Brand new to soap making, in the research stage, questions!

[jessievinson]

Hi! I'm Jessie and I'm very interested in learning to make my own soaps. I'm a crafty person by nature so this is something I've always been interested in but my itchy skin lately has pushed it up to top priority on my to do list.

Any tips for a beginner? I'm interested in making all natural organic soaps and I'm especially interested in goat milk soap. I'd also love to learn how to make my own lotions.

I have no clue what type of equipment I'll need, from what I've read so far, a soap mold and cutter are essential but what else will I need and where do I get these things?

Sorry for all the questions and thanks in advance for your replies!

 

[dragonfly princess]

Welcome to the forum!

Depending on the type of soap you would like to make, you might want to look at www.millersoap.com, she has a lot of great info on her site. There is also www.teachsoap.com

If you want to start with M&P soap, there of a few of us on here that do it and I know for myself it is a trial and error thing. There are a few sites like about.com that have some stuff about M&P

 

[WilsonFamilyPicnic]

welcome! I am still doing lots of research myself. I've made a couple of cold process batches with great success. We've done a lot of scavenging supplies from around the house!

milk cartons for molds, used pyrex and stainless steel bowls and measuring cups (they can be cleaned up very well if you are diligent about washing).

I even used our immersion blender, although, after every batch i am less and less excited about using it in my food.

The one thing i did buy was a good scale for measuring ingredients, its the only equipment must. Everything else can be improvised and then added added as you go along.

 

[jessievinson]

Welcome to the forum!

Depending on the type of soap you would like to make, you might want to look at www.millersoap.com, she has a lot of great info on her site. There is also www.teachsoap.com

If you want to start with M&P soap, there of a few of us on here that do it and I know for myself it is a trial and error thing. There are a few sites like about.com that have some stuff about M&P

Thanks so much! I checked out those sites and found the first one you posted very helpful! The second site overwhelmed me a little lol. I guess that's to be expected.

 

[jessievinson]

welcome! I am still doing lots of research myself. I've made a couple of cold process batches with great success. We've done a lot of scavenging supplies from around the house!

milk cartons for molds, used pyrex and stainless steel bowls and measuring cups (they can be cleaned up very well if you are diligent about washing).

I even used our immersion blender, although, after every batch i am less and less excited about using it in my food.

The one thing i did buy was a good scale for measuring ingredients, its the only equipment must. Everything else can be improvised and then added added as you go along.

Thanks so much! I plan on trying the cold process method first so I'm glad to hear that it worked well for you. I hadn't thought about using milk cartons for a mold! I buy those cardboard 1/2 gallon juice cartons every week, so I can use that?

I'm anxious to put my immersion blender to work seeing as how I've owned it for 5+ years and only used it about twice

And way you could post a link to the scale you bough? I'm not sure what kind to get.

Thanks again for the info!

 

[Chalk Creek]

HI and welcome. I make only goat milk soap and have been making soap for about 7 years now. This is the first year I used a "real" mold. I still use a knife to cut. I've used wax paper lined shoeboxes, pringles cans, all kinds of things for molds. Just choose a simple recipe with a few ingredients to start with. Use a soap calc to make sure the amount of lye and liquid is right, wear rubber gloves and safety glasses and go for it. There's so much info out there and complicated recipes that it can be mind boggling. Don't let it intimidate you. CP soapmaking is really fun and easy. You'll be addicted in no time!

 

[scarlett]

Hello! You will love the Miller site! I have used many of Kathy's recipes and tweaked them a little - they are great!

My first batch was actually a kit I bought from Lavender Lane. It had everything. The oil, lye, lavender buds, mold and full instructions. After that batch I was hooked.

 

[NEASoapWorks]

It's easy!

Welcome!
Don't be "scurred"! Soapmaking is fun and it's not hard. The "hard" part is trying to keep from spending every last dollar you have on soap supplies!

 

[scarlett]

The "hard" part is trying to keep from spending every last dollar you have on soap supplies!

Yes, 16oz bottles can turn into 5 gallon buckets very quickly.

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Welcome to your new second home, and no monthly mortgage payments either!

Paul

 

[WilsonFamilyPicnic]

Here's a link to the thread when I was asking about equipment a few months ago....

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... highlight=

in the end, i got my scale from cooking.com.

and the 'search' feature will be your new best friend on here. chances are if you have a question, someone has asked it before!

 

[jessievinson]

Thanks for all the information and the welcomes! I can't wait to get started.