Katcameback Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Hey all. I am interested in learning how to make soap, and I will admit, I know NOTHING about it, lol. I am wondering if there are some good tutorials and what kind of products/supplies do I need? Is there a best kind of soap to start out with? Sorry for all the newbie questions, I am just interested in learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Search feature is great and I hope it leads you to Robin's tutorial or a link for it about what's all involved in CP (cold process soap). I don't have my links to things any more or I would share it, but what can you do when a computer goes poo. I know before I started I went back to the beginnings on this board and the old board and read till I was sick and then read some more. IMO M&P is the easiest! I can't tell you adam about HP, except that I need to learn it along with a few other things, like how to rebatch, even though pitching the failure is much easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crafty1_AJ Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 If you'd like to learn how to make soap from scratch, I've got a couple of resources for you in addition to what Scented said. www.millersoap.com is a great website that teaches the basics. Lots of newbies go there. Also, I read a couple-three books before I started making soap. Two were by Susan Cavitch and one was "The Everything Soapmaking Book" by Alicia Grosso. Learned a lot from those books.hth, and happy soaping! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katcameback Posted January 7, 2007 Author Share Posted January 7, 2007 Thank you for the links! So you think that Melt and Pour is best to start out with? I hear about using lye, and having to wear goggles and gloves, I also have a 2 year old, so is this maybe something I should hold off on until he's older? I make candles, and sometimes he gets into my finished candles, but I do keep him away from my area while I am in the process of making candles and setting them up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherl Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 I agree with Crafty1. Millers site and get a few books to read. I checked mine out at the local library. In addition, there are several soap calculators out there. Find a few recipies and imput the info and learn to resize and sub.. a batch or two and you will want to do your own thing. Start simple.. find or creat a recipe with olive, lard and coconut [all easy to get at Walmart] make a small batch. I used a silverware divider drawer as my first mold. Cost only a few $$. I also used cocoa and spices for my first colors. Make without scent maybe first, then add fo next batch. Lye needs to be rspected, not feared. I do not use goggles, but I do wear my glasses rather than contacts. I do make mine when everbody is out of the house so I'm not distracted.. having a little one underfoot could make it tough. Solid oils need to be melted down then cooled, the lye/water heats up when mixed and needs to cool down. Both can take a bit of time. maybe you could time your soap making with nap time. When done place soap up high, to avoid being poked by little fingers before completey setup. Mine goes in the garage on top of the deep freeze.A bit of a warning.. it doesn't stop with soap.. soon you have to try butters, scrubs, salts lotions and creams. Hope to see your creations in the soap section soon!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katcameback Posted January 8, 2007 Author Share Posted January 8, 2007 Thank you very much for the tips! I would definitely love to make a few for family and friends. The one supplier I get my candle supplies from sometimes puts in a bar of soap with my order. The first time it was orange balencia...my husband scoffed it. The second time I was at my my mom's when I opened the box, and my 43 y/o brother was there, and I had gotten a bar of Lavendar soap...he took it! Lol. So I thought it would be nice just to give it a go and see what I can come up with. Yo mentione using cocoa for colouring.....I guess I would need to use something different than what I use for candles, because that contains wax, right? I do have some liquid dye that I had bought when I first started making candles, and set it aside, can that be used for soaps?I can't wait til payday so I can get some supplies! WHEEE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherl Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 Yes, you do need different colorings than stuff for candles. They need to be skin safe. Check with your supplier of candle fragrances.. many are skin safe and you can use what you have. Fo's will change you soap color too.. some end up tan, others brown. My Dragons Blood I envisioned a red soap with black swirls.. but the fo turned the soap a dark reddish brown.. makes the black hard to see... oh well, that is part of the fun! I have a friend that does incredible melt and pour.. she grows herbs and infuses them into oils that she adds to the soap. There is a lot out there.. do some reading then jump right in. Start simple to get the hang of it and reduce expense of testing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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