Newbie and scared!

[Mumof2bubs]

Hi guys,
I've been toying with the idea of making my own soaps for a few weeks now but to say I'm scared is an understatement!!! LOL I have 2 children (a 3yr old and a 9 month old baby) and the thought of working with lye absolutely terrifies the bejeesus out of me! I'm so terrified of it that I've considered doing nothing but rebatched soap!

What got me thinking about making my own was I was looking to do something as a little bit of a hobby and my kids and I have very dry skin and can't use soap from the supermarket as it just dries me out terribly!

If I was to give this a shot I certainly wouldn't be using my kitchen (too scared! LOL) my husband has a huge long timber bench spanning the full length in our garage, there's power out there and a big cupboard which my hubby has a lock on so I thought out there would be the perfect place as the lye could be kept under lock and key and my children won't be spending any time where I would have been working with the lye. There's also good ventilation in there as I can leave the big double roller door up, whereas the way my kitchen is designed there's actually no window, only a door across the room! Am I mad to attempt this in my garage?

Can anyone alay my fears of working with lye and convince me to just go for it??? :roll:

I'm also thinking I would prefer to go for hot process as I'm very impatient and don't think initially I could wait for my first few batches so would rather be able to make something and basically be able to see my results straight away. Is this method okay for a beginner or am I biting off more than I can chew?

Lastly (sorry guys for all the questions!) is it possible to make a truly moisturising soap? To me soap is soap, I only know soap as, makes the skin feel squeeky clean, tight and very dry, is homemade soap the same or is it possible to make the truly moisturising soap that makes the skin feel soft that I desire?

 

[MissMori]

Am I mad to attempt this in my garage?

Not at all. Many soapers make soap in their garages. If there is no heat or AC, there may be issues. If it gets really hot, the garage would not be the place to store your oils, eos or fos. If you are trying to get your soap to gel and it is very cold in the winter, you may have to give it some heat with a heating pad or electric blanket. If you are trying to prevent gel and it's the heat of summer, you may have to move the soap inside to the AC or put it in the refrigerator.

Can anyone alay my fears of working with lye and convince me to just go for it??? :roll:

Study up on all safety precautions. Gloves and eye protection are a must. ALWAYS pour the NaOH (sodium hydroxide) into your liquid, NEVER the other way around. Pour or sprinkle slowly. Start out using water as your liquid, easiest liquid to work with. Mix your lye solution in a well ventilated area. Have a spray bottle of vinegar handy for neutralizing lye spills.

As you look at recipes, put them through a soap calculator. Find the one that you are most comfortable with and stick with that one, unless it no longer meets your needs.

I'm also thinking I would prefer to go for hot process as I'm very impatient and don't think initially I could wait for my first few batches so would rather be able to make something and basically be able to see my results straight away. Is this method okay for a beginner or am I biting off more than I can chew?

I personally wouldn't start with a hot process, but I don't think it is necessarily wrong or bad to start with HP.

HP Soap won't be ready to use any sooner than doing a CP process. The cure time for both is about 4 weeks. This allows the soap to harden through evaporation. But I have to say, I think the cure time reduces the harshness of the soap. You can use a cp soap that has gelled as long as there is no zap. It will not be as hard as a cured soap.

Lastly (sorry guys for all the questions!) is it possible to make a truly moisturising soap? To me soap is soap, I only know soap as, makes the skin feel squeeky clean, tight and very dry, is homemade soap the same or is it possible to make the truly moisturising soap that makes the skin feel soft that I desire?

My opinion on "moisturizing soap": no, it's not possible to make a truly moisturizing soap. Soap is intended to clean the skin and then be rinsed off. You can make a soap that doesn't strip the skin, so you don't get that squeaky clean, tight and dry feeling. Any moisturizing fats/oils will be rinsed off. This is where research and experimentation comes in. If you have dry skin, you want to formulate for less cleaning and more "moisturizing," keeping hardness. It's a balance.

 

[Cuckoo Bananas]

Why don't you buy a couple of CP soaps from some people already in the biz and see how it works on your skin before you have a go at making them, that way you won't have gone to all the work if you still find them too drying to use. I think soap is always going to be slightly drying though, you could try a castille one if your prone to really dry skin.

I've never done HP, I love the whole process of CP and even though I'm impatient too I still like going out to look at my soap babies on the drying shelf and I suppose I even like the countdown and looking forward to when they will be ready.

Garage is fine - I do mine in my carport and use the garden hose as a source of water and do my cleaning up in round washing up buckets.

 

[Relle]

All of the above and JUST GO FOR IT .

 

[debbism]

I had the same fears regarding lye before my first batch. What helped me was reading a few soaping books and watching a few videos first - youtube can be a fun resource for the basics as well as the fancier techniques to inspire you.

As long as you use safety gear, you will be just fine. Long sleeves or a chemical apron, gloves, eye protection etc....and what the other poster said about mixing.....slowly pour lye into the water not water into lye.

When choosing fragrance oils to start with, read reviews first and make sure it won't cause acceleration or seizing as that can really put a damper on the fun - especially in the beginning.

Once you do your first batch, you'll feel awesome about it and will be hooked.....I liken it to being a mad scientist, especially with botanical colors which morph during the process....so exciting!!!

 

[AmyW]

If you've ever used drain cleaner, it's not much worse than that. Respect the lye and it doesn't bite.

 

[Maythorn]

Just have evrything else ready and off to the side while you are mixing the lye in the water. You don't want to be thinking or worrying about anything else during those moments. I was scared, too, but it's good to have a healthy amount of fear of something that can be so harmful if used carelessly or spilled.

I started with an 8 oz batch in the beginning involving only one ounce of lye.and it still seemed like a tall order.

 

[Mumof2bubs]

Thank you for your replies guys
I have used chemicals which can potentially be dangerous so although it's always a good thing to be careful and take appropriate safety precautions I think I'm just being a bit silly because I am a bit of a worrier and it's a bit of the fear of the unknown I suppose. I've watched lots of videos and read quite a bit so I think I'm okay as far as what type of protective gear to wear etc, I guess the thing that's plagueing me a little is the cleanup of the utensils and appliances that have come into contact with the raw soap/lye water mixture....it seems a ridiculous thing to say so I apologise if it's a stupid question, but I don't have a sink in my garage so I'm not sure where/how to clean the items I could pop all the utensils into the crock pot bowl and carry them into the laundry to wash out but is it safe to wash them out in a laundry sink where I sometimes soak my childrens clothes etc? What do I wash them with? Just hot water or hot soapy (dish detergent) water?

The thing that drew my attention with the hot process is that I had read that being able to use your additives after the cooking process allowed your additives to maintain more of the beneficial properties as they weren't being eaten up by the active lye, and also the fact that you don't have to test temperatures etc to ensure correct temperature before mixing your lye mixture with your oils. It just seemed a bit less fiddly to me.

I guess I should have used better words when I said I wanted something moisturising. Like you say, soap is designed to remove oils from the skin so it's a bit far fetched to think my skin could feel like I'd slathered lovely lotion on it after using soap I should have actually said was it possible to make something that won't make my naturally dry skin even drier? I'm also keen to try and find a recipe for some solid moisturiser bars so I'll use the soap for it's actual intended use which is cleansing

Now, I have this obsession with the smell of the Banana moon soap lush used to do, it had little "bits" in it and was a lovely opaque creamy yellowy colour....any ideas on how to try and replicate?
And would any homemade soap recipes be suitable for use on my kiddies?

 

[carolyntn]

Hi! I have a three year old also and I understand your concerns about soaping with little ones. Here are a few rules I follow: 1.The only time I make soap is when my husband is home and baby is napping - no exceptions. I feel it is not wise to have any little ones (human or animal) underfoot when soaping. 2. No is allowed in the kitchen when "Mom is soaping" until the whole process is over and the kitchen scrubbed clean - no exceptions. 3. My lye is kept very high and out of reach of people (lock and key would be even better!) and no one is to touch it - no exceptions.

I clean up all of my equipment in my kitchen sink by first spritzing everything with vinegar. Then use hot soapy (detergent) water to wash all things and then they go into the dishwasher (except the scale and thermometer). Perhaps overkill but I take no chances. You could absolutely wash in the laundry room - I would just scrub the sink down and rinse well after all soaping equipment is clean and on a drying rack.

Lastly have you considered taking a soaping class? I did and it really helps to see - in person- the entire process.

And there are no stupid questions from newbies on this board! - ask away!!

Carolyn

 

[xyxoxy]

I actually do most of my soaping in my laundry room for lack of a better spot. Our garage is being used as office space at the moment and has no easily accessible plumbing. I used to spread an old towel out on top of the washer and dryer which made a great work surface. Now I have added a new dedicated soaping workbench.

As I finish with each pitcher, spoon, etc I just drop it into the laundry sink. Pitchers that I use to measure lye are filled with water until I get to them later. It doesn't hurt the sink. Just be sure to clean out colorants and scents. I usually leave my soapy pots and utensils overnight before washing up. This way everything turns to soap which is much easier to clean up than oily soap batter.

 

[Soaplady22]

My husband moved me out to a refurbished out-building!!
Like what was said - respect the lye and just be careful. It does not harm you when it's in dry form - only when wet.

Good luck to you! And welcome to the forum. I should say THE forum!!!

 

[IrishLass]

Like what was said - respect the lye and just be careful. It does not harm you when it's in dry form - only when wet.

Did you mean to say that dry lye flakes/beads couldn't harm you, or that the lye can no longer harm you when it's been turned into soap? I just wanted to clarify, because dry lye flakes/beads can indeed harm you. Just a single flake left on the skin can leave a burn, and you definitely do not want to get one in the eye. :shock: Afterall, we are moist creatures and lye is very hydroscopic.


Irishlass