Hello everyone!
I am very new to soaping. My first effort appears to be a CP success. Quite by LUCK because it sure wasn't skill. Many many hours of video tutorials and articles went it to it. I have about a month to cure - and so does that first batch of lavender essential oil and mint tea soap.
Lavender buds in the top 1/3 layer and sprinkled on top. Not too many brownies so far.
Some of my arts and crafts are successful, and some are not. I calculate that the shop has had my dreamy little Brother sewing/embroidery machine 15-20% of the time since I've owned it. Yeh - don't buy the demo. I do alterations and repairs as a side job and hoped to break into embroidery... sew disappointed. Lucky I never listed my old faithful standby machine.
I hope to be a successful hobbyist with soaping. I have already had an opportunity for growth with batches two and three... and four. I scrapped batches two and three because they wouldn't set up in the soap mold (DAYS went by). I thought it was because I had mixed lard with plant oils in the recipe. I was puzzling over batch four not setting up after skipping the lard and only going with plant/nut/seed oils, when I realized that I purchased the wrong kind of hydroxide. So I expanded my research and learned how to make liquid soap base out of batch four. Now I have a wonderful 32% superfatted liquid soap in a foamer out of batch four. I have re-ordered the correct hydroxide. It is due in later this week.
Then I'll re-try making the bar soap for my DH. When it's good to go, I'll be doing a little happy dance when the last of his Ivory is gone and he's using one of mine.
I really do like the performance of that liquid soap. I will eventually improve on this and DH won't be using the soft soap brand any more. He'll be using mine. Mmmmuuuuuwwwwaaahaaahaa
I look forward to many fun filled years of making my own soap and you know what, maybe I'll try some of those awesome looking bath bombs at some point. But for now, CP, HP, some liquid soaps, and while California is in a drought... I can do cute little (((micro bath bombs))) just for pedicures. Oh the guilt if I don't limit taking spa baths until the drought is over.
Cheers! Susiefreckleface /SFF