Keaton
Active Member
I started out on a DIY natural beauty kick, and I was kicking around online in bed, planning out a whole two-step washing, clay and essential oil and blabla regimen. The first site recommended a face wash with liquid castile soap as the base. IDK how much it costs where y'all live, but even Wal-mart wont sell a bottle of Dr. Bronner's for less than 10 bucks. And anyways, is it really DIY if you didnt make the soap yourself too??? So I'm looking up soap recipes. 4AM came and went, and I was planning a whole Brambleberry haul for next paycheck. Not to mention reading about the history of soaping, looking up biodegradable surfactants, taking yet another essential oil deep-dive (is there a way for me to block Dr. Axe and doTerra from popping up every time I want to read about EO??), and planning a side gig making lotion, too.
My fiance owns their own small handmade cosmetics company, with solid perfumes and liquid highlighter. I'm a bit more gregarious than them, so I love to go sit at a booth at a convention barking for their perfumes. Now we've done some talking and I'm thinking of selling bar soap and lotions under their brand. They helped me buy up some ingredients, oils, cups, spoons, goggles, soap molds, AND a partridge in a pear tree. Brambleberry had a few fun things on clearance, and so my very first batch got a bit of an upgrade from what I was originally planning. I saw BB as well as Soaping101 (my favorite soap youtuber) making soap with only coconut oil, with a hefty SF to balance out the drying effect. I had good results during a previous granola stint using coconut oil neat as a moisturizer (even with my oily skin), and it cant get much easier than soap with just one oil. I got some orange mica and a FO called 'Apricot Freesia' from BB to stir in.
I finally bit the bullet earlier today, and I can say with precarious confidence that my first soaping experience was a success. I soaped pretty dang hot (like 115 degrees I think) because I was scared of false trace. The cup I used for the lye water was NOT heat proof, but I had it inside another bowl sitting in case it buckled, which it did. Yikes. I guess I hope plastic didn't leach into the soap somehow. Does that happen?
I just have silicone molds right now, because I've planned 24 oz batches exclusively so far. I think after this one I might do one more 100% coconut oil soap, but a brine bar next? I think I ordered blue mica too, so I can make a cute wintery blue brine bar. Or something. I have more pie-in-the-sky bars planned. My fiance has rosacea and really sensitive, dry skin; the complete opposite of mine. I've been planning some real luxury bars for them, and unfortunately I found Soapee and I haven't been able to get off it since. It's open in another tab right now, watching me. My goal once I've got more experience is to make an Aleppo type soap, with donkey milk powder and tussah silk.
Anywho, I just joined the forum today after finding it on Google. Nice to meet you!!
My fiance owns their own small handmade cosmetics company, with solid perfumes and liquid highlighter. I'm a bit more gregarious than them, so I love to go sit at a booth at a convention barking for their perfumes. Now we've done some talking and I'm thinking of selling bar soap and lotions under their brand. They helped me buy up some ingredients, oils, cups, spoons, goggles, soap molds, AND a partridge in a pear tree. Brambleberry had a few fun things on clearance, and so my very first batch got a bit of an upgrade from what I was originally planning. I saw BB as well as Soaping101 (my favorite soap youtuber) making soap with only coconut oil, with a hefty SF to balance out the drying effect. I had good results during a previous granola stint using coconut oil neat as a moisturizer (even with my oily skin), and it cant get much easier than soap with just one oil. I got some orange mica and a FO called 'Apricot Freesia' from BB to stir in.
I finally bit the bullet earlier today, and I can say with precarious confidence that my first soaping experience was a success. I soaped pretty dang hot (like 115 degrees I think) because I was scared of false trace. The cup I used for the lye water was NOT heat proof, but I had it inside another bowl sitting in case it buckled, which it did. Yikes. I guess I hope plastic didn't leach into the soap somehow. Does that happen?
I just have silicone molds right now, because I've planned 24 oz batches exclusively so far. I think after this one I might do one more 100% coconut oil soap, but a brine bar next? I think I ordered blue mica too, so I can make a cute wintery blue brine bar. Or something. I have more pie-in-the-sky bars planned. My fiance has rosacea and really sensitive, dry skin; the complete opposite of mine. I've been planning some real luxury bars for them, and unfortunately I found Soapee and I haven't been able to get off it since. It's open in another tab right now, watching me. My goal once I've got more experience is to make an Aleppo type soap, with donkey milk powder and tussah silk.
Anywho, I just joined the forum today after finding it on Google. Nice to meet you!!
