Teach Soap

Placed my BB order on 08/31, and I've been anxiously tracking my order with UPS in anticipation of my first foray into soaping! Due to the long Labor Day weekend, the ETA was yesterday (09/09). So I get home last night (actually left work early because I was so excited...yeah, I'm a dork, LOL!) to an empty front porch. Went online to check the status of my order and saw that my package had been damaged during shipping and was being returned to BB, and the new ETA was for today. Ok, so I'm thinking WOW, what great customer service that BB would overnight my replacement shipment, and I can still soap this weekend! YAY!!!
I work the evening hospital shift, so while I'm getting ready for work this afternoon, I'm looking out the window for a UPS truck. I see one go by without stopping, so I go to online tracking again and NOW I have an ETA for 09/16!!!
I called BB and while the rep was very nice, she told me that "Yeah, that happens sometimes...we'll re-ship your order today." I asked if it would be shipped on an expedited basis, since the order was already outside the 4-5 business day time-frame listed on the website. Nope...she said it will take another 4-5 business days. I said that this was unacceptable, and ONLY THEN did she offer to refund half my shipping charges. An apology for my inconvenience would have made me feel a little better, but none were offered.
I completely understand that experienced soapers who are just replenishing their supplies wouldn't be so upset if their shipment were delayed for an extra week...but as a newbie, I can't even begin my adventure without my BB order!
No soaping for me this weekend...BOOO!

Ugh, I remember waiting for my first order a couple of months ago. How horrible to have to wait nearly another week! I've been out of town so no soaping for me for two weeks. I can't wait to get back home and start my next batch.

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I feel for you.... but why wait? go to the grocery store, drug store or walmart, get some lard, olive oil, cocoa butter and castor oil, lye and distilled water. You can still soap this weekend! Its probably better to do no scent or color the first time out anyway. I just did a batch like this (except skipped the lard) for my infant grandson who has sensitive skin and some allergies already.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

I found cocoa butter at the health food store. I'm pretty sure if you really want to soap now, you can find soap oils in your grocery store and maybe lye in your hardware store. For a small batch like 1 lb. you can get a 1 oz. bottle of essential oil in th health food store as well. It will be pricey though.

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

The main item I'm waiting on is the palm oil; I looked everywhere for this stuff to no avail!
I did order cocoa butter from BB as well, just to be sure I had the best quality for soapmaking when I feel comfortable enough to
move on to my first advanced recipe.
However, I did run across a product that claims to be 100% cocoa butter at our local grocery store. It's a little 1oz tube with a hard cylinder of the cocoa butter inside for $1.12. The brand name is (I think) Queen Helene. It smells good...like chocolate! I took it to the counter and asked if it was really 100% CB, and was told that it was, and that it was also sold in all the little discount stores like Family Dollar and Dollar General for 99 cents, so it's about the same cost as BB, but no shipping fee.
Anyone familiar with this product? I plan to give it a try after I get some batches under my belt, but as a beginner I just didn't want to mess around with "unknown variables", LOL!
Everyone please send good vibes my way that UPS doesn't screw up again and MAYBE I can soap next weekend! Fingers crossed...

I've seen those 1 oz. tubes of cocoa butter. If you want to try it, I think you will be fine. Good mojo that your package arrives soon.

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

Our Whole Foods has organic shortening that is palm oil. I couldn't locate any local lye. Everything else I could probably find locally.

Good luck...it will be the first of many shipments:-)

Hi, I found cocoa butter at a health food store and a drug store. I'm wondering if the only difference would be that it has the smell of chocolate. Mine also smelled of chocolate but it did not come thru in the soap. I remember reading a post here that someone used chocolate from the grocery store to color and scent the soap. My lye I get at Menards. Sometimes I try to use what I can find here until I am ready to put in a larger order with BB.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

The smell of cocoa butter doesn't usually come through. I've tried it as high as 20% of my recipe and once cured, it smelled like a nice soap, but no chocolate smell.

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

I have made HP soap without palm oil and it has come out the same as CP, it's just made differently, but with the same results. It can be made without palm oil. I went to Walmart and have bought olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil and used just these three oils. As far as the lye, I get the lye from Ace hardware, you can either order it online for 12 pounds and free shipping, or go to the store and pay $4.00 per pound. As far as the cocoa butter, I would think that the tube is just as good if it does indedd state that it's 100% cocoa butter, but if you want, you can buy shea butter from a health food store.