The journey so far...

*waves* Hey y'all!! Hope this finds everyone doing great! It's been a bit since I have written, but of course as usual I have been busy as a bee. Not just because of schoolwork, but because I have been soaping like crazy to get ready for the major flea market event that I will be selling at the end of this month. I am also gearing up to officially open my online store. Last night I made a double batch of hot process soap that didn't go the way that I planned, so I have put it aside to shred. I plan to use it for laundry soap. So that got me to thinking about the mishaps (sometimes comical) that I have had when soaping. I thought I would share what I have learned thus far on this journey.

1) Wear gloves when you are doing soap dishes after making cold process soap. Raw soap batter under the nails hurts like the dickens!

2) You really shouldn't wear flip flops when your working with your lye liquid. The possibilities of accidentally splashing lye mixture on your foot are endless!

3) Be careful how hard you slam the mold down to get air pockets out of your soap batter, especially if it's hot process soap as to avoid accidentally waxing a portion of your eyebrow. I am exaggerating a bit about the waxed eyebrow, but it sure felt like it!

4) Make small batches when you are trying anything new until you get a feel of it. Just because it works right in your head, doesn't mean that it will on paper...err in a mold rather. ;)

5) Milk superheats...like crazy!

6) Goats milk smells to high heaven when you add lye to it, especially if you don't freeze the goats milk that you plan to use. However that smell will fade away.

7) If you freeze the other liquid that you use for your soap, the lye fumes are almost nonexistent.

8) Tis better to gel, than not to gel...unless it is a goat's milk based soap. Some folks will argue with that though. It's just been my experience anyway.

9) It is possible for your soap to not turn brown or beige when using goat's milk if you keep the temps low when making your mixture.

10) Fold in your herbal or exfoliant additives to your soap batter after you reach a thick trace, otherwise everything falls to the bottom.

11) Sodium Lactate can either be your best friend, or worst enemy in both cold and hot process soapmaking.

12) Give a new technique or method of soapmaking a chance. Just because it's different than what you're used to doesn't mean it won't work for you or isn't worth your time.

13) Ylang-Ylang EO smells horrible in cold process soap after cure time is up. It turns into a wet diaper smell. I had to chuck 3 pounds of soap after gagging and almost passing out.

14) If you use any type of tea for your lye mixture, it will darken the entire batch of soap. Don't bother using colorants unless its to try to lighten it.

15) Using shredded soap to top your loaf of soap really isn't as cute as you think it may be and most will fall off anyway.

16) Embeds need to be soft and in some cases damp when you put them in soap, otherwise they won't stick.

17) Using coffee in soap turns the soap a dark color...there is no need to use colorant thinking that the soap will be too creamy and light without the color.

18) Not every soap has to have a textured top in order to be pretty.

19) Glitter is a pain in the butt, and not everyone wants that on their soap!

20) A little goes a long way.

21) It  is better to spoon out the powdered colorant that you need for your soap, instead of thinking that you can sprinkle from the bag without an accident.

22) Keep detailed notes and logs of every batch of soap.

23) The fragrance that you use can be what can turn your well made plans into a "hot mess that you have to glop into the mold" and hope for the best. Most suppliers have details about how the fragrance reacts in cold process soap...read it! If you are unsure about it, test in a small batch. One important thing to note: Be sure that the fragrance is safe for soap.

(gosh I sure have been learning alot haven't I?)


24) Not all suppliers are created equal, so do your research. If there are a ton of soapers that have had problems with a supplier, you will likely not be the exception to the rule. It isn't worth the risk because the prices are lower than other suppliers.

25) It is worth a few extra bucks for quality ingredients and supplies.

26) Not every batch of soap you do will be perfect or a success. Things do happen. Even the most experienced soap maker has the occasional soap mishap and failed batch, so don't give up. You learn, you grow, and you move on to the next batch of soap!

So those are some things just off the top of my head right now. I am sure that I will be adding to that list as time goes on. I will be posting pictures soon...but for now it is time for me to get back to soaping! Have a great weekend folks, and check back soon!

Suds & Bubbles,
Soapy