Help for Boxergirl who is just starting out

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Hi Everyone,

@Boxergirl1 has the following request:

I have just started doing this and so far I have only used melt and pour. I haven't tried the CP or used Lye but my soaps have turned out pretty well I sold 10 bars recently. In stock I have glycerine, cocoa and Shea butter and Jojobao oil also coconut oil. I have loads of moulds. I found Jojobao oil made my soaps a bit soft. I was just experimenting and they turned out great. I forgot to mention I used Chang May, lavender and peppermint eo. I have the soaps a while now and they are losing their fragrance. I want to try other methods I have vegetable oil would you recommend that? Where do you buy your stuff I am in Scotland not much in the way of markets or shops, so I buy on eBay and Amazon. These are some of the ones I sold but the picture of the bundle was just ones I messed around with. The butterfly is massive so I have melted that back down and made a bunch of smaller ones. I know nothing really I just experiment. I need help to make my soaps nicer, can you help
 
I would not recommend adding any additional oils, butters, or liquids to MP soap other than Fragrance Oil/Essential Oil. The soap can go soft like you found with the Jojoba Oil or it might not even solidify at all. It's better to find a base that already has the oils/butters you want in it instead of adding them in yourself. Different bases can also be mixed together.

I can't help with sourcing things outside of the US, so I'll defer to someone else there. Maybe check out I Dream In Soap and see what kind of suppliers she mentions in her videos.
 
Hello ~ when I started my soap making journey I was trying to avoid working with lye mostly because I have chemical sensitivities and wasn't sure how it would affect me. After googling FOREVER topics like "how to make soap without lye", I quickly realized that Melt & Pour was the only option. However, here in the lovely US of A, the FDA regulates everything being sold, and that means everything has to have FDA approved preservatives and/stabizers and I could not find a M&P base that had ingredients I was willing to work with and also, as you have discovered, they aren't the best option for customizing.
I chose to learn Cold Process soap making and I love it. I choose to freeze my milk/water to make my lye solution and in doing so I have very minimal fumes and my temp stays low, as I prefer.
It's not as scary as it seems, and if you use the forum for your questions and concerns before you jump in, you should do just fine! I would maybe suggest starting with a simple tried and true recipe, most ingredients can be found on Amazon, I'm sure.
Good luck on your journey!

http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-b... is very cleansing,30% coconut oil is drying.
 
Ditto to the recipe above, @Boxergirl1 . I recommend spending time in the Beginner's forum and get some 'holy trinity' soaps under your belt without color and scent, just to get used to the steps and get comfortable with lye.
 

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