My newbie soaping adventure and things I've learned along the way...

[gigisiguenza]

44. When you take a break from soaping, you find yourself feeling like a complete noob again when you face the dreaded lye bottle.

 

[Susie]

You're going to be OK. I am glad you are in a more stable situation, and can rejoin the insanity here!

 

[gigisiguenza]

Thanks! I'm happy to be back

 

[Steve85569]

Good to see ya posting again!
Welcome back to all things soapy.

 

[jules92207]

Welcome back gigi!!

 

[gigisiguenza]

Thanks all

 

[nsmar4211]

45. When you end up with an entire shelf of FO's and get frozen trying to figure out what to use next.....so you unstick yourself and finally decide on two. After making the two and using up the last of your castor oil, your sgnificant other texts you and begs for more of a scent you hadn't even CONSIDERED making. Order of castor oil, here we come.

 

[gigisiguenza]

45. When you end up with an entire shelf of FO's and get frozen trying to figure out what to use next.....so you unstick yourself and finally decide on two. After making the two and using up the last of your castor oil, your sgnificant other texts you and begs for more of a scent you hadn't even CONSIDERED making. Order of castor oil, here we come.

Ha! Too true and not just with FOs LOL

 

[penelopejane]

46. The feeling of joy when someone has used your soap (especially when they didn't know it was yours so it is an unbiased opinion) and you discover they really like your soap: the feel of it and the scent of it and how long it lasted.

 

[penelopejane]

47. After spending 2 weeks reading reviews you frugally choose 5 fragrant oils all with 5 star rave reviews out of the 495 FOs available to buy.

Only one them turns out to be a keeper and after the third time using it in the shower even that one isn't anything special.

ho hum.

48. You watch the how to videos religiously and start out your soaping day with everything laid out professionally and neatly determined to be calm and collected like the video person.

After 1/2 hour wrestling with scales, heating, shea butter, colours, the SB, the mix, the FO and the mold you are grateful for the personal protection gear you wore but look around at the area and realise it looks like a bomb dropped and it is going to take a little more than a bit of kitchen paper (like the video person uses to wipe up her spills) to clean up before you DH comes home and asks why there is a fleck of blue batter on the cupboard, the floor and the ceiling...

Batch 21 and still learning. At least this time I remembered the salt and the FO.

 

[Steve85569]

"Batch 21 and still learning. At least this time I remembered the salt and the FO."
Yup.
49. You finally get the pattern laid out for a tri-colour swirl only to cut it and discover why you're supposed to mix colourants with oil. Colour spots will still clean but they just aint purdy .

 

[penelopejane]

"Batch 21 and still learning. At least this time I remembered the salt and the FO."
Yup.
49. You finally get the pattern laid out for a tri-colour swirl only to cut it and discover why you're supposed to mix colourants with oil. Colour spots will still clean but they just aint purdy .

Why don't the suppliers clearly state "MIX WITH WATER" or "MIX WITH OIL" on the outside of their bottle of colour? :cry:

 

[skayc1]

What I've learned along the way on my 9 month soaping venture so far-

1. Soap in a room you don't let the cats get to.
2. always read the reviews on your FO before buying esp for CP.
3. colors morph in cp,
4. have fun blending/ mixing colors.
5. get at least 2 bottles of lye, order another when opening the 2nd. If not know where you can find it in your area, for me only Ace Hardware carries it.
6. soap room temp, you'll have more time to play.
7. when piping make 2 batches, one ahead of the other so it will be thick enough to pipe when your main batch is ready, or have more patience.

 

[LisaAnne]

50. When asked by someone I haven't seen in a while... "are you dating anyone?"... Proudly answering..." no, i make soap! " is not understood by the general public as an acceptable answer.

 

[gigisiguenza]

50. When asked by someone I haven't seen in a while... "are you dating anyone?"... Proudly answering..." no, i make soap! " is not understood by the general public as an acceptable answer.

LOL they just don't get it hahahaha

 

[penelopejane]

51. I am capable of stooping as low as taking the tomato sauce (ketchup to some of you) squeeze bottle with a tiny bit still in it to use for making soap. [emoji33] I couldn't use the honey bottle because I use honey to make soap!

 

[gigisiguenza]

51. I am capable of stooping as low as taking the tomato sauce (ketchup to some of you) squeeze bottle with a tiny bit still in it to use for making soap. [emoji33] I couldn't use the honey bottle because I use honey to make soap!

Oh how I hate to admit it, but I've eyeballed a few nearly empty things and wondered "hmmmm.... would it work?"..... LOL

 

[Susie]

Yes, it will work...no matter what it is. Maybe.

52. No matter how many times you have made soap, always, always, always weigh out everything before mixing anything!

(Forgot the FO in the bottle, had a mad scramble to weigh it out and SB it into light traced soap.)

 

[penelopejane]

Yes, it will work...no matter what it is. Maybe.

52. No matter how many times you have made soap, always, always, always weigh out everything before mixing anything!

(Forgot the FO in the bottle, had a mad scramble to weigh it out and SB it into light traced soap.)

You have to be careful if you are using plastic cups. Some FOs eat through cheap plastic.

 

[leilaninoel]

53. Every brilliant soaping idea you come up with (additives especially) will turn out to be a TERRIBLE mistake, and if you had just thought to more thoroughly check the forum threads you would have found this out without wasting your supplies. Or you did check the forum, but thought "I can make this work, I will just need to _________!"