Oh man. Please tell me how many batches of soap you made before you were absolutely, completely happy with one? I am a relative beginner but I have now made 23 batches of soap, and although I have made some really good ones, not a single one has been exactly as I want. I use silicone molds so I want a really smooth finish, and I seem rarely to get the consistency right. Either it separates when I pour too early (ok that has only happened once) or it gets too thick too quickly; or I'm not convinced about the fragrance; or I attempt a new oil combo which ends up drying out my skin; or I'm not happy with the color; or it gets crazy amounts of ash; or it has lye crystals. And I haven't even attempted more than one color in the same soap! I know, it takes 10,000 hours to master a new skill, lol, but please tell me I will get it in the end!
Frustrated perfectionist!
- Thread starter bhelen
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You just need to keep going at it. One day you will be pleasantly suprised and everything will go almost as planned. I don't think we can get exactly what we are going for all the time but we can get close. I'm usually suprised with what I get when I cut my soap. Good thing I like suprises.
You should never have lye crystals if your lye is disolved appropriately. You may want to start straining your lye if you aren't sure. I probably made 300+ bars before I started seeing good things most the time.
Colors, fragrances and everything else can sometimes be a crap shoot until you become comfortable with your recipes and how things work with yours.
Sometimes colors morph, fragrances disappear or smell funky. It's all part of the fun. Though it can be frustrating.
You should never have lye crystals if your lye is disolved appropriately. You may want to start straining your lye if you aren't sure. I probably made 300+ bars before I started seeing good things most the time.
Colors, fragrances and everything else can sometimes be a crap shoot until you become comfortable with your recipes and how things work with yours.
Sometimes colors morph, fragrances disappear or smell funky. It's all part of the fun. Though it can be frustrating.
Obsidian
Well-Known Member
I've made well over 200 batches since I started soaping 1.5 years and I've just recently found a recipe I absolutely love but I still experiment with recipes. I feel I concentrated too much on colors/designs and scent when I first started. I should have slowed down, concentrated on a good base recipe then learned how to make it pretty.
I have a shelf full of pretty, nice smelling soaps that just aren't that good from when I first started making soap. Most of it needs to go in the trash. You'll get there eventually but it takes time, practice and failures.
I have a shelf full of pretty, nice smelling soaps that just aren't that good from when I first started making soap. Most of it needs to go in the trash. You'll get there eventually but it takes time, practice and failures.
I'll give you a KISS - Keep It Simple, Sweetie. (the nice version!)
Go for a nice simple 3 or 4 oil recipe, no colours, a simple EO, pour at light trace and tick that box - soap done, as expected, happy result.
Now, that does not mean that you stay there, but adjust your goals to be more realistic. The sorts of pictures that some of the members post are of amazing soaps - but you aren't there yet.
I play the cello (since April 2014) and was at a concert on Saturday where the solo cellist was utterly amazing and played some frightening pieces like they were nothing. Now, I could get all bent out of shape about doing the same and get down when it doesn't work. OR I could play some simple tunes and be really pleased when I get it 100% spot on. Then I build on that and get better, better and better. One leads to a good increase in skill while maintaining the enjoyment. The other will lead to me getting frustrated and leaving the cell gathering dust in the corner.
Go for a nice simple 3 or 4 oil recipe, no colours, a simple EO, pour at light trace and tick that box - soap done, as expected, happy result.
Now, that does not mean that you stay there, but adjust your goals to be more realistic. The sorts of pictures that some of the members post are of amazing soaps - but you aren't there yet.
I play the cello (since April 2014) and was at a concert on Saturday where the solo cellist was utterly amazing and played some frightening pieces like they were nothing. Now, I could get all bent out of shape about doing the same and get down when it doesn't work. OR I could play some simple tunes and be really pleased when I get it 100% spot on. Then I build on that and get better, better and better. One leads to a good increase in skill while maintaining the enjoyment. The other will lead to me getting frustrated and leaving the cell gathering dust in the corner.
snappyllama
Supporting Member
Don't give up; we are all our worst critics.
You might want to start with working towards a recipe you really like... no colors, no scents - just a good recipe you can reproduce. Once you get a comfort level with your process on that recipe, start up with the making one adjustment per batch like adding in a color. This way you'll know if was the colorant that is the problem and not the recipe or your procedures. Once you've got that down, work on trying out scents you like. Scents tend to be the problem-child of a lot of batches, so check out reviews and get ones that are known to behave... you can always ask here if folks have used them before.
