What is your biggest challenge making cp soap?

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This thread is fascinating and I appreciate getting an inside look into the ways of the professionals!
Lately, I've been concentrating on breathing as I soap and reminding myself that no matter the results, it will still be good for my skin. What's @KiwiMoose 's motto? Soap does what it does?
Also, another vote for a hug/care option and sending best wishes to all who need/want a boost to their soapy mojo!
 
I make individual batches slightly larger than the size @KiwiMoose mentioned and I mix the lye for each batch.I soap in my kitchen and one side of my sink will hold 4 lye pitchers while I use the other side for my soaping bucket. I make 4 batches of lye solution and while those are cooling down I measure my soft oils for the 4 batches and add my additives and fragrance to each soaping bucket. My colorants for each batch are arranged behind the corresponding soap bucket and a sufficient supply of spatulas and molds near to hand. I measure and melt my hard oils for each batch and usually by the time that is done my lye has cooled down to 90F and I'm ready to go. When I finish the first 4 batches, I start over again since I usually do 8 batches in a soapy session. I've streamlined the process to the way I prefer to work, so I realize that this isn't for everyone. I like to experiment and try new fragrances/colors/additives so it makes more sense for me to make small batches rather than making huge amounts of a single soap.
 
I don't cut time - I still mix each batch of lye solution as I go. I generally make just 1kg at a time, but occasionally I will do a double batch, so 2kg ( and I split that into two different soap batches using fragrance/colour etc).
I mix the lye solution first - using ice cubes so it doesn't get so hot. I rest that in a cold water bath to cool while I measure then melt my hard oils (on the stove). While they are melting I measure out my liquid oils and fragrance, prepare colours, etc. When the hard oils have melted I turn off the heat and mix in the liquid oils, then pour it all into my mixing bowl to finish cooling until 'warm to the touch' - approx 40 degrees celsius. This takes about 2 - 5 minutes ( if that) and I get everything else ready that i might need - molds, spatulas, extra jugs etc.
Then I mix and pour! The whole thing is usually done well within 50 minutes for a 1kg batch, and maybe an hour or a tad more for a double batch with a separate pour/colours/design etc.
The process is pretty slick and meditative for me, unless I soap in a hurry, which is when I tend to make mistakes and it takes longer than if I'd just done it without being in a hurry, lol.
This is what I do! I have started master batching my lye water for my GM soap but, only for a 3 lb. batch which I use for small soaps. If making large batches (11 lbs. for me!) My lye is made in the sink with cold H20 & ice cubes. I leave it there until it cools to the temp I want , then add the GM & go from there. Doesn't matter if I'm making 1 or 2 large batches. My time line is like KiwiMoose, about 1 hr. Cleanup is about another 20 minutes.
 
I would say for me getting the correct color when making CP soap is my biggest challenge. There just are so many things that can effect the color, like what oils are being used, or water based may make color different then Goat Milk based soaps. It pays to write lots of notes so when you finally nail the color you are able to repeat it in the future.
Color is my biggest challenge too. I only use natural ingredients and when using something new it turns out not as expected. Sometimes I think it would be so easy just to mix in some mica!
 
Mine was trying to do so many different kinds with 3 different batches and getting the colors and scents in the right ones. I only managed to mix up 2 by putting the evergreen eo in the Christmas confetti so now the orange and grey swirl just smells like orange but the confetti smells just like bubblegum, so good. The reds were with yellow dock and red clay with cinnamon eo so they accelerated fast, I had to microwave the last bit to pour into the sock mold.
 

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I'm in a bit of a funk lately and it's been challenging to make the time to do what I normally love to do.

Welp, figured out why I've been in such a funk.... I'm home sick today with a head cold. At least, that's all I hope it is. Sinuses ache, throat hurts, feeling lethargic and so, so tired. No wonder I didn't feel like doing anything. Slept for over 12 hours last night and I'm ready to crawl back into bed.
 
That's exactly how I do it as well.

My biggest challenge to soap making is.......... me. Even though I'm still making soap (and bath & body items), I'm in a bit of a funk lately and it's been challenging to make the time to do what I normally love to do.
Sending you a virtual hug. Funks are hard. If you are like me and entering the time of year when we get very few daylight hours - it’s especially tough. I’m in western Canada and it’s dark and cold these days!
 
Yes, the colors have to match the scent and vice versa.
I used to spend a lot of times on original blends of essential oils. But now I rarely do since every single blend on eocalc.com goes on my favorites list.
 
