Teach Soap

Hi,

I am so glad to be here! I am preparing to make soap for the very first time and am getting all my supplies together. I have been reading about making soap for about 3 years now, but keep putting it off for pregnancies, and have a nice opportunity to do it now. I have Susan Miller Cavitch's book: [i]The Soapmaker's Companion.[i] I will be able to get a stand mixer for free and would prefer using it rather than hand stirring, but this is where I need help. The recommended size pan for hand-stirring is 8 qts. The mixer that I am getting has a stainless steel bowl that, although I do not know the exact size, I am quite certain is much smaller than 8 qts. I plan to use the Soap Essentials Bar II recipe, also from her book, and it makes 15- 4-oz. bars. Can anyone advise me on the size mixing bowl I would need? I don't think the volume of liquids will be too great ( a total of 1,985 grams), but I wonder about the sodium hydroxide (201 grams). Since I have never done this before I don't know if the reaction expands or gets bubbly or something that would require more room. Can anyone give me some starting advice?

Thank you so much. I look forward to learning a lot here!

Karen

Welcome!
A stand mixer will stir too much air into your soap. I would recommend getting a stick blender. Stirring by hand would take way too long. Take a look at Miller Soap for more reading up on soap. http://www.millersoap.com/#Soap Contents

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

Agree with Soapbuddy! Stick blender all the way!

Welcome to the Forum!

Thanks for the advice. I had considered the stick blender, but thought the stand mixer might be easier, and I already had it available. I did not consider the blender incorporating air though. So, the stick blender it will be! Thanks a bunch!

Karen

Hi and welcome to the world of soapmaking! Many moons ago (12 years) when I made my first soap I was a huge fan of Cavitch's books. I still find them full of helpful information. BUT, I wouldn't recommend her recipes for a beginner. It's not that they're difficult, but, they are too big. Start of with a recipe of 2 or 3 lbs. of oil. Cavitch's recipes have a very high lye discount. Way too high if you live in the south. You may very well get DOS before you can use up the soap. Try a small basic (unscented) recipe for your first batch. There are many easy-to-use online lye calculators that will help you figure out how much lye to use or create your own recipe. Good luck. you'll love it. Dottie

Hi,
This is my first time on a soap forum as well! Although I have been making soap at home as a hobby for over twenty years. Just don't give up, you will have your horrible batches where you will wonder where you went wrong but you will have plenty of wonderful batches that will inspire you to do it again and again!! Do use a stick blender, you can always turn it off and use it to slow things up a bit. GOOD LUCK and let us know how you get on. Gran New-Zealand