I'm a beginning soaper too. I started with the recipes from Soap Queen, and paid a pretty penny for the oils and butters in the recipes from there. After joining the group, I tried using some of the 'simpler' recipes I found here, including Susie's above. When comparing the 'expensive' bars with the 'less expensive' bars (using coconut oil, lard, pure olive oil, castor oil and not much else) the bars with the less expensive ingredients were MUCH better. Seriously. I was surprised. Really, all of those fancy ingredients may impress potential buyers if the bars are being sold at a craft fair or something (I was one of those buyers in the past!) but for home use, the bars are great for cleaning the bod and will not strip. I give them to friends, and they LOVE THEM. I live in Colorado where it's dry as all heck sometimes and since I switched to using handmade soaps, my skin barely needs lotion anymore. Try Susie's recipe. You won't be sorry and neither will your wallet!