guppygirl Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 making CP soap? Oh c'mon, what did you think I was going to ask?Anywho... do you remember the very first time you added lye to water and felt it heat up as if by magic? Do you remember how it felt when you mixed your lye & oils and saw the mixture become cloudy? Were you totally freaking out over recognizing the mystical thing called "trace"? I remember my first simple batch - unscented, uncolored, grocery store oils, but dern it, it was soap. After letting it sit for a month, I gave slices to all my guinea pigs, er, friends/family. I was running around for weeks saying "my soap soaps, yippee!!!"Just curious to see if it's still as exciting for those of you who have been doing it for a while I made my first batch about 6yrs ago, and have done many more since, but I still remember the first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 I remember. I'm just as excited to be making soap, just not as scared.Here's a link to my first soap.http://www.candletech.com/cgi-local/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=bandbgallery;action=display;num=1115593587;start=19#19I still have 3 bars of this soap. It was 37.5% shea butter. It is a rock hard bar with tons of bubbles and lather. I'm still proud of it. Oh yeah, the scent is still as strong today as it was 9 months ago. I'm still a newbie to CP...LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsyjen Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 I remember too! It was back in '99 and I made a 12lb batch with essential oils, no color, in a tupperware storage container...I still think it was one of the best batches I ever made! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinInOR Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 Yup, I remember my first like it was yesterday. July 27, 2003 The recipe wasOlive 30% Coconut 20% Palm 15% Palm Kernal 15% Castor 10% Cocoa butter 5% Shea butter 5% lol 7 oils! and I've still got some bars - no scent or color. I've really changed - don't like coconut or castor that high, don't like shea & olive in soap - nothing like my standard recipe now Pics:http://watersgulch.com/images/soap01slice1.jpghttp://watersgulch.com/images/soap01slice2.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeana Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 I remember when I saw my first batch gelling I thought it was ruined. I never read anything about the gel stage. I only saw the information of how to make the soap. I came very close to throwing it out when it was in gel. I left it overnight and looked again in the morning and it was fine. I was like you guppy. I made sure everyone knew my soap was soapy and every one got samples whether they wanted them or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heirloomoriginals Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 Yeah, it was just 3 weeks ago!!! I did HP this past fall. It is neat to see how it all comes together!STeph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelleB Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 Oh gosh do I ever remember!! What an experience! I was making soap with my friends & family in mind and they've ALL got terribly dry skin to the point of using prescription salves, so I knew it would have to be something great. The pressure was ON. I'd researched recipes and oil properties for over a year before settling on one I thought would work, but that was the easy part compared to the actual making of the soap.I measured everything out, melted the hard oils, had the soft oils setting close by while I went outside to mix my lye (yep, I was a scurdy cat!). I added the lye to the water and it started fizzin & foaming and smoking! I kept stirring and it was turning into GRAVEL right before my eyes! Grabbed a pringles can to scrape it into and throw it out. Didn't know what happened, so I tried it again. Did the same thing, GRAVEL. Then I realized the pot I was mixing the lye in was aluminum! LOLOL. Switched up to a stainless steel container and VOILA everything worked out.Ended up getting DOS really bad on the soap bars, and had to rebatch, so my first experience was really several experiences all at once. I was thrilled though to have my own bars of soap to use, and we've all became cleaner people since then because I can hardly wait to use up a whole batch just so I can move on to another one! We're constantly washing! lolol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunny Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 I don't remember the date of mine! I can't believe! I do remember it had 10 different oils (and I still normally use 7..lol) and it was based on the millers site almond joy soap. Swirled with cocoa powder and scented with Peaks almond pastries. Have one bar left that's on display in the bathroom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisa Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Gee , I still feel that way. Im not sure why but making soap makes me feel very creative!!LOL My main thing has been candles for so long, and those just dont do it for me anymore like soap does! My first batch was using Home Sweet home from SFS I( saved 2 bars , they have dust on them now!!LOL) but they are still just as strong or stronger than anything I ve ever used, oh and I did a swirl to on my first.I looked alike an astronut with all my protective gear, my husband thought i was nuts!LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Well I've only done two batches and my first time is still ever so vivid because I just didn't have it together enough and had too many things go wrong, but I survived. Made a second log and still want to make more. I just haven't had a chance to catch the soaping bug. For once I have been tame lol, but I have gobs of oils, wonderful cutters and a box to cut soap in (thanks to Kaybee); and oh yeah I'm hording colors (thanks to AnitaG); and as for supplies, well Leslie and Sheri have been fabulous!! I have enjoyed driving them crazy I guess what I remember about my first time was that I just couldn't foresee making a plain colored soap and that it took about oh 1 1/2 months to buy everything I thought I needed. I never could just buy it all in one place, because I kept forgetting to get this or that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meridith Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 I remember my first time and I dressed up in protective gear like I was going to battle or disarming a bomb. I made the family stay as far away from the room I was making it in because I was so scared of the lye and what it would do. I made a shea butter soap scented with BCN's Basil Sage Mint using a kit and recipe I got from TDF and it was a 4 lb batch. I didn't have a soap cutter so I cut it with a butter knife which BTW doesn't work very well. It was the ugliest batch of soap and looked like it had pieces of peas in it since my color didn't get dispersed properly. Now when I make soap the only protective gear I seem to wear is my goggles. And I always wear my goggles which is a good thing since I've seen the soap splash marks on my goggles and that could have been my eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CranberryGirl Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Put it this way...My "first" I was scared to death! Now it is soo much fun! I too was just a candles person..but for years I wanted to do B&B and soap..soo I got my way..even though it took me forever!!!heheheheheMy first batch came out VERY ugly! LOL Hot pink and yellowish..it is still soft! HA!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 I remember mine. It was a crockpot soap, spearmint. I "swirled" it green. I was so dang proud of my accomplishment. I can't find a picture of it right now, but I still have one sitting on my shelf. I made it with the help of Shannon's tutorial. Actually, here's the bottom of it:The top looked slightly better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaybee23 Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Since mine was just in January of this year, I remember it well. Like most people, I was scared to death. Scared of the lye. I had many dishes everywhere, and a mess. I made it in one of those target molds and luckily it came out fine, with Oatmeal Raisin Cookie FO and oatmeal on top. Now my second batch, LOL!, traced so fast I couldn't get it into the mold fast enough and had to rebatch. Each batch gets a little easier. Not using as many dishes, weighing and measuring everything out ahead of time, just streamlining everything has helped so much. But I sure love it, I am really addicted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunny Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Hey! I believe I have one of those soaps! With a kraft cigar band and tied with raffia! lol!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 I don't remember the date of mine! I can't believe! I do remember it had 10 different oils (and I still normally use 7..lol) and it was based on the millers site almond joy soap. Swirled with cocoa powder and scented with Peaks almond pastries. Have one bar left that's on display in the bathroom!WOW!! That is gorgeous soap for a first!!Yes, I remember my first. It was Nov. of 2003. No scent, no color. I barely remember the recipe, but it was one of the whitest soaps I have ever made. I still get just as excited about making soap and love how you really never know what it's gonna look like until you slice it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasBrat Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 I remember mine. It was one year next month. I made such a mess and everything that could go wrong, did. And, my soap didn't turn out so good. :undecided It was soft and when I went to rebatch I was so sick of the scent I threw it all away. Then I switched to making cphp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sad72 Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 My first soaping experience was back in late '98...remember it like it was yesterday. But I've gone 4 years without soaping...so when I start again...it's going to be like the first time all over again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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