New to soap making. Not sure what to do?

[soylights]

I bought a bar of soap at a craft show a while back that was oatmeal and shea butter with lemon lavender....WOW! I loved it and knew instantly I wanted to try to make my own. I bought some oatmeal soap and shea butter from at wix end today but it didn't come with any directions? It just says not to heat it too fast or the oatmeal will smell nasty.

I don't even know where to begin and I have lots of questions:

Can I melt this in a Presto Pot? I notice a lot of people heat in microwave? If so what temp?

How much Shea butter do I add and when?

When to add and how much FO?

Can I use muffin molds?

How long is cure time?

Sorry to ask so much.

Thanks You! I'm excited!

[soylights]

I melted in Microwave for 30 seconds two times then 10 seconds 3 or 4 more times. I added 3% shea butter and melted another 10 seconds. I took soap out of microwave and added 1 oz of Cool Citrus Basil. So far it smells really good.

I'm not sure how it will turn out but I'm excited to try it in the morning!

[soylights]

I couldn't wait so I took my shower tonight. The soap smelled wonderful and had nice lather but my hands are really dry.

I used oatmeal base and the shea butter was also a base. Should I use pure shea butter additive instead?

Could I do the Shea Butter by itself and just add FO?

[prairieannie]

I couldn't wait so I took my shower tonight. The soap smelled wonderful and had nice lather but my hands are really dry.

I used oatmeal base and the shea butter was also a base. Should I use pure shea butter additive instead?

Could I do the Shea Butter by itself and just add FO?

You can do lots of different things to add moisture to your soap. I love to add goat's milk. It loves your skin and does a lot for the dryness that MP soap tends to have. I always add my butters to the soap base rather than use the bases that come with things already added. It gives you a little more control over how much you want in your soap. NOW, keep in mind that many things will affect your lather, so this can be a game of balancing...

I like to use liquid fragrance free soap to increase the bubbles and lather in my bars when I add extras like shea and cocoa butter to the mix. The goat's milk will make your lather very creamy.. but may compromise the bubbles, so this is where the liquid soap comes in handy.

It's always nice to stick something in that will help to make a harder bar of soap as well. I like to use bees wax, but there are other things that will help also including cocoa butter, and olive oil.

There is a good thread in this section that will give you some ideas for additives.. how much to use (to give you an idea of where to start) and the qualities that each additive is known to bring to your soap bars.

I'll go see if I can find it.

A good MP soap base will allow you to push it to the limits and then some with additives! It's fun to experiment!

To answer your last question up there.. yes, you can certainly just use any of the MP soap bases alone and just add a fragrance oil. That was the whole idea for MP soap I suppose when it originated!

[prairieannie]

Here's a link to that additive thread:

http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80353&highlight=soap+additive+list

[soylights]

So much great information Prairie! Thank You. I really like making soap last night and started researching more and more. I am off to coach a swim meet this morning but can't wait to get back home this afternoon to make my shea butter soap for hubby who has dry skin.

I love that I can add liquid soap for more bubbles. I would have never thought I could do that! I am so used to making candles and how temperamental soy wax is. I am in a different mind set from candle making so this is very refreshing! .

I was wondering if adding 1oz per pd of FO is too much? I had read that some people use only 1/2 oz per pound.

[DeAnna_EC]

i think it really depends on your fo..how strong it is, some of mine are super strong and i will only use 1/2 oz /lb some are on the lighter side so i will use 1oz/lb.

remember you can always use herbs and spices to naturally color your soaps.

its really like anything else you would make, experiment, experiment, test and test until you find what works for you.

and just plain have fun with it, if its not to your liking, melt it down again and try something different.

[Starr]

When I made MP w/Cool Citrus Basil I never used more then 1/2oz pp. If you like a REALLY strong scent though, try the 1oz and see how it works for you.

[Candybee]

I find that I only need 1-2 tbs FO per lb of base. Using more gets expensive real fast and limits the amount of other additives you may want to include. Also if you plan to start selling your soap too much FO can irritate some peoples sensitive skin. I have not found more than 1 or 2 FOs that didn't scent my finished soap well at 1-2 tbs per lb and some that scent well with only 1-2 tsp per lb. To me using more is wasteful and expensive.

I love adding castor oil to my soap. It adds a creamy texture to your soap and lather and makes your soap super moisturizing. I use 1/2 - 1 tsp per lb. of base.

Just like Prairieannie I buy a white base and use my own additives. I love adding goat's milk or coconut milk to my soaps to make them creamy and moisturizing. I also add my own honey, gm, and ground oatmeal to my base when I want an Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey soap.

Edited February 13, 2010 by Candybee