Take really good notes about your recipe, ingredients, temperatures, etc while making a batch and after while your bars are curing. It will help to diagnose trouble areas so you can identify what to tweak to make that perfect batch.
This piece of advice is the hardest for me to follow, but I do try... remember that you're making something homemade. There's no such thing as a failure so long as we learn from it...
You might want to start with working towards a recipe you really like... no colors, no scents - just a good recipe you can reproduce. Once you get a comfort level with your process on that recipe, start up with the making one adjustment per batch like adding in a color. This way you'll know if was the colorant that is the problem and not the recipe or your procedures. Once you've got that down, work on trying out scents you like. Scents tend to be the problem-child of a lot of batches, so check out reviews and get ones that are known to behave... you can always ask here if folks have used them before.
Take really good notes about your recipe, ingredients, temperatures, etc while making a batch and after while your bars are curing. It will help to diagnose trouble areas so you can identify what to tweak to make that perfect batch.
This piece of advice is the hardest for me to follow, but I do try... remember that you're making something homemade. There's no such thing as a failure so long as we learn from it...
I am really happy to hear this! I have made about a batch a week since I started, but I will have to up my pace if I want to get good at this within a year! I am aiming to sell my first soap in 2015, but there's no way I am going into the market until I am happy with what I produce on a regular basis. I totally agree about the color issue, I started off way too ambitious with the colors and am now focusing on just getting a good recipe which is good for my skin and pouring it at the right time.
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I will concur about getting a good recipe. I have been soaping just a little over a year with almost 100 batches under my belt and that is just to find recipes I love. I am very new to colors and design cause I wanted to love my soaps first, even if they were ugly.
Great example - I am a flute player by profession, and I know how much it takes to get even close to happy with my playing. On the other hand, I guess I did the real donkey work as a kid, and had forgotten about the two steps forward, one step back thing.
I live in a rural area in the deep south, we have 2 farmer's markets that have people selling soap, then craft fairs, festivals, etc. We also have a store nearby that sells "Amish" soap. Out of all those outlets, only 2 people sell the swirled and "pretty" soap. I asked one of them if their business was more because of the swirls, and she said no. She sells three times as many "plain" bars than "pretty" bars. Only around Mother's Day and Christmas does that change. She said(and we have heard it here) that what sells is smell. So, if you are like me, and a screaming perfectionist, you need to focus on a good recipe with a good smell. Leave the "pretty" til later.
Cactuslily
Well-Known Member
As a new soaper and fellow perfectionist, I can relate. Lots of good advice here, and I second the "kiss". Also, recognize that while other soapers who are way advanced, they still are often at the mercy of many factors they can't control, so I think soaping teaches us to roll with it, and embrace our imperfections. I learn more from my mistakes than I do my successes. So, just play! Good luck from one newbie to another.z
Dorymae
Well-Known Member
I agree with the group, get one good recipe that you love. No scent, no fragrance. Once you have that you can test all your colors in one batch. Test all you fragrance in one more batch. You'll only have one bar or half bar of each but you'll find what you like and what you don't. Then you'll have one good recipe you can present in various ways.
Then it is back to the drawing board to find a new recipe. . . Maybe a salt bar, or maybe a soap with silk in it. Keep it up, rinse and repeat and you will soon have a handful of awesome recipes to base your soap line on.
Then it is back to the drawing board to find a new recipe. . . Maybe a salt bar, or maybe a soap with silk in it. Keep it up, rinse and repeat and you will soon have a handful of awesome recipes to base your soap line on.
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Bhelen, with all that need for perfection I'm guessing that you were classically trained? Then soaping is going to be an adventure where more times than not....you're not going to get what you planned. Sometimes it will be better, sometimes worse.
A suggestion: be open to finding the beauty in imperfection. And know that you can get to a point where you enjoy the surprises!
(Spoken as someone classically trained, who then went on to try to learn Irish Traditional music!
)
A suggestion: be open to finding the beauty in imperfection. And know that you can get to a point where you enjoy the surprises!
(Spoken as someone classically trained, who then went on to try to learn Irish Traditional music!
