What advice would you give to your beginning soaping self?

[Zany_in_CO]

If you could go back in time to give yourself as a beginner some advice on soapmaking, what would it be?

Take up golf. It's not as expensive and the fresh air and exercise are good for you.

 

[cerelife]

I go through multiple sets of gloves per soaping session. It's always a good practice to remove your gloves before your goggles. Sounds like a no brainer, I know! But I hadn't ever thought of this until the time I took my goggles off first (after mixing lye water) and apparently transferred some lye to the edge of my goggles. Didn't take long to figure it out once I put them back on!! I had a nice little minor lye burn on my cheekbone for a day or two - no big deal, but I won't forget again!
I soap in my kitchen, and I've found that the $1 plastic tablecloths in the party section of the dollar stores makes for a fast, easy cleanup. I keep a stack of them in my soaping room. I mix my lye water in one side of my sink, and put my soap bucket in the other side when I'm ready to add the lye and stickblend. This way if I DO ever have one of my 'clumsy' moments while dealing with them, at least the spills would be contained and not go all over the counters/floors. I have a couple of those tubs that fit in your sink ($2-$3 each) to make storing my dedicated lye pitchers/lye measuring cup/lye spatula easier, and save my plumbing from raw soap if I ever happen to knock my soapbucket over. I've not had any issues with mixing my lye water in the sink; I add the lye and then stir at arm's length with my face turned away.
I have a 3-ring notebook for my soap recipes (printed from soapcalc) and the pages are in those plastic things, which is a lifesaver for me since I can just wipe off the random smears of oil/mica/etc. Before any soaping session, I make notes of what I'm planning to do for each batch. I'm easily distracted, so this keeps me focused. And if I'm trying something new, it's an easy way to make notes of any changes I made per colorants/scents/designs and the exact amount and type of colorant and scent. Once everything is put away and I've cleaned my workspace, I take those notes and type them into a running 'Soap Notes' document with the date. I add additional notes as needed after the soap cures for things like color morphing, scent fading, etc.
Oh, and it's good to keep spare batteries for your scale on hand!! It's a bad, bad feeling to have your scale die in the middle of soaping!

 

[SaltedFig]

I remembered another one ...

Don't wear fluffy clothes when soaping.

Soap has this amazing ability to pluck fibres from the air and stick them to itself.
Add silicone and you have a perfect fluff magnet.

 

[CTAnton]

I remembered another one ...

Don't wear fluffy clothes when soaping.

Soap has this amazing ability to pluck fibres from the air and stick them to itself.
Add silicone and you have a perfect fluff magnet.
I can tell you that cat hairs stand up to the lye monster....quite intact...and very noticeable

 

[cmzaha]

Weigh your mixing container and mark it on the container. This way if you forget an oil you can easily figure out which oil is missing by weighing the container of oils. Don't laugh many times when batching several batches I get distracted and forget which oils are in the bucket or if all are in the bucket. Makes for an easy fix

 

[dibbles]

I can tell you that cat hairs stand up to the lye monster....quite intact...and very noticeable

Dog hairs too :roll:

 

[BattleGnome]

I can tell you that cat hairs stand up to the lye monster....quite intact...and very noticeable

You have just dashed my hopes to dissolve cat hair in my lye water. I'm starting to step in hair balls so the fluff is bound to start any day

 

[navigator9]

I wish I could go back and tell my beginning self to slow down and not buy all the "stuff" I thought I desperately needed to make soap. That crinkle cutter. I think I used it once, and hated the way the soap looked. All those botanicals, dried jasmine blossoms and chamomile blossoms, and a big bag of lavender buds that I ended up making sachets with, because as we all know after trying it once, lavender buds in soap look like mouse poop, and all those lovely flowers and petals (except calendula and cornflowers) turn brown or black. All the things like dried beet powder and dried carrot powder that I thought would be so nice in soap, but were just ugly and scratchy...there were a lot more that I ordered that I can't remember, and now the one thing that I use regularly is oatmeal, that's it. That expensive, magic, Mexican tree bark...what was I thinking?! As others have mentioned, all the fancy oils and butters, but those at least made nice soap, just not the "wow" soap that would have made their price worth it. A good, balanced recipe is much more critical to a good bar of soap that lots of fancy ingredients. Tons of micas and colorants, that as the years went by, I slowly realized that I much prefer a more natural looking bar.

