beginner soap

Is it safe to pre-mix batches of lye solution to keep on hand?? Waiting for the lye-water solution to cool down is reallyyyyyy working my patience muscle!

Now my soap Looks like this

Back in the days of pre-covid (ie 2018), my high school self decided to try a good old melt 'n pour peppermint soap! It was an absolute mess to make, overscented, covered in glycerin sweat, and I loved it. After this, I learned how to properly measure my ingredients and started branching out to...

is it safe to use fragrance oil in cold process dish washing soap? I made a soap that was intended for body use but just too drying for the skin. I’ve seen a good amount of dish washing recipes with 100% CO . I’m wondering if I could use up the soap for washing dishes so it doesn’t waste :) I...

So I made my first bar of soap a few days ago! I used a milk carton and a makeshift vise to keep the sides from bending outwards, but have a proper setup now for future pours. It's an Olive+Coconut oil/Lard blend, which I added coffee grounds with, split into 3, and added cocoa to 2, before...

Hey guys! Sooo... after many years, I've decided to give Soap Making another go, since I have so much time on my hands at the moment, being stuck at home. I'm a Nurse in Training and was supposed to have School right now, but we're working from home at the moment. I saw the beautiful tutorial...

Hi guys, I made my first batch of cold process Charcoal Soap last night & when i had a look at it this morning, there’s kind of a white chalky film over the top. I sprayed it with 70% isopropyl alcohol 13 min after pouring into the mold. I’m sure it’s harmless but just would like to verify...

Here's a little bit of background before I jump to my questions. I currently have a mold that holds 32 ounces of oils, something small and suitable for a newbie like me. I started with the cheaper, common oils being olive pomace, coconut and castor. I also have cocoa butter pastilles on deck. I...

So i am a beginner to soap making and i just had a few questions as i am having trouble finding videos or websites that explain stuff in good detail. 1) I was wondering how do you know what percentage of your chosen oils to use? How do i know which oils to use? Also how do i know how many...

Hello, I've just made the three cold process soaps so far, and the last one seems a bit weird. The other two were internet recipes and they came out fine (except in No.2 I experienced what I now know to be almost 'seize'). But this last batch seems really, really soft. For this I used a recipe...

Hello again! Second post ever, also concerning EOs. This time I need to express my confusion about usage rates in cp soap. Thusfar I've been measuring my eo by the drop, (I use a scale for everything else) which I understand is unreliable for consistency. I've found guides like these...

Hello, I'm just getting in to making melt and pour soap. I've made a couple easy batches just adding some essential oils. I would like to start adding some liquor to a couple batches to do some more novelty type soaps. Was wanting to see if anyone had an idea of what kind of ratio to use and...

help!!! ants are eating my soap! they first started eating after 4 days when i start to cure my soap. is it normal? the ingredients that i used are... calamansi juice (lime) 1.25oz aloe vera 1.40 oz coconut oil 7.2oz olive oil 8.8oz water 6.8oz lye 2.28oz tea tree essential oil 0.50 oz...

Hey, beginner here! I'm trying to make a recipe for the oils, but I don't have a great understanding of what's needed. I'd love for someone to take a look at my recipe so far. Right now, I have: Soybean Oil - 50% Fractionated Coconut Oil - 16% Palm Oil - 15% Aloe Extract - 12% Castor Oil...

Okay, so I am new to soap making and tried my first few batches of soap using a recipe in a soap making book. The recipe is as follows: 14 oz Palm Oil 18 oz Olive Oil 16 oz Coconut Oil 7.10 oz Sodium Hydroxide 17.5 oz Distilled Water 6 tsp Fragrance Oil I found all the ingredients but...

Did my very first batch CP soap a few days ago. 75% olive oil, 20% coconut oil and 5% shea butter. Since it was 5% superfat, I didn't add the shea butter til after trace and go figure, the finished product is somewhat hard but oil/clammy to touch. Is this salvageable and if so, how?

We heat our home with primarily wood so I have lots of ash just lying around. Found out you can make lye, awesome! I have researched a bunch on CP but all I have found is that when using KOH you need to use tallow to make a harder soap. I can't cause my husband is allergic to red meat. And I...

I am trying to make cream soap fro the first time. I want to use up some of my goat's milk leftover shavings. The rebatch is about a month old. Any idea where I can find a recipe for this method or any ideas? I need to know about adding glycerine, when and how much for a one pound batch. Do I...

Hi everyone, I'm a complete newbie to the site and the world of soap making! This forum is a godsend! I've been reading up all about the CP process and I've just got a lovely new book through and am hoping to make my first soap very soon. However, I'm not sure how to go about formulating...