Tips?

shawnswife · Jan 30, 2013

After months of reading, researching, and imagining, I finally made my first batch of simple CP soap yesterday! I am so excited, nerverous, and anxious to see the results! I even had dreams about it last night! I can totally see this becoming addicting... :shock: It is so interesting to read page after page on this forum. I have learned so much, and it has giving me the confidence to even try.

If you could give a beginner one tip, and one tip only, about soap making, what would it be? :razz:

DWinMadison · Jan 30, 2013

Don't drink the lye.

. Seriously, start simple and keep it organized.

Scentapy · Jan 30, 2013

Constant RESEARCH all the time so you don't waste money on failed batches.

Genny · Jan 30, 2013

Write down everything you do when experimenting. Temps, oils, how much colorant, etc.

DWinMadison · Jan 30, 2013

Genny said:
Write down everything you do when experimenting. Temps, oils, how much colorant, etc.

That's a great idea. I should measure/track my colorants better. I couldn't begin to reproduce a soap that I particularly liked because I just mix colors on the fly.

2lilboots · Jan 30, 2013

Don't go out and buy all kinds of fancy equipment. Get a good scale, a good stick blender, and go from there. You probably already have plenty of plastic containers to use for mixing up all your stuff.

lsg · Jan 30, 2013

Use a lye calculator with every batch, no matter where the recipe comes from. Keep a soap making journal.

JenSoapySuds · Jan 30, 2013

Add glycerin to your micas and pigments it really does help avoid pesky color specs.

Soapa · Jan 30, 2013

Get feedback from those who use your soap. I was superfatting at 5 percent but bumped it up to eight percent because not everyone likes their skin to feel plain and unadorned. I'm weird like that. (my family said they want a more emollient soap in other words!)

DWinMadison · Jan 30, 2013

JenSoapySuds said:
Add glycerin to your micas and pigments it really does help avoid pesky color specs.

Glycerin in Addition to suspending them in oil or in PLACE of? I thought oxides and micas were supposed of be suspended in oil.

MaitriBB · Jan 30, 2013

Respect the lye and always use safety equipment.

That's not very fun, but IMO it's the number one tip I can give anyone starting out.

One thing I learned was to use glass for measuring out EO's/FO's because some can melt plastic (!), and that manufacturers of FO's will typically state the safe usage rate of each blend on their website. Don't go above the safe usage rate. I didn't know that because it's usually never in a written procedure, and used twice the recommended amount of an FO, and while the soap was fine, I was mortified when I found out.

CaliChan · Jan 30, 2013

USE ABSOLUTE CAUTION! My first mistake ever was getting cocky and decided to take my goggles off early and i went to go take the freshly poured soap into the kitchen and i TRIPPED and a bunch of the mixture went straight into MY LEFT EYE!!

lizflowers42 · Jan 30, 2013

Set aside "me time" for soaping, then ather all of your stuff, set it out before you even get started!

DWinMadison · Jan 30, 2013

Great advice. Nothing worse than getting in the middle of it and having to root around for a funnel, liner paper, fragrance bottle, etc...

chicklet · Jan 30, 2013

Respect the lye and wear safety glasses, for sure, but besides that - just have fun. It's science, but it ain't rocket science.

paillo · Jan 30, 2013

Genny said:
Write down everything you do when experimenting. Temps, oils, how much colorant, etc.

YES to this! I'm terrible about taking notes, and always regret not having those reminders!

paillo · Jan 30, 2013

lizflowers42 said:
Set aside "me time" for soaping, then ather all of your stuff, set it out before you even get started!

YES to this! You never know what distractions are going to pop up when you're in mid-batch. I learned the hard way. Now I put all my ingredients on the counter, and put each one away after I've added it. No more forgotten oils or other critical ingredients. And I like to mix my lye batches the night before for the next day's soaping. That way a big part of it is already done, cooled and ready, it's a simple step, and lessens the chances I'll forget something important

shawnswife · Jan 30, 2013

Thanks so much everyone for the great tips!! I do keep a pretty detailed journal of everything I have been learning and trying. I learned that the hard way when it came to cooking. I would come up with a delicious recipe, then never be able to totally recreate it again because I didn't write it down!

And I was extremely cautious when dealing with my lye. Reading through the forum, I learned to treat it almost equivalent to nuclear waste. :shock:

And I did not know that some EOs/FOs can melt plastic! That is good to know!!

shawnswife · Jan 30, 2013

CaliChan said:
USE ABSOLUTE CAUTION! My first mistake ever was getting cocky and decided to take my goggles off early and i went to go take the freshly poured soap into the kitchen and i TRIPPED and a bunch of the mixture went straight into MY LEFT EYE!!

Yikes!! That sounds terribly painful!!

squigglz · Jan 30, 2013

I took my goggles off during my second batch because trace was taking forever (I was still using a whisk at the time, so yeah, haha), and don't you know two minutes after I remove the goggles, I splash the stupid mix right into my eye.

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