The purchases that I made that were well worth it were my first silicone mold, which back in those days was very expensive. It changed soapmaking for me. Not everyone hates folding those freezer paper liners, but I'm not one of them. I dreaded folding them. That silicone liner made soaping a total joy, and I loved the smoooooth sides and bottoms. I have a variety of molds, silicone and others, loaves and individuals, and I use them all. This may be because I'm not a great swirler or decorator of soaps, so I use the molds to make soap prettier than just a standard bar. And when I started to sell, I invested in a Tank, and it was worth every penny. So I would tell myself to slow down a bit until I found my soaping niche, and then I would know better where to invest my money.

 

[dixiedragon]

I'm glad you shared this, because I've been eyeing some molds.. What do you find yourself using instead?

Silicone, except my 4-log HDPE mold, which needs liners for easy unmolding. I like the HDPE mold over a wood mold, b/c the liners don't have to be perfect - it's okay if some soap touches the mold.

I have a few Milky Way molds that I love the design - to the point where I am seriously considering making some paraffin casts and making silicone mold of them.

 

[WeaversPort]

I remembered another one ...

Don't wear fluffy clothes when soaping.

Soap has this amazing ability to pluck fibres from the air and stick them to itself.
Add silicone and you have a perfect fluff magnet.
I can tell you that cat hairs stand up to the lye monster....quite intact...and very noticeable

I think we could go through nuclear fallout, and both cat and dog hair would survive as long as there wasn't fire..

I wish I could go back and tell my beginning self to slow down and not buy all the "stuff" I thought I desperately needed to make soap.... Tons of micas and colorants, that as the years went by, I slowly realized that I much prefer a more natural looking bar.

The purchases that I made that were well worth it were my first silicone mold, which back in those days was very expensive. It changed soapmaking for me. Not everyone hates folding those freezer paper liners, but I'm not one of them. I dreaded folding them..

I'm glad to be learning this... I've been restraining myself, but bright colors and shiny things are really easy to get sucked into.. I think I might get maybe two or three, just to see if I like them.

I also hate the idea of folding paper.. I'm not patient enough to get it right.

And when I started to sell, I invested in a Tank, and it was worth every penny. So I would tell myself to slow down a bit until I found my soaping niche, and then I would know better where to invest my money.

What is a Tank?

Silicone, except my 4-log HDPE mold, which needs liners for easy unmolding. I like the HDPE mold over a wood mold, b/c the liners don't have to be perfect - it's okay if some soap touches the mold.

I have a few Milky Way molds that I love the design - to the point where I am seriously considering making some paraffin casts and making silicone mold of them.

HDPE, is that like PVC pipe?

this is not original but does bear repeating:
Group all your oils in one area and when you've weighed them out put them in a separate area...unweighed on the counter...weighed out on the floor as an example...this way you're less likely to have forgotten one....

I used this yesterday... I can't tell you how much it helped me, not get lost in trying to do my first soap. Thank you!!

ImOh, and it's good to keep spare batteries for your scale on hand!! It's a bad, bad feeling to have your scale die in the middle of soaping!

SaltedFig and cerelife's tips on notes also really helped keep me from getting lost. And I bought some double AAs!!

Thank you everyone!

 

[dixiedragon]

HDPE, is that like PVC pipe?

High Density Polyethelene.

http://cumberlandacoustic.com/product/divided-mold/

I actually don't recommend this particular one - I would purchase one like the Precision Molds (sold by The Chemistry Store and AHRE) that come completely apart, or a custom one by The Soap Hutch that comes apart completely. One advantage to this vs a silicone mold is no bowing. If you grease it up enough (mineral oil) it slides right out and leaves the sides of the soap log perfect.

