First soap fail- need help with second!

[JennaMarie]

Hey everyone. My first soap- miserable failure. I've finally gotten up the courage to try, try again... and now I need some help making a recipe.

Ingredients I have:
Grapeseed oil
Black walnut oil
Hazelnut oil
Avocado oil
Coconut oil
Canola oil
Lye
Beeswax
Paraffin wax
Various other common (some uncommon) kitchen items

BIG ISSUE- my scale broke. So everything has to be done by measurements.

I'd like to do cold process, but any steps I need to take I'd love to get details. I don't want to mess this up again!

HELP! Let me know what you guys come up with.

THANK YOU!!!

 

[Genny]

I wouldn't do it without getting a new scale. You really do need to weigh everything.

Also, since you're just beginning, I'd skip putting waxes in soap, all the unsaponifiables can be hard to soap. Grape seed oil has such a short shelf life, I wouldn't use it in soap either, plus Hazelnut has very similar properties to grape seed but a longer shelf life.

Otherwise, I'd take the other oils you have on hand and run them through a lye calculator, like soapcalc http://www.soapcalc.net

But definitely get a scale before doing any more.

 

[ThenCameJen]

Definitely look into getting a scale. There are so many possible inconsistencies when it comes to using volume measurements - there are instances where measuring items aren't accurate, PLUS we have to add in the human fallibility factor of judging when you are "at" a line. And if your measurements are incorrect and you end up with a batch that is too lye heavy or that didn't have enough lye, you'll have wasted those ingredients (which might cost as much as a new scale!)

Check out Amazon, especially if you have a Prime membership (free shipping!) Here is one that measures up to 11lbs at a time, and has increments down to 1g, for only $15.95. There are others there, to match varying budgets. You might also consider checking out the used ones for sale.

 

[JennaMarie]

Ok... I'll go out and get a gram scale today then. Otherwise... recipes please?? With step by step help?

I really don't want to mess this up again. :cry:

 

[lizflowers42]

This was the first recipe I found online just using vegetable shortening. But I must note, that I used generic vegetable shortening from the dollar store, so it did not have palm oil in it-just soybean and cottonseed oils. http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art50789.asp Then I found this lady's blog who made a simple recipe and she shows the process in a video here:
http://fimby.tougas.net/how-to-make-simple-soap-video-tutorial

 

[JennaMarie]

OK! Gram scale purchased. Unfortunately, I didn't get the last post in time to get Crisco... any other ideas on recipes that are hard to mess up? :razz:

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

You could try a simple 70% Avocado 30% Coconut recipe. Run it through SoapCalc and check out the numbers to see if those properties suit your purpose. I personally would up the Coconut a bit and up the Superfat to accommodate the high cleansing. Avocado is super conditioning, but not a super long shelf life and can make a pretty soft soap, which is why I would up the Coconut, even though SoapCalc gives it a too high cleansing value.

 

[JennaMarie]

That sounds good.

... Steps please? :?

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

Steps to soap those ingredients or steps/instructions for SoapCalc?

P.S. My niece's name is Jenna Marie :wink:

 

[JennaMarie]

Well she's probably a beautiful and intelligent woman, it goes with the name!

And steps for soaping... I "think" I can figure out soapcalc. I've gotten it to work for me once or twice!

 

[JennaMarie]

OK! So I used soapcalc and came up with a very random recipe. Smelled awesome (yay cocoa butter!). Took forever to trace, so I put it on the stove for a few minutes... then it curdled a bit! Oops... Anyway I got most of the big clumps out, but they're definitely still there. But the good news is.. todays it's solidified! I'll take it out of the mold tonight, but I'm very excited!!!


What do you all use to cut the soap?