New Soaper - Looking for Info & HELP!!!!

KatheyW · Mar 12, 2011

Hi Everyone!

My name is Kathey and I'm a new soaper. I've always wanted to learn how to make soap and I finally took the plunge. I've tried about 3 different batches and I'm happy with the results.

But I've got lots of questions and none of the books that I've been reading are answering my questions. Hoping to find some experts who don't mind me bothering them. Ha Ha

I am looking for recipes using lard or beef tallow. Money is tight for our family right now and I just don't have the extra to spend on coconut oil, palm oil, etc. I am blessed with access to port fat and beef fat and I don't mind rendering it down myself. So any help, recipes or websites someone could give me would be greatly appreciated!!!

I'm also very interested in "natural" additives such as herbs, flowers, etc. I usually have a large garden each year and I hope to use some of my garden stuff in my soap.

I know absolutely nothing about essential oils or fragrances. So any help here would be appreciated. Unfortunately it will probably be a while before I can buy any of these items.

Like I said I've made about 3 batches of "plain" lye soap and I do have a batch of oatmeal soap drying. I did try milling a small batch of soap with some lavender flowers that a friend gave me. But I obviously did something wrong. The flowers and most of the soap have turned an ugly shade of brown. Any help you can give me about why this happened and what I can do about it, would be greatly appreciated.

I have lots more, but I guess that's enough for now. Any assistance anyone is willing to give me will be greatly appreciated!

Kathey

soapbuddy · Mar 12, 2011

Welcome!
There are tuts on this forum. You can also check Miller Soap. http://www.millersoap.com/

judymoody · Mar 12, 2011

Welcome Kathey!

You can make some very nice soaps with lard and tallow and other oils that are easy to find at the grocery store like olive oil and safflower. The new Crisco is a mixture of palm and soy and can also be used in small quantities to good effect.

Most botanicals will turn brown in soap. So nobody did anything wrong; it's just what happens when the lye gets to them.

If you want inexpensive natural colorants you could try pureed baby food (carrots, pumpkin, squash), mashed avocado (will fade to an olive green), ground cucumber (liquid only, not pieces), and herbal teas like chamomile or roobios. I make unscented soaps that are very nice.

If you want to venture out into fragrance oils, both Peak Candle Supply and Nature's Garden offer sample packs of ten varieties (1 oz each) for about twenty dollars. Bitter Creek North and Bert's Heaven Scent also have more modestly priced fragrances.

And I second the recommendation for millersoap.com I started there and Kathy Miller is a wonderfully generous lady.

Enjoy!

Deda · Mar 12, 2011

Welcome Kathey,

Have you tried tinkering with recipes using Soapcalc.com?
Makes it very easy to get an idea of how a recipe will turn out.

I made unscented soap for over a year before I ever added any EO/FO, unscented is still my favorite.