)
Cindy2428
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I am following the excellent advice I received here and am still working with plain soaps to find my "It" main recipe. I have been adding EO/FO but staying away from colorants. To satisfy my creative side I play with M&P. There are so many variables to get right that it's too easy to set yourself up to fail when you try to do too much too soon. It's hard, really hard when I see the beautiful soaps done here, but I'd rather make a successful plain bar than make a mess of a fancy one until I'm ready.
Maybe I'm too easily pleased, but I have less experience than you and haven't made much that I disliked. My first couple batches had no color and no scent - I not only liked them, but found out I had several relatives already buying a similar product from another soap maker. They tried mine and said it was almost identical. It was my first batch and the other person had been making it for years.
I then added one natural color and although not a bright color, it was different and well accepted by others. Then, I put in some essential oil (on the light side) and once again, it was nice. Then I added one more ingredient and success again. I did have one batch I wasn't crazy about, but the people I gave it to, seem to love it.
I think you may be comparing yourself to very experienced soap makers who produce beautiful bars. I'm guessing you'll find the average person who is used to commercial bars, will appreciate what you make more than you might imagine. Of course, I'm a beginner so take what I say with a grain of salt.
I then added one natural color and although not a bright color, it was different and well accepted by others. Then, I put in some essential oil (on the light side) and once again, it was nice. Then I added one more ingredient and success again. I did have one batch I wasn't crazy about, but the people I gave it to, seem to love it.
I think you may be comparing yourself to very experienced soap makers who produce beautiful bars. I'm guessing you'll find the average person who is used to commercial bars, will appreciate what you make more than you might imagine. Of course, I'm a beginner so take what I say with a grain of salt.
As new soapers you should take pride in each and every batch even if it doesn't quite turn out how you planned. Take baby steps and watch yourself excel as time goes on. Once you start using your own soap you'll feel so accomplished. If you want to use colors, I suggest using 1 color to start and just add it to your oils.
If you are a perfectionist and frustrated maybe soaping is not for you. I do not know if one is ever 100% satisfied. Smell could have been a little different, colors did not do just what you want, maybe this little tweak will make the soap better etc. Soap has a way of doing what it wants to do, not necessarily what you want it to do.
No way, I am completely addicted! Frustrated just makes me want to work harder and get better at it!
Thanks for all your comments and advice. I have made some really good soap and I have only chucked one batch so far. It's just the eternal search for the one that is great for the skin, AND smooth sided, AND nicely scented, AND with no ugly ash, AND not partially gelled, AND nice and hard, AND has a bubbly lather. Anyway I made 2 batches today and the 2nd one might just be it, lol.
The great thing about music (and yes, I was originally classically trained although I do mainly other stuff now) is that with it's instant. You know as you're playing whether you're doing a good job or not. Soap is making me learn to slow down and wait a few months before making final judgments on my progress
Thanks for all your comments and advice. I have made some really good soap and I have only chucked one batch so far. It's just the eternal search for the one that is great for the skin, AND smooth sided, AND nicely scented, AND with no ugly ash, AND not partially gelled, AND nice and hard, AND has a bubbly lather. Anyway I made 2 batches today and the 2nd one might just be it, lol.
The great thing about music (and yes, I was originally classically trained although I do mainly other stuff now) is that with it's instant. You know as you're playing whether you're doing a good job or not. Soap is making me learn to slow down and wait a few months before making final judgments on my progress
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No way, I am completely addicted! Frustrated just makes me want to work harder and get better at it!
Thanks for all your comments and advice. I have made some really good soap and I have only chucked one batch so far. It's just the eternal search for the one that is great for the skin, AND smooth sided, AND nicely scented, AND with no ugly ash, AND not partially gelled, AND nice and hard, AND has a bubbly lather. Anyway I made 2 batches today and the 2nd one might just be it, lol.
The great thing about music (and yes, I was originally classically trained although I do mainly other stuff now) is that with it's instant. You know as you're playing whether you're doing a good job or not. Soap is making me learn to slow down and wait a few months before making final judgments on my progress
That's true...you can tell instantly if your tuning or timing is off and also fix it immediately.
I'm glad you don't want to give up soaping because the experiences you'll have will help you grow. (don't want to sound Oprah-ish) But Hazel told me a year ago, that I'll develop patience and she was so right! I am a better person because of soaping....and it's been so fun to watch how my personality and attitude has changed over the last year.
And it sounds like you are off to a great start...soap and growthwise! Enjoy!
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