Newbie in need of some advice

MSDS sheet for NaOH: http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924998

Please don't look up how to handle a NaOH spill on the internet; all sorts of people tell you to put vinegar on it. They are wrong. It is dangerous to do that.

Thanks everyone. Great info!!
Right now I think I am just going to be starting on the melt and pour. Not what I wanted, but with a 2 year old and nowhere in my house that is properly ventilated that I can work in, I will have to hold of on the CP soap, even though it is what I am DYING to do. We are renovating our house so I am hoping to have a designated spot for my soap making once it is all done.

Haha, yes, yes. I got it. Vinegar + lye = heat.

The other thing I was going to mention. People say not to use soaping equipment for cooking. Why is that? I use soap on my dishes all the time. In fact, my food-grade lye touches my dishes when I make bagels and pretzels. (Yes, food grade lye is for food. Pretzels and bagels are boiled in lye water giving them their distinct flavor.) So, that being said, what's the problem with using those same utensils to make soap?

Having zap tested soaps with FOs, I can see very clearly why I wouldn't want to cook in anything that has been used for making that!

It is basic process safety - nothing from the soap in the food and nothing from the food in the soap, other than what you actually plan. Plus, if anything goes wrong you don't risk your best pan set.

girlishcharm2004 said:

Haha, yes, yes. I got it. Vinegar + lye = heat.

The other thing I was going to mention. People say not to use soaping equipment for cooking. Why is that? I use soap on my dishes all the time. In fact, my food-grade lye touches my dishes when I make bagels and pretzels. (Yes, food grade lye is for food. Pretzels and bagels are boiled in lye water giving them their distinct flavor.) So, that being said, what's the problem with using those same utensils to make soap?

Click to expand...

I make my own bagels, could you possibly give me the proper amount of lye to put in the water? I am dying to try this!

Two issues with using food equipment for soaping:

1. The amount of lye is much higher with soapmaking. It can etch Pyrex and glass. Not to mention splintering wooden spoons.

2. If you are using EOs or FOs, you can't really ever get the smell out of anything the least bit porous.

I bought a $1 set of plastic spoons and a $1 set of silicone spatulas at the Dollar Tree just for soaping. Cheap enough for non-stinky food.

Where do you guys get your ingredients from? I went to Michael's today but found it pretty expensive. Ideally I'd like to buy some small quantities to do some small samples at home. What are your suggestions?
Thank you in advance

Unicorn said:

Where do you guys get your ingredients from? I went to Michael's today but found it pretty expensive. Ideally I'd like to buy some small quantities to do some small samples at home. What are your suggestions?
Thank you in advance

Click to expand...

Are you looking for MP? I think all the big soaping supply companies carry it...Brambleberry, WSP, etc. And if you order from them, you can also order colorants and FO's...just sayin WSP ships pretty quickly...Natures Garden did as well. Brambleberry took 2 weeks to get to me

girlishcharm2004 said:

Haha, yes, yes. I got it. Vinegar + lye = heat.

The other thing I was going to mention. People say not to use soaping equipment for cooking. Why is that? I use soap on my dishes all the time. In fact, my food-grade lye touches my dishes when I make bagels and pretzels. (Yes, food grade lye is for food. Pretzels and bagels are boiled in lye water giving them their distinct flavor.) So, that being said, what's the problem with using those same utensils to make soap?

Click to expand...

I don't like using plastic for both food and soap but stainless steel I have always used for both. Just me though I am sure not everyone else feel the same.

Susie said:

I make my own bagels, could you possibly give me the proper amount of lye to put in the water? I am dying to try this!

Click to expand...

1 tsp lye + 1 quart water = bagel water

1 Tbsp lye + 1 quart water = pretzel water

Don't let the lye water boil down and concentrate too much or you'll have round pretzels.

I guess I mainly use stainless steel, too! I don't think I would plastic for both. I'm leery of plastic around my food in general. Ha.

Not to completely hijack your thread, Unicorn, but wow, thanks guys. I was one of those people who had a supply of vinegar on hand to deal with a lye emergency. Everything you said makes a lot of sense, and I guess the vinegar is going back to the kitchen!

Unicorn, I'm still quite new to soaping as well, but I think the best thing I ever did was buy the Soapmaker3 software. It might be a little pricey if you're starting small, but for me it was worth it just to keep all my purchases and batch variations in one spot. In addition it's a build in soap calculator so (to date) I've had a very hard time messing up a batch due to incorrect lye amounts...because of fragrance colour, or oils, sure, but not lye!

I just realized I didn't finish my thought on that...for me, I'm much happier having spent money on the program which helps me to learn than on a class that shows me one technique. With resources that others suggested like Youtube, I can take knowledge from a bunch of different styles and figure out what works for me. The thing I find most helpful about this approach is that you can learn something from one person (ie. the vinegar above which I learned from a couple of youtube videos very early on) and it can be completely wrong. By sampling a bunch of different teachers I think you get a bit more rounded knowledge.

The thing is I'm self taught in a lot of things and it's how I learn best (I swear sometimes I'm happiest when I'm jumping headfirst into the deep end). If you feel more confident with a classroom for your first hands on experience, then it's worth the money!

Cold pressed soap is fantastic! It's so easy and I get so many compliments on it!... Perfect for beginners, you can just google it!