Soap Making Thread

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beaglady
beaglady Posts: 1,362 Member
in Chit-Chat
This thread is to talk about making handmade soap, to avoid a total hijack of a coconut oil thread in Food and Nutrition.

I've been making soap for 14 years, and used to sell it at craft shows and online. Now I just make soap for personal use, and for one annual event. Once I retire in a few years, I'll probably start selling again. For me, its mostly about fragrance.
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  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,028 Member
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    I LOVE your colours! My mom's been making it on and off over the years but now we're going into business (she makes 'em, I handle the paperwork and tech stuff). We tried a recipe with a few different oils like avocado, shea butter, a couple I can't remember and didn't like the end product. So we keep it to coconut and olive oil and just play around with fragrances and colours. Just test-drove a cinnamon bun one and LOVE it. Sandalwood is another favourite of mine.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
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    MichelleSilverleaf wrote: »
    I LOVE your colours! My mom's been making it on and off over the years but now we're going into business (she makes 'em, I handle the paperwork and tech stuff). We tried a recipe with a few different oils like avocado, shea butter, a couple I can't remember and didn't like the end product. So we keep it to coconut and olive oil and just play around with fragrances and colours. Just test-drove a cinnamon bun one and LOVE it. Sandalwood is another favourite of mine.

    Check out Soapmakingforum.com, it's a really amazing community and more than happy to share tried-and-tested recipes.

    This is also a handy little reference for recipe formulation: http://www.lovinsoap.com/oils-chart/

    The key to formulating a great recipe is learning what different oils bring to the table and how to balance them together. For example, castor oil used at 5-10% makes a noticeable difference in lather stability, while using more than that can result in a bar that's too sticky and soft. Coconut oil makes soap more soluble and boosts bubbles and cleansing. Using too much can make your bars TOO soluble (they don't last long) and can be too skin-stripping.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    those are awesome looking (and i bet so much better for you too!)
  • beagletracks
    beagletracks Posts: 6,035 Member
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    @kace_kay :)
  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,028 Member
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    I think she's been frequenting a couple but I'll pass it on. This recipe she did get from a soapmaking site, she was looking for a bar that would be more sudsy but it didn't end up doing that. I do have a soapmaking program though that has recipe formulation in it as well so probably going to be testing that this year too.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
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    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    those are awesome looking (and i bet so much better for you too!)

    It is really awesome to be able to control what goes into your soap and formulate recipes that suit your own preferences. I used to spend tons on expensive facial cleansers, because store-bought syndet bars were always too harsh and heavily fragranced for my preferences. Now I just use my own soaps on my face and my skin loves it.
  • beaglady
    beaglady Posts: 1,362 Member
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    @Moon_Stone When I started making soap, there weren't really any online videos to watch. I got a lot of good advice from some experienced folks on a homesteading yahoo group I belonged to. (yes, I'm dating myself) Then I found some good basic recipes on a website and started playing. Soon I discovered online lye calculators and started formulating my own.

    @toxikon your soaps are beautiful. There seems to be a big surge in techniques for cool swirls and patterns since online videos have become popular. I'm planning to make a couple batches for my own use soon, which would be a good opportunity to play with new techniques.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
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    beaglady wrote: »
    @toxikon your soaps are beautiful. There seems to be a big surge in techniques for cool swirls and patterns since online videos have become popular. I'm planning to make a couple batches for my own use soon, which would be a good opportunity to play with new techniques.

    Thank you! There is definitely a lot of gorgeous soap inspiration out there these days. I like browsing Instagram for ideas.

  • eccomi_qui
    eccomi_qui Posts: 1,831 Member
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    I’d like to write the script for the spiritual successor of days of our lives
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
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    Moon_Stone wrote: »
    beaglady wrote: »
    @Moon_Stone When I started making soap, there weren't really any online videos to watch. I got a lot of good advice from some experienced folks on a homesteading yahoo group I belonged to. (yes, I'm dating myself) Then I found some good basic recipes on a website and started playing. Soon I discovered online lye calculators and started formulating my own.
    .

    Thank you. I look forward to following this thread. This is something I’d like to give a go. It sounds fun.

    It is a very satisfying hobby. You get to feel like a mad scientist and an artist! I'd recommend checking out the Soapmaking 101 videos on YouTube as a starting point. And if you need any recommendations or have questions please PM me! I love talking soap.
  • RWayne48
    RWayne48 Posts: 68 Member
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    Great timing on the thread - soap making as my creative project for this year and I've just started looking into sites.
  • poetic_cell
    poetic_cell Posts: 772 Member
    edited January 2018
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    @eccomi_qui wrote: »
    I’d like to write the script for the spiritual successor of days of our lives

    I made this for you cracker
    753d741f733789e8e5e0020d2b8022ed.jpg

  • SuzieC2003
    SuzieC2003 Posts: 54 Member
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    I used to make soap all the time. Absolutely loved it. I am hoping to get back into it soon!
  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,028 Member
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    This is some of ours curing in the racks, Lavender Buds on the bottom and Lemongrass Verbena on top (not the greatest pics):
    bb2mrw9zahk2.jpg
  • WorkerDrone83
    WorkerDrone83 Posts: 3,195 Member
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    prune_juice_ wrote: »
    I swear...everytime i see this thread i get excited thinking its the soup making thread and then i get a big letdown. haha

    Lol. I keep seeing "Stop making threats".
  • Just_J_Now
    Just_J_Now Posts: 9,551 Member
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    WorkerDrone83 wrote: »
    prune_juice_ wrote: »
    I swear...everytime i see this thread i get excited thinking its the soup making thread and then i get a big letdown. haha

    Lol. I keep seeing "Stop making threats".

    Lol. I keep seeing "Stop making threads" I thought it was for that troll dude that doesn't like short girls and wants to bang his cousin.

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