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New soaper needs help

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BOBBIEGREINER

Post subject: New soaper needs help

Posted: Thu May 01, 2014 1:55 pm

Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2014 4:39 am
Posts: 4

I'm a VERY nervous "newbie" to soap making so have many questions. I've made two batches of soap so far and am waiting 8 weeks before trying them out. One is a goat milk soap, the other made with palm oil and olive oil using Anne L Watson's recipes. They look really nice and I'm eager to make more but don't want to waste my supplies (on a tight budget)

Now I'm trying to make a mold from a cardboard box...measurements: L=9.75, W=7.25, H=2.75...searching online I found the formula for calculating volume and, if I'm correct, I need to come up with a recipe for 77.756 oz of oils...could anyone tell me if this is a correct number?

My other "burning" question concerns the oils I have on hand and what would be the best combination for a hard bar with lots of bubbles and moisturizing. Oils I have on hand are:
2 lbs veg shortening
1 lb organic cocoa butter
about 3/4 qt coconut oil
about 5/8 qt. palm oil
1 qt castor oil

I hope it's alright for me to ask these questions and would appreciate ANY advice you experienced soap makers could share with me...thanks in advance
Bobbie in chilly northern Minnesota

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ShaShea

Post subject: Re: New soaper needs help

Posted: Thu May 01, 2014 9:45 pm

Joined: Fri Apr 11, 2014 8:03 pm
Posts: 102
Location: North Carolina

Hi Bobbie! Welcome to the addiction as they say. Your calculations are correct. This is the link I use: . Those oils sound ok depending on the percentages you use them in your recipe. Check out soapcalc.com, their lye calculator also provides you with the qualities of your potential soap so you can get an idea of how it will come out.

_________________
Shanon
Woman, wife, mother, entrepreneur,etc, etc.
"....with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26
http://www.tousheabodyboutique.com

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BOBBIEGREINER

Post subject: Re: New soaper needs help

Posted: Fri May 02, 2014 12:38 pm

Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2014 4:39 am
Posts: 4

Hi Shanon...thank you so very much for your response!! I DO appreciate you taking the time to help...now I have another question...is the 77.76 oz just for the oils or for the whole recipe, including water?

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ShaShea

Post subject: Re: New soaper needs help

Posted: Fri May 02, 2014 7:56 pm

Joined: Fri Apr 11, 2014 8:03 pm
Posts: 102
Location: North Carolina

You're welcome! Yep the 77.76 is the amount of oils you'll need. Once you plug in that number & your desired superfat % into the lye calculator of your choice, it'll tell you how much water & lye you'll need. It's recommended when you first begin formulating your own recipes that you make small 1 or 2 lb batches. That way you don't waste too much of your supplies on a batch(es) that didn't come out as you'd like.

_________________
Shanon
Woman, wife, mother, entrepreneur,etc, etc.
"....with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26
http://www.tousheabodyboutique.com

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Mgrimm

Post subject: Re: New soaper needs help

Posted: Fri May 02, 2014 8:27 pm

Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2014 4:00 pm
Posts: 33

If I can make a suggestion, I would like to recommend making a smaller batch. You say you are a beginner on a budget, so if you make smaller batches, you can do more experimenting with different oil combinations and ratios without it costing you as much to find recipes you like. You don't want to go too small, but playing around with nice 2 or 3 lb batches let's you try more things while using less oil.

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BOBBIEGREINER

Post subject: Re: New soaper needs help

Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 3:55 am

Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2014 4:39 am
Posts: 4

Thank you both for your suggestions and comments

!!!!

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ShaShea

Post subject: Re: New soaper needs help

Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 8:56 am

Joined: Fri Apr 11, 2014 8:03 pm
Posts: 102
Location: North Carolina

You're so welcome! Happy soaping!

_________________
Shanon
Woman, wife, mother, entrepreneur,etc, etc.
"....with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26
http://www.tousheabodyboutique.com

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