New CP Soapers Reference thread

[soapgirl10 12]

Thank you so very much for the links. :-) It is greatly appreciated:yay:

[pp2625 10]

Great Info....Thanks So Much

[WWJD 10]

Very Helpful information. One question im pondering as far as lather,fragrance and appearance which technique is best suited? I have done the HOT process in which ended in absolutely no consistancy in bars or COLD process in which is less stressful and pours beautifully with the same consistan creamy color. What is your opinion?

Mahalo

[Kitn 11]

Very Helpful information. One question im pondering as far as lather,fragrance and appearance which technique is best suited? I have done the HOT process in which ended in absolutely no consistancy in bars or COLD process in which is less stressful and pours beautifully with the same consistan creamy color. What is your opinion?

Mahalo

It is a personal preference mostly, I prefer gelled cold process, in a pinch I do HP.

[jackie 10]

"Standard" cure time is usually quoted as 4-6 weeks. If you use a high amount of olive, that should probably be 4-6 months."

This quote is from Robin's tutorial. My question is what is considered a high amount of olive oil? and why does it need longer to cure?

[Francis 11]

Even though I am new at this, here are some things that I learned from my mistakes.

1. Make sure you know how to use the stick blender before using it. It seems pretty simple, but if you forget to keep it completely submerged, raw soap could splatter all over the place. If you never used it before, try it on something like a thick soup prior to using it on raw soap.

2. Vinegar is very handy while soaping to neutralize the lye.

3. In the beginning, don't soap at too high temp. I also agree that it's a lot more peaceful to soap at lower temperature.

4. When you pour out the oils into the container while it's on the scale, please pay close attention. A few times, I ended up pouring too fast, and inadvertently added too much. This is a problem because when this happens, you have to go through the lye calculation process over again.

5. Rosemary Oil Extract is not the same as rosemary essential oil. Don't ask me why I am stating this very obvious fact.

6. Don't round up the lye quantity. For example, if the lye calculator indicates 67.4 g, and your scale doesn't measure in 0.1g, round down to 67g.

7. You could use google to search this forum. For example, if you want to search "castile", type in google: castile site:craftserver.com. This forum is a huge encyclopedia of vast information.

8. Don't soap when you are tired and sleepy.

9. Take it easy with the stick blender if you don't want to end up with lumpy ugly soap. No need to be too paranoid that you are under mixing. Just watch a lot of Youtube videos on what tracing looks like.

10. In the very beginning, just do CP first and when you are totally comfortable with that, then attempt CPOP.

11. Don't worry if your first batch smells completely off and funky just after pouring into the mold. New and raw soap could have a weird smell that will dissipate in time.

Edited January 8, 2012 by Francis

[singleyellowrose 11]

"Standard" cure time is usually quoted as 4-6 weeks. If you use a high amount of olive, that should probably be 4-6 months."

This quote is from Robin's tutorial. My question is what is considered a high amount of olive oil? and why does it need longer to cure?

If you use a high % (say 50% or more) of OO, it will most likely be soft for alot longer than a normal recipe. Fresh OO soap makes snot when wet! My high OO soaps are ready in 6 weeks but I prefer to wait 8-10 weeks.

Edited January 8, 2012 by singleyellowrose

[RobinsNest 10]

I am new to CP. Have made HP soap for years. I keep seeing "gelled". What is meant by "gelled"?

[RobinsNest 10]

I have made one batch of CP - two log molds. One mold almost immediately had ash on the top. I left the soap in the molds for at least a day and then turned them out. Both log molds now have ash. How do I get rid of it? How do I avoid getting it in the future? Thanks!!!

[chuck_35550 327]

Why would you spam a soap reference thread?

[escentiallysoy 10]

Wow, very nice of you to put this thread together. I have done melt and pour soaping, but have been wanting to try CP soapmaking. This is a wealth of great info, thank you again for sharing. Cannot wait to get started!

[WanderlustSoaps 51]

I know this is a really old thread but I love it.  Thank mystical_angel and everyone else that has added to this.  As a new soap maker this information is invaluable.

 

Ken