I did it! I did it! I did it!

[gigisiguenza]

Happy dancing all over the forum.... whoop whoop... I did it... whoop whoop....

Lmao

Ok.... deep breath.... compose myself .....

Ladies and gents, I did my first batch, without blowing up my kitchen, melting my skin off with lye, or flinging soap goo everywhere (all things my overanxious brain was fretting about lol)

Next post will be details - recipe, photos, etc

Going back to happy dancing! Whoop whoop! LOL

 

[snappyllama]

Yay! Congratulations!

 

[lenarenee]

Alright!!! Congratulations! Now comes the hard part - waiting to cut.

Then, you get to watch it cure for 4 weeks!!!

(Better make more soap to keep yourself occipied :smile

 

[galaxyMLP]

Alright! I can't wait to see cut pictures!

 

[spenny92]

Ah that's awesome, you got the hardest part out of the way! Make sure and post photos, we looove photos.

 

[jenneelk]

As many say.. gotta see pics or it didn't happen!
Congratulations and welcome to the madness to come!

 

[Susie]

WHOOP!!!! Welcome to the addiction!!! Too late to back out now!

 

[gigisiguenza]

Ok here are the details -
Recipe:
I used a modification of one posted as a good beginner recipe. I purposely chose to do a 1pound batch, both to conserve supplies on the first one, and cuz I was chicken to work with larger quantities lol.

Avocado 10% - 31.18 g
Castor 10% - 31.18 g
Coconut 20% - 62.37 g
Lard 30% - 93.55 g
Olive 30% - 93.55 g
Superfat 5%
FO 5%
Water 118.5 g
Lye 43.18 g
Soap batch weight before CP 1.065 lbs

Soapcalc Numbers for the batch:
Hardness 36
Cleansing 14
Conditioning 59
Bubbly 23
Creamy 31
Iodine 60
INS 144

Here's the photos, no idea why they are sideways, LOL. Will edit before uploading next time.

Got lye solution made them let it sit to cool while I got the oils/fats measured


Everything assembled and ready to combined


Light trace just before adding FO


Medium trace after adding FO


Poured into mold container (a little storage container that holds 16 oz perfectly with about a ¼ inch to spare)


All the air tapped out and top smoothed out


Top set on loosely, not sealed, to allow some air in and some moisture out


Wrapped in a towel to be set on the shelf til whenever it's ready to me taken from the mold and cut

 

[gigisiguenza]

Alright!!! Congratulations! Now comes the hard part - waiting to cut.

Then, you get to watch it cure for 4 weeks!!!

(Better make more soap to keep yourself occipied :smile

Lmfao lenarenee, I was just sitting here thinking the same thing Hahahahaha. Wondering if no should try the other beginner batches tonight since it went so fast. Hmmmm.

 

[galaxyMLP]

That looks like a lovely first batch! I bet you are excited about it!

 

[gigisiguenza]

That looks like a lovely first batch! I bet you are excited about it!

galaxy I'm sitting here staring at it chanting hurry up and set up so I can cut you! Lmfao

 

[galaxyMLP]

Don't be like me and turn into an always-early-should've-waited-longer cutter. It will be worth the wait!

 

[gigisiguenza]

Don't be like me and turn into an always-early-should've-waited-longer cutter. It will be worth the wait!

Hahahahaha I'm resisting the urge.... Will properly just make more soap instead hehehehehe

 

[galaxyMLP]

Thats probably a good choice. That, or go put on a movie, eat some popcorn, go to bed and excitedly way up tomorrow like its <Insert Gift Giving Holiday of Choice> and revel in your soapy beauty!

 

[gigisiguenza]

Btw... I didn't see any noticeable acceleration when I added the FO, but since it's my first batch, how do I know? LOL. However, I wasn't sure if I should add it to the fats before adding the lye or after, so i added it at light trace.

 

[commoncenz]

Congratulations! Looks like it's going to be a very nice soap! You'd know acceleration if it happened to you and I'm glad it didn't on your first batch. I do have a question for you though. Did you coat your container in either vaseline or mineral oil before you put your batter in? Hopefully so, because it will make it easier for you to remove the soap when you're ready to unmold and cut.

Again, Congratulations on your first of many batches of soap and welcome to your new support group!

 

[gigisiguenza]

Congratulations! Looks like it's going to be a very nice soap! You'd know acceleration if it happened to you and I'm glad it didn't on your first batch. I do have a question for you though. Did you coat your container in either vaseline or mineral oil before you put your batter in? Hopefully so, because it will make it easier for you to remove the soap when you're ready to unmold and cut.

Again, Congratulations on your first of many batches of soap and welcome to your new support group!

Ummmmm..... coat the container? ..... ummmmm.... that would be a negative batman LOL.... well, that will prove interesting to see when it comes time to unmold hahahaha
Damn and I thought I covered every aspect :/

 

[commoncenz]

It's very possible that it won't mean a thing and your soap will pop out easy-peezy. But, yeah, if you're going to use plastic molds, you will want to coat them so that your soap unmolds easily. Some use vaseline and some use mineral oil. I learned this the hard way with my very first ever batch; used a brand new cat liter pan and had to let it harden for 5 days before it would release. I'd imagine that with a 1 Lb batch, you wouldn't have that big of a problem if any at all.

 

[gigisiguenza]

It's very possible that it won't mean a thing and your soap will pop out easy-peezy. But, yeah, if you're going to use plastic molds, you will want to coat them so that your soap unmolds easily. Some use vaseline and some use mineral oil. I learned this the hard way with my very first ever batch; used a brand new cat liter pan and had to let it harden for 5 days before it would release. I'd imagine that with a 1 Lb batch, you wouldn't have that big of a problem if any at all.

Whew, had me fretting LOL. I've got cooking spray and oils etc, so will remember that next time. I'm currently plotting an idea while I make a slab mold. Down the line I want to make the same recipe in a larger batch n play with color

 

[commoncenz]

Well, if you make a slab mold, you'll want to go out and get some freezer paper so that you can line your mold. You do NOT want to pour soap batter into an unlined large mold. Playing with color (and scent) is fun and will lead you even further "down the rabbit hole" as not_ally would say. :smile: