Teach Soap

I swear. I'm gone for an hour and look what happens. You guys turning newbies against me right off the bat. I'm going to start passing out noogies around here before it gets dark outside today.

Firstly. AmourSoap....you said nothing to offend or upset me. Some little mouse is out causing trouble again and disseminating personal information behind my back. And I'm not referring to my place of residence. I'm referring to something a little more personal. Celeste....I swear, you're number 1 on the noogie list.

And love2dostuff: I had to look up the word "konipshun". It's not in the dictionary so I turned to the "urban dictionary" and I see that you don't even spell it correctly. Aren't you ashamed that a non-native English speaker has a better command at American English slang than you? After I give you that noogie I'm going to give you a grammar lesson.

Amoursoap: Yes, I'm a little shocked. I live less than 30 minutes from you. That's why I was going to have the "konipshun". If you head east on I-40 about 20 minutes then turn south....I'm right there. No worries, nobody is invading specific territory around here. It's all good. Think of it this way.....I'm here to help. If Celeste wasn't such a stinker we could do a soaping tutorial at my place, or someplace neutral if you prefer. I'm married and not a stalker.....I'm not a stalker am I?

Now to answer your question....yes, there is a local place to buy bulk coconut oil in Durham but you can't pick it up. They will only ship and their shipping charges for a 5-gallon (it's the only size they sell) is $53....just for the shipping. I tried ordering from them once a while ago and they were so rude over the phone while making fun of my accent in the background speaking to one another. I refuse to order from them. Golden Barrel products (check the thread about coconut oil posted about 4 or 5 days ago) has the best prices for where you live.

Again....you'll do fine this evening. Don't stress about it.....it's quite enjoyable after you start.

Armoursoap - you sound like you are as worried as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs - just make your soap and come back and tell us how easy it was!

K. That is good to know. Thanks Supersoaper. Thought you lived in Pittsburgh from something I read here before. Hehe DaveW I forgot about the idioms. I think I lost some marbles over the last couple of hours! Thank you everyone for your help. I am getting ready to leave work and go home to make my first batch. Wish me luck!

Hi! I'm not sure if you've started or even finished your first batch but thin trace looks like a really thin pudding. Like when you whip it up a tiny strand will lay on top of the rest of the batch. It just gets thicker from there. Good luck!

Hi ArmourSoap, glad you are going to give it a try. You will be hooked after the first batch.
I am an old fashioned kind of girl, I like to whisk all my soaps. I have never used a stick blender ( mainly because my favourite blew up, and I've never seen one anywhere like the quality of the last, and Yes Supersoaper, it was Italian made, the best).
When I mix the oils and the lye & liquids together I mix thoroughly with the whisk, then set the oven timer for 10 minutes, then mix again for another minute, and depending on what I see, do it all again several times until I just see a very light trace, then knock the times in between to 5 minutes apart. When I finally get to the stage where I want it, I mix in whatever I'm adding, pour, then immediately write down in my soapbook, how long this batch took, how it looked and how far I took it before pouring, sometimes I like a very thick trace. I write every little detail that will help me get the right results the next time. Sometimes if I'm pushed for time, I look for the time it takes for each batch, as to which batch I'm going to make. It's important to keep records of all your batches for your sanity, more than anything.
Most of all, you will never remember all the hints that have been passed on, if you don't write it down.
Enjoy, Enjoy, Enjoy, it is a wonderful thing to do, and the results are absolutely amazing.