help for a beginner please!!

[Harvey]

Hi, This is my first post here so here goes!..

I am new to soap making and have been reading up on it for ages now to get ideas etc.
I will be looking to make soap for family, friends etc.

I will be looking to make different soaps like lavender, strawberry, etc. (or any you may suggest)

In everyone's opinion which is the best way to go?
eg. cold or hot process? or maybe melt and pour?

Melt and pour seems easier but is it as good?

For some reason in my mind I have eliminated the hot process (or maybe I shouldn't?)

I have already bought some moulds and sodium hydroxide

Any info for a beginner would be most grateful!!

Thank you all

 

[Anstarx]

If you are a complete beginner, there are a lot of beginner-friendly tutorials and making process on youtube and internet in general. Just search for beginner soap making. I recommend SoapQueen and Soaping 101
Watch some videos for every technique first and see which one interests you.

There is no "best way" for soaping, just the ones that suits you. Hard to give you precise answers when the question is so broad.

 

[Dawni]

I suggest you read up on each of the processes and decide which to go with. Each has its own pros and its own cons and it'll be up to you to figure out which of those you'd rather deal with lol

I am an HP soaper

 

[shunt2011]

I highly recommend checking out Soaping 101. If you choose Soap Queen, don't use glass as she does in her videos. Glass is a bad terrible choice.

I do CP but have done some HP and prefer CP. Again, it's a personal choice. Read the last 10 pages in the beginners section here as well. There is a lot of information to be had.

If you have questions, just ask if you can't find the answer.

Welcome!!!

 

[Kcryss]

I highly recommend listening to the very experienced soapers on this forum.

Read the items they are pointing out and be careful what you see on other sites, like youtube. Some of the info out there is invalid. The links that are being recommended by the people here will give you accurate information.

Welcome to soaping!

 

[soapmaker]

I agree with the rest, and WELCOME!

 

[user 22539]

I am a HP soaper. I don't have the room to do CP soap. HP you can use not long after you make it.

 

[Harvey]

Thank you for your replies, most helpful and I'm learning all the time!

 

[dixiedragon]

Welcome to the forum! Brambleberry has a really good kit for beginners:
https://www.brambleberry.com/shop-by-product/holiday-and-seasonal/mother's-day/natural-soap-kit-for-beginners---relaxing-lavender/CB703124.html

Includes everything but water, a bowl or pot and a stick blender.

 

[sirtim100]

A very warm welcome, Harvey!

I started out making CP soap, then switched to HP to make shaving soap. I've never tried M&P. The best bet is to find out what gets you excited. I prefer CP because it's marginally less stressful, with HP you're angsting about textures and times and stuff, but that's due to my lack of experience I think.

Just try out what you like, experiment, have fun, enjoy. Soapmaking is supposed to be fun...

 

[JackofallShaves]

I am a beginner soap maker as well(only 4 batches under my belt).

HP is definitely more work but I like HP soaps better. For me, HP clean up is slightly less stressful as the lye has already been consumed.

I have not tried M&P yet as I am currently only making shaving soaps. Happy soaping and welcome!

 

[Zing]

Welcome, Harvey! I did melt and pour for a long time but once I tried cold process, I was hooked on CP only. I like that it combines art and science and it is fascinating to watch oils turn into soap. Ditto to all the other posts. Keep us posted, good luck, and have fun!

 

[shunt2011]

@CraftySue Just because you can use it doesn't mean you should. It's not cured. HP needs just a long or longer of a cure than CP. Yes, it's saponified quicker CP can be used once saponification is completed (24 hours). But still not a good soap without a cure.

 

[soapmaker]

@CraftySue Just because you can use it doesn't mean you should. It's not cured. HP needs just a long or longer of a cure than CP. Yes, it's saponified quicker CP can be used once saponification is completed (24 hours). But still not a good soap without a cure.

Just came here to mention that.

 

[dixiedragon]

I think it's sort of standard for people to start with CP and then experiment with HP, but IMO HP actually offers a lot of advantages for beginners! You cook the soap past your typical problems -separation, ricing, etc - then add the FO.

I think - and most of us here agree - that MP is a different craft from CP and HP. Soap artistry vs soap making might be a good way to describe it. There are some people here who do really amazing stuff with MP. If you are more interested in experimenting with color and scent and other visual elements, then MP might be the way to go. But if you want to experiment with the ingredients of your soap, then CP or HP is the way to go.

 

[cmzaha]

View attachment 43516

I think it's sort of standard for people to start with CP and then experiment with HP, but IMO HP actually offers a lot of advantages for beginners! You cook the soap past your typical problems -separation, ricing, etc - then add the FO.

I think - and most of us here agree - that MP is a different craft from CP and HP. Soap artistry vs soap making might be a good way to describe it. There are some people here who do really amazing stuff with MP. If you are more interested in experimenting with color and scent and other visual elements, then MP might be the way to go. But if you want to experiment with the ingredients of your soap, then CP or HP is the way to go.

I totally agree with MP being a different craft. My daughter was an MP artist and did beautiful soaps. I preference is cp soap with few hp, very very few, because of naughty fo's but I am totally terrible with MP.

 

[Dawni]

I think it's sort of standard for people to start with CP and then experiment with HP, but IMO HP actually offers a lot of advantages for beginners! You cook the soap past your typical problems -separation, ricing, etc - then add the FO.

I agree with you there. It's one reason I started with HP but in my case I never really let go lol

If I wasn't selling soleseife I'd probably CP like once every 10 HP batches, or less.

Points for HP, aside from above listed by dixiedragon:
1. Uses less EO and FO
2. Don't have to stress about temps much
3. Don't need to worry about too thick trace
4. More chances the good stuff might survive the lye monster when you add em after the cook
5. No ash and very less stearic spots, if any
6. Shorter waiting time to harden enough to unmold n cut
7. Washing up after is a breeze

There are a few cons:
1. Takes a while to figure out when n where to add your colorants, if using natural ones
2. More chances of misshapen bars after cure due to the amount of water
3. Some designs are downright impossible
4. Can't always use intricate molds

I'm sure there's more lol but coz I love HP I can't really remember em now.