# Newbie First Batch - HP Papaya Soap



## crysvan (Mar 5, 2013)

Hi guys! 

First of all, I want to say thanks for all your wonderful posts. I recently got interested in soapmaking and had been reading books and forums for about 4 weeks. Now that I have most of the ingredients/materials I need, I took the courage to make my first batch. At first I was undecided whether  to do HP or CP but I ended up doing HP. Here's the ingredients I used: 

papaya puree + water 19 oz
coconut oil 16 oz
olive oil 16 oz
lard 16 oz
SF with 5% annatto infused olive oil and castor oil 

Not the prettiest soap hehe 







I do think I may have left it in the crockpot too long as it got quite hard before I am done pouring it in my second mold :?: so now the second one is a little crumbly on top 






What do you think of the recipe I used? Can you give me advice so as not to overdo it in the crockpot? I let it cook for an hr and removed it from the heating element to cool down before putting in my FO


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## nebetmiw (Mar 5, 2013)

Your recipe is a bit much for a new person.  I would stay away fom using food in your soap till you have made more basic formulas.  Try again without the papaya.  BTW it is not come out that bad.  First pic looks real good.


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## cliff (Mar 5, 2013)

The ones on top look great. I love rustic looking soaps. You even did infusion on your first batch!? Wow, I'm impressed.

Yeah the ones on bottom are a little crumbly on top, but it's your first batch and you learned something, at least. You can trim the tops off and give the bottoms away as test pieces or something. My first batch was way soft and full of soda ash. Yours came out much better, I say. Good Job!


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## Badger (Mar 5, 2013)

Very nice for a first go at it, especially doing a complex recipe.  I am going to stick with something simple for my first recipe, before I go into something more complex, even though I am going crazy wanting to try all this neat stuff I have seen


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## crysvan (Mar 5, 2013)

hehe thanks for the replies! yeah against my better judgement I made an "advanced" recipe instead of sticking to a more basic one, I figured since I have watched hundreds of YT videos and tutorials, I would be able to nail it lol. But as with anything, nothing compares to having actual experience  

For my next project, I am planning to do CP, this time I will do a basic bastille soap so I can have a feel for it first


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## ZandarKoad (Mar 5, 2013)

I think there are too many soap experts on here that know what home made soap is supposed to look like.  For the average person who doesn't make it themselves, I think the bottom picture could look very rustic and appealing.  It works the same as the other bars, right? Just tell everyone it was intentional!  :smile:


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## lizflowers42 (Mar 5, 2013)

It is very pretty! Don't worry looks yet! Congrats!


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## crysvan (Mar 5, 2013)

ZandarKoad said:


> I think there are too many soap experts on here that know what home made soap is supposed to look like.  For the average person who doesn't make it themselves, I think the bottom picture could look very rustic and appealing.  It works the same as the other bars, right? Just tell everyone it was intentional!  :smile:



hahaha yeah I prolly will give this away to my close friends. They wont know any better LOL


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## cliff (Mar 5, 2013)

crysvan said:


> I figured since I have watched hundreds of YT videos and tutorials, I would be able to nail it lol. But as with anything, nothing compares to having actual experience



I was just like you. I watched a ton of videos and read a ton of tutorials for like 4 weeks before trying it, but still didn't do so well the first time. I learned so much on my first batch even though it was sort of a failure.


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## Cherry Bomb (Mar 5, 2013)

Looks great!!!! Great job on your first attempt. What molds did you use? Your bars are nice a square


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## ruby61 (Mar 5, 2013)

Really not bad for first attempt!  Looks will get better in time.  I agree start with a simple recipe and go from there.


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## crysvan (Mar 5, 2013)

Cherry Bomb said:


> Looks great!!!! Great job on your first attempt. What molds did you use? Your bars are nice a square



Thank you!! The first mold, I used WSP's Crafters Choice™ Loaf - Regular - Clear Silicone Mold 1501

the 2nd one, I used an HDPE log mold I found at Michaels and gotten for 50% off. The original price is $29.99. It looks like this:


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## DWinMadison (Mar 5, 2013)

First try?  Looks awesome. HP soap is difficult to make pretty anyway. You should be very proud.


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## hoegarden (Mar 6, 2013)

I think they look nice.. keep it up.. Do also update us on how you find the soap..


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## judymoody (Mar 6, 2013)

I think they look great!  Under the best of circumstances, it's hard to get HP to come out really smooth.

And seriously, don't feel badly about trying an additive on your first time out.  The only difference from a basic 3 oil recipe is that you added papaya puree.  Assuming that there were no chunks, your soap should have a decent shelf life and the sugars from the papaya will boost the lather.  Your natural colorants also enhance the look of your soap.

I hope you enjoy using it!  You can also trip the slightly lumpy tops of your second batch if they bother you and then mold them into soap balls with the addition of a little water.

Congrats!


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## crysvan (Mar 6, 2013)

judymoody said:


> I think they look great!  Under the best of circumstances, it's hard to get HP to come out really smooth.
> 
> And seriously, don't feel badly about trying an additive on your first time out.  The only difference from a basic 3 oil recipe is that you added papaya puree.  Assuming that there were no chunks, your soap should have a decent shelf life and the sugars from the papaya will boost the lather.  Your natural colorants also enhance the look of your soap.
> 
> ...



thank you for all the encouragement!! I am really learning a lot from all of you  This just fuels my new addiction even more and I can't wait to keep on making more and getting better at it!


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## thefarmerdaughter (Mar 6, 2013)

I agree with judy. nice recipe, good choice of additives, equals great bars of soap! congrats

also great choice of molds! i own the 4Lb version, and I love them


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## thefarmerdaughter (Mar 6, 2013)

oh and one more thing. If you'll be using those molds for cp, lining them with plastic wrap then assembling insures no sticking! since cp has higher h2o than hp, unmolding can be messier.


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## crysvan (Mar 6, 2013)

thefarmerdaughter said:


> oh and one more thing. If you'll be using those molds for cp, lining them with plastic wrap then assembling insures no sticking! since cp has higher h2o than hp, unmolding can be messier.



Thank you! and thanks for the suggestion!


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## Maythorn (Mar 6, 2013)

Seems like a good recipe.  The bars look wonderful!


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## melstan775 (Mar 7, 2013)

Doesn't look too bad for a first try.  Lessons learned and you're on way to being a soapmaker. Thank you for sharing!


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## Cherry Bomb (Mar 7, 2013)

crysvan said:


> Thank you!! The first mold, I used WSP's Crafters Choice™ Loaf - Regular - Clear Silicone Mold 1501
> 
> the 2nd one, I used an HDPE log mold I found at Michaels and gotten for 50% off. The original price is $29.99. It looks like this:



Thank you so much!!!!!


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