Beyond the basics of lye safety, what is the best advice you could offer to a new soaper?
Advice for New Soapers
- Thread starter DWinMadison
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There’s a long thread on this already here. Let me see if I can find it.
Apologies.. Please remove this post.
No need to apologize. I’ll add the link to this. I can’t find it on my iPad. It’s a great thread.
Dean
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dixiedragon
Well-Known Member
These are always fun!
#1 put your scale in a plastic bag. Leave it the bag, even when in use. 1 lye spill or oil spill can ruin it.
#2 don't buy tons of the cute individual molds. You will never use them all.
#1 put your scale in a plastic bag. Leave it the bag, even when in use. 1 lye spill or oil spill can ruin it.
#2 don't buy tons of the cute individual molds. You will never use them all.
Thank you! I could not find it on my iPad. [emoji3]
Dawni
Well-Known Member
I've added to that other one but here's one more.
RESEARCH AND READ
This might apply to just me but I think you have to at least have some idea about the soap making process before you start your first soap because it's more than just throwing in together a bunch of oils you know nothing about.
There will be questions asked for sure, but if someone gives you answers it's more satisfying to say to yourself "oh yes, I read that somewhere" or "I remember someone else saying the same thing" than "ohh I had no idea at all"
RESEARCH AND READ
This might apply to just me but I think you have to at least have some idea about the soap making process before you start your first soap because it's more than just throwing in together a bunch of oils you know nothing about.
There will be questions asked for sure, but if someone gives you answers it's more satisfying to say to yourself "oh yes, I read that somewhere" or "I remember someone else saying the same thing" than "ohh I had no idea at all"
artemis
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Reading helps, but I was one who started with an online recipe that was mostly "dump these three oils and this amount of lye." It was even measured by volume, not weight. And, I halved it without a lye calculator! I wouldn't ever do it that way again, but it got my toes wet and proved that I liked the process enough to want to know more. I think sometimes we can do too much research and never actually get started. I guess there just needs to be a "happy medium."
Dawni
Well-Known Member
Oh I agree.
I came upon those recipes myself and I've been doing this much less than you. But then, when you do enough research, especially after stumbling upon a treasure trove that this forum is, you then find out to always use a soap calculator, among other things.
Then as you continue your journey, read more. You'll figure out on your own the simple stuff, whether it's from advice here or info from another site, which coincide with your soap making.
Granted, not everything you read is correct (like cooking HP for 1hr) but it'll still, at the very least, familiarize you with terms like superfat, etc.
Or like I said, it could be just me. I had bookmarks upon bookmarks and notes upon notes before my first batch and it still went wrong lol but at that point I already figured a recipe and how to use a calculator on my own.
You're right about the happy medium... And I guess to each her/his own.
The first time I had a batch of soap gel i totally freaked out - i didn't know what was happening, lol.
