Iwent to a farmers market in Jersey City, NJ and saw this lady selling wonderful bar soaps. I thought to myself, this is something I want to do. I have been searching online for information and I am getting overwelmed by the amount of info I've found. I still do not know where or how to begin. I need help and guidance.
New from New Jersey
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judymoody
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forum from a transplanted Jersey girl! (Union County)
Try www.millersoap.com This is where I started. Lots of helpful information and presented very clearly.
The only caution I have is that her recipes are very large. Start with a recipe that is 1-2 pounds in size so if things go wrong you haven't lost a lot of materials.
You can resize recipes by using a recipe calculator at Majestic Mountain Sage (www.thesage.com)
Any recipe you find anywhere should be run through a lye calculator like the one on the Sage or at www.soapcalc.net There are many recipes out there that are not balanced.
Keep it simple at first. A basic recipe of olive oil, coconut, oil and palm oil (or lard) makes a great soap. I wouldn't get fussy with colors and fragrances until you have the basics down.
Get an accurate digital scale and safety equipment is a must! And a stick blender!
Have fun and don't be afraid to ask questions.
Try www.millersoap.com This is where I started. Lots of helpful information and presented very clearly.
The only caution I have is that her recipes are very large. Start with a recipe that is 1-2 pounds in size so if things go wrong you haven't lost a lot of materials.
You can resize recipes by using a recipe calculator at Majestic Mountain Sage (www.thesage.com)
Any recipe you find anywhere should be run through a lye calculator like the one on the Sage or at www.soapcalc.net There are many recipes out there that are not balanced.
Keep it simple at first. A basic recipe of olive oil, coconut, oil and palm oil (or lard) makes a great soap. I wouldn't get fussy with colors and fragrances until you have the basics down.
Get an accurate digital scale and safety equipment is a must! And a stick blender!
Have fun and don't be afraid to ask questions.
Welcome! 
Ditto everything judymoody said.
The best thing you can do before you begin any new venture is to familiarise yourself with the basics as much as possible before stepping out and putting legs to all that you've learned. Besides the Kathy Miller site that judymoody gave you, David Fisher's is also great:
http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/coldp ... cpsoap.htm
And don't forget our very own forum here. It's full of soaping wisdom from all our wonderful members. I would start with the oldest threads in the CP section and read all the way forward to the present, making sure to take down as many notes as you can along the way (especially any info regarding lye safety).
And don't forget to ask questions if something is puzzling you. We're all here to help.
IrishLass
Ditto everything judymoody said.
The best thing you can do before you begin any new venture is to familiarise yourself with the basics as much as possible before stepping out and putting legs to all that you've learned. Besides the Kathy Miller site that judymoody gave you, David Fisher's is also great:
http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/coldp ... cpsoap.htm
And don't forget our very own forum here. It's full of soaping wisdom from all our wonderful members. I would start with the oldest threads in the CP section and read all the way forward to the present, making sure to take down as many notes as you can along the way (especially any info regarding lye safety).
And don't forget to ask questions if something is puzzling you. We're all here to help.
IrishLass
soapbuddy
Well-Known Member
Welcome to your new addiction!
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