Teach Soap

I am very new to soapmaking. I have never made soap yet. I am planning on ordering my stuff but have NO CLUE what all I will need. Can someone tell me a list of things I need to have to start making soap? Also, is it weird that I am so excited about making a bar of soap? I want to talk about it to everyone and most people aren't that interested. I am so glad to find some friends who "get it."

Hi there! Welcome! I'm fairly new to making soap, but i LOVE it!!

I'm guessing you're going to make Melt and Pour soap, since you've never made soap before...so...

this is what I use on a regular basis:

double boiler (or if you want to use a microwave, then a glass measuring cup works)
glass measuring cup
big plastic spoon (or metal, etc. I got mine at the dollar store for a pack of 3, and it allegedly is designed to withstand high heat)
metal measuring spoons (1/8, 1/4, 1/2 and 1 tsp are the ones I use the most)
Melt and pour soap base - your choice (I get mine from BrambleBerry, and there's a lot of choices)
colorant (any color you want)
Fragrance oil (you pick)
pipette (to measure out the fragrance oil)
small spray bottle with alcohol (helpful to destroy the tiny bubbles that form on top of the soap)
soap molds (you pick the shape)
saran wrap (or shrink wrap, cellophane, etc. to wrap up your soaps once they have hardened)

I hope that helps! Feel free to PM me if you ever want to talk about soaps, I'm always happy to talk about how much I love making soap!

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, BrambleBerry (BB) has an excellent sampler kit of soap bases: http://www.brambleberry.com/A-Melt-And- ... P4280.aspx

It was one of the first soap bases I bought and it was good for me to see how the different soap bases behaved, and also what kinds of soap bases I liked. One of my favorites is the Aloe soap base, and I never would have bought it to try on its own, so I am very glad I went with the sampler first! It's 1 pound of each base, so you get to make a bunch of soaps with each type of soap base.

I would also add to that list a digital scale. One that measures in grams and ounces to the 3rd digit would be better. A digital scale will make your measurements much more accurate.
Welcome to the forums! Good luck with your 1st batch! You'll soon be just as addicted to soaping as the rest of us!

Denise

ps
You might want to get a notebook or some other method of recording all of your recipes and results. I would record every step. It makes replicating your results or determining what mistakes you've made in future batches much easier.

Welcome!
Looks like the rest has already been covered. When you're ready for CP let me know.

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