A disadvantage of Milky Way type molds is that if the shape is not round, the corners or points will become cracked much more quickly than the rounded parts.

 

[lionprincess00]

The longer you soap, the more complacent you can be (at times). Don't be! A tiny droplet of cooled lye water on the tip of a finger hurts! I never did that, once, I swear...
:think:

 

[navigator9]

I'm glad to be learning this... I've been restraining myself, but bright colors and shiny things are really easy to get sucked into.. I think I might get maybe two or three, just to see if I like them.

I also hate the idea of folding paper.. I'm not patient enough to get it right.



What is a Tank?

WeaversPort, buy a small amount of colors you really like and experiment. You may find that swirls and colors are your thing. Just don't don't go overboard until you discover what you really love...is it micas, oxides, infused oils? Once you find out, then you can go crazy.

As far as molds go, silicone molds are so much cheaper these days that you can buy a really nice, basic loaf mold without breaking the bank. But again, I say go slowly to avoid buying lots of molds you may think you just have to have, and then find out that you rarely use them. Soaping gives you plenty of opportunity to spend money on things you need and use all the time, like a good scale, a backup stick blender, the basic oils and butters you use regularly.

A Tank is a multi bar soap cutter. I bought it because I could never cut a straight bar of soap, and when I was selling, my customers would always be going through the soaps, looking for the "big ones." The tank allowed me to cut uniform bars and it's a luxury I appreciate every time I use it, even after all these years. http://forcraftssake.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=20

 

[BrewerGeorge]

WeaversPort, buy a small amount of colors you really like and experiment. You may find that swirls and colors are your thing. Just don't don't go overboard until you discover what you really love...is it micas, oxides, infused oils? Once you find out, then you can go crazy.
...

The sample sets from Nurture are a great, inexpensive way to experiment with colors. I've made several soaps with my original Vibrance sample and still have some left.

 

[earlene]

First off, checked to make sure this wasn't a necro-thread before responding. (chuckle)

Second, I am traveling, so did not read all the responses, so undoubtedly I may repeat (or emphasize) important pieces of advice that I would have given to myself if I had only know better.


Here's what I would tell myself if I could go back in time:

Take copious notes; annotate everything! Before, during and after making the soap. As it cures, including how the soap performs each time I test use it and keep those notes together on the same page or document.

Don't lick solid chunks of something in soap that looks like a crystal (it was lye and it burns something awful when in a large crystal-like chunk.)

Don't soap when very tired or shaky. (I don't, but I have once or twice and that's when I am more prone to mistakes.)

Always double check the lye calculator results, especially if I transcribe the results by hand to a different notebook. (I have made transcription errors.)

Don't give away soap I haven't tested myself and am thoroughly happy with the results. Even then, don't give it away if it is less than 3 months old (12 months if it is Castile soap.)

Keep favorite recipes on computer as well as in my soaping notebook.

Always use a control when doing test soaps (scientific method) for comparison purposes.

Always put a label of some sort (I use masking tape on the drying tray) for new soap, immediately when I make it. Leaving it even a few hours can lead to a few days and that can lead to not remembering at all. (Yes, I did make that mistake a couple of times.) Include date, and a label that will match the notes I have in my notebook/computer file, so I can find it later when it comes time to make the actual soap labels.

Always write down/record what fragrance & what colorant I use and who the manufacturer/vendor was so I can use it again when I really love it! (yep, forgot that one a couple of times!)

Avoid using lavendar buds in the body of soap, and if I feel compelled to try it out, do it only in a very small batch to see how it turns out. (yep, been there, done that.)

In fact, for any unknown ingredient, use it only in a small test batch the first time and wait to see how it turns out (a reasonable time to wait is after cure is complete) before repeating the same action.

Makes small test batches for all new recipes, new ingredients, new oils, etc.

When making alterations to a recipe, do only one change per test batch, otherwise it's hard if not impossible to identify which thing worked or didn't work.

Label all soaps with all ingredients so I can know what's in them, and so my recipients can know what's in them. Never assume someone may not have an allergy or sensitivity to an ingredient, so list them all.

