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Tell me what your absolute soap making essentials are!


hem06

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OK, for CP/HP, I am guessing the major ingredient everyone needs is LYE, water. :P

What about listing your favorite oils to use?

What tools you could not live without?

A tool that is unecessary, but you love?

Your favorite soap scent, additives, etc?

What about, soap cutters, bevelers, etc? Do you have one, do you want one...do you care?

Favorite web links, etc?

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Right now, I am in research phase for CP/HP. I REALLY want to try it! So, I would like to see what tools and products the vetrans can't live without.

I am amassing ingredients as I go, but need some clarification on what oils do what in the who now. (LOL)

So help all the newbies and post your tips, tools, etc. :)

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My favorite butter at the moment is mango.

I can't make soap without my stick blender. That one is a must have.

Paint buckets!! I use thesse all the time for mixing

Wood skewers are great for doing swirls. Just swirl and then toss in the trash.

My favorite soap scent is sweet pea. Followed by Green tea.

Dh makes all my wooden molds and he made me a beveler that I still haven't used but I will someday..........

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What about listing your favorite oils to use?

I love OO and I also like RBO and CCB is my favorite, pretty much any oil in my basic recipe!!

What tools you could not live without?

Love me my stick blender.

A tool that is unecessary, but you love?

see above

Your favorite soap scent, additives, etc?

depends on my mood, love patchouli, spearmint, peppermint, rosemary, coconut milk is nice, as is cream

What about, soap cutters, bevelers, etc? Do you have one, do you want one...do you care?

I use a butcher knife to cut, and love my crinkle cutter for fun - use a small paring knife to bevel, but I don't do it w/every bar

Favorite web links, etc?

here and the soapdish

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You'll need a crockpot and a stickblender and that's about it.

Oils I use regularly:

Soybean

Sunflower

Safflower

Olive (all of these are from the supermarket-most vegetable oil is 100% soy, check the label)

Palm Oil

Castor Oil

Shea Butter

Babassu Oil

Coconut Oil

Sweet Almond Oil

Mango Butter

Cocoa Butter

I use a plastic mitre box and a big dough scraper to cut. Hubby made my molds, basic wood boxes. You'll need freezer paper to line. Seeds are nice additives, especially poppy. Oatmeal is nice. Fragrance, of course!

e

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My two "must have" oils are rice bran and palm kernal oil. My must have tools are a stick blender and a scale with a tare feature that measures to tenths.

Must have oils are really a matter of personal preference. You just need to make lots of soap with lots of different recipes until you come up with your personal favorite.

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What about listing your favorite oils to use?

Palm Kernal Oil, Shea Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Grapeseed Oil.

What tools you could not live without?

Stick Blender, Presto Pot, Soap Cutter and the mold my dad made me!

A tool that is unecessary, but you love?

Other molds besides my big loaf.

Your favorite soap scent, additives, etc?

Green Clover and Aloe, Orange, Love Spell (not together of course!)

What about, soap cutters, bevelers, etc? Do you have one, do you want one...do you care? I use a straight soap cutter and/or a knife.

Favorite web links, etc?

here.

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What about listing your favorite oils to use?

Rice Bran, Castor cuz I can use them in so many products. Meadowfoam because it's an Oregon specialty oil

What tools you could not live without?

Stick Blender of course - no way am I going to stir by hand :) I've got 2.

A tool that is unecessary, but you love?

I buy palm & PKO in gallon buckets - and they work great as mixing containers - I can make soap and toss them aside - clean them out later - I have a ton of them. They would probably hold a 6-8# batch easily.

Your favorite soap scent, additives, etc?

It keeps changing - right now there are 2 (I even brought both with me this week on my business trip) Peak's Honeysuckle, and Sweetcakes Verbena.

Additive - buttermilk.

What about, soap cutters, bevelers, etc? Do you have one, do you want one...do you care? I use a straight soap cutter and/or a knife.

Miter box and stainless pastry blade. I don't bevel, tho DH made me a beveler. If I need to get rid of a sharp edge, I either just use my fingernail or a vegetable peeler.

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What about listing your favorite oils to use?

coconut oil and olive oil

What tools you could not live without?

stick blender, soap cutter, and plastic scraper (Pampered Chef) to clean out my soap pot

A tool that is unecessary, but you love?

disposable pipettes

Your favorite soap scent, additives, etc?

Oatmeal, Milk, & Honey, Clementine, Yuzu, too many to list.

What about, soap cutters, bevelers, etc? Do you have one, do you want one...do you care?

I use an antique mold that is shaped so I do not bevel or cut.

Favorite web links, etc?

here.

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What about listing your favorite oils to use? RBO, OO, PKO, PO, and Coconut

What tools you could not live without? measuring cups

A tool that is unecessary, but you love? stainless steel spoon

Your favorite soap scent, additives, etc? Pink Sugar, goat's milk, oatmeal, and coffee

What about, soap cutters, bevelers, etc? Do you have one, do you want one...do you care? crinkle and straigt edge cutter, use chesse slicer or potatoe peeler to bevel

Favorite web links, etc? thesage, FNWL

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I am amassing ingredients as I go, but need some clarification on what oils do what in the who now. (LOL)

So help all the newbies and post your tips, tools, etc. :)

Here is a link to study up on what oils do what http://www.millersoap.com/fatacidtab.html

Go slow. It's easy to order too many and some have a short shelf live and should live in the fridge, so don't go too crazy. Try to use a lot of what you can find locally. Castor I order, but it has a very long shelve life. You don't want to spend $$$$$ on oils only to hve them go rancid.

Another tip for you, keep your basic recipe simple and if you want to try new things, vary 10% or so. For example, one time try 10% sunflower, another time try 10% sweet almond. This way, if you don't like the batch, you will know the culprit.

e

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What about listing your favorite oils to use? Coconut, Shea, Olive, Palm, Palm Kernel

What tools you could not live without? stick blender, scale, stainless steel soaping pot.

A tool that is unecessary, but you love? My vintage pyrex bowls

Your favorite soap scent, additives, etc? Lavender, OMH, patch/sandlewood blend, Lovespell, London Lemon Curd

What about, soap cutters, bevelers, etc? Do you have one, do you want one...do you care? i have a wooden soap cutter that utilizes a metal blade cutter, potato peeler to bevel

Favorite web links, etc? Any/all soaping forums, various soap related sites (theory, history, recipes, etc)

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What about listing your favorite oils to use?

Every batch I make includes olive oil, shea butter & avocado oil. Other ingredients change - but these are always included.

What tools you could not live without?

Hands down - my stick blender! Parchment paper for lining my wood molds & rubber spatula's for getting all the soap out of the pot!

Your favorite soap scent, additives, etc?

Favorite soap scents are plum spice; orange chamomile & grapefruit lily. Favorite additive is oatmeal.

What about, soap cutters, bevelers, etc? Do you have one, do you want one...do you care?

I own a straight soap cutter & a crinkle cutter and used them for a bit when I first got them - but after the novelty wore off I went back to cutting my bars with my plain ole' butcher knife. Don't own a beveler. Most bars I don't bevel - on the ones that I do, I just use a potato peeler.

Being the shopaholic that I am :rolleyes: over the years that I've been making soap I've bought tons of "tools", molds, etc. - had to have it all :) But after the novelty of the new items wears off, I always go back to my wood log molds and the "toys" all sit in the garage gathering dust. Someday I'm gonna have to have a garage sale!

Lisa

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