricing? Or if you use mica for color and it morphs into some weird shade of yuck you never anticipated, or you used an oxide, and now you have undisolved lumps of color, or you used a lot of honey and your batch overheated.....these are easy problems to figure out. Know the complications that various ingredients can produce, and it's easier to troubleshoot, or avoid them altogether.

Perfect your recipes and techniques as you go along.....don't throw too many challenges at yourself all at once. It's very tempting when you first start out to want to try every technique and ingredient, believe me, I've been there. I can't tell you how much money I've spent on ingredients I used once and decided never to use again. If you make things too difficult for yourself in the very beginning, and you have too many failed batches, you may get so discouraged that you quit trying altogether. I think that by going a little slower, so that you can understand all the steps along the way, makes you a better soapmaker in the long run. 

To sum it up, go slow, go simple. And be prepared for some incredible showers!!! :-D


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## Obsidian (Jul 1, 2014)

I recommend learning how to use a online lye calculator and always run your recipes through it. Doesn't matter if the recipe comes from here, a book or another web site. Typos happen and you want to make sure you are using a proper amount of lye for the oils you are using.
Many people, myself included use this one http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/soapcalcwp.asp

Ask questions, lots and lots of questions. We've all been there and understand how nerve wracking soaping can be in the beginning.


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## Seawolfe (Jul 1, 2014)

Keep it simple, learn to use a soap calculator, always add the lye to the water, yes you do need a digital scale and a stick blender 
I highly recommend the soaping 101 videos, and soap queen videos and tutorial, they both have reliable information and are easy to understand.


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## Susie (Jul 1, 2014)

*Hi, and Welcome!*

^ What everyone else said.

Do learn the lingo first.  Go read that abbreviations and acronyms sticky first.

Start practicing using SoapCalc now.  Run a bunch of recipes through it.  Look for the instructions for use.  Having a printer saves a lot of writing. Plan to print and use the recipes.  Go get a binder, dividers,  and a three hole punch now.  If you organize on the front end, you will save time and aggravation later.  

Absolutely do print out and make great notes on the first recipe page.  This is the soap you are never going to recreate correctly if you are like 90% of us that failed to make good notes on the first batch, and now we can't recreate the best soap we ever made.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jul 1, 2014)

I'd also add - have fun!  Soap making is strangely addictive and theraputic.


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## AKjulz (Jul 1, 2014)

Welcome!  In addition to all the other wonderful advice already given, I would add that if you think you've messed up a batch DONT throw it away!  Many issues fix themselves if you just give it a little time and if not bad batches can ALMOST always be rebatched.


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## robosqu1d (Jul 1, 2014)

Find a bit of space in your house where you can safely leave your soaps to cure undisturbed.  You'll probably find that soap-making soon becomes something of an addiction and you will have trays or boxes full of unready soap.


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## shunt2011 (Jul 1, 2014)

You've received a lot of really great advice. Reading as much as you can is the best way to go.  Also, do not use vinegar on a lye burn...it hurts.   Just rinse really really well.   Once you've read until your eyes seem like they are crossing then ask questions if you can find the answer or need clarification.  There are a lot of very knowledgeable smart nice folks here.

Welcome to the addiction!


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## mightykg15 (Jul 7, 2014)

Hello! Sorry for the very late reply.... I've been busy for the past week... I'm very thankful to everybody who shared in here. Thank you very much


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## Susie (Jul 7, 2014)

I forgot some things:

Safety glasses/goggles are a must.  Regular glasses will NOT work.  

Gloves are a must.

Good ventilation is a must when mixing lye and water.  

Do start out with an empty sink so you don't mix your soap items with your food items.  Add implements as they are used and run LOTS of water over them.  Plan to have designated soaping items.  Don't use food items on anything but plain oils(not FOs or EOs, and definitely not lye).


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## mightykg15 (Jul 12, 2014)

Thanks a lot! That's really helpful!


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## scotsman (Jul 12, 2014)

