Teach Soap

Hello I am new to the Teach Soap forum and I have been making MP soap for a couple of years and now that I have watched enough videos of how to safely use lye, I feel ready to try my first batch of CP soap. My ? is does FO & EO have a shelf life I have quite a bit of it and I have kept it in a cool dark place for the last few years. Do you think it is still ok ?

Second ? What would be the best oils and butters to start out with as a beginner. I want good bubbles lather moisturizing and cleansing.

3 ? I have heard that red devil lye is no longer available if so what is my alternative for a local hardware store?

4? what size soap form should I use and what is preferred by most ... wood or poly and what size for beginning , I would like a loaf !

I will apologize in advance for being so verbose, I am so excited to start this process. I have so many more questions but I thought I would let you breathe in between my rants I have ordered 3 books everything soap making and 2 others.
TIA

I've never had any FO's or EO's go bad, even after years & years of non-use, but I've been told that if they do go bad, you can tell by the smell.

As or the right oils/butters, you're going to get a lot of different answers. I highly recommend this chart:
https://summerbeemeadow.com/content/pro ... aking-oils
Then find the oils/butters that sound good to you and play around with them a bit in SoapCalc http://www.soapcalc.net to get a balance that sounds good to you.

I use Roebic lye from Ace Hardware. Just make sure your lye says 100% lye.

For a mold, I prefer anything flexible. When I first started out I bought drawer organizers from The Dollar Tree
http://www.dollartree.com/Plastic-Drawe ... /index.pro
They work great & were super cheap.

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Genny

I answered your questions where you posted in the Welcome thread. viewtopic.php?f=7&t=11687

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

Sorry, but I beg to differ, YES, eo's have a shelf life, and they need to be stored correctly to extend that life. They need the excess air space removed, so when you buy a 4 oz bottle, and you use 2 oz, you need to change to a smaller bottle. The temperatures need to be stable and not fluctuate a lot, they need to be kept from direct sunlight as well. They are better when store in the cold, but you don't have to, that just extends the shelf life.

The therapeutic value of essential oils degrade as the oil ages (with the exception of a couple of oils). This is a proven fact. Read Robert Tisserand's books or blog to get more info on this subject!
Given the fact that fo's are synthetic, I am sure their shelf life is long-lived, but they probably expire at some point as well.

I suggest using food grade lye from a supplier instead of any drain cleanser. It is pure and you know what percentage of lye you are getting, therefore you have consistency. This is my opinion, but that is what I suggest. If you do use an off the shelf drain cleanser, make sure that the bottle says 100% lye, with no additives and check the ingredient label because some say one thing on the front and another on the label.

Welcome, to soaping! You are off to a great start, have fun reading, watching videos and learning!

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Remember, it's not just that we weather the storm, but how we dance in the rain.

Tammy

Thank you Lavenderlady , I really appreciate your help. I was not sure if many people were going to respond because they are so busy soaping I am very excited to start soaping. I will check out the resource you advised I posted a ? about utensils on FO & EO Forum maybe you could give me your preference on that subject if you have time. Thank you soooo much for you help.

Hoitylieu

I agree with SoapBuddy, I like silicone spatulas, a stainless steel whisk and I use a large plastic pitcher to mix my soap batter in. I use plastic stick blenders since my ss one finally blew up and so far, so good. It is a heavy plastic and I have not had any melting issues, even when I made liquid and hp soap. I loved my ss shaft stick blender, but I can buy several of the plastic ones for what I paid for my old one. One thing though, I have one that has a removable blending end and one that does not come apart, I much prefer the one that has the removable shaft. It is easier to clean and it actually cost me less than the other one!

Irena also gave you some other recommendations for additional equipment, I am not sure if she mentioned a digital scale or not, but that is pretty important too. One that tares to 0 is easiest and one that measures in grams (and kilograms if you are ever planning on expanding to lotions and such) is best. Some extra batteries for it too, if it is not electric, as they always go out when you are in the middle of mixing a batch.

happy shopping & good luck!

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Remember, it's not just that we weather the storm, but how we dance in the rain.

Tammy