Yes, more water will help. Especially when you are just starting out, gives you a little more time. You might want to try a batch without scent or with an essential oil instead. EOs don't reaction like FO and are much more forgiving. Skip the colors too, just until you get a feel for how the process works. You will save a lot of $...ask me how I know. You should have seen some of my first batches...talk about ugly! Well the first batch I made laundry soap out of it. LOL Good luck and keep us posted.
Forgot to add I used a
25% lye concentration instead of 33% on this batch trying to give myself the extra time AND tempered the FO in part of the oils before adding at trace-- nope, just this particular line of FO's.
BUT -- for future reference, how much extra water can I realistically add?
No colors used yet, (except that in the first batch I used water that I boiled red cabbage in to make the lye, as I've used it for coloring other stuff, and wanted to know if it would stay in the soap or not. But it reacted properly because I wasn't using an untried scent lol).
This 3rd batch is turning out just fine, just wasn't what I expected -- or rather it was sorta expected since I was testing this FO for the supplier -- well, you get the idea.
Right now it's completely translucent and gelled and has all smoothed out in the mold, so it should be fine once it cools and hardens up. I hope. It's so pretty all translucent like that! It looks like cantaloupe color from whatever was in that scent.
Why is there color in FO's anyhow? I think they should be clear. My other brands of stuff are clear, or just the natural shade of the EO... Maybe the color in this FO is causing the issue. Well, that was my last sample of that brand so I won't have to worry about it, but I wish I knew what to tell the supplier.
Umm, I guess I talk a lot for someone who's scared of people don't I? LOL I tend to talk a lot when I find something I enjoy in common with others.
Anxiety goes out the window.
At any rate I'm having fun learning all this stuff and experimenting, and that's the point! I figure I'll clear out my supply chest by using up the cheap and unsure stuff in my learning batches since I don't mind if I mess them up and I'll also answer a lot of my insane curiosity about 'What happens if...'
Not even going to use my good EO's right now, for quite a while yet, just picked up a few inexpensive samples of EO's and FO's and whatever free samples I could finagle, which is how I got these 2 crazy scents lol. So my experimenting won't be too expensive, and it's definitely interesting!
***Next batch though will be super simple with no scent other than the natural shea butter scent, so I can try actually playing with color instead of scent. THEN after I've gotten enough practice with colors, I'll try colors and EO's together. I'm planning on mostly natural colors, but might try some titanium dioxide and oxides or micas later... I've seen so many beautiful soaps colored both ways! And maybe then finally break out my chest of GOOD EO's and get creative with oils. Right now all my good ones are reserved for my skin and hair stuff. That's my plan anyhow. ***
OMG shoulda seen hubby's face when this 3rd batch instantly jello'd ! Hilarious! He's having fun with this too, and I love that we have a hobby we both like now. He never got into playing mad scientist with the lotions, conditioners, gels, etc. But he is loving this! Probably cuz of all the creative potential. He's been showing me pics and youtube videos he's found.
So much fun! I think it's safe to say after batch #3 that we're both hopelessly addicted...
ETA: hubby loves the 'split pea soup' soap. He shaved with it and likes it better than the stuff he usually shaves with. It lathers nice and is not drying at all. Yay! It's ugly, but a good recipe!
