What soapy thing have you done today?

[Shelley D]

So ~ I bought sodium citrate ~ AGAIN!
This time from Amazon so it will be here Tuesday and I will be able to make soap next weekend! Yay!
On another note ~ I've been using a bar of that recipe I made with the lavender slurry that was originally going to be for my mom and I'm loving recipe Nice and rich and doesn't feel slimy (to me), but it might feel differently to her in her soft water, which is why I'm switching up the recipe a bit. I might still send her a bar so she can compare the two. I will have to look up the original recipe but it has three different butters in it, and I know it has cocoa and shea butters but I can't remember which one I used as the 3rd butter (it's either kokum or mango ). That lavender slurry is the bomb though! It smells divine I'm thinking I might try a different scent for this new batch ~ I wonder which way to go maybe a fresh green herbal scent with a hint of lemongrass

Um, just two?

That's what I was thinking ~ I started with 2 loaf molds and a set of 3 silicone cavity molds

 

[GuacamoleSalad]

I wouldn't worry too much at this point, Marie. Whether a soap gels or not can depend on several factors- water amount and temp being 2 of biggest ones- but it's not a bad thing if a soap does not gel. It'll still firm up and become good soap eventually, it'll just take longer than a soap that goes through the gel phase. Soaps that don't gel are quite soft and can feel much like the consistency of cream cheese for a bit. Some stay so soft that they can't even be unmolded for a 2 or 3 days after pour (depending on the recipe). Just give it some time. Time cures all soap.

How much water did you use in your batch?

IrishLass

"Time cures all soap" is a really comforting line.

 

[dmcgee5034]

So ~ I bought sodium citrate ~ AGAIN!

I always feel like I should also make a cheese sauce and have some nachos when I read the package

"Time cures all soap" is a really comforting line.

This makes my think we should have a thread “Great Quotes in SMF History”

 

[Shelley D]

@dmcgee5034 I was thinking the same thing because I was reading the comments and reviews in the product description and it was all about how awesome it was for making cheese dip! Which is why I came back here and asked if it was the same product used in soap making!

 

[AliensrReal]

Um, just two?

Yup. I got the bare minimum when starting out. One spatula, one spoon and I only used 3 pigments when I started soaping too. Blue, yellow and red. Everything for soaping could easily fit in one box. Now I have two large shelves full of soaping and fiber dyeing supplies.

Unmolded my ice cream soap that I made on Monday along with some cupcake soaps. Had to work late so wasn't able to get any other soaping in.

I made popsicle soaps today too.

I also made a second batch using WSP peach, grapefruit & thyme. I wanted to do the oasis swirl, but then I split the batter incorrectly and colored it so I did a column pour instead. The oasis swirl eludes me once again.

 

[VikingChick]

I made popsicle soaps today too.

I also made a second batch using WSP peach, grapefruit & thyme. I wanted to do the oasis swirl, but then I split the batter incorrectly and colored it so I did a column pour instead. The oasis swirl eludes me once again.

Ooh, that’s pretty, though! I love the colors!

 

[Jojojo@46]

How do I begin to learn to make soap?

 

[AliensrReal]

How do I begin to learn to make soap?

Hi! The beginner forum has several pinned posts to learn how to make soap.

Ooh, that’s pretty, though! I love the colors!

Thank you so much. Mom wanted some red soaps so I decided to try the color scheme.

 

[Zing]

How do I begin to learn to make soap?

Look up Soap Queen online or YouTube, and Soaping 101 on YouTube. I normally like to do a ton of research but when I started, I just found a recipe and jumped in. It wasn't until after making several batches that I discovered so many soapy rabbit holes online -- and of course my very favorite rabbit hole is this Forum of Friends. Now I like the inspiration and ideas, but initially there was just too much information and it was difficult for me to sort out people's preferences and opinions from facts.

 

[VikingChick]

How do I begin to learn to make soap?

I learned from the Nerdy Farm Wife’s website.

 

[Shelley D]

How do I begin to learn to make soap?

There's also a thread in the forum discussing our favorite soaper channels on YouTube ~ lots of good information there for doing research. Just type in "favorite YouTube channel" in the search bar and it should come up.

The important thing is deciding which path you want to take: cold process, hot process, or just melt & pour.

Personally, I like cold process soap making because it just seems simpler than hot process to me, but that's just my perception.
And visit several soap recipe calculator sites and find the one that makes sense to you and use it for every recipe no matter what. I like soapcalc ~ it just seems easy from beginning to end and has an easy to read layout that I like.
And post pictures when ask questions and post your complete recipe so we can help analyze the situation
It will be an adventure for sure ~ I hope you enjoy it! Happy soaping!

 

[AliensrReal]

Look up Soap Queen online or YouTube, and Soaping 101 on YouTube. I normally like to do a ton of research but when I started, I just found a recipe and jumped in. It wasn't until after making several batches that I discovered so many soapy rabbit holes online -- and of course my very favorite rabbit hole is this Forum of Friends. Now I like the inspiration and ideas, but initially there was just too much information and it was difficult for me to sort out people's preferences and opinions from facts.

Great advice. I was hard headed and didn’t even try a tried and true recipe. I spent hours researching each ingredient and the properties of a good soap. I knew what oils I wanted to use and learned to read a soap calc. I even used colors and fragrance with my first batch. I’m a rebel though and like to walk on the wild side. I did get a lot of headaches and was so nervous when making my first batch of soap.

 

[Shelley D]

I learned from the Nerdy Farm Wife’s website.

I came across her pins on Pinterest which led me to her blog ~ she has a lot of good information and recipes

 

[GuacamoleSalad]

I used colorants for the first time! In-the-pot swirl. It was harder than I expected to fully blend the micas in without a bunch of bubbles, and I think the swirl got muddy. I still feel pretty good about it. We'll see!

 

[The_Emerald_Chicken]

Wet soap Wednesday

It really doesn't look as nice anymore, having cracked while on the heating pad.

 

[dmcgee5034]

I used colorants for the first time!

Beautiful color choices! Very pretty!

Wet soap Wednesday

1. “Wet Soap Wednesday” is awesome - for sure in the ranks of Taco Tuesday!
2. That top design is heavenly - absolutely stunning!

 

[GuacamoleSalad]

I used colorants for the first time! In-the-pot swirl. It was harder than I expected to fully blend the micas in without a bunch of bubbles, and I think the swirl got muddy. I still feel pretty good about it. We'll see!

Holy cow! It worked!
View attachment first colors cut.jpeg

 

[Zing]

Holy cow! It worked!
View attachment 76571

Holy cow is right! Congratulations. Real nice job there. Do you mind sharing what you used for colors? I like that combo.

 

[VikingChick]

Holy cow! It worked!

Isn’t that a great feeling? It looks great!

 

[VikingChick]

My indirectly soapy thing is happening at home as I speak (I’m at work) - we’re having a water filtration & softening system installed! I’m sooo excited. We’ve been living with hard water since we moved into this house 2.5 years ago, along with the itchy skin, dry hair, and pipe residue that comes with it. I’m so looking forward to better lather and not having to futz with adding EDTA in my soap!

Although, with better water I won’t have as much justification for needing to make lotion as often. I guess I’ll just have to use it for the smells.