Safety, Research and School

*waves* Hey y'all! Hope everyone is doing ok, and all of my East Coast readers are ok after the terror that was Hurricane Irene plowed through. We didn't get much here in my local area, thankfully just a little wind and some light drizzle. It wasn't until the next day that we actually had some severe weather come through and tear apart some trees. I wasn't able to get any pictures while the storm was going on, a good picture isn't worth risking my safety for, especially not when the storm is directly above us. Safety is an important thing, whether it's storm related or in making soap, but unfortunately some do not take the same amount of care with soapmaking as they do with impending severe weather. In saying that I would like to share what came through one of the email lists that I am on. 

There was a lady completely new to soapmaking, who found a recipe online for making homemade soap and had a terrible experience with it. The recipe called for 3 cups of olive oil, the same amount of cold water, and 3/4 cup of lye. She was attempting to make liquid castile soap mind you, and this was a cold process recipe. She didn't allow the lye water to cool so it was extremely hot when she added it to the oil which was room temperature. She stated that she then added 5 pounds (9 cups) of boiling water to the traced soap mixture, and let it sit overnight. She added the recipe claimed that the soap would absorb into the water by morning. Upon checking in the morning all of the liquid had separated, and there was hard matter on top. She commented that both the liquid and hard matter stung and burned which isn't a surprise there.

She provided a website that she got the recipe from, and I looked through the recipe. I'm not going to provide the web link here and give them any sort of traffic because there is too much misinformation on that site. One such thing was recommending making lye water in a standard glass bowl, which is highly dangerous.  Anyhow, there are several things wrong with what she did. Her major mistake though was that she never took the time to do research before doing her first batch of soap. She just attempted to do the very first recipe she found , and based on the recipe she showed us she used, she skipped some key parts. So even if the recipe would have been a good one, she probably would have had a flopped batch anyway.

This isn't to say that there isn't a soapmaker out there that hasn't had their flopped batches regardless of whether they are adept at soapmaking or not. Mistakes can happen, and sometimes some of the best recipes can flop for a variety of reasons. You learn from research, and experience though. Yes I know it is exciting to make soap, it is better for your skin, cheaper in the long run and vastly better for you than the store bought commercialized brands. However it is never ever wise to jump into it head first. To do that is no different than playing in traffic on a busy highway. Please, I implore you, don't do the very first recipe you find online, read some books on this topic, and do a ton of research before you decide to work with any recipes containing lye. Please please please, start with the basics because you have to learn to crawl before you can walk. I also want to remind everyone that it is always best to weigh out your oils, water and lye on a digital scale instead of using measuring cup amounts, that way you have the correct amount of your ingredients. You run the risk of not having enough oil and way too much lye if your weights are not correct. Ok, I'm done with my soapbox *giggles* for today, I wanted to share something for those of my readers who don't know...

I enrolled into College a couple of weeks ago, and was accepted. My financial aid came through and my classes start mid September. I am excited!! I am going for my BA of Art's in English! You may wonder when will I have time for my soapmaking escapades? I have two wonderful words for you: Time Management!!! lol
Nothing will change with my soapmaking though so don't worry. I am actually getting ready to order more oils and fragrances that I need because I have so little left, so stay tuned for another chapter in my soapmaking journey. :)
Well folks, it's late here and I am tired!! Will post again soon! Goodnight!
Suds & Bubbles,
Soapy