Miadrianel Candles Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Hello everyone!Ok I've been reading a lot on how to make soap with lye and have found a local supply of lye in 50 lbs bags. This will be my first batch of soap so I have a couple of questions before I get into it.First of all, on what kind of container I can store at least 25 pound of lye? I will be splitting the 50 pounds with somebody else. Ok about the oils. Since this is my first batch of soap I read somewhere that some store bought oils can work. What do I have to look for with these oils.I plan on buying Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Palm Oil(will probably order) and or Crisco shortening, I also have on hand Grape seed Oil and Sweet Almond Oil by the gallon. I would like to use these on my recipes too.Finally can you guys direct me to a few sites that have some simple recipes to start out that include the before mentioned oils? I have a few simple recipes that are recommended to start out with CP soap but I would like to see more if possible. Guys thanks in advanced for your help I think I will be asking a lot of question from here on! So any tips one advice or sugestions before starting out I appreciate.Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loulougirl Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Hi Dan!Well, I'm pretty new to making soap myself! I've learned lots from this forum, just by going back and reading old posts, and searching for things I had questions about. It's definitely helped me lots! You can totally get oils at the grocery store. I get huge jugs of olive oil at Costco. lol I don't know what stores you have near you, but one that sells in bulk is probably your best bet. I've started buying soaping supplies online, finding a supplier close to you is the best way to cut down on shipping costs! I use http://oregontrailsoaps.com/ A couple sites to check out.. http://www.snowdriftfarm.com/index.html and http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/index.htmlMost supplier sites have recipes too! Crisco, grapeseed and sweet almond are all oils I use a lot! They make for really nice soap, in my limited experience. lol The best tip I've found on formulating my own recipes, is to aim for 50% hard oils, and 50% soft. HTH, sorry I don't know about storing that much lye! If I had the space tho, I'd totally have huge bags and buckets of supplies! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 (edited) How much soap will you be making? Just consider that it's a dangerous chemical with a limited shelf life. You may not want to buy more than you can use over the course of several months.Lye can absorb lots of water from the air over time, which will throw the weight off when you measure it. It can also lose its strength by reacting with carbon dioxide in the air. It has to be stored in an airtight container or it will deteriorate quickly. For a larger amount I suspect you're better off with a number of smaller containers rather than one big one. That way most of it will be in full containers that are never opened until you start using them. The container you're working with should be closed up tightly as soon as you've measured what you need.Store the containers in a safe non-damp place where nobody will mess with them. Edited November 2, 2009 by topofmurrayhill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miadrianel Candles Posted November 2, 2009 Author Share Posted November 2, 2009 Guys thanks for the replies!loulougirl,Yes it it absolutly a lot of lye. As of now that is what I have found. I have to look further at the hardware stores and see if there's something smaller in the mean time....if not I'll just have to make a lot of soap : ) I already make melt and pour soap (mostly my wife which we sell) But I want to offer somethng that is more of my creation and probably expand that into a bigger bussiness later on and hopefully not that far in thr future.Right now i'm mostly limited to the amount of molds to pour soap as I have none for lye soap...I will be making them pretty soon. Guys keep the sugestions coming!Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 I started doing HP soaps earlier this year and couldn't get my recipe right, everything I did was just so DRYING on the skin *ICK*. I tried again with quietgirl's recipe that I found here a few weeks ago, tweaked it just a tiny bit and am having a BLAST with it. Though I do have to agree that 25lbs of lye right off the bat is A LOT. I've been buying small containers of it from my local ACE Hardware stores relatively cheap. I've had about a dozen successful batches under my belt and might consider larger batches in the near future but I still don't think I'm ready or comfortable sinking that much in money and materials (containers, bags, etc...) into my lye yet. Remember too that this might be something that you don't enjoy doing or find is such a PITA that you don't want to do it that often. Having that much lye on hand would really suck if that were the case. Crisco, Lard, Olive Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Sunflower Oil, and Coconut Oil are all things you should be able to find at your local grocery store/Walmart and are great in soap. On your first few batches, not only would I go somewhat small, I would go somewhat cheap on the oils so that you can get a feel for it and if you have any "OPPS" batches they don't hit your wallet quite so hard. It is LOTS of fun though and I do hope you enjoy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara AL Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Miller Soap website has alot of great information and recipes.http://www.millersoap.com/Barbara AL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miadrianel Candles Posted November 2, 2009 Author Share Posted November 2, 2009 Thanks everyone for the replies! Well I know that the materials might seem like a lot but right now really I'm unemployed and this is more necessary than just a hobby. And also I feel tired of being on the wrong side of business by always being an employee and not a business owner. So all of this is more of a transition rather than a test or something.I've always been a maker and I love learning everything that I can, useful and not so useful. So on that note! I saw a while ago a formula that described how much soap you could put in a mold according to its dimensions or how big the mold should be to hold X amount of soap in it. Does anybody know what that formula is?? Hopefully I'll start making them molds soon too.Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miadrianel Candles Posted November 3, 2009 Author Share Posted November 3, 2009 Ok I found some 16oz Lye container locally. Actually Im surprised that I found it! So no 50 pound bag just yet...I have olive oil on hand and Crisco shortening too. Still need coconut oil but I know where I can get it locally it will be a bit expensive though... The recipe I have is for 8 pounds. If I cut 50% of everything will it work? 8 pounds of soap is a lot to loose I guess for your first batch.Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loulougirl Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 That is a big first batch! lol I've only been making 1, or 2 pound batches so far. Small yes, but easy for a newbie like me! Plus, I don't feel toooo bad if it turns out.. fugly, stinky or just wrong.. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattyZB Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 Same here with 2 lb batches...I'm sad that I don't have more of the good ones but I'm thankful that the bad ones were on the small side. lol@Miadrianel Candles - as long as you plug everything into a soaping calculator to find out how much lye and water you need you should be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billie Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 To find out how much your mold will hold, multiply: Length x width x height x .4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stinkydancer Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 My walmart doesn't sell palm or coconut oil- so I get these in small amounts at Whole Foods. It took me forever to find the palm there though. LOL It's just vegetable shortening. You can also get larger quantities online of these.My olive oil I get at Sam's Club- super cheap! Fragrance oils I have not found anywhere except Michaels but I have never bought them something tells me they aren't good.Get your Fragrance or Essential Oils from a reputable online soap source, make sure its safe for skin and not just for candles.You also want to watch your oils for discoloration (if you plan to color your soap) and you also want (at least when your starting out) to stay away from oils that will accelerate trace until your comfortable with the process.Most online fragrance sources will know enough about their oils to know how they behave in soap.Good luck and take good lye precautions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck_35550 Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 You're just gonna lose a lot of lye. I did the same thing and tried storing the lye in all sorts of containers. The best result was to store in the large gallon zip lock bags. Make sure you get out as much air as possbile and store in a cool area. I have lye in the airtight containers and still get lumps from opening to use and letting air get in the container. Its the one aspect of soap making that I really don't like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miadrianel Candles Posted November 21, 2009 Author Share Posted November 21, 2009 Well actually I got some rooter %100 lye in 1 pound containers. I bought 3 of those for like $4.00 each. As for the oils I got Crisco shortening, olive oil from the supermarket and coconut from a health food(Damn it is expensive in small quantities almost a dollar the oz)I haven't made my first batch yet I'm still gathering some stuff I still need a stick blender and an appropriate container to mix it all in.The good thing is that if I decide to go into soaping I have a local supplier of oils specifically for soapers. They sell by 7 pound gallons and 50 pound pails if I'm not mistaken. The coconut oil they have is way cheaper than the one bought at the health store.Here where I live (PuertoRico) there are tons of soapers. There's a lot of people making soap of all kinds and stuff but unfortunately most of them won't really share any info at all for the obvious reason I guess. But nonetheless I will make soap!Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
country bee Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 May I please sugguest the everything soap making book by Alicia Grosso.Has great recipes in 1-2-5 pounds for soap with all the oils you have.It is worth the money!my other sugguestion is Soap makers companion,it's everything you would ever want to know about soap making with recipes.Good luck to you in your new adventure,I remember how excited I use to get and waiting to get to use the soap,it seemed like a life time to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miadrianel Candles Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 (edited) Well, success!!I made my first batch of soap this past Saturday night! Everything went smoothly I guess I didn't confront any problems and identifying trace wasn't that difficult. I didn't have any pics uploaded yet to my computer so sorry bout that will hopefully post some pics tomorrow.I wanted to make this first batch to kindda get the feel on how soap is made. I have to say it was pretty cool and I feel like I could get into it in a bigger scale soon...I will make a few other small batches and we'll see from there...So guys thanks to all who gave advice! All made sense at the time of getting to make soap!Dan Edited November 30, 2009 by Miadrianel Candles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimJuris Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 I purchased some lye a few years ago and I used a glass canning jar for the container. I just used some of that lye a few days ago and it is still good.I would recommend contacting a chemical supplier in your area to purchase lye. That way you can save on shipping costs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuminousBoutique Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 To find out how much your mold will hold, multiply: Length x width x height x .4 does that give you the oz? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimJuris Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 W(in.) X H(in.) X L (in.) X 0.4= the number of ounces of oils needed for a soap recipe for that particular size soap mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inherowndominion Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 The lye storage question, oh boy do I know all about that.I'm a soap maker, and I get 100 pounds of lye at a time. I keep them in 5 gallon buckets that I line with a plastic garbage bag. BUT...(there's always a but isn't there LOL)make sure wherever you are going to keep it, that it does NOT get humidity in the container. OH BOY that SUCKS when that happens. Not only does the lye clump up (and then you've got to break it up while lye crystals are flying everywhere) but it will end up giving you a "film" of crusty stuff (think creme brulee) once you mix it with water and it's cooled. Straining that stuff is terrible. Truth be told, you don't HAVE to strain it, it doesn't hurt anything, but it does end up making your soap look bad, with little "bubbles" all over it.So, buckets, bags and a consistent temperature and humidity would be the best advice I could give!HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitn Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 I can't wait to see how your soap turned out . Congratulations on your first of many batches Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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