CP for Beginner

[BubblesSH]

i have been reading and watching videos on youtube where this women makes a massive box of soap a bit crazy but used Lye which is toxic

anyway i was wondering would someone share one of there first tutorials because i wanna get started within the next month or so but a nice little beginner's tutorial would be nice from someone kind. after i have learnt a fair bit i wanna improvise and try new things in the way of soap making

 

[semplice]

There's a thread in this forum called Soap Making Tutorials Directory. Good luck!

 

[IrishLass]

Hey BubblesSH,

I've seen your other posts regarding making MP (melt and pour) and how you expressed a desire to probably start your soaping venture with that. I just wanted to clarify whether are you asking for a tutorial in regards to making MP or are you looking for a tutorial to make CP? I ask because you posted your question in the CP section, and also because of your following comment:

....a bit crazy but used Lye which is toxic

If you are wanting a tutorial on CP, lye is an absolute must. One can't make real or true soap without it.


IrishLass

 

[BubblesSH]

Hey Irishlass , i thought M&P would be best at first but i have decided to go with CP to get started .i wanna start from scratch instead of buying basses

Thank you Irishlass for being so kind

also Finding Lye or sodium hydroxide is hard in the UK how much will i need to start with ?

 

[IrishLass]

Very good! Now that we have that straightened out, we'll probably want to establish the size of your first batch(es), which I advise should be on the conservative side. There's nothing worse than making a large batch of soap the first time out and having to throw it all away because it went terribly wrong (ask me how I know )I recommend going no less than 1 lb (or 454 grams) and not much more than 2 lbs (or 907 grams). A 1 lb (454 gram)batch will make 4 or 5 bars of soap depending on how thin or thick you cut them. All of my test batches are just a titch over 1 lb.

As for lye in the UK...... hopefully one of our members from there will chime in on where to purchase some, but I would start out small. Here in the USA we can buy it at certain hardware stores in the plumbing section in 1 lb or 2 lb canisters, or in bulk online. If you can find a 1 lb or 2 lb canister, that would be perfect, and you'll need to make sure the ingredients read "100% Sodium Hydroxide".

The most important thing: If you've never worked with lye before, you will want to make sure you familiarize yourself with all the safety precautions first and foremost, and take them very seriously. We have many threads on our forum that discuss such safety precautions, such as these:

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... ght=safety

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... ght=safety

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... ght=safety

Also, I would read through the following (the first is the SMF Beginner Tutorial, and the second is a thread from one of our members who was starting out and had questions just like yourself):

http://smftutorials.com/drupal/the-begi ... g-tutorial

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... ght=safety


After reading through them, please come back to this thread and post any further questions and we'll go from there.


IrishLass

 

[erniemay]

also Finding Lye or sodium hydroxide is hard in the UK how much will i need to start with ?

Hiya, I'm a UK based newbie myself. Lye isn't as hard as you think to get hold of in the UK. It's commonly known as caustic soda and most hardware stores stock it as it can be used as drain cleaner. I get mine from B&Q. They sell it in bottles of 500g (about £3) and 1kg (about £5). You may be able to get it cheaper elsewhere but there is a B&Q very close to where I live so being a lazy bones I always go there. I started with the 500g which was enough to make 4.5 x 850-900g batches of CP soap. I've now restocked with some 1kg as I'm becoming very addicted to soapmaking!

 

[BubblesSH]

Hey erniemay thank you for that i never knew that its very kind of you to share the info with me , erniemay i would love see some pics of your soap to see how they turned out

IrishLass thank you so much for the info very helpful and amazing at that i never knew about how dangerous Lye was but this info has helped me greatly to protect myself and also help others in the future

think i will pop down to B&Q only around the corner to me

 

[Guywithsoap?]

I never made Melt and Pour. I started with Cold Process.

I was very careful the first time i made soap.

I made it outdoors. Used an extension cord for the stick blender. Carried the warm oil out. Used heavy gloves, Goggles, face mask.

I have since made it indoors many times.

I will say that you do not want to make CP soap in an unventilated area.

The fumes coming out of the lye/water mix are very strong. Do it in a well ventilated area.

Also make sure that you dissolve all of the lye into the water before adding the oil. Sometimes lye chucks will sit on the bottom.

 

[erniemay]

erniemay i would love see some pics of your soap to see how they turned out

Pics of my most recent soaps are here: http://soapmakingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29969

Thankfully I don't have a pic of my first attempt - it worked but was rather ugly and covered in ash. I've learnt a lot since then thank goodness!

I hope you found some lye in B&Q - happy soaping!