Starting CP soon. Any tips?

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

A valid point, but I think adding a bit of Lavender EO is not going to be trouble for the recipe. It also has the benefit of including a fairly common aspect of soap making as an integral part the learning process.

While it was sound advice, I think the way it was worded was possibly the reason why it's been misunderstood. "Don't use scents!" rather than "maybe avoid scents as it can sometimes cause issues. I did 4 batches unscented to learn the process really well and then I moved on to scenting once I was settled"

 

[bjbarrick]

I appreciate all the advice everyone. I can't wait to get started. But according to hubby, I'm not allowed to start on it until after Christmas since all the stuff he bought for me were Christmas presents lol.

 

[MzMolly65]

Never put raw soap down the drain

I understand I am not to do this but can anyone explain why?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I think it has something to do with unsaponified oils clogging the drain. But then if you have unsaponified oils, you also have lye which is a drain cleaner, so surely it evens out?

 

[dixiedragon]

I think it's also a matter of quantity. We have a septic tank and I am concerned that a large quantity of raw soap will mess up that system.

 

[MaitriBB]

My top piece of advice is regarding fragrance: FO's (fragrance oils) should have a manufacturer's suggested usage rate. Check the website where you bought the FO. Don't go above that usage rate. Using too much fragrance can cause allergic reactions or even burn the skin of people who use the resulting soap.

The general rule of thumb for usage of EO's is up to .08 oz PPO (per pound of oils) I believe.

 

[Susie]

Hobby Lobby carries some EO's. My suggestion(and what I did that worked perfectly) is to get non-citrus EO's from there. They are in 0.5oz bottles and are reasonably priced.

Lemongrass is wonderful, just dump the whole thing into a 1lb batch. That is 1lb of OILS. Soap batches are always referred to as pounds of oils. If you get clove, be very cautious on the amount. I would start with 5ml(1tsp) into the melted oils and cautiously increased from there. Cassia(cinnamon) is somewhere in the middle. Patchouli is VERY strong. And something that if you aren't sure already that you like, I would go smell some somewhere else first.

Hobby Lobby also carries some 1oz Shea Butter and Cocoa Butter samples in case you want to use some of those just to try. But, I buy my pure Cocoa Butter from Family Dollar Store for $1/oz. I then use those push to advance tubes for lotion bars. Shea is temperamental, so study first before using.

Dollar Tree carries drawer dividers that make perfect 2lb loaves. They tolerate hot process temperatures also. The sides have just enough flex to make getting them out easy.

GNC and Whole Foods carries some of the oils that are not available at my grocery stores like jojoba, avacado, almond, grapeseed. I keep mine in the fridge as I do not make that much soap yet. But good soap can be made from oils from even my grocery stores. Lard, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil(the cheap stuff is AKA Pomace), shortening. GNC also carries some EO's.

Oh, and if you start looking at absolutely everything as a possible soap mold, you're officially a soaper.

 

[Lin]

ouch, $1 oz for cocoa butter! Is it worth it for you because you reuse the tubes? And walmart has grapeseed oil.

 

[bjbarrick]

I have never been able to find Shea or Cocoa butter anywhere other than online

 

[Lin]

Whole Foods has cocoa butter, both in the food oils section and personal care section. Both are really expensive imo.

 

[Susie]

My Walmart does not carry grapeseed oil. And the nearest Whole Foods and GNC are 75 miles away. And I use so little cocoa butter that buying it online becomes prohibitive due to shipping costs. I work with what I have.

That's what I am trying to explain to the OP: Look around you and figure out what you can buy local to limit costs and keep it within their budget as a starting soaper. Don't forget that the batch you toss out is the most expensive batch you make. So, limiting the wasted cocoa butter to $1/batch at a store you are at already buying spoons/utinsils/molds at is better than spending $1/oz PLUS shipping online. And, if you decide you hate the smell of cocoa butter, then you don't have the rest of it sitting around going bad.