Soap Making Pictures **UPDATE WITH PICS OF SOAP CUT**

[Southern28Chick]

Quote:
I learned how to make it online. I was never taught/shown how to make soap so it took me a while to get it right.

 

[biretta]

Southern28chick, will you please clarify? I thought you couldn't add "specialty" ingredients, like oatmeal, until after the first process and curing, if that's what it's called. Books I've read say you make the basic soap first, cure it, then you grate and melt it in order to add other ingredients like herbs and scents. Can you do it all in one shot? I've been planning on making soap for years but havent' gotten around to it. Maybe this time...

 

[SpottedCrow]

I didn't you needed lye anymore...shows ya what I knows...nuttin!
I've made glycerin soaps from a kit...but never tried the other types...I do too much other stuff. Oy.
Very nice, though...thanks for taking us through this.

 

[Southern28Chick]

Quote:
Oh no I use the cold process soap method. You're talking about rebatching the soap.

There are 4 methods of soap making (I don't consider melt and pour a real soap method because the person is not MAKING the soap). Here's some info for you:
http://www.teachsoap.com/soapmakingmethods.html

 

[cookinmom]

That's so cool! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Southern28Chick]

Quote:
It's impossible to make soap WITHOUT lye. ALL soap is made with lye. That's one of the biggest problems that people have with homemade soap, when in fact homemade soap is milder than store bought soap. Just ask all my wonderful BYC customers.

All soap is glycerin soap too. You're talking about the melt and pour kits that you can buy. Go to my FAQs page on my site it explains more about the glycerin in soap and lye.
http://southern-essence.com/FAQ.html

Edited to add: I don't mean to sound like a know it all but it's kinda like people who know nothing about chickens sayings things like "hens don't lay eggs if you don't have a rooster". If you've never researched or made real homemade soap then you wouldn't know what goes into making it.

 

[biretta]

Quote:
Oh no I use the cold process soap method. You're talking about rebatching the soap.

There are 4 methods of soap making (I don't consider melt and pour a real soap method because the person is not MAKING the soap). Here's some info for you:
http://www.teachsoap.com/soapmakingmethods.html

Actually, neither do I consider melt and pour "soapmaking", but I was referring to making it with raw ingredients, eg. lye, etc. Anyway I'll have to review what I've read; I don't remember off hand the cold process method. It's good to know that there is a method that allows you to cut out that extra step I mentioned. Thanks!

 

[Chelly]

Very cool. I wanted to make soap before - years ago but wasn't too excited about working with Lye.... so I made candles instead!

 

[Agilityscots]

Wow, that was really neat. Thanks so much for sharing the pics! The final product looked like four delicious cakes waiting to go into the oven!!

Are there waste products from soapmaking? If so, what do you do with them, especially if they're caustic or dangerous? Just curious.

Amy

 

[Southern28Chick]

Quote:
Oh no I use the cold process soap method. You're talking about rebatching the soap.

There are 4 methods of soap making (I don't consider melt and pour a real soap method because the person is not MAKING the soap). Here's some info for you:
http://www.teachsoap.com/soapmakingmethods.html

Actually, neither do I consider melt and pour "soapmaking", but I was referring to making it with raw ingredients, eg. lye, etc. Anyway I'll have to review what I've read; I don't remember off hand the cold process method. It's good to know that there is a method that allows you to cut out that extra step I mentioned. Thanks!

Most soap makers use the cold process method. The cold process method is the very first method for making soap. When people made soap from animal fat in their backyards a hundred years ago the cold process method is what they used.

I was saying on that site there are 4 methods of soap making but I only count the 3. Melt and pour is not a REAL soap making method to me. Rebatching soap just seems like a huge waste of time to me. It already takes me most of my day preparing the ingredients and making the soap, I'd hate to have to go back and melt it over again. I have seen pictures of rebatching and it's not pretty.

If you ever have any questions about soap making just email me. I've been making soap for a couple of years now so I like to consider myself an expert.