First 4 Batches of Soap!!!

[MichaelP]

Hello Everyone!

Thought I'd post what my four batches of soap look like! It's not pretty ,but I've learned a lot in the process!!! These are all CP made soaps. B1 (Batch 1 was made using Lard, CO, and OO, no scents) B2, same as B1 but with the addition of Avocado Oil. B3, used Zany's ZNSC recipe, no scent, B4, ZNSC recipe but with Fraser Fir scent added.

Quick Notes: Lots of Soda Ash on B1, but I didn't cover them with anything, B2: a bit less Soda Ash, B3: learned about Alien Brains!!!, B4: Learned about how fast a scent can accelerate trace!!!

Hope everyone is having a good day out there!!!

 

[not_ally]

I disagree about the pretty part, the B2 ones are very pretty and ocean-y looking, you should use the color/designs for a salt or brine bar.

 

[MichaelP]

Thanks Not_Ally! And thank your for the suggestion! I will have to look at salt and brine bars! Admittedly ignorant at this point!

 

[lsg]

Congratulations! They look a lot better than my first soaps.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Pretty darn good for first soaps! Well done! Nowhere to go but up from here!

 

[MichaelP]

Thank you for the kind words everyone! I'm completely hooked!!! Going to make another small batch today!!

Have a good day everyone!!!

 

[Zing]

Thank the good Lord there are no photographs of my first batches. Nowhere close to yours. Good job! Welcome to the community.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Thank you for the kind words everyone! I'm completely hooked!!! Going to make another small batch today!!

Have a good day everyone!!!

Wait until you start dreaming about soap!

Love your work so far : )

 

[Shelley D]

I disagree about the pretty part, the B2 ones are very pretty and ocean-y looking, you should use the color/designs for a salt or brine bar.

That's what I was thinking!

 

[MomInWA]

Hello Everyone!

Thought I'd post what my four batches of soap look like! It's not pretty ,but I've learned a lot in the process!!! These are all CP made soaps. B1 (Batch 1 was made using Lard, CO, and OO, no scents) B2, same as B1 but with the addition of Avocado Oil. B3, used Zany's ZNSC recipe, no scent, B4, ZNSC recipe but with Fraser Fir scent added.

Quick Notes: Lots of Soda Ash on B1, but I didn't cover them with anything, B2: a bit less Soda Ash, B3: learned about Alien Brains!!!, B4: Learned about how fast a scent can accelerate trace!!!

Hope everyone is having a good day out there!!!

Politely disagree, those are lovely first batches! Way prettier than mine! So much to learn, and it is lots of fun. Welcome!

 

[MichaelP]

Thanks again everyone! Such a great welcome and support from you all!!! Really appreciate this forum!!!! Hope you all are having a great day!!! ... Time to squeeze in some more time to make another batch!!!! I really wanted to yesterday but got too busy with other things! Life!!!

 

[Ephemerella]

Ahhhhhhh.... I smell a budding soap addiction. You are absolutely in the right place for that.

Lovely soaps! Far better than my first!

 

[Savage Daughter]

Your soaps are very nice looking, but I do understand the angle you're seeing them from as I was doing the same not very long ago.

I started soap making in the 90s, was happily going about doing my thing & loved it, and then life drastically took a swerve, and I stopped making soap for several years while I was living & working overseas.

Fast forward to this past couple of years & the opportunity to get back into soap making & see profit from it landed in my lap, so I jumped on it. I knew it was doable as I used to make phenomenal soap which people raved about & had still been making a lot of herbal products for many years which people were buying from me privately already. I just needed to get back on the soap making bike, and then develop an entire product line. NO PROBLEM!

