How did you endure the wait ???

[WyvernWench]

Toxikon, that is a great link. Thank you!

BumbleKlute ... more great links, Thank you!

Arimara, thanks for the reply. I am a very tactile person and hands-on is my best means of learning. The idea of waiting four weeks, and now with your suggestion of up to 3 months, I don't know if my brain can connect what I am trying to do now with what I will discover months from now. So ....

Cellador, great idea, after I finish replying here and bookmarking all of the new links everyone has kindly offered, I will go cut a few samples and put them by my sink.

BubmbleKlute, thanks for looking the second recipe over. I, too, ran it through the calc. But I don't know enough yet to really understand all of the results. It looks like lots more reading, lots more poking around the web, and lots more note-taking for me ... Grin.

 

[Dahila]

Toxikon, that is a great link. Thank you!

BumbleKlute ... more great links, Thank you!

Arimara, thanks for the reply. I am a very tactile person and hands-on is my best means of learning. The idea of waiting four weeks, and now with your suggestion of up to 3 months, I don't know if my brain can connect what I am trying to do now with what I will discover months from now. So ....

Cellador, great idea, after I finish replying here and bookmarking all of the new links everyone has kindly offered, I will go cut a few samples and put them by my sink.

My regular soap after 7 months of curing is an exceptional soap. After you make few batches the time will fly between, and soon you are going to have a lot long cure soaps

 

[WyvernWench]

Greetings!

When something blows up, you can read where others have blown something up, either in order to make yourself feel better, or to further cement the fact that it happens to everyone.

Last but not least, I love love love your name youve chosen to go by/use! !

Twysted! I think I have the 'blows up' already covered. I live in the boonies on a small farmstead with lots and lots of white tail deer that love to eat my hostas and day lily buds. Plus I have at least one old ground hog that loves to eat my pumpkin leaves.

The ground hog often makes me think of the Great Pumpkin, rising out of the pumpkin patch from Charlie Brown, when he visits my garden.

The orchardists in my area have taught me that one of the best critter repellents is highly scents soap bars, tied to a stick that is about three or four inches above my plants. When the deer reached down thinking it is going to get delicious hostas and instead gets a nose full of 'manly Irish Spring'.

So if all else fails I will at least have the greatest smelling, most interesting deer repellent in my neighborhood. I'll just throw the mistakes into little burlap bags and head out to the garden! Win - Win!

Dahlia ... I hadn't thought of that! I didn't think through that at some point I will be trying to cured batches while I wait for the newest batches ... Well, Duh!

 

[dixiedragon]

I like www.millersoap.com.

What "exotic" oils are you considering?

I tend to think of recipes in this way:

30-60% of a hard oil - lard, palm or tallow. We consider these to be interchangeable (but not identical). You will find a strong chorus of folks here (including me) that are solidly on Team Lard. These are hard at room temp and also make a hard bar of soap. If you want to make a palm free, vegan soap you can experiment with hard butters (cocoa butter, shea butter, etc) but they are not really interchangeable with lard/tallow/palm so you need to build your recipe in a different way.
10-20% coconut - This gets its own category. Coconut makes big, fluffy bubbles and it is very cleansing. Many people find more than 20% to be harsh and drying. (palm kernel oil - NOT palm oil - is a gentler equivalent).
3%-8% castor - again, this gets it's own category. Castor will make your lather richer and more stable. More than 10% can make your bar rubbery and some soapers say it will decrease lather.
20%-40% liquid conditioning oils - this can be canola or soy (not my personal favorites), olive, sunflower, rice bran, avocado, sweet almond (to name a few). I like a combination of olive, sunflower and rice bran.

These are good ranges to start with. Obviously, your numbers should equal 100%!

Here's mine:
40% lard
20% coconut
15% olive
10% sunflower
10% rice bran
5% castor

In my personal opinion, I think olive, rice bran and sunflower have a nice synergy.

 

[WyvernWench]

LOL! DixieDragon

As I expect many beginners, having quickly run out of the oils in the starter kit I hit my local grocery store. One of the items that I picked up because I saw it being used in soap making was a can of coconut milk. So, I am unpacking the groceries which will hopefully become soap and my Mom (92 next month) snatches the can of milk out of my hands, announcing, "This is exactly what I need for a cake recipe I've been saving!"

