Welcome to the SMF Family!! Please read this first :)

Hi,

I've just joined this forum as it seems the perfect place for advice/feedback etc.
I started soap making last year after going on some courses but due to work I could only do it as a hobby, however last month I moved out with my husband and son to Saudi Arabia so I've decided it's the perfect time to really get into soap making but it's not quite as easy as I thought to get supplies and equipment out here....

Welcome, KDP and Karen81! :wave: :wave:


IrishLass

Hi, I'm Wanda and new here and to making soap. Took a wonderful class this past Saturday making hot process soap. I'd like to learn more is there any good beginner books that can be recommended? Thanks!

Hi Wanda and welcome to the forum. I haven't found a beginner book I loved, but there is an excellent teacher on youtube. Soaping 101. Her videos really helped me get started. Start with the oldest ones first as they build on each other. The best ongoing resource I've found is this forum. Folks here are so knowledgeable and generous!

Welcome Wanda! :wave:

I agree with SnappyLlama- the best ongoing research is right here on the forum. I do have a beginning-type book that I often recommend because it has pictures and lots of great soaping ideas/projects, but some of the info in it is based on older, faulty knowledge that has since been disproven, and if one doesn't know enough yet to take those bits of info with a big grain of salt, it's easy for them to get a bit confused, so my best recommendation is to go back to the beginning CP threads here and keep reading forward. It's the best 'book' you'll ever find.


IrishLass

Thank you Snappyllama and IrishLass! I'll head out to Youtube and come back with my questions!


Wanda

Hi!

Helli, my name is Heather. I'm 33, a widow, adopted both of my late husbands daughters, live in Pennsylvania and I'm just starting to learn how to make soap that isn't melt and pour. The lye thing has had me too scared to try it but I want to try my hand at coconut oil soap due to a 4 y/o with dyshidrotic eczema.

Welcome Heather! You will find a wealth of information here when you decide to take the plunge to CP. Can't wait to get to know you.

Hi Heather,

Welcome to the forum! :wave:

I let the fear of using lye scare me for a long time and it's really not that big of deal. Just be careful and wear gloves and goggles.

Hi everyone! I am new at "will be" making soaps. I have been lurking for a few weeks now when I made the decision to make my own soap for my family.

I have watched countless videos, read-read-read forum posts, and scoured sites to purchase from figuring out the best quality but within my budget ingredients. OK I really never set a budget so with that being said, I had no clue I would break the bank purchasing everything I needed to get started and then some.

I decided to go with CPHP 1)I am a very impatient person 2) I am a country girl and the rustic look would be just awesome for me

So, now we get to why did I decide to make soap for my family. Long list of health problems run down the generations of both sides of my family and you got it, I ended up with just about everything a person could "inherit" genetically. :x

Now that I am 45 years grown and the light in my head got brighter, it only makes sense to better the quality of items I put on my skin along with what I put in my body.

DS #1 has super super sensitive skin, prescription soaps are extremely costly and we have yet to find a commercial soap that he can use daily. We are constantly having to switch up so his body will not react to a particular one.

DS #2 Has high BP and thyroid disease (both diagnosed when he was 16) as well as sensitive skin and we found the only soap that works for him of all things is the original irish spring! Crazy right? I know.

DD has celiacs (diagnosed when she was a toddler) and well dry skin and super dry skin in the winter (she looks like humpty dumpty when he falls off the wall and cracks) so we super lotion her skin during the winter and by soaps with extra moisturizing properties.

DH well he is just simply DH :lolno:

So, as you see we purchase several different types of soap for our household. So, I am hoping to make a soap that we all can react to in a pleasant way. All natural with no dyes or perfumes. The color of the soap and scents will be whatever the soap desires to do naturally.

OK this ended up a long HELLO

Howdy and welcome to the forum. Soaping can be a very inexpensive endeavor (don't tell my husband). Check out Soaping101 on youtube... she has a dollar store video showing inexpensive equipment you can pick up there. Other than that, you need a scale - preferably one that weighs in grams. You also need a stick blender.

Good ingredients don't have to be expensive either... Lard, Olive Oil, Castor Oil and Coconut Oil are very affordable. For the issues you mentioned, you might want to look at getting some shea butter. It is really nice in naked soaps. A good, gentle recipe might be something like: 60% Lard, 5% Castor Oil, 10% Shea and 25% OO. You won't get huge bubbles from it, but it will feel very gentle on the skin and won't take forever to cure. With all the skin issues, I might avoid recipes with coconut oil since they can strip the skin of natural oils.

After you become comfortable with the process, you might consider working in additives like goat milk or colloidal oatmeal (not sure if it is celiac-okay though).

You could also consider a true castille soap (100% olive oil). They take between 6 months to a year to cure though.

Anyways, good luck and happy to have you here!

Greetings

Hello, friends. and thank you for creating this wonderful forum. It is my greatest pleasure to join you.

I finished my first batch of soap yesterday, and I found it really enjoying and rewarding. Knowing that you can use something you created by yourself is the best feeling ever. My husband helped me, since i was a bit scared of the lye at first, but then I became more confident, seeing that is not as dangerous as i thought.

I am planning to create other batches as well and experiment more and more as I become more experienced.

Hello and welcome to the forum! Congratulations on your first of I'm sure many batches. Pictures are always appreciated and enjoyed by all.

Welcome and congrats on your first soap! I had my hubby help me to at first as the lye freaked me out, then as I found out how it reacts and what to watch for it suddenly didn't scare me. Good luck with your new hobby!

Welcome, Zaki! :wave:

IrishLass

Hi all!

I'm new to the forum, but have been making soap on and off for several years. I work in HP and MP, but I've recently started admiring a lot of CP soaps, so I'll be giving those a shot soon.
I'm glad to be a part of SMF

New Here

Hello all. New to the group and new to soaping.

Hello, Humble Finch, this is a good place, welcome to it. I like your name!

Welcome HumbleFinch! :wave:


IrishLass

Hi everyone! I've been lurking for a little while and decided to join today. I've been making candles for years, and over the summer got into lotion bars and lip balms, and my husband used that as an excuse to make soap. I recently asked him to help me with soap making basics, and watched lots of videos, read lots of posts, and hope to make my first batch of CP soap later this week. I also spin, knit, weave, raise two kids and a handful of chickens, and I'm a runner as well. I obviously needed a new hobby, so here I am!