Any soap makers

[UmmSamiyah]

So, I am finally ready to buy lye to make soap.I am so excited! Where do you guys buy your ingredients from though? There are so many places. and I was going to do it in my kitchen...is that safe?

[jlpumkin]

Absolutely safe for your kitchen. My first time I was so covered in personal protective equipt I was afraid that the neighbors would send the hazmat crew over. I've mellowed now that I'm used to it - though still safe! I mix my lye under my exhaust fan bc it sucks the fumes straight out. I also make sure that my dh has dc w/ him in our rec room so there's no chance of them smelling, touching, etc. As for ingredients I buy from a number of sources mostly local - but I did my first ever batch from a kit that I bought at www.thesage.com I did that bc I didn't have a scale or really any items that I could dedicate to just soap.. it seemed like a safe, easy way to try it out. The lye & oils all come pre-measured with a handy little guide & personal protective equipt. Have fun!

[UmmSamiyah]

ooh, thank you. about how much all together did it cost for you to start? there is a sale at Snow Drift Farms for lye because I can't find it here. I was going to get the rest of my items on e-bay like heavy duty bowls, spoon and maybe the rubber gloves, and apron from a local store. geesh. even looking at it looks expensive. but I don't care! I am getting my first paycheck and I wanna splurge!

[jlpumkin]

Hmm... I sort of bought my stuff as I went along.. mostly from Goodwill... I now use (though you probably don't need it all)
2 ea 8 cup glass measuring bowls - 1 extra from my kitchen, 1 Goodwill $5
1 lg stainless steel stockpot - $20
3 spoons - 1 wooden, 1 metal, 1 scraper from my kitchen stash
1 stick blender (total luxury here you don't need it) - $9 sale somewhere
1 mold - $50 eBay (you could use anything)
1 postal scale - $5 garage sale
I think teachsoap.com has some lists and tips that I really found useful in the beginning.
Have fun!

[UmmSamiyah]

Originally Posted by jlpumkin

Hmm... I sort of bought my stuff as I went along.. mostly from Goodwill... I now use (though you probably don't need it all)
2 ea 8 cup glass measuring bowls - 1 extra from my kitchen, 1 Goodwill $5
1 lg stainless steel stockpot - $20
3 spoons - 1 wooden, 1 metal, 1 scraper from my kitchen stash
1 stick blender (total luxury here you don't need it) - $9 sale somewhere
1 mold - $50 eBay (you could use anything)
1 postal scale - $5 garage sale
I think teachsoap.com has some lists and tips that I really found useful in the beginning.
Have fun!

: What is the stock pot for? I saw some 50.00 melting pots, is that what you used the stock pot for?

[jlpumkin]

I make 5 - 12 pound batches. I melt, add lye, blend all in the same pot so I like a big one to contain any splashes.

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by UmmSamiyah

: What is the stock pot for? I saw some 50.00 melting pots, is that what you used the stock pot for?

A stock pot (NOT ALUMINUM!!!!!) is the only pot you need. You do not need a melting pot.

Some people who make a lot of melt and pour might like a melting pot as that would keep the soap melted down if they are doing some crafting with it.

With regular soaping you don't need it.

[roadfamily6now]

cool, I have been to scared to make it from scratch but I do buy the all natural bases and customize my own soaps.

Has anyone ever made lye from ash and water?

[jlpumkin]

I have not personally made lye, though I know our local Metro Park does... I think that may be a bit advanced for me.

[UmmSamiyah]

I didn't know you could make lye, I'd be a little scared of that..but I am just starting off anyways! Today, I am going to goodwill to see if I can get some supplies. I am so excited! What is a good recipe for baby soap? I was going to make castile soap but I wanted to keep my options open.

[jlpumkin]

In general I don't use soap on my babies, mine inherited sensitive skin from dh. However, Castile I believe is the best bet on young ones... A brief warning is that it takes longer to trace than other recipes. It's not too bad, but the first time I made it I kept wondering if I did something wrong.

[UmmSamiyah]

Mine are 4 and 5 and they get really dirty... what does tracing mean? Is that like curing?

[jlpumkin]

Trace is a very important part of the process. You'll want to make sure that you are really comfortable with every step before you start. I don't find that it lends itself to reading as you go. I really recommend googling for cold process soap making - there are some great sites that have written instructions and pictures of what these things look like. Have fun!

[3bees~1flower]

please check out www.millersoap.com before trying to make soap...great beginner site for learning the basic steps of soapmaking.

[UmmSamiyah]

okay thanks guys!

[Hannah]

I definately reccomend reading up on the subject and becoming familiar with the process.
I do cold process.
I use rubber gloves and lye from Lowes, a big stainless steel bowl, a stickblender from the thrift store ($3), A scale from target ($30) The scale will be the biggest investment, if you can splurge and you think you'll be making soap for a long time, look for a good quality scale. It needs to be digital and measure to the tenth of an ounce at least.
For soap molds, I use a 32oz small plastic square rubbermaid container. If you want to splurge there are a lot of choices for soap molds. Here is a link: www.uplandsoapfactory.com
I like brambleberry, camdengrey and libertynatural.com
There are also other random supplies you'll need, like a good spatula, spoons, eye mask, ect.