Teach Soap

I made my first batch of *real* soap yesterday (using lye instead of melt-and-pour). Lots of lessons learned:

**Rosemary EO has a low flash point of 113 degrees which makes it difficult to use for new soap makers. By the time the soap cools to the required temperature, it is very difficult to get into the molds and smooth out because it has already begun to harden.

**It would be very handy to have a spray bottle of white vinegar handy in case any lye-water splashes. I only had a teeny drop splash onto my sleeve, but it was enough to scare me. I did have a gigantic bottle of vinegar nearby but it was awkward to handle one-handed.

**If you are adding clay to your soap, it really does help to heat up a tablespoon of olive oil and add it to the clay in a small dish to dissolve it. It made it dissolve very easily and blended very easily with the soap.

**If a batch of soap doesn't turn out looking like one expected (read: it is very "rustic" looking), you just change the name from French Clay soap to RUSTIC French Clay soap lol.

Happy soaping

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BrookeLynn

"Courage is being scared to death, and saddling up anyway."

Wow - you did a lot of stuff for your first batch! I try to advise new CP'ers to do a simple uncolored, unscented batch to get a feel for the process before jumping into more complicated recipes - definitely lowers the stress level!

If you get lye solution on you, rinse the area well with lots of cold water cold water. Putting vinegar on an area of lye can actually make it hotter. Vinegar is good to neutralize spills, but not so good if you get lye on your skin.

You can use low flashpoint oils at higher temps (110-115). The flashpoint is mainly used for shipping purposes.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

I haven't used vinegar in decades. It's really better to use lots and lots of water. Vinegar and lye create an exothermic reaction, which increases heat. That could burn your skin more. Good luck on your next batch.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

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BrookeLynn

"Courage is being scared to death, and saddling up anyway."

I just rinse my lye container & mixing spoon with fresh water and let them air dry. If you use soap in it you can get little floaties.

I leave my gloves on and wash everything with Dawn dish soap and very hot water as soon as I'm finished soaping. I don't use vinegar at all. When I'm done, I remove my gloves and let them air dry.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

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BrookeLynn

"Courage is being scared to death, and saddling up anyway."

Hrm, I've never had a soap get "hard" from cooling down for an EO! Mine is routinely at ~65*F and still nice and liquidy! Maybe your recipe is just better at high temperatures?

As for the lye, use cold water. Like Irena said vinegar + lye = heat. Lye + cold running water = no more lye.

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

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BrookeLynn

"Courage is being scared to death, and saddling up anyway."

I got confused. Did you do HP or CP? I'd get comfortable with CP first so you're comfortable with the process. Sounds like you cooked off your Rosemary eo then. In HP, you can let the cooked soap cool a bit before adding scents but will still have to watch the flashpoints. Wasted some Bergamot eo to learn that.

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Linda

I learn so much when I can't leave well enough alone!

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BrookeLynn

"Courage is being scared to death, and saddling up anyway."

OHHH HP! I thought you were doing CP! Yes then, Rosemary is hard to use in HP! I would use a rosemary FO rather than the EO in HP.

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist