Total newbie needs help

[Lesley Susan Madigan]

I was lured into this by a "Groupon" voucher £20 and you get to take up to 5 soaps home with you. I like good organic soap and £4 a bar seemed about right.


So off I went. I won't for a second claim the result was attractive but it smelt nice and when I washed my hands with it afterwards my hands smelt lovely and weren't at all dry whereas most shop brought soaps leave me reaching for the hand cream

So now- just thinking I might try some more

How hard is it to make the base? They said they sold little packs for £7 is that too expensive?

How do I heat the base up? A microwave was suggested to not be a good idea but until I decide to take it seriously and buy what they had, which was basically a chocolate melter I don't want to spend a lot of cash, would a bowl in a saucepan of water work and how long?

Can I add things like dried flowers and glitter into the mix before pouring? We were told to put them in the moulds but then that seemed to result in them just staying at the base of the mould

The guy suggested you can use honey or oats- I presume that's instead of milk?


After letting the mix cool they put in the freezer and since mine is packed solid I wonder if that was just to speed things up- could it also be set in the fridge or even overnight on a worktop?

Can anyone suggest a reasonably priced place for colours and scents?

And moulds?

 

[BattleGnome]

Just clearing up some things because you sound all over the place and I want to make sure I get this right.

Based on your use of £ I’m guessing you’re in the UK. I’m in the US, so I won’t be much help with suppliers, it we do have several members from your neck of the woods who might have some advice.

It sounds like you learned melt and pour? Melt and pour is where you use a pre made base, melt it down, add your awesome, then mold it up. There are other types of soap making and I don’t want to give you the wrong advice (cold process, hot process, and liquid are the others). I’ll focus on MP, let me know if I’m wrong.

Melting: I use a microwave on 10-15 second bursts, you need to keep an eye on it but it won’t ruin the soap. You can use a double boiler just fine. You’ll have much more control over your temps which will be a boon when you get into swirls and other fun stuff.

Cooling: I leave my soap on the counter and it can be solid in as little as 30 minutes for an individual mold. There is no need to use the fridge/freezer unless you are in a hurry.

Additives: you can add whatever you want to soap, as long as it’s skin safe. Look for cosmetic glitter, soap dyes, fragrance or essential oils. If you choose to use fragrance: check, double check, then ask if you still aren’t sure. Certain fragrances can cause reactions if you use the wrong one or even too much of the right one. You can use flowers and other botanicals in your soap. Just keep in mind that flowers eventually turn brown and twigs can be scratchy. You will have to worry about picking out the flowers eventually and cleaning out the sink since they don’t go down the drain very easily. If you have young ones in your life you can even add little toys for Christmas and birthdays (or plastic containers with cash for the teenagers).

Molds: you can use almost anything for melt and pour as long as you keep an eye on temps. Because I also make other kinds of soap I keep an eye out for containers that can be used for any soap - recycling cold pp5 (I think recycling codes are universal). If you use yogurt, butter, sour cream... all those containers can be used while you’re figuring out what you like. I also use silicone baking molds, if you happen to have a few lying around (I wouldn’t use them for food afterwards).

Prices: as I said, I don’t know any UK suppliers. You said a little packet for £7, how many grams were in the package? If it was at least 150g you might be ok, based on your pricing expectations per bar (assuming 4oz/100g bars).

For researching/learning I’d reccomend Soap Queen TV on YouTube. She is a US based supplier but her videos are geared towards the beginner. She does a little bit of everything, If you have an interest in branching out

 

[lizzysoap]

I agree with BattleGnome, and YouTube is your friend in the beginning. I am also in the US so not much help on suppliers. There are quite a few book I got from the library when I started, so you might check that out to. It does sound like you were using melt and pour, and if you Google that you will find a lot of cool ideas, i haven't used melt and pour but am always amazed at the designs people can do with it. Good luck in your sapping adventures!!!

 

[Saffron]

Hello and welcome.
Here is the link to Soap Queen's introduction to Melt and Pour soap
https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-...s/sunday-night-spotlight-melt-and-pour-bases/

You can get Stephenson's base at Hobby Craft in the UK (link below) at £6 or £7 per kilo, and from Amazon.co.uk
https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/advanc...=0&queryFromSuggest=true&userInput=Soap Bases

The Range also used to sell them, but the one near me has stopped stocking them.

As BattleGnome said flexible containers like yoghurt/margarine/ other food containers can all be used as moulds. Just make sure they are heat proof or they might warp and melt as you pour the hot soap in. How do I know?
And silicone cupcake moulds are wonderful. Don't use containers with no 'give' like glass or metal or you might not be able to pop the soap out once it's set.

If you don't want your flower petals and glitter from settling to the bottom of the soap, add them to the melted soap and keep stirring until the soap has cooled slightly and thickened enough for the particles to be suspended in it, then pour into the mould.


And yes, you can use a bowl over a pot of hot water to melt the soap. How long for? Stop when all the solid bits of soap have melted.

Have fun

 

[LilyJo]

Other suggestions for M&P bases are the usual Amazon or eBay but Soap Kitchen stocks probably the biggest range of M&P bases although there are loads of other UK suppliers - it depends really on whether you just want to have a bit of a 'play' or if you want to buy in bulk.

 

[Techie Joe]

Hi, here are a few of the UK suppliers, some would be cheaper for some things. You basically search for "UK soap mould" or whatever and visit some of the sites to shop around. There is also ebay.co.uk
https://www.thesoapkitchen.co.uk/
https://www.gracefruit.com/
https://soapsupplier.co.uk/products/
... and in Ireland ...
http://bomar.ie
I think a bowl inside a saucepan of water would work, often known here as a double boiler, and also a bowl inside the top part of a steamer.

 

[Steve85569]

Hello and welcome!

Ask questions here.
Read the replies and if you don't understand - ask clarifying questions.
There is a HUGE amount of knowledge here and lots of very good teachers.

Ima still a learner...

 

[lyschelw]

Yes, and getting your hands dirty. (So to speak) is the best teacher! I am also just starting to learn about melt and pour soap making. I can read and read and read. But things really click when I start playing in the soap. Good luck on your adventures! And take notes!