If I brought home a package of lard my beloved hubby would instantly assume that I had plans of making Irish Pasty for dinner - traditional Easter dinner in his family and one which can ONLY be made with lard. I am not sure that he would ever forgive me for using lard for anything else but his eatable delights.

I love the idea of trying lard, but I have fears right now that my soap making may become a family fight at the emptying of the grocery bags if I'm not careful.

Thanks so much for the recipe ideas!

 

[earlene]

I guess next time you'll have to buy two cans of coconut milk and two containers of lard. Maybe empty the grocery bag out of sight of everyone else?

 

[dixiedragon]

Put your lard in a container labeled "tofu".

OR order high-quality leaf lard from these ladies on Etsy:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/FannieAndFlo?ref=l2-shopheader-name for food.

and use the stuff from Wal-Mart for soap.

 

[DawninWA]

You could solve that problem by buying 2 buckets of lard!

I have been using walmart's "Shortening" for soapmaking. It says on it something like "Meat and vegetable fats". So I avoided it for a long time, until I looked it up online and it's 98% tallow and 2% palm. It's cheap, like $3.98 for 2 lbs. I use it at 60 - 70%. For myself, I use 70% shortening, 30% olive. For other people, I use 60% shortening, 20% Olive, 20% coconut. The second one is bubblier, most people like tons of bubbles and coconut oil is good for that. I'm allergic to coconut, so I make mine without.

 

[WeaversPort]

I love the idea of trying lard, but I have fears right now that my soap making may become a family fight at the emptying of the grocery bags if I'm not careful.

Thanks so much for the recipe ideas!

Your family is lucky they have you and not me...

I'd leave it all out after writing "For Soap" in marker. Just to mess with them. Then I'd start labeling random things with for soap and let them start to wonder...

 

[Zany_in_CO]

How did you endure or are you enduring the seemingly long wait to see if the recipes that I used are worth doing another batch?

Ahem.(stepping up to the soap box):
The first rule of soaping is "Patience". Allow the soap to do its thing.
The second rule is "Don't panic." No matter what happens. Trust yourself...
The third rule is "Write everything down." (scraps of paper; gum wrappers are no-no's... trust me.)
Fourth rule -- Always ask "dumb questions" -- it's not like we haven't heard it, or asked it before!

A good way to keep track of the next 20 batches or so is to print out the sheet from SoapCalc.net (or other calculator) and write notes, comments on that. Date everything. Then keep the sheet handy with the curing batch.

 

[littlehands]

The other recipe I have tried is from BrambleBerry and came with the starter kit.

9 oz. olive oil
6 oz. coconut oil
6 oz. palm oil
1 oz. castor oil
7 oz. distilled water
3 oz. lye

I've soaped over 500 batches and still find the BB beginner kit recipe a very good basic. I use it regularly.

 

[SunRiseArts]

So pretty! Meanwhile you can play with melt and pour! :mrgreen:

 

[WyvernWench]

I guess next time you'll have to buy two cans of coconut milk and two containers of lard. Maybe empty the grocery bag out of sight of everyone else?

Would that make me a 'closet' soap shopper ?

you could solve that problem by buying 2 buckets of lard!

I have been using walmart's "shortening" for soapmaking. It says on it something like "meat and vegetable fats". So i avoided it for a long time, until i looked it up online and it's 98% tallow and 2% palm. It's cheap, like $3.98 for 2 lbs. I use it at 60 - 70%. For myself, i use 70% shortening, 30% olive. For other people, i use 60% shortening, 20% olive, 20% coconut. The second one is bubblier, most people like tons of bubbles and coconut oil is good for that. I'm allergic to coconut, so i make mine without.

thank you !!!!!

Your family is lucky they have you and not me...

I'd leave it all out after writing "For Soap" in marker. Just to mess with them. Then I'd start labeling random things with for soap and let them start to wonder...

I think it would be easier ... less family up-roar and crisis-making ... if I buy three of everything, bring two each into the house, let them get theirs even if they want both, and then sneak the extra into the house after midnight to hide for soap making.

And I think that suffering through coconut milk cake by Mom and Irish Pasty for my hubbie are really very small prices to pay for the priveldge of getting to mess up the kitchen on Sunday morning to make soap.