 

[cherrycoke216]

That expensive, magic, Mexican tree bark...what was I thinking?! .

Is the Mexican tree bark you are talking about Tepezcohuite? Anti-aging, heals burns...and whole nine yards...

 

[makemineirish]

This might seem overly anal...

Develop a system.

I do not really need to convey this to my younger/novice self as I was pretty good about the organizational/planning aspects. However, I think that it is worth mentioning. I have a ridiculously anal system of soaping. The recipe changes, but the process by which I accomplish it is the same every single time.

I have an card on the fridge with weights of my containers as I am just as annoying about baking. I weigh each of the oils/butters added to my soaping bowl. Then I weigh the filled bowl before setting it over my pot of hot water to melt any solids. This is to confirm that the total weight is equivalent to my oil weight + container weight (meaning that I have not omitted any oils/butters).

My recipe is printed, annotated, sleeved, and taped up where I can easily see it. I don't just have ingredient amounts and additives listed. I actually decide on the proportions of color, do the math, and make notes on the page so that I can divide the batter appropriately for my design. I am persnickity enough that it is much faster for me to pour to my pre-determined weights than to eyeball and adjust the quantities, but that's me. If it is a complicated design, I may diagram it out on paper and/or add markers to the mold to aid me.

I put my bowl of liquid oils/butters in the center of the workspace with the lye solution placed behind and my stick-blender in front. Everything I intend to use (colorants, additives, fragrance oil, etc) is arranged in a specific order to the left of my oils and lye. I double-check each item against the recipe as I set it down. As I use each component, the its empty vessel is moved to the right of my bowl of oils (now soap batter). This makes it incredibly obvious if I have failed to add an ingredient. There is nothing more annoying than having poured your perfect design into a mold only to realize that it is lacking fragrance, sodium lactate, or anything else that you carefully pre-measured.

Once the soap mold is placed in the oven or fridge, I dump all my empty vessels into one of two five-gallon buckets. I have already wiped my lye solution thermometer and container with an oily towel and thrown it in. I wipe off my gloved hands (as there is almost always some soap batter on them), wipe down my workspace (and scales if needed) with vinegar, toss the towel in the buckets, screw their gamma lids on, fold up my workspace cover, and wash my gloved hands again. The gloves are set aside to dry and I can yank off any other safety gear with my bare hands.

I leave the mess in the buckets for 24 hours or more and clean it up once all my lye has had a chance to saponify the oils (or more appropriately, that my oils have neutralized the caustic lye). The towels can then go in the laundry and bowls, funnels, spatulas, etc can be washed in the sink. It is way less stressful to clean soap off of everything.

I am aware that this must make me seem insane. I am not suggesting that you follow MY system. Rather, I think it is useful to have A system. Doing things in the same manner each time makes it less likely that you will screw up.

I don't ever freak out that I forgot to lock the door to the house because it is such an ingrained habit that I am not sure that I could manage to leave it unlocked if I tried. Whether or not I remember doing it, I KNOW that I did. Despite my signature, I am not clinically OCD and not so specific about everything. I would hazard to guess that many of your houses are cleaner than mine. That being said, I freely admit to being selectively and weirdly obsessive about a myriad of things. This is one of them.

:bunny:

Save
Save​

 

[CaraBou]

I recommend washing your gloved hands if they get batter on them. There is no reason to dispose of gloves so quickly unless you do not have access to running water. Batter and lye rinse off very well. I actually reuse my gloves for multiple sessions as long as there are no tears. Gloves are cheap but why be wasteful?

 

[SunRiseArts]

Don't buy the cute individual molds. You will never use them all!

haha I can agree, and add to not buy any more silicone molds. I have no space for them.

I end always using the same 3 or 4.

 

[navigator9]

Is the Mexican tree bark you are talking about Tepezcohuite? Anti-aging, heals burns...and whole nine yards...

Yeah, that's the one! Why oh why did I not hear my mother's voice in my head saying, "If it sounds too good to be true......"? :crazy: