Newbie making soap for the first time... questions!

[Steve85569]

Another one hooked!

I got my dime scale from eBay for about $25. I can weight up to 3000 grams and it weighs to the tenth of a gram. Be careful of what you buy on eBay though!!!

 

[dokpm0]

Also, can I say that the geek in me is loving the fact that there is hard science here that lets me rely on things like calculators?

I'm what I guess might be called a pre-newbie. I have a book and some lye on their way to me. I still have some other equipment and supplies to acquire, and lots of research to do. It'll be at least a little while before I'm ready to tackle my first batch of soap. The geek in me is also loving the science and calculator aspects of soaping.

Normally lemongrass is so well behaved that I tell newbies to use it.

That's good to hear. I'm a Thai food fan, so I suspect lemongrass scented soap would appeal to me. It'll be a while before I'm ready to venture into the world of scents and/or colorants. When I get there I'll be needing to find some newbie friendly, and guy friendly, scents and/or colorants.

I want to stick with the same recipe for folks who don't care, but several folks are vegetarians and aren't big fans of the idea of using lard so I need to do something different.

Or just tell them not to eat the soap. Sorry, I couldn't resist. That thought has come to mind every time I've seen lard based soap and vegetarians mentioned in the same sentence. I just had to say it and get it out of my system.

 

[ReddWing]

Have smelled or tried Clinic's (spelling ?) Body wash the name is Awake or Awaking ---fantastic great scent, awesome tingle, and mood elevator. It's got Ginger & Grapefruit EO's
Just in case you want to try another similar one-my whole family has trouble waking up & in horridly bad moods-but this snaps my sister & me in "happy, awake, 'normal' " people before we've had caffeine ! lol

 

[Susie]

That's good to hear. I'm a Thai food fan, so I suspect lemongrass scented soap would appeal to me. It'll be a while before I'm ready to venture into the world of scents and/or colorants. When I get there I'll be needing to find some newbie friendly, and guy friendly, scents and/or colorants.

Lemongrass smells for all the world like lemon. It is the most gender neutral scent I can find. It has never accelerated on me or caused any other issues. I normally add it to my oils before the lye/water.

Or just tell them not to eat the soap. Sorry, I couldn't resist. That thought has come to mind every time I've seen lard based soap and vegetarians mentioned in the same sentence. I just had to say it and get it out of my system.

Love this! I agree. Even they have to understand that we are using a by-product of the meat industry that would otherwise go to landfills.