which type of soap ?

[*Dee*]

do you believe is less expensive to make ? right now i only do mp soap which i feel is kinda expensive for as many bars as you get out of it. but i am scared to try making the other types since i have a 10, 7 and 3 year old and when the older 2 are in school i have my 3 year old plus my almost 4 year old neice. so i am scared the have lye anywhere in the house. but i really really want to try making cp soap sometime lol im not good on waiting though 6 weeks or more would be hard lol

[LuminousBoutique]

I dont know which is cheaper, really... I mean after you figure the cost of the oils and fragrance and molds and lye.. it isnt cheap. But.. I think its funner

I do CP and I have a 5 year old and 3 year old. Its a challenge sometimes but not impossible... we had a good talk about never touching mommies soaping tools, which was a big part of it.. but I am also really careful about how I store my stuff. I buy my lye at Ace hardware in small containers, and then store those containers in ziplock bags inside a rubbermaid container with my gloves, soap spoons, and goggles. I keep that on the highest shelf of our pantry.. somewhere I know the kids can never reach!!

When I mix my lye, I always do it in our mudroom, and I keep the water/lye mixture on the higest (STABLE) shelf. I mix it after they go to bed and 1-2 hours later its ready for use. I do all my soaping at night because it takes the kid factor out. I can prepare my oils ahead of time with them around, because I simply melt them together, I dont heat them. So all I have to do is pour my lye into my soap and mix to trace, which takes less than 15 minutes usually. I mix the water into my oils in the mudroom, then bring it into the kitchen to stick blend it and pour it.

Waiting isnt hard once you get into the swing of it... seems like I make a batch every week or so, which means there is a batch cured every week! some soaps take only 3-4 weeks, some take longer. My castile takes 4-6 months but its worth it I think if you are interested in it its worth giving it a shot and just seeing if you even enjoy it!

PS.. top of the fridge is a great place to cure soap and a great "up high" place to store supplies as long as the kids know not to ever touch it.

[msalex28a]

I feel the same way. I have an 8 year old and a 3 year old. My eldest one I am not worried about its my youngest one. I'd have to store everything in the basement for him not to get into it. I really want to learn too but I'm waiting until I take a soaping class on the 16th. I can't wait.

[whisks]

i don't think homemade is any cheaper than bought commercial soap, but it is so much nice to use and i agree that it is funner. if cost is an issue, don't use colour or fragrance as they can really add to the cost of the soap.

i really recommend that you do the soaping once you hve the little ones settled in bed at night. have your oils measured in a pot to melt and have your lye mixed, cooled and safely set away. line your moulds if you need to as well. once the children are settled, you can make the soap. making the soap at night is also good if you are impatient - it give the soap time to set when you are asleep!

good luck.

[Kitn]

I think it depends how much the M&P costs to make per bar , cp ranges from 50 cents to a$1.50 a bar , depends which oils you use.

[sudsnwicks]

If you could get your MP base in larger quantities, you might also be able to cut down on the cost per bar that way.

[thecandlespastore]

I buy my lye in 400 lbs quantities at a time. That is how much lye you can find around here on any given day. I go through it fast. And I have a 6 and a 4 year old (and a rather curious cat who may have been a dog in his past life.)

Might sound like a nightmare, but its all about being responsible. I have never worried about having that much lye in the house, because I know how to store it. Find yourself a bucket that has a top that you need power to open (like the 50 lbs buckets coconut comes in from soapers choice.) Pour your lye in that and the kids wont be able to open it even if they tried. I cant even open it without breaking a sweat and a few fingernails. And its not kept in the main part of the house.

I keep them out of my soap making area, and they learned at an early age not to come in the workshop anyway. I never leave my lye mixes unattended, not even for a minute. Never make soap if there is the slightest possibility of being disturned by a child or a boo boo or whatever.

We mostly soap during the day when they are in school or at night after they have gone to bed. We premix all of our lye and keep it locked in the garage. We can usually pour 120 bars in 10 minutes with everything pre-measured. We have never had any incidences with lye.

I think CP is much funner to make, and it feels good combining things and watching it metamorphose into something else that you created from scratch.

Edited January 8, 2010 by thecandlespastore