Ahem.(stepping up to the soap box):
The first rule of soaping is "Patience". Allow the soap to do its thing.
The second rule is "Don't panic." No matter what happens. Trust yourself...
The third rule is "Write everything down." (scraps of paper; gum wrappers are no-no's... trust me.)
Fourth rule -- Always ask "dumb questions" -- it's not like we haven't heard it, or asked it before!

A good way to keep track of the next 20 batches or so is to print out the sheet from SoapCalc.net (or other calculator) and write notes, comments on that. Date everything. Then keep the sheet handy with the curing batch.

Zany_in_Co, you missed one. Always have my notepaper and pencil ready when I come to this forum!!!! I was just overwhelmed yesterday with all the ideas, suggestions, helpful hints, and great links that I was still wide awake at 1am watching soap trace across the inside of my eye lids.

I've soaped over 500 batches and still find the BB beginner kit recipe a very good basic. I use it regularly.

Thank you !!!!!

 

[WeaversPort]

Zany_in_Co, you missed one. Always have my notepaper and pencil ready when I come to this forum!!!! I was just overwhelmed yesterday with all the ideas, suggestions, helpful hints, and great links that I was still wide awake at 1am watching soap trace across the inside of my eye lids.

I can relate.. I don't know how many nights I've laid in bed imagining soap designs or wondering about fragrance pairings, instead of sleeping!

And I think suffering through delicious food is an excellent way to get more soaping time!

 

[dixiedragon]

Other tips:
If something seems to be going wrong, take pics and post here!
Don't throw it away - we can probably help you save it.
Make sure ALL FRAGRANCES ARE SOAP SAFE.

 

[Arimara]

Arimara, thanks for the reply. I am a very tactile person and hands-on is my best means of learning. The idea of waiting four weeks, and now with your suggestion of up to 3 months, I don't know if my brain can connect what I am trying to do now with what I will discover months from now. So ....

That patience will develop. some soaps take longer to cure than others and a 3 month wait is really nothing.

Ahem.(stepping up to the soap box):
The first rule of soaping is "Patience". Allow the soap to do its thing.
The second rule is "Don't panic." No matter what happens. Trust yourself...
The third rule is "Write everything down." (scraps of paper; gum wrappers are no-no's... trust me.)
Fourth rule -- Always ask "dumb questions" -- it's not like we haven't heard it, or asked it before!

A good way to keep track of the next 20 batches or so is to print out the sheet from SoapCalc.net (or other calculator) and write notes, comments on that. Date everything. Then keep the sheet handy with the curing batch.

Slightly adding- depending on browser preference, you should easily be able to save a recipe to pdf format. You may have to look up how to do some research for doing that a couple of browsers but with google and opera, it's a print setting.

 

[dixiedragon]

Too keep track of things, print several copies of your recipe with notes. Put one in a binder and put one in the container where you are curing your soaps.

 

[soaring1]

Beautiful soaps! It is hard to wait.

 

[cobbsie]

I think there should be such a thing as a timed lockable air flow box to put cut soap in.....I cannot help myself....I have little soap bits sat at various stages of hardening by the kitchen sink ....just little bits to play with cut off the edge of a whole piece.....small ....hardly notice theyre missing....honest!

:silent:

Beautiful photos!

It's hard to wait, isn't it?

But this may make you feel better. Many people actually recommend that newbies DO try their soap as they cure. Wash your hands with your soap at a 1 week cure, 2 week cure, 3 week cure and 4 week cure. Write down your notes on how your bar feels.

At 4-6 weeks, your bar will be fully cured and ready for proper use. But there's nothing stopping you from trying out a bar to learn the different stages of the cure. You'll probably find it very drying and stripping on your skin at first, but it's interesting to see it change. And make sure to hold onto at least one bar for 6 months or more - that's when soap gets unbelievably good.

Perfect!!! I knew there was a reason for the teeny tiny soap bits....

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Zany_in_Co, you missed one. Always have my notepaper and pencil ready when I come to this forum!!!! I was just overwhelmed yesterday with all the ideas, suggestions, helpful hints, and great links that I was still wide awake at 1am watching soap trace across the inside of my eye lids.

:mrgreen: You have my deepest sympathies...