recommend a starter kit

[KristaY]

Lemongrass or spearmint should work well for you and shouldn't be hard to find, both are very popular. Avoid citrus for now as they can fade if they aren't anchored or 10 fold concentrate.

Good luck on your 1st batch and post photos! We LOVE photos!

 

[Susie]

Lemongrass is my favorite, but you could also mix it with spearmint EO to create a whole new scent. I happen to like it a lot.

 

[snappyllama]

Don't worry about a piggy smell with lard soap. I've made a few naked batches with up to 60% lard, and they just smell like soap after curing.

 

[happyshopper]

Well I made soap (I hope we will see when I un-mould it!)

My thermometer didn't arrive but I couldn't wait so just guessed the temp of the lye/oils!!! I am hoping this will not cause too much of an issue they were both in stainless steel containers and felt about the same temp when I felt the sides of the containers.

Had a few beginners issues. It surprised me how long the lye took to dissolve I was expecting to stir it a couple of times and that would be it lol, it took alot more mixing until the mix was clear.

The main problem was my mixing of the lye and oils, I melted the oils in a stainless steel saucepan, poured the lye in and mixed with the stick blender, it splashed, loads I transferred the mix to a bigger saucepan but it still splashed . So I decided to try to mix by hand, after mixing for ages I gave up lol and put it all into my baking mixing bowl. This is cheap plastic so thought to mix in the sink just in case, only to find the stick blender didn't reach the sink grrrr. It turned out ok in the end I think by this time the mix was cool enough not to cause any issues with the plastic, only I now have to purchase a new mixing bowl for my baking and buy a suitable container to mix soap in that will be tall enough so it doesn't splash (any suggestions?)

After all that transferring of the soap I was not left with very much lol I am very grateful to those who suggested lard as it means my early attempts are not wasting much money.

 

[Dorymae]

Lemongrass is one of the more common EOs that should also be well-behaved for a beginner. Lavender, while common, isn't the most well-behaved of scents.

I second lemongrass, nice fresh fragrance, not expensive as far as EOs go, and very well behaved.

 

[marilynmac]

The stick blender must be completely vertical, or it will make a mess. Lower it into the batter, lean it way over to release the bubble of air under the dome, and bring it back up to vertical. It should touch the bottom. Hold tight and turn it on. You will see that it is blending, maybe a little whirpool; but it should not be splashing at all. Keep it vertical at all times, and turn it off before you take it out.

 

[happyshopper]

The stick blender must be completely vertical, or it will make a mess. Lower it into the batter, lean it way over to release the bubble of air under the dome, and bring it back up to vertical. It should touch the bottom. Hold tight and turn it on. You will see that it is blending, maybe a little whirpool; but it should not be splashing at all. Keep it vertical at all times, and turn it off before you take it out.

I think the issue was I only made a small batch (500g/1lb) and my saucepans were too wide meaning the blending head was not completely submerged into the oils hence the splattering. I need to source something that is tall and narrow, I have seen lots of blogs using jugs but these are glass which I understand is not recommended.

When I blend soup and have more liquid to work with, that never spats and reacts like you are describing.

 

[shunt2011]

Try a plastic pitcher. Just make sure it PP 5. I get mine at Walmart and they work well for smaller batches.

 

[Susie]

What Shunt2011 said. Also, tilt that stick blender until the air comes out. If you don't have enough soap batter to stop the splatter, you can tilt the bowl and stick blend in the deep part.

 

[happyshopper]

Most of the plastic jugs/bowls sold here are polypropylene no 2, but I will look next time I am at the shops, might get a few funny looks inspecting the bottoms to see what material it is made of lol.

The other thing I thought of is a stainless steel stock pot which will have tall sides, I think I will have better luck finding one of those.

 

[Susie]

Actually, I went to the restaurant supply store and got a couple of stainless steel "bain marie" that are used in salad bars or steamer tables. They are tall and narrow, and work wonderfully for 2-3 lb batches. I have a 64 oz and a 32 oz. The big one was $11, and I forget what the 32 oz cost, but it was less. Considering that they should last my lifetime(and then some), I think it was a valid investment.

They also have REALLY big silicone spatulas that I am trying to find a valid reason to get a couple of.

 

[happyshopper]

My first soap

there should be more but like I said I lost alot transferring the mix between containers. I cut one up as I wanted to see how it cut. I scented it with some old vanilla FO I remembered I had left from my candle making days.

I made another batch today scented with lemongrass which is in the mould, this time I added the castor oil as suggested so I can compare the difference between the two.

The last bit of today's batch I stirred in some of my sons aqueous cream for his eczema I am not expecting anything to come of this (just a mess) but you have to try these things :eh:

 

[Dorymae]

Congratulations!! It's a great feeling to make your own soap! Now the long wait for the cure to be complete. Take down some notes on your recipe while they are fresh in your mind. You are on your way!

 

[Susie]

If it is either of the aqueous creams I am thinking about, the first ingredient is either petrolatum or mineral oil. Neither of those will work well in soap.

However, you may find that your son soon does not require any of those. No promises, mind you, but using my home made soap "cured" my eczema. It is not that my soap is special, it just does not have all the syndets and such that were actually causing the eczema. Please do keep us posted?

 

[happyshopper]

If it is either of the aqueous creams I am thinking about, the first ingredient is either petrolatum or mineral oil. Neither of those will work well in soap.

However, you may find that your son soon does not require any of those. No promises, mind you, but using my home made soap "cured" my eczema. It is not that my soap is special, it just does not have all the syndets and such that were actually causing the eczema. Please do keep us posted?

First ingredient is water, then Petrolatum never mind I wasn't hoping for much. Will still be interesting to see how it turns out.

yes homemade soap is better for eczema, my son doesn't use any soap at the moment so hoping he will be able to try some of mine. This week I will be making carrot oil (with soybean oil as the base) to use in a soap for him.

 

[powderpink]

Most of the plastic jugs/bowls sold here are polypropylene no 2, but I will look next time I am at the shops, might get a few funny looks inspecting the bottoms to see what material it is made of lol.

The other thing I thought of is a stainless steel stock pot which will have tall sides, I think I will have better luck finding one of those.

If you live near an IKEA, they have stainless steel measuring cups of 1l. I find them perfect for the small 500g batches I mix

 

[biarine]

If it is either of the aqueous creams I am thinking about, the first ingredient is either petrolatum or mineral oil. Neither of those will work well in soap.

However, you may find that your son soon does not require any of those. No promises, mind you, but using my home made soap "cured" my eczema. It is not that my soap is special, it just does not have all the syndets and such that were actually causing the eczema. Please do keep us posted?

If you have eczema maybe you can use comfrey and chamomile infused oil sometimes it helps.