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4Paws

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Hi there,
I am new to soap making and to the forum.
I am there is an area or section etc that has the answers to my questions but I can't seem to find them so I would appreciate the help or if someone could direct me to the appropriate post.

I am looking for a basic recipe (basic because this would be my first time making soap), looking to make everyday soap that I can add my own fragrance or essential oils to.
Nothing fancy. Looking to make it with cold process method.

Thank you for your help
 
What kind of skin do you have and how much soap do you want to make? You do need to learn how to use soapcalc.net but its confusing at first and not understanding what the numbers mean, it can be difficult to formulate a recipe.
Also, do you have palm or lard? or can you get the one you prefer? I can help with a recipe but unless you object, I will have lard in it.
 
Thank you all so much for the information.
I currently do not have anything so I will be going to pick it up and I am going to use lard .. easier for me to find here.

I am going to play around with the calculator prior to starting to get the hang of it and check out the videos.

Thank you
 
You can get oils at your local grocery store or Walmart type stores to get started with, not reason to buy fancy oils, use the easy to get stuff to learn on. I still use the basic oils: olive, lard or tallow, coconut and usually soy, but once I use that up I am not sure I will get any more of it. I prefer to keep my coconut at no more than 15% of my total oils, and I keep the soy low too because sometimes I get dreaded orange spots (DOS) and I think that is the culprit, but can't prove it. So to practice I suggest: 50% lard, 45% olive and 15% coconut, they are easy to get and affordable. Whatever you do, run your recipe through a lye calculator, even if you get it from a book or YouTube or website. Always double check for yourself.
What are you going to use for a mold? I have use shoe boxes lined in butcher paper or plastic storage containers such as Tupperware-style, which don't need to be lined. There is a sticky about how to calculate the amount your mold will hold.

Welcome to this addictive hobby, be prepared to have your life taken over by "all things soap"
 
For the very first soap, I would use as few ingredients as possible. You do not need to use a lot of ingredients for a good soap. Some will have lists of like 10 oils. I never make my soaps that complicated myself.

I assume you are able to get Olive Oil and Coconut Oil from almost any grocery store. Use a mix of those as first soap. Later when you find more sources of oils, you might want to add palm oil or stearic acid to get a creamier and longer lasting lather. I prefer stearic acid over castor as castor makes a bit more slimy soap in my opinion.

For first soap mix something like 85% olive oil and 15% coconut oil. Put in those oils at soapcalc.net and use the recipe it gives.

EDIT: Lard, as you did mention is rich in stearic acid. Lard will thus give a creamier lather. I make myself only vegan soaps.
 
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www.millersoap.com has a lot of good, basic recipes without special ingredients.

I like Obsidian's recipe. It's very close to what I use.

Lard is an excellent oil for soap making. It's cheap and readily available, and it makes a wonderful soap. The only time I don't use lard is when I am specifically making an all-vegetable soap.

You can get castor oil at Walmart, CVS, etc. It's with the laxatives. It's usually on the bottom row.

You mentioned adding your own fragrance or essential oils. What do you have in mind? While some folks advise against using color and/or scent in your first batch, I did both with no problem. I also added camillia buds, which I DON'T recommend at all, ever. :p

The Miller Soap site has a "designing your own recipe" link and it good guidelines for fragrance.

Not sure where you got your fragrance oils, but you need to make sure they are safe for CP soap. Essential oils are mostly fine, but clove and cinnamon will cause your soap to sieze. that means it will go from a liquid to cold grits in a few seconds. So I strongly suggest you don't try those yet! Lavender, lemongrass and mint are all very well behaved in soap and available at a health food store for a decent price, if you aren't interested in ordering online (yet).
 
I have no problem whatsoever with clove or cinnamon EO's, and lavender causes fast false trace in mine. So, I think the moral of this story is YMMV. You are going to have to learn your EO's for yourself. I would advise a small batch to try the EO's before committing 2 lb oils to it.

I am with everyone else. Buy Lard, Cocunut Oil, Olive Oil from WalMart or the grocery store and go from there.

This is a good starter video, and she has links to her basic recipes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWnqXTqZTvU&list=PLU9seWUG1QjVwDM3TIsisHX_AFl-gnIw6

From there, watch this for further info about what to buy or not to buy from the dollar stores:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYhH20vWxvc

Pay attention to the safety info, and have fun!
 
I second the recipe from Obi - while fewer oils is easier, adding 1 or 2 more is not making it rocket science but does mean that you have a bar that you can use sooner - which for a first time is very important!

Have fun, but don't forget the two golden rules - add the lye to the water and post pictures of your cut soaps!
 

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