I made my very first soap today...

[Oboegirl]

...and boy did I muck it up! I have been lurking about reading threads and trying to find a no fail recipe for a week or so. I found a nice little shampoo bar that I thought would work well for my doggies. I kept reading all the warnings from everyone and I was thinking, well, I can follow a recipe, how hard can this be? The good news, I followed all the safety precautions from everyone and didn't burn anything! Hopefully, the only real problem I had was determining the time from "light trace" to thick trace and the soap got super thick on me before I really had a chance to color it. I know I have air bubbles in my mold even though I jiggled it and used a knife to stab and tamp the bars before it set up.

If it works, I'll be ok with the uglies! How long 'till I can use it?

Catherine

 

[Obsidian]

I think they look really nice. There is something I love about a simple pure white bar, I'd rather use one of yours then most fancy colored bars I see. You did a good job so don't be so hard on yourself. Learn the basics first then worry about doing to fancy stuff. Can't really help with the bubbles, I still get them no matter how hard I bang my molds.

You should wait at least 6 weeks before you use them, the longer you can wait though, the better. Not only do the bars get milder as time goes by but they get harder so they last longer in the shower.

 

[hlee]

I think you will end up with a really pretty soap!
I also like the looks the white bars, but when I make them I have too much fun playing with color.
I am betting you will be happy when you de-mold these and even happier when you use them.
Congrats!

 

[heartsong]

I think you did a wonderful job for the first batch! you must realize Leanardo daVinci had a lot of practice before he got famous! plz share a pic of your soapies when you get them popped out of the mold! good job!

 

[jenneelk]

Oh those are very nice! The shape is good and they are so flat!
I love white.. but can't seem to ever make it. I order white bars from others but wish I could make them.
Just got done on another that was finally going to be white!...... and it has orange and green.

 

[kazmi]

First soap yeah! and it looks great! Your dogs are going to love them but now you have to make some for yourself too :wink:

 

[savonierre]

They look great, a pure white bar is a very good thing..imho

 

[Oboegirl]

Well, I did end up with air bubbles as I suspected. This stuff was super thick when I put it in the molds. I was wondering at the time if I could have put the mixture back into the microwave to try and thin it so it would be more pour able. I was afraid that putting it into the microwave might have worked adversely with the lye in the mixture. All-in-all, I'm reasonably happy with my first attempt so far, air bubbles and all. It smells yummy and it has a creamy velvety feel to it. Now, what to do with my time for 6 whole weeks!

Thanks for your feedback!

 

[Oboegirl]

Oh those are very nice! The shape is good and they are so flat!
I love white.. but can't seem to ever make it. I order white bars from others but wish I could make them.
Just got done on another that was finally going to be white!...... and it has orange and green.

I wish I could tell you what I did to get that color, I just followed the recipe and that's the color I got.

 

[Oboegirl]

Oh, I guess I should post the recipe. I cut this in half since it was my first try and all: http://teachsoap.com/2012/04/02/invigorating-shampoo-bars/

 

[heartsong]

good for you! you took the plunge and got your feet wet! and you've learned about "thick trace" and how to avoid it...I like medium trace, a pourable thin gravy-like batter...you'll start looking at how your batter gets cloudy and as it traces, you'll see subtle changes in your batter...keep up the good work!

what have you got planned next?

 

[Oboegirl]

what have you got planned next?

Heartsong, I started reading up on soapmaking because I have an abundance of herbs coming out of my garden and I thought that this would be a fun way to make sure they got used. Eventually, I would like to make herby garden soaps so I'm going to keep researching those types of recipes but I have no real plans other than that. My next bar will have subtle marbling layers of dried herbs or something like that.

 

[Obsidian]

If you would have microwaved it, it would have gotten thicker. Next time, pour as soon as you have trace, you don't have to wait for thick trace. They might be a bit lumpy but they look nice and creamy. The color is because you used light oils. I have a 100% olive oil bar I made with very light colored oil and its bright white.

 

[dyclement05]

Now, what to do with my time for 6 whole weeks!

You make more soap, of course! Play with recipes. Practice differentiating light, medium and thick trace. Blend scents. Add colors. The possibilities are endless!! Those six weeks will fly by! ( you could also try an HP soap. Those you can use within 24 hours although they are way better after a 6 week cure!)

Have fun!

 

[tersh79]

I think they look great! Very rustic. People will love that. Great job

 

[Obsidian]

I love herbs for color. I just recently started using some myself, here is a bar I made using paprika and parsley http://i43.tinypic.com/2w59ks1.jpg
Some herbs won't keep their color when used in soap so do some research. There is a nice site that shows different colors from herbs but I didn't bookmark it. I'm sure one of the other members has it and will share.

 

[Oboegirl]

I love herbs for color. I just recently started using some myself, here is a bar I made using paprika and parsley http://i43.tinypic.com/2w59ks1.jpg
Some herbs won't keep their color when used in soap so do some research. There is a nice site that shows different colors from herbs but I didn't bookmark it. I'm sure one of the other members has it and will share.

That soap is very pretty!

 

[Oboegirl]

So, this morning I decided to use the tiny little blob I had left over because I have a fundamental disbelief that there is no way a bar of soap with all that oil in it is going to actually make bubbles. When I washed my hands I was shocked that it actually bubbled right up! Not a whole bunch but I got a nice bit of foamy lather. Weird thing though, my lather had a yellowish tint to it. I'm hoping that will go away with that cure thing you guys keep talking about. Also, my hands are SO soft! I had no idea that using a soap could make your hands so silky smooth! I didn't need to put any lotion on today at all! AMAZING! Can't wait for that cure thing to happen and make this stuff even more wonderful. *doin' the happy dance*

 

[MKRainville]

they look like fluffy meringue topping with the air bubbles! I love it! they look velvety! Good Job on your first bar!!!

 

[MaitriBB]

When you cut the recipe in half, did you run it through a soap calculator? Always run your recipe through a calc, even if you find it online (or especially because you find it online?) Halving your amount of oils may have affected the lye/water ratio or something (IANAC = I Am Not A Chemist). Regardless, your first batch looks a hell of a lot better than my first batch!