New to soapmaking...

[pjb31apb]

Hello all! I am new to soap making and I am so glad that you are here. I want to try my hand at CP soaping, but I have a few questions before I get started so that I have a better handle on what is needed. Clearly this is a skill that is learned over time and it is always best to start with the textbook information before jumping into the lab!

I have been lurking and surfing and I think that I am going to try out the Beginner kit from Kelsei's Creations. I like the fact that there is enough ingredients to fit the mold you get. I also like the fact that it isn't enough to make HUGE batches.

I have been looking at recipes and I am a bit confused. I am supposed to weigh out my oils first and then I use the lye calculator to determine the amount by weight of my water and lye. But my question is, how do I determine what my initial weight of oils-to-lyewater will become in the weight of soap? Does that even make sense? More simply put, how do I know if I am mking to much/little to fit my mold? I hope that makes sense because I have been wondering that for a while.

Also,is it better to start out stiring by hand and then use a SB after I am familiar with the process?

Thanks in advance for any assistance! Happy New Year!

[RobinInOR]

Welcome! I see you got your answer in the now-stickied help thread. LxHxWx.4

When I started, I did use a stick blender, but I didn't turn it on. I just stirred with it so I could see what was happening. When that got boring, I turned it on for 30 seconds at a time.

There's something calming about plain 'ole stirring.

[pjb31apb]

Hi Robin! Thanks for the reply. I agree with you. I read a woman's story about how she came to soapmaking and she said that it took her to a zone because all you can do when you make soap is make soap. Focusing on one single task at a time. I kind of like that too. It seems like it would be a very relaxing pastime once you got past the newness of it.