Hello

Chrmgo · Jul 31, 2018

I am from KS I have been trying to convince myself that I can make soap for over a year. Because of all the warnings about lye I have been too chicken to try. I finally did it made my first soap. I think it's going to be a flop but I will try again

shunt2011 · Jul 31, 2018

Hello and welcome!!! Why do you think it's gong to be a flop? If you start a new thread and list your recipe and process we would be more than happy to help troubleshoot.

Chrmgo · Jul 31, 2018

I have rebatched 2 times and it doesn't look good. I have a thread in the beginners soap about my experience so far.

dixiedragon · Jul 31, 2018

Chrmgo said:
I have rebatched 2 times and it doesn't look good. I have a thread in the beginners soap about my experience so far.

Can you post some pics?

First of all, stop rebatching! Reading that other thread, it seems like the soap you are rebatching isn't unsafe, merely "ugly"? If it's safe, then just put it aside and use it in 6-8 weeks. If it's unsafe...toss it. IMO, you're too new at this to try to fight with unsafe soap to make it safe again.

Second, simplify. Hold off on dairy milks (cow, goat, cream, etc) for a while. They are troublesome ingredients. Keep it simple!

Here's a simple recipe for a beginner:

50% lard (or tallow or palm)
20% coconut
5% castor
25% olive (or sunflower)
5% superfat

Scent - if you don't have soap safe fragrance oils (not from a craft store, but from a reputable soap supplier), get some lavender EO, mint EO or lemongrass EO from a healthfood store. NOW brand is good, don't pay big $ for doTerra or YoungLiving. Make sure the bottle says 100% lavender essential oil.

Here is a supplier in Kansas but I've never seen them mentioned here. https://twowildhares.com/shop. But they might be worth checking out.

With this recipe, if you use lard (vs palm or tallow), you can soap with your oils at about 100F and your lye water at room temp.

cmzaha · Jul 31, 2018

^^^ Totally agree with the above info. In my opinion re-batching almost always comes out ugly. Set it aside check for zap in a few weeks either toss it out or use it if it has no zap. For personal use it really does not matter what it looks like. Zap is like touching your tongue to a 9-volt battery. But I recommend wetting a finger swipe across the soap and touch your tongue. You cannot miss zap. Also do not test for zap in less than 72 hours, it can take that long for cp soap to fully saponify