Making my very first batch of cp soap any tips or advice

[AmandaJ99]

Okay so I'm kinda excited and a little nervous, lol. Ive read books, ezines, watched videos, and looked at other peoples success and failure stories. I've collected all the ingredients, my last box of goodies is suppose to come by ups today. Is there anything that you wished you knew your first times out of the gate? Any tips or tricks that make the process easier for you? Or if the whole batch starts to head south how have you saved it?
So far here's what I've gathered from books:
Do a small batch recipe first, wastes less and easy to work with (I'm doing a 1.5lb recipe)
Use quality materials, especially your oils and dyes
Keep a journal of each batch to learn from later
Do the lye mixing outside, wearing gloves and goggles, etc
Keep lye and oils within 10 degrees of each other
Prepare your molds ahead of time incase batch traces quickly
I'm sure I'm gonna think of other stuff later. My hubby just wants me to make the soap already so I'll stop dreaming and talking about it. Been researching the topic and buying supplies piece meal for the last month. Anyway any and all thoughts are appreciated. Hope everyone has a great Friday, mine will hopefully be a soapy success!
Amanda in TN

 

[Genny]

I always recommend that the first batch someone make is a plain, non colored, non fragranced batch. That way they can learn what trace looks like without anything accelerating it.

 

[AmandaJ99]

Thats a good point, I've been reading about how some essential oils can effect trace. I was thinking about doing a very basic olive oil/ coconut soap. It can be made in small batches. I was kinda leaning towards very simple very plain too. Thanks for the thoughts have a great weekend!

 

[ToniD]

While certainly a personal preference, I no longer mix my lye outside. I started doing that, but found that the way the wind could shift Around I could get more fumes in my face. Also I did not like needing to carry it across the room to get to the counter. I now mix it in the sink with a fan to blow t he fumes away from me. I like that much more.

Hmmm, how long did it take before I stopped thinking and talking about soap all the time? But doing the first batch just makes it worse. ;-) recipes to try, molds to consider, fragrances to sniff, swirls to master....so encourage your husband to settle in for the ride.

 

[Cally]

My hubby just wants me to make the soap already so I'll stop dreaming and talking about it. Been researching the topic and buying supplies piece meal for the last month. Anyway any and all thoughts are appreciated. Hope everyone has a great Friday, mine will hopefully be a soapy success!

I feel a bit sorry for your hubby, it he wants you to stop dreaming and talking about it, making a batch of soap is NOT the way to do it. I spoke of making soap once or twice before I made my first batch (about a month or so ago) but since I have made it all I talk about now is what I want to try next.

Should I do goat, almond, coconut, wine or beer for my next liquid? Should I swirl these colours together or stick with one colour? I wonder if it's possible to dye the salt for the salt soap without colouring the rest of the bar. There are endless wonders when it comes to soap making. I think even the people that have been doing it for years upon years have new and interesting things they want to try.

I don't think I have anything to offer by way of tips and tricks that you don't already know. But I know for myself with as Impatient (yes, capitalized) as I am the best time for me to make soap is a little bit before bed so it has time to set up in the mold without me poking at it. I really should have done that today as I tried swirling for the first time and I SO wanted to see what it looked like inside.

 

[AmandaJ99]

Yeah he has kinda figured out that when I set out to do something you better get on board, lol. Since I'm starting this as a new hobby but also making Christmas gifts for family he's kinda not opposed to it just tired of talking about it.

I'm so gonna wanna peek at the mold, I like the idea of waiting until night time so you are not tempted to poke at the mold. Also liking the fan idea we live in the mountains and it's pretty windy here. Anyway I better try to sleep gotta get up in 5 hours to put the kiddos to school. Country schools here start at 7:15 am, buses run through at 6:25 am, that's too early to function lol. Y'all have a great tomorrow