Hello from the Pacific Northwest

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Volossya

Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2025
Messages
13
Reaction score
36
Location
Washington
Hello! I'm an engineer looking into making cold-process soap for personal and family use. I expect to enjoy the chemistry and creativity of it.

I have already done some background reading - "Soap Crafting" by Anne-Marie Faiola, then pretty much all of DeeAnna's SoapyStuff page (I appreciated her more scientific approach) and a good number of articles from ModernSoapMaking.com. To better understand how the soap calculator works I have made a spreadsheet version of a soap calculator and verified it against SoapCalc's outputs (agreement within 1% except for the saturated:unsaturated fat ratio, which makes sense given that I copied their SAP and fatty acid values). I spent so much time reading threads from the experienced people here that I decided to go ahead and make an account so I could ask questions directly.

Looking forward to chatting with y'all!
 
Hello!! I am also an engineer and a new soap maker from the PNW. I got into the rabbit hole of soap making after reading Practical Magic and how a witch Maria Owens sold magic black soap that can make one look younger and more beautiful. The movie Practical Magic was filmed on Whidbey Island. I think soap is incredible.
I read "Soap Crafting" by Anne-Marie Faiola as a primer, then started reading Kevin Dunn's "Scientific Soapmaking". If you're into the chemistry, I highly recommend this book. He also has a companion spreadsheet tool called Lye-on.xls on his website cavemanchemistry.com
 
Welcome @Volossya, @saint_rabia and @Brenda Kelley from a fellow Washingtonian!
So nice to see so many new Pacific northwesterners on this site!
I hope that you enjoy your soapmaking journey,
In case your engineering background helps you stumble upon some "make me look young" soap, I'm lining up behind @KiwiMoose for the recipe :p
 

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