Teach Soap

Thursday I will be receiving my very first soap shipment from BB and am so excited I almost can't stand it! I am feeling a little apprehensive tho' knowing this is my first try at this and I have a limited supply of soap and molds to work with for Christmas presents... it's almost like that blank canvas you are afraid of messing up on because it's too perfect and you don't want to ruin it! I have watched all the videos and read the blogs and have soooo many ideas ~ but I am afraid I don't know where to begin!!! Any words of encouragement or stories of success you can share with me? I'm so embarrassed - I'm afraid of soap!!! LOL

Good Morning and welcome.

You will be fine. Just remember to heat in 30 second to 1 minute intervals. When the soap is almost melted, take it out and stir gently to finish melting the soap base. This is if you're using the microwave.

What kind of base did you get? I use the low sweat cp like clear and white. Love this base.

The nice thing about melt and pour...if it doesn't come out like you want, cut up and remelt.

Good luck and have fun.

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Have a good day,
Linda
www.tuxedo-enterprises.com

I know what you mean. I just got my first 2 kits yesterday. I have to go get a Pyrex cup to melt the soap base in still, but I am afraid I am going to mess up! I got the frog/salamander kit (for the kids) and the swirl soap kit (for the ladies that I need to give gifts to). Cannot give you any advice, but I can give encouragement! We'll do fine!

You ladies will be just fine! We aren't building a bomb or curing cancer, we're making soap! I know the fear of messing up, but that's sometimes where you find new ways of doing things, in the "happy accidents."

I was soaping last night and my batch seized on me, it sucked! But my 12 year old came in and reminded me of something Ben Franklin said about his failed attempts at the light bulb. He said "I didn't fail, I found out how NOT to make a light bulb" he did that more than 200 times

Best of luck ladies, you'll be just fine. Patience and a steady hand go a long way.


Brandy

Thank you guys for the words of encouragement! You're right~ we can do it!

You will have fun. The advise above by lindanelson to keep the 30 second burst is the best advise. If you melted soap comes out of the microwave with fine bubbles on the top you will know it got toooo hot. It changes the properties a bit. It will still be soap and useable, but it is just one way to tell how not to get it too hot. Save you are melting about 10 small chunks go with 10 or 15 seconds. You'll get the hang of it.

I hope you have taken the opportunity to watch BB videos they are so good!

Have fun Thursday!

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~bytheSEAsoap~ Mella bythesea, bythesea, bythebeautiful sea

海の皂

Thanks so much guys for your advice and encouragement~ I appreciate it so much. Linda, this is what I ordered:
* 2 of: Glossy Silicone Square Tray Mold
* 1 of: White Melt And Pour (1 lb)
* 3 of: Clear Melt And Pour Soap Base (1 lb)
* 1 of: Goats Milk Melt And Pour (1 lb)
* 1 of: Peppermint Essential Oil, 2nd Distill (1 oz)
* 1 of: Non-bleeding Red (semi-liquid) (1 oz)
* 1 of: Brick Red (oxide) Pigment (1 oz)
* 1 of: A Melt And Pour Sampler Kit, Soap Sampler
* 1 of: 9" Loaf Budget Mold
* 1 of: Cold Water Fragrance Oil (1 oz)
* 1 of: Blue Mica - Cellini Lip Safe Mica (1 oz)

I do have another question: I placed a second order for some glycerine so I can make some more pliable soap (swirls, etc) and possibly imbed it into another bar - can i do this or will it be too pliable to withstand the soap?

Brandy, your son is a very wise young man!

You got a good selection to start with. I don't know how to answer your question...we'll leave that to someone else.

Tomorrow is the big day...just, please remember not to touch, move or anything else to the soap after it's poured for about an hour.

I need to go check out that silicone tray mold.

Good luck with your first soaps.

_________________
Have a good day,
Linda
www.tuxedo-enterprises.com

Welcome!
Depending where you are and how humid/moist your temp is, too much extra added glycerin will make your soap sweat and ooze the extra glycerin.

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

Thank you, Soapbuddy. I am in North Carolina and the humidity here right now is zilch, so hopefully I'll be okay. Will the softer pieces of soap I use the glycerine in be okay once I imbed them in regular M&P? Or do they eventually harden to the same consistency so they won't fold under the pressure of the regular M&P?

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

So I just made my first soap last night! Oh, this is going to be hard not to become addicted! It was so much fun and relaxing! Looking forward to my next project!

Here is a pic of my very first soap loaf~ I am SUCH a proud Mama!!!!!

Well that didn't work... hhhmmmm... maybe this will.