I'm going to take the dive!!!

[rebeccajo99]

Well, after doing months/years of reading, researching, talking with my husband, and just getting over my nerves (for the most part) I'm going to try my hand at making soap from scratch (in about a month when we get back from vacation and my oldest starts school)!!! I have my recipe picked out from here and I decided that I'm going to do cphp for a couple reasons. Please correct me if I'm wrong on any of these reasons facts.

1. very little to no cure time. I don't have a lot of room to store curing soap, plus don't have the patience to sit and wait for it to cure 4 to 6 weeks Once I get my recipe down I'm going try cp to get the pretty swirls that I keep seeing, but I only have room for about 2 lbs of soap curing at a time.

2. Can keep it in my work room. I will only be soaping when my husband is home, my boys are gone or when they are sleeping. So I want to be able to lock the door and keep them out of my workroom until the soap is completed (so no stove top for the dbhp and I really don't want to occupy the 1 and only oven in my house for ohp)

3. I have to buy the least amount of new equipment. I already have an old crock pot, just need to get myself a stick blender and maybe some spoons.

So now here comes my questions on things that I couldn't find researching.

1. I have gloves that I use when I'm doing my m&p, lotion bars and tarts, but they are just standard non-latex gloves. Would those still be ok to use with the lye for protection or should I get thicker ones (either dish gloves or medical exam gloves)

2. I have those sylicon spatula's with the wood handle and some with a plastic handle. Would those work and be ok to use to mix the soap and/or lye/water mixture?

3. For those who order your oils online- where do you get them. I have not ventured to the health food store yet to check out prices and availablity, but want to check online stores as well and buy from whoever has the best price.

Sorry if this is actually answered somewhere and I just wasn't looking in the right spots. I'm getting excited to try it out.

[Faerywren]

Crock pot hp is awesome. It's my primary method of soaping, but I do a fair amount of cp, too. I use plastic spoons for mixing my lye water and to first incorporate my lye and oils. Silicone utensils work well, too.

Columbus Foods is a good place for getting bulk oils.

Edited August 6, 2010 by Faerywren

[candlemama]

Beware... you'll be hooked! I don't even know what to do with all the soap I've made the last few months...

Sounds like you already know this, but HP soaps should still have some curing. I've read everything from 7 days to 4 weeks. I cure mine about 4 weeks on racks and then put them away. But I do always grab a bar from a fresh HP batch to try out in the shower because I just can't wait. I'd do it with CP, too, if I wasn't afraid of burning my butt! :rolleyes2 I prefer oven HP to CPHP because I've never had to "stir down" my batter when using the oven to avoid a soap volcano, and I can just use my 8-quart glass measuring container or my stainless steel bowl. I still use my crock pot for food every now and then!

I use dishwashing gloves. I've read medical latex/non-latex type gloves would work, too. I like the dishwashing gloves because they are longer, and they protect you from heat which can be a plus. The downside is if you just want to do a quick check on temps by touching the outside of the container, you can't feel the heat with those gloves on.

I also use a silicone spoon for mixing my lye mixture. It has a stainless steel handle. Plastic, wood and silicone are all okay to use with lye. The lye will eventually eat through the wood over time.

I've gotten my oils from two places so far: Walmart and Ciabara. Walmart because it's easy, and Ciabara (sp?) because it's near my house, prices are good, and I can save on shipping. I have no complaints about either place. Walmart's a good place to start if you're not sure you'll like making soap because you can buy smaller quantities. Ciabara works out to be much cheaper pp of oil than Walmart, but you have to buy a minimum of 7lbs of each oil.

It's so much fun! Be sure to post pics of your first batch.

[lsbennis]

Yay! :yay:....its so much fun, I just started and have only done HP for now but this weekend I'm going to try CP.

Good luck and have fun with it!

[eugenia]

Crockpot HP is a great place to start. You will get to see all the stages in the process while making some nice soap.

Have fun!

e

[katinmo]

You're non-latex gloves will be just fine. I use nitrile. I worked in a lab for years and we used these for stuff worse than lye. I prefer them over dish gloves because they offer more dexterity. I feel like a clutz in those big ones!

I'm new to soaping too (and addicted for sure). I buy OO, coconut oil, and lard from Wal-Mart. I've only bought oils online from Brambleberry and was very happy with them. I will order from them again and will also try WSP or BCN. If I get real serious, I would love to order from Columbus Foods but most oils have 7lb minimum.

Have fun!

[gardengirl]

Good luck to you!!

[rebeccajo99]

Thanks. My lye should be here on Tuesday. I have all my safety equipment and oils sitting in my work room. Just picked up my stick blender today!!!