Fresholi | Melting Pot Café

Hi everyone! My name is Lynn, but my friends call me Lynnie.  I live in Idaho with my husband and our 21 year-old tabby cat, Chewkie.

Years ago, My husband's niece was into soaping, and she used to send us soap when we lived in California. I fell in love with it! I was spoiled for a couple of years, there. Then she and her husband started a family, and her soaping went out the window. I thought about taking it up at the time, but we owned a business and our life was crazy.

Now, though, my husband is very close to retirement. Months. And I'm getting nervous. I'd like to get into making my own soap, and if it goes well, maybe even make a little money on the side.

I've been lurking for a little over a week, and I've never seen a better group of people in a forum! I'm amazed at how nice everyone is, and how much you encourage and help each other! It's so refreshing! I like you all, already! It's so much fun to read your messages. I can just hear your accents! Hah! It's great! You do use words I've never heard before, though. Sometimes I sit there, confused, trying to figure out what you mean.  : )

I haven't made any soap, yet. I went out to get lye yesterday, and came up empty. Why? Because I guess it's the main ingredient in crystal meth! I had no idea! Wow! They're really messing things up for us. First it was certain OTC drugs, and now lye? Sheesh! I'm hoping Lowe's will carry it. Once I do get everything together and make my first small batch, I will take pictures, because i've learned it's the number one thing around here!

One thing I'm wondering -- well, really. There are sooooo many things I'm wondering, but they can wait until I get my feet wet -- is what a normal batch is for most of you? I want to make lots of soap. We've got kids and grandkids nearby, and I'll need testers. But I'm wondering what size molds I should get. I want to make loaves. Wow, i've seen such beautiful soap here! Gorgeous!

I just thought I'd drop in and introduce myself. I'm so excited about learning. Thank you so much for creating this magical place! I feel very privileged to be able to join in and learn from you!

Welcome Lynn. The kindness and support on this forum impresses me as well. When I started making soap I used a tupperware-type mold and I could make 12 soaps at a time. You will find out quickly that you will always have more soap than your family can use :)

Welcome! This really is the nicest forum around.

If you want to make lots of soap, but want to make it fairly often, maybe start with 1 kg (~2 pound) batches.  That will give you approximately 10 bars at a time, depending on how thick you cut them.  If you or your husband are handy with building things, you can easily build your own mold, it's cheaper and you get the size you want.

 :hi:

Thank you! Thank you both! I'm so excited!  :::jumping up and down:::

Welcome, Lynnie!  I'm Canadian but I've been here long enough that I use the English vocabulary (still have my accent, though!)...

You'll get the bug and the ensuing momentum soon enough and will want to try loads of different recipes, colours, textures, fragrances, etc.  So I'd start with pound batches if I were you.  Check out empty Pringles tubes for moulds- cheap, disposable and good for small batches-  then you can get going as you think about other moulds to use...

I just love accents! Thanks for the advice! I need all of it I can get! I want to learn fast, and get comfortable enough to do what everyone here does so well: make beautiful soap and make it look easy! I'm in awe of the talent I'm seeing!

 I probably need to have everyone teach me proper English, too! I've always envied the way the Brits speak. They have such a wide vocabulary, and they really put it to good use! So, do you speak French, then? 

Hi Lynnie and welcome.  :hi:
Just start simple with a basic formula and work/test from there. You can use so many things for moulds, I even used bleached out milk cartons when starting. Mostly just have fun while learning, enjoy the experience.

Eire

Thank you, Eire! Okay, I'll look around to see if I already have something lying around that I can use for a mold. But... It won't make for pretty pictures, will it? I want to put pretty things out there. Haha! I'm worried about image appeal!   :D

Hi Lynnie! Welcome!  :buttrf:

You have already learned the most important: we need love pics!   :mwaha:

Hi Lynnie! nice to have you here!  :buttrf:

Soap serves a function, not just eye candy, get the base right first. Understand the process, what trace is, gel versus non gel... If you add other ingredients (oil, butter etc...), know why and what it will bring to the soap. If you don't have a control batch (base), you can't keep track of improvements.
Start basic and build on it, don't rush it. It will really stand to you.
And good luck

Eire

Good advice, Eire. Okay. I'll do that. You're right. I'm serious about this, and I want to be good at it. Real good. Thank you.

Thank you, everyone! Eva?  Got it! I'll be good about pics! I'm so happy i found this forum!    :D

welcome :) Lynnie .
 I agree with the others best to walk before you run. ;)
im still amazed at just how much there is too learn when it comes to soap making! :o
i think ive had more disasters along the way than successes but its so so interesting
and im a sucker for a challenge  ;D
oh and you are in the right place if you want to learn,
 i cant tell you how much ive learned since being here
such a  warm and friendly bunch too   

Hi Lynnie, welcome!

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  ;D  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. :D

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

 :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 (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!  :hi:

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!

Essentially is means 'isn't it'.  It's a sort of slang but we tend to use it around here in fun (almost taking the mickyout of slang itself - I know, you may ask what 'taking the micky' means now  :mwaha:), a bit of lighthearted poke at slang.  It isn't used always to literally say 'isn't it' but (oh gosh, this is difficult to explain) sometimes used to sort of agree with someone else or even just your own opinion or to seek the opinion of someone else.  Not sure I am quite explaining this well enough (maybe someone has a better explanation) but I bet, after a few days around here, you'll kind of get the hang of it and you never know, it could rub off on you and before you know it, you'll have introduce a new word to the Idaho vocab.... innit  ;) :mwaha:

Hello there Lynnie and a very warm welcome.

I joined only a few weeks ago and absolutely love it - everyone is very helpful. I started soaping last Oct - and have now got a serious addiction!!!!! Eire gave excellent advice there earlier - I too started only with pound batches. This way you can see how each oil effects trace time, lather, texture - and really at the beginning that was more than enough to handle - then when the confidence builds up you will want to try all the other fabulous things you can do with soap!!! At the moment I cannot stop swirling!!! With colours - many colours!!!! Its experimentation - Then when they are made I cannot stop messing at them!!! Soaping is just such a fantastic hobby!!! You will not find anywhere else on one forum such wonderful talented and most of all friendly soapers, they all are an inspiration!!! Most important thing is to enjoy yourself!!!! Oh by the way I just used ice cream tubs for a mould at the beginning!!! :-* :buttrf:

Thank you, Helen! Oh, I'm probably going to drive you crazy asking what things mean! You did a great job of explaining. I think I understand! Yes, I'm going to have to introduce Idaho to this term! Haha! I live in redneck country. They'll look at me sideways. That's okay, though! I love it!   :D

Tanya, thanks! That's a huge help to know exactly why a one pound batch is good to start with! I had no idea why. I had wondered how you learned about the characteristics of the different oils. Now that you put it that way, I thought back on what Eire had said, and now I know what she meant! Yay!

Welcome to the best forum on the web Lynnie! I look forward to seeing pics of your future creations  :)

Lynnie I live on the west coast in an area called The Sunshine Coast and I love it here even though we are quite isolated and ferry locked.

If you are ordering from Brambleberry you can order lye from them too which will make life easier for you.  If you end up really getting into it - or should I say when - there are other companies in the US that you can order it in bulk as well as a lot of your oils and butters. 

In the beginning keep it really simple and you'll be amazed at how wonderful even they are.  My main recipe is only 4 oils and people go crazy over it. :buttrf:

Don't worry, they don't say too many things here that are babbelygook to our American ears (I am American, too!  I moved to Italy a few years ago).

And I know what you mean about the terrible Man Bug :).  Good luck on your lye quest when you can do it, and stick around!