The first batch of soap I made to get the wheels turning again was a freakin' nightmare LOL It got so thick - within seconds of stick blending - that everything ended up being plopped into the mold. I was super worried about showing samples of this soap to my customers who were expectantly waiting to see something from me, but I did nonetheless, expecting shock & horror

What I saw as hideous, they flipped over, go figure So I continued making test batch after test batch, one after the other for weeks on end, months on end, cranking the puppies out just to grease the rusty wheels, to find my groove...reading forums, books, websites of very experienced soap makers, making more batches, finding a whole pile of YouTube soapers who I love watching & learning from...and I'm 3 stores in. Not wanting to add anymore to my list at the moment.

Learn everything you can, watch everything possible, read everything possible, ask questions, be willing to share your own experiences, ENJOY THE PROCESS, be willing to make mistakes, don't allow anyone to knock the wind out of you & be ok with having some fuglies come out of your molds...and then keep right on going. Those mistakes are what are going to teach you the most. My neighbours are now coming directly to me to buy my fuglies after being unhappy with other soaps they bought in our local area. I am not about to turn them away. Once I run out of my quickly dwindling fuglies, these neighbours will be going to the local stores to buy my full priced bars And private orders are also coming in.

You can do this, whether you believe it or not at this moment.

Good luck & look forward to seeing more of your soaps

 

[Zany_in_CO]

@QuasiQuadrant I had to look up "fuglies". Good word -- precisely descriptive, although I've never had the pleasure of experiencing sucha thang -- other than other people's soap. It is now a part of my soapmaker vocabulary. I learned something today! Thank you!

 

[Whillow]

Way to go on your soaps so far, I love the colours. Also, welcome to the addiction.

 

[MichaelP]

Thank you for your encouraging words, wisdom, and sharing your process into soap making @QuasiQuadrant

I do sometimes poke fun at myself so as to not take things too seriously. I was born a perpetual perfectionist (which makes for a good scientist by the way), but somewhere in the process of life I learned that perfection is an illusion that exists in our mind. Thus, I am of the philosophy that I will never achieve perfection, but I will make my best efforts to work towards it. I like the thought about enjoying the process, and definitely I am enjoying seeing what works and what doesn't and what happens when I change a variable in the recipe, or in the way I do something. I'm going to continue to make small batches so that I can keep making soap with regularity and yet not have tons of bars (although it's already starting to feel like I will anyways! ).

To everyone who has commented and reacted to this post, I am thankful and humbled by your responses. I wish you all a great day and good soap making!!!

 

[Savage Daughter]

@QuasiQuadrant I had to look up "fuglies". Good word -- precisely descriptive, although I've never had the pleasure of experiencing sucha thang -- other than other people's soap. It is now a part of my soapmaker vocabulary. I learned something today! Thank you!

Ya never made a fugly batch @Zany_in_CO ?!?? Good lord almighty

Even fuglies can be marketed & sold, as I have to keep reminding myself! But as @MichaelP mentioned....the occasional streak of perfectionism, even though that is not my ultimate goal, sneaks in there from time to time

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Good lord almighty

Exactly! Deo Gratias. "Cheesy", yes; but "fugly", no... unless you count that brick of orange cheddar! Good soap but pretty? Not so much.
I've never tossed a batch either. That's how I became known as the "Queen of Rebatch".
I am a recovering perfectionist.

 

[Savage Daughter]

Exactly! Deo Gratias. "Cheesy", yes; but "fugly", no... unless you count that brick of orange cheddar! Good soap but pretty? Not so much.
I've never tossed a batch either. That's how I became known as the "Queen of Rebatch".
I am a recovering perfectionist.

Have not ever tossed a batch either, have not yet made a 'cheesy' looking batch (although my accidental camo batch horrified me ) and to be honest have never re-batched a fugly batch It takes me a while to 'accept' my fugly babies LOL but eventually I do, and then discover that as fugly as they may be, they all have their own incredible properties & lather to swoon over The people buying them at a discount also discover this, so they keep coming back for more

 

[Tammyfarms]

Your soaps are great! I agree that the batch 2 soaps are very beachy looking and although alien brains are not generally desirable, I love the look. I also like glycerine rivers so there’s that.