My first batch

[dick]

Hi all;

I've been lurking about here for a few weeks now and finally got up the courage to try making a batch of CP soap. Please check this recipe and see if there's anything wrong with it. I was going to just do it, but the oils and stuff are pretty spendy so I decided to ask for help FIRST rather than waiting till I ruined my first batch. Any comments will be appreciated....

Here goes;

3 oz beeswax

17 oz Canola Oil

17 oz Olive Oil

17 oz Lard

18 oz Palm Kernel Oil

3 oz Fragrance Oil

9.5 oz Lye (Draino)

23 oz Tap Water (Hard Water)

I'm looking to fill a loaf mold that's 4.5 in wide and 11 in long to about 4.5 in deep.

Am I close????

Thanks;

Dick

[MichelleOH]

Well, first off Draino is not lye!

[MichelleOH]

OK...you have a six pound batch there. That is big for a first batch..IMO. I would start with a 2-3lb batch at most. I ran your recipe through the soap calculator and looks to me your under on water. For that batch I would recommend 27oz of water and your lye around 9.7oz or so.

I am not an EXPERT yet..so maybe someone else will chime in here too:smiley2:

[Mnhorsemom]

I am pretty new to soaping so...I have really hard well water and it was suggested to me to use distilled water instead of my tap water. I don't know what hard water will do, I'm sure someone here can tell you. Also,like MichelleOH said make sure you are getting Red Devil Lye not draino if you are trying to get it from the grocery or drug store.

[RobinInOR]

Close - your mold will hold a bit more oil if you want to pour to the top - that amount of oil will probably just give you a bar that's 3.5" tall, somewhere around there. You could use the MMS calculator to recalculate for a smaller batch and get shorter bars..

And will echo - don't use Draino If you can still find lye locally in the stores, it will be Red Devil or Roebic brands most likely.

Tap water will work OK, you just throw into the equation what the trace minerals in the water will do. Most people like to use very filtered water or distilled, but if your tap water is good quality, go ahead.

Welcome out of lurkdom, and good luck!