Jo Ann Posted November 19, 2007 Share Posted November 19, 2007 not sure if anyone else out there is like me in the fact that I need to know what all these percentages actually me to me in soap making real life. so i went here. http://www.soapcalc.com/SoapQualities.aspand needless to say, I ordered her book. (i am a book freak anyway)i am gonna go and explore her fact sheet a bit more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mystical_angel1219 Posted November 19, 2007 Share Posted November 19, 2007 Well of course it is essential to know what the values stand for in soapmaking. This calculator is by far, my most favorite. I have Soapmaker Pro and have yet to use it for making soap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Ann Posted November 19, 2007 Author Share Posted November 19, 2007 what i also need is midline range for hardness, cleansing, lather, iodine and whatever ins is. like, is a good hardness 40 or good lather 50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted November 19, 2007 Share Posted November 19, 2007 If you read that page you linked us to it gives you a suggested range on those numbers for the qualities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Ann Posted November 19, 2007 Author Share Posted November 19, 2007 thanx scented, i worded that last one wrong.but can you tell me the main reason for using heavy oils like crisco and lard? i can understand shea, mango and coco but only because their ability to moisturize, but what about the other solid oils? so far i haven't found an anser to that. its easier for me to do things if I understand the why and wherefor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted November 19, 2007 Share Posted November 19, 2007 Oils like palm and lard help to make the bar hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted November 19, 2007 Share Posted November 19, 2007 You know, make a lard soap. I now add it, but thought eewww before I finally did. Lard has a lot of conditioning properties and actually feels good! I imagine Crisco isn't much different. I haven't used the crisco and don't think I likely will. Too me there's enough similarities that I wouldn't put them both in a batch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Ann Posted November 19, 2007 Author Share Posted November 19, 2007 will have to give lard a try...unfortunate for me, i still gravitate toward pastries made with lard...sigh. but they are soooo good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Ann Posted November 19, 2007 Author Share Posted November 19, 2007 Oils like palm and lard help to make the bar hard.thanx Eugenia...i am just one of those ppl who learn better if i know the why and the wherefore for everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted November 20, 2007 Share Posted November 20, 2007 This might help you some in researching about oils. Someone kindly posted the link on here and I managed to keep the bookmark. http://www.soapnuts.com/indexoils.htmland anotherhttp://www.thesoapdish.com/oils.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Ann Posted November 20, 2007 Author Share Posted November 20, 2007 thanx scented, I appreciate the links, will print them out and put them in my notebook.thats what i am doing now, reading printed out stuff, pllus i have all my ingredients and utensils ect all ready to go for tomorrow. if the only thing that happens is a soap i can love and live with, it will all be worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 if the only thing that happens is a soap i can love and live with, it will all be worth it. Read and reread what you printed off Miller's site, find Robin's tutorial and eugenia ran a class for beginners. All of these will be good for you to go through several times. Just a suggestion -- jump in with a recipe and make it. If it's your first batch I don't think you ever get completely comfy till it's out of the way. I started with a recipe someone was kind enough to share, miraculously got all the materials together (using the lack of them as a reason to never make soap lol) and after that first batch (which I'm among the few here who hated soapmaking early on), made another. Then made another. I learned you can't just toss in some mango to make up for being short of whatever oil I was short of that day without recalculating. Batch turned out fine, but I still hated soaping.)I was in pursuit of the lovely bubble and wanted more and more and more so I learned to calculate, make and make more mistakes. So you learn as you go is what I'm getting to I think. I never became a full-blown soap lover (though I'm getting there now.) You can read till your blue in the face or seeing double, but if you put the ingredients together then you can see what they do and get a better feel for your combination and you can try other oils etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Ann Posted November 21, 2007 Author Share Posted November 21, 2007 you are right about re-reading and stuff. some tips i plan to use that i read are mixing the lye and water outside. i have both asthma and emphysema. so i can let it sit out there till it clears and i melt my lard and mix my oils.and of course, not put my EOs in with my face over the pot. that would probably kill me. LOLand my next research is going to be an oil that is high in cleansing AND conditioning so i can use a little less coconut oil and a bit more that....oh yeah and it has to be affordable. unlike EOs. seems like jewelry, i like the really expensive stuff best....sigh:embarasse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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