1st soap *warning* The images contained may offend

[nurse_75]

It all seemed to start out well... this was a basic soap, predominantly olive oil but not a true castille from what I have read.

In the molds...

Unmolded way too early, gelled in the middle... Fugliest soap ever!

I apologise if your eyes are sore.

Sharna

 

[judymoody]

Really, not so bad. Don't be so hard on yourself.

My early soaps would not have won any beauty contests but they were still good soaps. Save these photos and look at them in a year. You will be delighted with your progress.

I posted in the other thread about unmolding, too late unfortunately.

Did you use a water discount? High OO soaps can remain soft for quite a while if you use full water. And chilling the soap before unmolding can help with a clean release.

I like the color and I'm sure your soap will be terrific to use.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

Not to worry, it will still be good usable soap. :wink:

 

[Crafty Rose]

Doesn't beat my castille, my secnd batch. It ws too ugly to photograph. I did it in a loaf mold and the partial gel was horrendous. I have left it to cure, trying to figure if it is worth keeping.

 

[Hazel]

I agree with judymoody. You're being too hard on yourself. It's only your first batch and I'm sure it will be fine to use.

Are those silicone molds in the pic? I've had problems with partial gel with silicone molds. Someone suggested warming the molds in the oven before pouring the soap into them. I tried it and it works.

 

[Fyrja]

They look like they have a nice creamy texture. I wouldn't worry too much about it if I were you. My first batch was certainly nothing to write home about.

Personally I sort of like a partial gel, it adds color variation to the soap.

My second batch on the other hand. It overheated, had a giant crack down the middle, and parts of the bar were powdery and crumbly. Trust me, it could have been much much worse.

 

[tlm884]

I have recently started soaping and on paper soaping looks pretty simple to learn but I have found there is a bit of a learning curve. I'm on my 6 or 7th batch and I am still learning. However, that's part of the fun of soaping!

Even if a batch is messed up in some way its possible to salvage it! It may not look the best but the soap is still a good quality soap. Your soap looks pretty good for a first timer! Getting a full gel will probably be a challenge for a while. I have had nothing but trouble with gelling and kept overheating my soap. I finally gave up and don't gel any of my soap

 

[Sunny]

haha. I'm not offended

Looks like a good first batch to me! Some people have beautiful first batches and some not so much (like me 8) ugly ugly and I still have a couple of bars of it!)

 

[malaliath]

Not bad at all! I'm just starting out as well and my second batch ... oy. I didn't dissolve the carmine oxide well enough and it all balled back up once it hit the oils ... so I wound up with bars that look like they've been stabbed and are bleeding. So I happen to think that yours are just fine - they look like they will be very smooth to use.

 

[nurse_75]

Thanks for the encouragement and positive feedback. As the bars are curing they are lightening in colour and do look nice and creamy.

The warning was tongue in cheek.

Malaliath - I am not game to start with colours just yet... those bars sound like they would be good for halloween.

Tim - I am also confused about gelling. I did a batch of Goats Milk soap and the one in the loaf mold gelled pretty much fully. I considered putting it in the fridge but it was too late by that stage. We shall see how it turns out.

 

[tlm884]

The thing with gelling is you need to be careful not to overheat it. Additives that contain sugars (milk, honey, etc) can cause the soap to eat up more so then without it in there and insulating soaps with sugars in them can cause more of an overheating problem.

 

[Pretty n Plain]

It does look nice and creamy

That's what I would call a "Lemonade" batch. At first I used to get so discouraged until I read someones soap signature, can't remember whose it was now, sorry, but it spoke about never expecting the ideal but rather accepting the surprises it gives you. Sooooo when your soap gives you a lemon, make lemonade, take everything from the experience it offers and be determined to push through.
This last fortnight i've had a couple of "Lemonade" batches so I took it head on and made something very different but great out of them, nothing like a good challenge

 

[Cuckoo Bananas]

Love the way you presented this and the thread title mehehe and your avatar as well (so got a chuckle out of that too!).

But great job, everyone's first soap comes out looking like that (or worse lol) and it really is great to look back on those pics later on to see where it all started. But I do agree with everyone, it looks like it will be great soap and nice and creamy

 

[Iduna]

They look better than my first bastille soap batch. I ended up calling mine butt ugly butt baby soft. It turned out to be my go to soap when ever my skin was bad and when I had my stay in hospital.
You may find it the same way with your soap.

 

[Dragonkaz]

Looks ok to me! Here's to your soap being fabulous to use in about six months! LOL