ooh, little tip from another relative newbie to soapmaking...

Buy a small mould.  I made the mistake of investing in a 2kg wooden mould and have made more soap than I can handlle especially as I'm not certified to sell yet.  Unless i give it away, it has nowhere to go.  I've just gone out and bought a 500g mould now so that I can make small batches and have less waste.

Hello Lynnie, welcome to the forum (we do like to regard ourselves as the Friendly Forum).

You've had lots of good advice already - but if you get stuck give a shout and someone will probably have a solution.

Hello and welcome.

Hi Lynnie,

A very warm welcome to the forum.  I must say, I think you write sooo nicely.  Really clear and expressive - I can almost hear and see you speaking  :mwaha:

I am not a soaper, so won't be of much use with the technicalities, but I do enjoy riding along with people that are starting from brand new and following the way they develop and become more and more experienced. 


Ah hum.....  Pics is pics, innit    Whatever and however they turn out, it is all part of the journey and there's no judgment - there's beauty in every product (even those in the croap gallery - well, ok... maybe that's pushing it, but they do give us a giggle at least  :mwaha:).

Anyway... its good to have you here  :buttrf:

omigoodness helen, i didn't realise that you do not soap...

She tells a little porky, she doesn't soap on a regular basis but has soaped.

Yup.... AND made a great contribution to the croap gallery 

 :mwaha:  well, we all need to learn what NOT to do  :mwaha:

Haha! I'm sure I'll hit on everything not to do! I just love you all so much already! Thank you for being so nice! This is such a special experience for me! It really is! I'm so grateful!

On the subject of British mastery of the language:


"Innit" was the first new word I learned here...

I learned French growing up but being from the West Coast there weren't many native speakers around so I never got really good at it. 

Ohhh. Hmmm. Um... What does Innit mean? 

Hello Lynnie from another from North America - I am Canadian though :mwaha:

I've been on a lot of forums and this is the warmest, most friendly and helpful that I've ever come across.  People here love to help and share so you've come to the right place.

Now for your lye - there are several US suppliers that sell lye as well as other goodies that you will so want.  Start simple with your recipes and always run any recipe you are given through a soap calculator (http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp).  Don't be afraid to post questions, because we all remember starting and how complicated it can seem.

You are going to have different regulations that the people here or in Canada, however, if you learn the EU reg and use them, you will be a far better soapmaker for it as well as more responsible.

I agree with finding yourself a smallish mold and there are lots available on the USA sites.  Look up Brambleberry, Wholesale Supplies Plus and well a whole bunch more.  You are fortunate in the variety of suppliers you have.  For fragrance you can check out Nature's Garden.

Have fun and I'm looking forward to getting to know you.

Cheers

Hi and a BIG welcome Lynnie, you'll love it here    :buttrf:   

I started by making 500gr batches, only because I can't afford to waste too much if it goes wrong..

I'm so jealous that you can get things from BrambleBerry pretty easily....

Enjoy the learning experience (I'm not sure it stops...) and don't forget to take notes as you go along..

Theresa

Welcome! 

Lindy, someday I'd love to visit Canada and take pictures! I've heard it's absolutely beautiful, but I haven't seen many pictures of it. It wouldn't be a long trip from here, though. I'd be a fool if I didn't go!

I'm home, nursing a sick husband today, otherwise I'd be out on a quest for lye. But, you know, The Man Cold is a serious bug, and it requires a lot of attention. Hah!

I was thinking of getting a small loaf mold from Brambleberry, because I've read how everyone tries new recipes that way. I'd have my husband build one, but he's not handy, darn it. And I agree that, if I learn everything from this board, I'll be a much better soaper for it. I feel for anyone that has to deal with government regulations. Ugh!

Thanks so much for the tips. I appreciate them so much! I'm looking forward to getting to know you, too!