Need advice for a beginner

[kyla]

I have been reading up and soap making for awhile. I have never made soap before. Any advice is welcome. Also, where are some recommended classes?

 

[Hazel]

Have you checked at local craft stores? They'd be able to tell you if there is soap making classes in your area.

There are videos on youtube, about.com and brambleberry.com which are very helpful. There's also some excellent tutorials on different sites about making soap. Here's a couple of links.

http://www.smftutorials.com/soap-making-tutorials.html
http://www.millersoap.com/

 

[kyla]

Thanks you so much Hazel

 

[BakingNana]

Our local community college has soapmaking classes every once in a while. If you have one in your area, you might check to see if it offers any. Besides that, read, read, read, read, and read some more. Reading all the books out there also gives you a good idea of what people don't agree on! Hazel gave you great links. Have fun!!

 

[kyla]

thanks

Thanks BakingNaNa, sorry for the slow response I'm getting use to using this forum. I'm looking forward to sharing my experience as well as learning from you all.

 

[agriffin]

I have been reading up and soap making for awhile. I have never made soap before. Any advice is welcome. Also, where are some recommended classes?

Where do you live?

Also, soap queen has a great blog and some really good beginner CP videos that you should watch.

www.soapqueen.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/soapqueentv

 

[daimond]

after mixture the ingredient, how long you put from the mix (saponing) to hardened times, 7 days are enough? to become soap?

I made my first the soap with 1:2:4, 1 for lye, 2 for aqua, 4 for palm oil.
Cause the my religion i tried made soap without fragrance as that help me doing the percepts so after six day i use it.

the soap are so fragile, and almost between soap and detergent but it's clean and very well in use in my body and face (all dirt and skin dirt are gone) better than my regular commercial soap who are more foam than my soap. any advice or sugestion for my basic soap?

note:
people who are Buddhis may familiar with atthasila and dasasila ( the eight percepts and ten percepts) in the percepts, we vow to not use the fragrance in uposatha day (lunar time 1, 8, 15, 22).

 

[Hazel]

daimond -

The soap will be milder and have a better lather if you let it cure for at least 4 weeks. It's fragile now because it hasn't completely cured.

Am I understanding you correctly and the only oil you used is palm?

 

[carebear]

I made my first the soap with 1:2:4, 1 for lye, 2 for aqua, 4 for palm oil.
Cause the my religion i tried made soap without fragrance as that help me doing the percepts so after six day i use it.

so you used 1 part lye to 4 parts palm oil? where in the world did you get 1:2:4 ??

that's way too much lye - you should have used about half of that.

this is chemistry you are doing, and a strongly caustic material you are working with. you need to either do the math or use a lye calculator (like http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp )

 

[daimond]

well (sorry, i didn't read this post when i made my second soap), i still doing my second soap with this kind measure and this time it's really feel making soap than the first one. after mix the component it become hot this not happend in the first soap i made.

but the problem after hardened., when i tried to cut to become two part with the kitchen knife ( warmed by fire) it's unintentional become three parts.

i still looking the way to cut my soap block become soap bar without broken into many pieces.

note:
I have tried this soap it still feel very good and very cleansing than commercial soap i bought. i used it for may facial soap daily and body bath too.

did the lye i use are that high?

I have seen the soapcal, still didn't understand (still try chewing that information)it suggested use the lye and water 1:2 same as mine isn't it?

 

[BBrandDesign]

TEACH SOAP is the premier site for soap making tutorials, soap recipes, soap making tips and everything you'd want to know about making soap.

 

[daimond]

Finaly i ready to make the third soap (if i didn't Forget the way to make it).

There to much soap from the second soap and right now finaly the soap gone.