My Secret

So I have a little secret...I like making soap. My mother-in-law has been asking me some questions about it today, and while I'm not a total expert on soap making, and I don't want to be liable of telling people who to making and then them burning themselves with caustic lye...I do have some tips! Here are 5 little tips of somethings that will help if you keep them in mind while making your soap. 

the first batch in the soapbox

1. Have an extra pair of hands around to help. Once you get in the heat of things, you probably will need another pair of hands. You might need them to help pour something, stir something, or clean up the lye you spilled while you keep going. 
2. You could mix the lye and fat by hand together for an hour before you have "tracing", or you could use an electric hand mixer or whisk like I did. Both of those options definitely speed the process up.
3. Different types of fat create will create different hardness levels in your soap. If you're making your soap from kitchen fat, just remember that your batches of soap will probably never be consistent like when you use an exact recipe.
4. The scents and add-ins will change after you put them in. Just ask our soap that literally stinks and our soap that smells great. The essential oils both smelled good before mixing them in, just sayin'. Or you could ask our first batch of oatmeal soap...fun times.
5. Everyone on the internet has something different to say. Use good sense, try new things, and make sure you can open your windows the first time you use lye. It's stronger stuff than you might think.

Happy Soap Making!