Teach Soap

I've got all my supplies and I received my order from Brambleberry a couple of days ago. And now I'm procrastinating. A combination of being a bit nervous about handling the lye and what recipe to use. Originally I was thinking of using the beginner recipe from the Soap Queen's Youtube channel - 8 ounces each of coconut oil, olive oil and palm oil. But I thought maybe I would add a little castor oil and either shea butter or cocoa butter.

So, what I'm think of trying is this (ran it through Soap Calc):

Coconut oil - 25% - 8 oz.
EV Olive oil - 30% - 9.6 oz.
Palm oil - 30% - 9.6 oz
Castor oil - 5% - 1.6 oz
Cocoa butter 10% - 3.2 oz

lye 4.4 oz
water 10.56 (33%)
7% superfat
An no fragrance with this first attempt.

Does anyone see anything glaringly wrong with this?

I know how you feel! I think you should stick to the beginner recipe-it makes a really nice soap. Once you get the hang of things, then change it up. It's less nerve-racking that way.

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

Looks like a great recipe to me!

If you're nervous, that's normal. I'd re-watch the 4 basic CP soap making videos from Soap Queen TV (the first video on lye safety is here: ). The only thing that caught me off guard with lye is the fumes it creates when you mix it with the water. You'll want to do this in a very well ventilated area and keep the mixing containers away from you as much as possible. First time I did it in the kitchen sink and the fumes came up and back at me. And I had a fan pointed at me with the window open. Now, I actually walk outside (my kitchen has an outside door) and mix it on top of the closed BBQ to take advantage of any breeze.

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Haven

Using the basic recipe first, no tweaks, will take some of the worry out of it. Review CP soap making on Soap Queen and review the recipe. Make sure you have your space, all the ingredients and the mold ready. Dive in! Keep great notes and ask any questions that come up. Everyone here will tell you how addictive soap making becomes.

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Linda

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