Oh this is the perfect challenge for me as I just started and just got nearly everything already locally.
Perfect challenge indeed!
When I first started making soap in 2004
"Grocery Store Soap" was widely popular for newbies. Don't forget to scavenge the store shelves for
a mold -- not just to get bonus credit but to feed your creative juices as well. FUN!
Considering making this recipe from Prairie Homestead:
Would you guys say this is a good recipe to start with?
Sorry Darlin'. That recipe gets
2 thumbs down -- not just from me but most likely from
every experienced soapmaker reading this thread. Like me, they don't want to curb your enthusiasm. You sound confident enough to choose "learning something" over "being offended" by someone's well-intentioned advice that differs from your thinking.
I'm kinda interested in HP soaps and this one has the fewest ingredients I've found.
I have no problem with HP if that is your preference. CP is generally recommended for beginners so you may want to rethink that decision. Simply bring the batch to trace and pour. HP can be a bit tricky -- not knowing what to expect during the cook.
Take care not to overcook!
Good thinking! --
to go with the fewest ingredients. Coconut Oil and Olive Oil are standard in many soap recipes. BUT. If you adjust your %s, add one more ingredient like Crisco (the one with the pie crust on the label) you will have a far more satisfactory result and a good foundation to build on. See Basic Trinity of Oils Starter Formula in the Beginners Forum. Substitute Crisco for the Palm and run it through a lye calculator as referenced in this thread.
Also download the attachment in that thread to see how to enter your formula. It is best to use the default settings to start with. You can mess around with the settings later, once you understand why you might want to do that.
Thanks! I decided to make a 2/3 batch before your reply (oops) and will reevaluate with the soapcalc for the next batch.
It is a common Newbie mistake to think you can just cut everything down to 2/3 batch. Doesn't work that way. It is highly recommended that you start with small 12-16 oz. batches of oils and run EVERY recipe through a
lye calculator. Less waste in the long run.
Take some time to play with it. It will be one of the best tools in your soapmaker's tool box.
With regards to EOs I went a little conservative at .5 oz total split between bergamot and mandarin EO.
Good thinking!
0.5 oz. is the Default setting for Fragrance on the calculator mentioned above. However, when using EOs, the amount varies widely. You must do your homework before using in soap. There are so many things that can go wrong. This has been discussed here many times. Use the magnifying glass icon in the upper right corner of this page to search for more info.
Last but not least, I encourage you to take some time to peruse the
Beginner's Forum for "Tried and True" recipes as well as Forum knowledge. In order for us to best help you, it's a good idea to tell us a little about yourself in the
Introduction Forum, your other interests and whatever else you like, but especially your knowledge and experience about soapmaking to date.