Yes, the colors have to match the scent and vice versa.
I used to spend a lot of times on original blends of essential oils. But now I rarely do since every single blend on eocalc.com goes on my favorites list.
I’m interested that you love ALL the EOCalc blends! I have a hard time imagining what they would smell like (wish there was some kind of description) - and I seem to always be missing one or more of the EOs for a blend so can’t try it. If you had to name your 3 fave blends, what would they be? 🤔🤔 decisions, decisions!😁
 
I’m interested that you love ALL the EOCalc blends! I have a hard time imagining what they would smell like (wish there was some kind of description) - and I seem to always be missing one or more of the EOs for a blend so can’t try it. If you had to name your 3 fave blends, what would they be? 🤔🤔 decisions, decisions!😁
Just 3?! My fave is my own, 45/45/10 rosemary, lemongrass, cedarwood. On eocalc, In The Dark, Shear, Seascape. Seascape is still going strong after 10 or 11 months.
Also, check out the sub-forum on essential oils for tons of faves.
 
Hi everyone, I am very curious to as what the challenges are for you guys making cp soap? How are you coping? If you can cut down the time of making a large batch of cp soap would you do it? I have been soaping for about 3 years now and I am always trying to find ways that make the process more efficient without breaking my back. Thank you for your inputs!! = ))
I work full-time job with a one hour commute (used to be longer). My husband is disabled so I've had to assume extra responsibilities and since he no longer drives, I have to take him and pick up him from every-other-Saturday 'playdates'. Because I wanted to make a business out making soap, I had to come up with ways to make the most efficient use of the time I had available.

I have three soap recipes...Regular, GMS and Mechanic's/Gardener's Soap. Only having a couple of recipes means that I can Master Batch my oils/butters...40lbs at a time. I also Master Batch my regular 'ready-to-use' Lye Solution a couple of gallons at a time. And I have a spreadsheet on the wall with all my molds so I just grab a bucket and a mold and can whip up a 5lb batch of soap in about 30 minutes...from getting out the bucket to washing up.

For soaping sessions...I plan ahead. My record is seven different soaps, but my average is five...which is still a lot of soap (25lbs). I generally don't do a lot of fancy soaps...single-color or two-color drop/chopstick swirls. I pull out my scents, decide on colors, write it on a post it note and grab a bucket.

It also helps that I clean as I go so when I'm done, I don't have a stack of dishes to do. I generally have my stick blender, bucket, container for second color, container for Lye Solution, container for scent and two spatulas.
 
Just 3?! My fave is my own, 45/45/10 rosemary, lemongrass, cedarwood. On eocalc, In The Dark, Shear, Seascape. Seascape is still going strong after 10 or 11 months.
Also, check out the sub-forum on essential oils for tons of faves.
@Zing thanks! I’m still fairly new to this and hadn’t found the sub forum. EDIT: I went to the sub forum last night and stayed up waaaay too late reading those comments and on to links and other threads 🤣🤣. Soaping in my dreams once I finally turned out the light.
 
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Hi everyone, I am very curious to as what the challenges are for you guys making cp soap? How are you coping? If you can cut down the time of making a large batch of cp soap would you do it? I have been soaping for about 3 years now and I am always trying to find ways that make the process more efficient without breaking my back. Thank you for your inputs!! = ))
My greatest challenge is to find people taking some of my soaps - as I don’t need as much as I would like to make. As a result of this problem I haven’t been making soap for over a year now..
..but regardless of the growing stacks of soap, I’ll make aome nice Christmas soap next weekend =)
 
My greatest challenge is to find people taking some of my soaps - as I don’t need as much as I would like to make. As a result of this problem I haven’t been making soap for over a year now..
..but regardless of the growing stacks of soap, I’ll make aome nice Christmas soap next weekend =)
I have been gifting some of my excess soap to charities; small bars are great for people who are living rough, and don’t have room to cart soap around with them. Larger bars for families who are having a hard time making ends meet.
 
I have been gifting some of my excess soap to charities; small bars are great for people who are living rough, and don’t have room to cart soap around with them. Larger bars for families who are having a hard time making ends meet.
My greatest challenge is to find people taking some of my soaps - as I don’t need as much as I would like to make. As a result of this problem I haven’t been making soap for over a year now..
..but regardless of the growing stacks of soap, I’ll make aome nice Christmas soap next weekend =)
Me too. I’m selling at the Farmers Market in a small town and it costs me more to sit and visit than what I make and it’s $10 for my table😁. I put them on Marketplace and buy&sell. Hopefully that works, I still have Christmas soaps from last year.
 
Oh

Oh please let us know how it turns out, hopefully it will all be fine 🙃
@KiwiMoose - I can’t believe it.🫣 It turned out FINE! (At least it LOOKS ok. I dont think I’d enter it in the soap challenge, but it’s still quite pretty. And I did a zap test; nothing but innocuous soap suds on my tongue so I guess beating the missing coconut oil into the batter worked out.) PHEW! I think I’ve learned that I’d better up my game on checklists. Too many silly mistakes on that batch!
 
My greatest challenge is to find people taking some of my soaps - as I don’t need as much as I would like to make. As a result of this problem I haven’t been making soap for over a year now..
..but regardless of the growing stacks of soap, I’ll make aome nice Christmas soap next weekend =)
Yes I had that issue in the early days. But you can sell them really fast at, hair salons, spa and market events
 
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