I'll be pretty much reiterating what everybody else has said.
1) Research. You can never do too much research. I read everything I could find on making soap for close to a year before I made my first batch of cp. There's always a new technique to learn or info on the behavior of particular EO's or FO's to be found. Which brings me to the next point...
2) Certain EO's and FO's will accelerate trace and/or cause discoloration...especially if they contain vanillin. Some of the companies that sell these products will list on their site how they behave in cp soap as well as if they are skin safe. If they don't, do a quick google search and see if you can find any behavioral info on that particular fragrance. Never use a fragrance oil or essential oil unless you are sure it is safe for the skin. Also, some essential oils can be skin irritants, photosensitizing, or not safe for women who are pregnant. Research the properties, potential hazards, and proper usage rates of any essential oils or fragrance oils you plan to use. Many floral oils tend to accelerate trace, as those of us who have attempted pure jasmine soaps have learned the hard way. If your particular fragrance is known to accelerate trace, work at lower temps or use more "soft oils" to slow down trace and give you more time to work. Also pay attention to to flash points of the fragrances you are using. When you gel soap it heats up considerably and can burn off some of the more delicate fragrances. For those ones with a low flash point you may want to consider inhibiting gel by placing your mold in the freezer after you pour the soap. 
3) Become familiar with all the terminology. This ties back into number 1. There are a lot of new terms to learn as well as a plethora of abbreviations and shorthand that we soap makers use. Familiarize yourself with all of these and it will make things easier on you in the long run. 
4) Invest in the proper equipment. Buy a good digital scale. This is not something to save money on. Analog scales are far too inaccurate. Get a digital scale with a cord that plugs into the wall if possible. Most of the ones that run on solely batteries will have an auto shut off after a specified amount of time. This can be a real pain if you have a recipe with quite a few oils and it turns off on you prematurely. I found this out the hard way. Buy a good stick blender. You can stir by hand but depending on your recipe it can literally take hours. A stick blender will make quick work of this. Invest in good molds or make them yourself. I've gone through the frustration of using crappy molds and now make my own wooden molds to my own exact specifications. Everybody has their preference as to type of mold and every type has it's pros and cons. Silicone is easy, produces nice clean sides, and doesnt require lining. Lining molds is the bane of many soap makers, myself included. Luckily my fiancée happily takes on that task for me. The downside to silicone is that it tends to stick to the soap for a bit longer and will often require more time before you can unmold it. This doesn't work for me as I am quite impatient. Wood and HDPE molds can usually be unmolded sooner but require lining. There are also column molds, usually made from PVC pipe. I personally don't like these as they have caused nothing but headaches for me but some love them and use them with great success.


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## Ellacho (Jul 12, 2014)

Hello and welcome to the forum!


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## scotsman (Jul 12, 2014)

Here's the rest of my long post, lol!
5)Become familiar with a lye calculator. I like soapcalc but there are other good ones as well. I can't stress this enough. Unless you love math and are a wiz at it, run all your recipes through a lye calculator. Also become familiar with all the carrier oils you will be using as well as the properties they impart to your finished soap. 
6) As others have mentioned, place a great importance on safety. Lye is caustic and can cause grave injury if handled improperly. Also, an improperly made soap could harm the person using it. Never give or sell a soap to somebody without thoroughly testing it and fully curing it. 
7) If you plan to sell your soap, do not do so until you have quite a few batches under your belt and are completely comfortable with the process. If you do venture into sales make sure you are abreast of all federal, state, and local laws. You may think that the authorities won't waste their time with a small time soap maker who is producing from their home but a quick google search will tell you otherwise. Invest in liability insurance. This will protect you from lawsuits in the event that one of your products harms somebody. Low cost liability insurance can be obtained from the Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetics Guikd as part of the membership and is a great idea if you plan to sell. 
8) when you are first starting keep it simple until you are comfortable with the process. Use basic recipes that only incorporate a few oils and no color of fragrance. Once you are comfortable with the process start experimenting with colors and scents.
9) Learn to make your own equipment whenever possible. Molds, soap cutters, and soap stamps can be quite costly. Soap making can be a very expensive hobby so anywhere you can save money is a blessing. This obviously doesn't apply to your digital scale. Splurge on that. I make my own molds from wood and silicone and make my own soap stamps from casting resin. I am always wanting to try new things so this saves me a ton of money in the long run. 
10) Welcome to the addiction. All this info may seem daunting, and I'm sure there are quite a few things I've neglected to point out, but soap making, in its essence, is incredibly fun. Of course you want to observe proper safety protocol but above all enjoy yourself. There's something incredibly gratifying about making soap from scratch in very much the same way that people have been doing for thousands of years. And you'll never again have to buy a bar of crappy chemical-laden "soap" from the store. Have fun and welcome.


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## mightykg15 (Jul 21, 2014)

Thanks for for your help guys! Sorry for the late reply... Thank you all so much


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## dixiedragon (Jul 21, 2014)

For a lot of recipes with easy to find ingredients, check out www.millersoap.com. Her recipes are large, so you'll probably want to downsize them. 2 lbs is a good size.


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## AutumnBreezeSoaps (Jul 22, 2014)

Just started soaping and Googling youtube videos on soaping was the biggest help me   Beware, they are addicting and you may stay up all night a few nights watching them


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