simplyorganic Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 I'm not new to soaping but i'm very new to the Hot Process method. If some could help me out in this your an angel in my book!!As far as the hard oils go....is it manditory?? Like what if i wanted to substitute one hard oil for a soft oil is that ok? For example... i want to use Olive Oil, Rice Bran Oil, Safflower oil & Coconut oil for my soft oils and Shea Butter as my hard oil....... is that do-able?Also how do i do calculations to make sure i'm not using too much or too little? I ABSOLUTLY suck @ math and i have no clue to how to weigh out correctlyMy loaf molds hold up to 64oz's and i'm doing 4oz bars and i'm using a crock pot...Thanks to anyone that can help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorrie Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 You will need to find yourself a lye calculator. There is one herewww.thesage.comand I believe the other is www.soapcalc.comYou will have to enter in the quanities of the oils you would like to use. It will tell you how much lye you will need also.Just remember if you use a lot of soft oils your recipe will still be soft and you will have softer soap. You may have to wait a week or so before cutting your soap.You said you are not new to soapmaking.. What have you been using to calculator your lye? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simplyorganic Posted February 8, 2008 Author Share Posted February 8, 2008 i was doing re-batching and sometime melt & pour...which of course doesn't use lye.... i'm ready to step it up and make the soap from scratch....i just don't want to mess up... i know i'll have trial & error but i don't want too much error, lol..So it's pretty much best to use more hard oils than soft? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CareBear Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 You might want to read millersoap.com. That site has TONS of information that will come in handy for you and will help you get started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorrie Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 You might want to read millersoap.com. That site has TONS of information that will come in handy for you and will help you get started.I agree if you are just starting you might try reading about soapmaking before actually trying it. It is a lot different than rebatching it and a lot of things could go wrong if you don't know what you are doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorrie Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 So it's pretty much best to use more hard oils than soft?Not always. There are tons of recipes out there. You will have to try them and see what you like. I have some recipes that are higher in soft oils and vice versa. It just depends on what you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simplyorganic Posted February 8, 2008 Author Share Posted February 8, 2008 I agree if you are just starting you might try reading about soapmaking before actually trying it. It is a lot different than rebatching it and a lot of things could go wrong if you don't know what you are doing.I have dozens of books and have been updating myself on it... i just find it better and more helpful when you get other people's experiences on it, you know? For some reason it just makes me build a little more confidence knowing "ok someone else did this and got it right!", lol....Would you say that CP is easier than HP? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachdream Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 There are some simple recipes in the recipe section to get you started. When I first started I used AJs beginner recipe which was 25% Palm, 25% coconut and 50% Olive (thats 50/50 hard/soft). Start off simple (and cheap) until you have some experience. Nothing worse than having to chuck out a batch that contained loads of expensive butters and oils... I started with HP as I was a bit scared of the raw soap and impatiently wanting to try it earlier. Now I do only CP as I like to layer and texture my tops. Which ever you choose...good luck, hope you enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidsngarden Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 I prefer CP to HP, the process, the feel of the soaps, the look of the soap, the hardness, everything. You just have to be patient waiting for the cure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natrldsastr Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 You can use any CP recipe to HP. HP is just warming your traced CP batch to gel stage, then stirring and adding your fragrances or other additives. That is a VERY simplistic description of HP. And a good rule of thumb is 60% hard oils to 40% soft. Please take yourself to millersoap.com and read.And ALWAYS use a lye calc, even for published recipes. Many of these are notoriously off. Here is a useful link for choosing oils, http://www.soapnuts.com/indexoils.html And google up hot process soap tutorial. Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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