My First Batch

[farmer]

Just wanted to say thank you so much for all the wonderful tips and information that everyone takes the time to give on here. I finally settled on a recipe with the ingredients I have on hand so far, and I don't think my first batch came out all that bad. For a first effort, I'm definitely happy with it. I tested a tiny shaving and it seems to have a very nice, creamy soft yet bubbly lather. Of course, now all I want to do is make more.

Specifics:
(32 oz oils)
40% Vegetable Shortening
35% Olive Oil
20% Coconut Oil
5% Castor Oil
--1 oz Brambelberry's "Black Amber & Lavender" fragrance added at the end.
--Purple Brazilian Clay powder mixed in one corner of the crock pot and then incorporated...didn't turn out quite as well as I'd envisioned lol, but I'm still pretty happy with the result.

Thanks again for being out there, everyone!
~tara

 

[cmzaha]

Your first soaps look wonderful, congratulations. Do not be suprised if your soap goes dark brown. Even though you were light on the fragrance it will most likely turn dark, because this particular fo contains a high amount of vanilla. I use it at 6% in my soaps and it turns chocolate brown.

 

[Seawolfe]

Those look so nice! You are just going to LOVE using them.

 

[KristaY]

Congratulations on your first batch! It really looks great!

 

[snappyllama]

Congratulations! You're going to love it.

 

[shunt2011]

Congratulations on your first batch. It turned out great. And welcome to the addiction!

 

[lillybella]

Is there any thing to use to stop vanilla from turning soap brown - a kind of vanilla stabilizer for CP?

 

[Cactuslily]

Yes, there is a product called exactly tha, "vanilla stabilizer". Did you try your soap immediately after cutting, before curing? If so, don't do that. you should still be wearing gloves at that point when handling your soap.

 

[Cactuslily]

Yes, called "vanilla stabilizer". Use in equal amounts to whatever you are using that contains vanilla. Did you try your soap immediately after unmolding? If so, don't. At that point, you still need to be handling soap with gloves on. BTW, your first batch came out beautiful! Great job! Welcome to the forum from one newbie soap maker to another everyone here is amazingly helpful, kind, respectful and supportive. I'm learning so much from this forum!

 

[cmzaha]

It is much better to learn to work with the dark than to use vanilla stabilizer. Even though VS will work in the beginning the soap over time will still darken, vs is expensive and just adds in chemicals to your otherwise "as natural as you can get", soap. When using darkening FO's you can seperate out batter before adding in the fo and do not add it into the portion you want to color. Bright colors will work in the dark chocolate soaps. I use a neon purple to swirl into my Black Amber Lavender soaps

 

[SplendorSoaps]

Congratulations, and welcome! Your first soap looks really nice. I really like the texture on the top. Go ahead and stand up and say your name, because you'll be addicted to soap making in no time!

 

[farmer]

Thanks for letting me know about the possible color change and about the stabilizer. I'll be interested to see what happens with this one over time.

Cactuslily--I thought with hot process, even though you still need to let the soap harden for a few weeks, that it was ok to try a shaving since the lye was already cooked out? Is this actually not safe? I definitely want to be safe!!

Thanks for the encouraging words all!

 

[shunt2011]

Yes, I agree with the vanilla stabilizer. It's pricey and doesn't always work. Even if it works at first I find over time it starts to discolor back to beige, dark beige. I try to embrace my brown soaps. Especially my Pink Sugar. I just separate out a portion and don't add scent then color it hot pink and swirl it in.

I handle my soap when I unmold and never have a problem. I've also used the end pieces to see how they are. As long as you gel you should be fine. I unmold after 18-24 hours.

 

[Seawolfe]

Cactuslily--I thought with hot process, even though you still need to let the soap harden for a few weeks, that it was ok to try a shaving since the lye was already cooked out? Is this actually not safe? I definitely want to be safe!!

Thanks for the encouraging words all!

There is "safe" and there is "nice". Generally after HP soap is un-molded it is safe to use, but will likely be a bit harsh and not as nice as it could be. Prove it to yourself, try it fresh out of the mold, and then every week after up to 4-6 weeks to find the sweet spot.

Curing is SO much more than hardening.