newbie questions

I’m feeling pretty proud of myself, I did my homework and swapped out palm oil for shortening and converted to a 3:1 lye to water ratio, ran it through soapcalc and make some hot process soap today. The recipe I used ended up being 32% GV shortening 32% Olive oil 32% Coconut Oil 4% Castor Oil...

I’m just gathering up the courage and bought the basic necessities (that’s a straight up lie, I went a lot overboard with molds, scents and colors….so much cool stuff to play with!!!) The more I research the more questions I have since things can go so horribly wrong. 1) Adding FO or EO, is it...

I’m using a goat milk m&p base (Our Earth’s Secrets) and I want to make a soap with Lavender, Sandalwood, and Lemon Eucalyptus EOs. Do you guys think it would be a good fragrance combination? Its main thing is to help repel mosquitoes. Any advice is welcome and appreciated!

Hello everyone. I am extremely new to candle making and got my first starter kit to test the waters. I followed the instructions and temperatures recommended but I’m getting a lot of pits and craters when the candles are dried. I watched and read a bunch of do’s and donts but can’t seem to get...

Greetings All And Happy Holidays! Newbie question: Does hot process soap sweat? I'm a melt & pour soap maker and wanting to go into HP (CP is just too long and bothersome for me). My issue with MP soaps are that they are prone to sweating in humid environments like here in Sydney, Australia...

I know a lot of recipes for bath and body products tell you to heat the distilled water to a certain temperature and hold it there for twenty minutes. I'm not arguing to skip that step because it does make sense. I just have a question about pulling it off. I'm in a regular apartment right...

Hello people, My second post in this forum, excited :) Together with a friend of mine, we started making some soaps around 2 months ago. We made some CP and HP as well. Now that we are a bit better with the CP, we were wondering when it is the right time to stamp them. We would like to stamp...

Hey guys I’m new here... Found your forums when searching for ways to replace coconut oil in solid soap recipes because of allergies in our home... I have been looking at and thinking about making my own soaps since roughly 2004/2005 but just haven’t yet due to the expense factor... Recently...

Hi!^^ I hope you are all having a good day :) So, I am currently making an Excel table with all the oils usable in soap making, their properties, how they trace, pricing,... But I have a problem with one of the oils. Apparently, you can use rice oil to replace olive oil. Wich can be useful if...

Hello, I am Kammy and a newbie. I haven't made any handmade soap yet because I'm still researching and learning before I start. Any tips for an anxious newbie like me? :)

Made my first soap a few days ago and thought I aced it, but noooooo.... Used this recipe: 300 g lard (tenderflake) 270 g olive oil (extra virgin - all I had) 30 g castor oil 79 g lye 228 g distilled water Also used about 6-8 drops of an essential oil I got in Paris a few years ago...

Thanks to anyone who reads, whether you're able to offer an opinion or not. It may be a little long as I have background and a couple of questions. If you’re not interested in the specifics, please scroll down to the TL;DR section! First off, I have already read a few posts regarding Saffire...

Hello Everyone me and my wife are completely new to making soap and not sure where to start I have her a place all set up and everything ready to go except for the soap supplies! I have read and watched so many videos my brain is fried! What is the best way to go HP, Cp, or MP or if anyone would...

i made my first batch of milk soap. i put the soap in the freezer, then placed it inside the fridge. i waited about 12 hours from unmolding before i cut the soap. it has been 2 days since i cut it, and it's still soft. is this normal for a soap placed inside the fridge/freezer? and i...

what causes oily cold process soap? :oops: i made a honey soap, and i let it sit in the mold for more than 24 hours. i did not insulate it because it was the instruction/recipe. there was a thin layer of oil on top of my soap. i blotted the oil from the soap and it's looking better, but it's...

I have been doing a lot of reading about soap, silk, shampoo bars etc.. And I'm quite prone to experimentation... I'm on my fifth or so batch of soap and thought I would try a shampoo bar. So ambitiously, I thought I would make it with beer as the liquid. While reading I discovered people are...

I'm very very new to soap making. I want to make the soap mine as much as I can. So I bought some clear m&p(Crafters Choice™ Detergent Free Clear MP Soap(Is That one good?Again Newbie)) And I was wondering if I could add Shea butter or coconut butter and all those kinds of things. And how much...

Hi everyone! I'm very new to this forum, and quite new in the soap making business. Actually, I have never made soap before and I should be getting my first pounds of MP soap in the mail soon, and I'm quite nervous (still very excited though!) I ordered the mango butter melt and pour base...