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my first soap


Jo Ann

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i kinda liked my raw homemade look of my soap. i mean the bottom and sides are smooth but the top is raw. kinda like it. i didn't have the right instrument to smooth is right before putting wax paper on it to cool.

out of 2#, i got 12 2.5x3.1.5 bars. sooo happy. can't wait to try the little ball i made from scrappings.

think i will work on designing a box for the bars.

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you are so right, i do have the bars curing. it didn't lather alot, but left me squeaky clean...LOL

unfortunately, the spelt flour i used for scrubbies didn't work, but made the soap look nice tho.

I can't wait to make my next batch but will research it alot first. especially colors from spice/herbs and stuff. I have mica, but i want natural colors, but then i may feel a bit free one day and the soap will be psychOdelic.LOL*super banana*

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Congratulations on your 1st batch. :yay::yay: You never forget your 1st batch.

From what I've read, soapwort does not produce a lot of lather either. To get more lather, you can use coconut oil or babassu oil. If you want to post a list of the oils and butters you have on hand, we can see if we can help you build a recipe that will lather better.

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thank you. I was thinking more of a gentler cleanser than coconut oil. acturally for myself, i don't need alot of bubbly. but i like the researching and experimenting part.

right now all i have on hand is olive, canola, coconut (76 degree) lard, and shortening. i read somewhere that chicken lard is better than pork lard. will have to check into that.

but as for soapwort, it can be toxic...which is a shame, cuz its all over my pasture, thought i had a good use for it. LOL

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thank you. I was thinking more of a gentler cleanser than coconut oil. acturally for myself, i don't need alot of bubbly. but i like the researching and experimenting part.

right now all i have on hand is olive, canola, coconut (76 degree) lard, and shortening. i read somewhere that chicken lard is better than pork lard. will have to check into that.

but as for soapwort, it can be toxic...which is a shame, cuz its all over my pasture, thought i had a good use for it. LOL

Based on what you have on hand, this is what I came up with. Don't forget to run it through the soap calc.

olive oil 40%

coconut oil 25%

lard 15%

shortening 10%

canola 10%

You can play with these and adjust the amounts you want using the soap calc. For example, you could decrease the co by 5% and maybe add amount to the lard or shortening, etc., plugging it in to the calc and see how it changes the soaps properties. Remember though, the numbers you get in the soap calc should only be used as a guideline. Soon you will know what the numbers are that you prefer for your soaps.

Or you can always make a salt bar using 100% coconut oil and salt from the store. You could also do a bar with 100% coconut and with a high superfat amount. I made one once with an SF of 25%. It was not drying like I thought it would be, had great lather but did not seem to last as long as one of my normal bars.

Or if you want a milder soap that might not have larger bubbles, you can go with:

90% olive oil

10% coconut oil

Have fun.

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thanx merideth. you can't help but have fun. i work with silver clay and dye fabrics. soap making and fabric dying is fun because if you goof, well the cost isn't that great, but when you goof with silver, well...you goofed...big time. sigh

i love to experiment so like dying fabric, soap making is right up my alley.

but with my jewelry making, now that more ppl are doing it...the good supplies have gotten expensive. pluse its a bit more difficult to see what i am doing now with out my magnifying headset on.

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