Soap making can be pretty intimidating when you are first starting out. All the measuring of ingredients and the scary warnings on the bottle of lye can be really terrifying. I recommend that you start out taking a beginning class somewhere.
Online Classes
1).Soap Making 101
Learn the foundations of soap making online with this class. Good for those of you who feel comfortable learning online. Its affordable too.
2) Nature's Garden Candles offers a soap making class for free. Maybe not as comprehensive as some of the more formal classes, but it is pretty good. A great beginner class for those of you who would like to try it out for free. They also offer a large selection of classes on other similar subjects, such as. candle making, bath bombs, and shampoo.
Spokane, Wa soapmaking classes
1) Greencastle Soap Company is owned by a very nice lady here in Spokane. She teaches classes on soapmaking. The cost is $55. She also sells soapmaking supplies.
One of the questions that people ask me about soap making the most often is, "What do I need to get started?". So I though I would put together a list of items that are both easily found and affordable.
I have read many articles and books on soap making in the many years I have been making soap. Most of the time there is a exhaustive list of hard to find, not to mention expensive equipment to purchase. This list is not meant to provide all the equipment you would need to start a soap making business. It is just a very basic list for those of you who would like to try soap making without a big initial investment.
1)A Stick Blender:
Also called an immersion blender, this tool is absolutely necessary for soap making. When I started out in the soap making business I didn't know about stick blenders, as a result I spent many hours stirring a pot of soap waiting for the elusive "trace" I had read so much about. What all those articles and books never told me about "trace" was that it would happen 2 hours faster if I used a stick blender. Seriously, you can reach "trace" (the point when the soap looks similar to pudding and is ready for the mold) in a mere 5 minutes, as opposed to the 2 hours it might take with a spoon or wisk. Getting a good stick blender is important. I had a Braun stick blender that I used for many many years, until one day it up and died on me. I went and bought a new one, it wasn't a really expensive one, and it didn't work at all. I could have stirred faster. I then I broke down and bought a much more expensive one that is similar to my Braun the KitchenAid KHB100WH Immersion Hand Blender, White. It is a bit pricey but it works great. The other great option for finding a decent stick blender is to check out thrift stores. Stick blenders are one of those items that are really valuable to soap makers, but not so valuable to everyone else.
2)An Instant Read Thermometer: A good waterproof instant read thermometer is essential. You need to be able to make sure your lye solution and your oil is at the same temperature. The ideal thermometer should be able to read up to at least 250 degrees, be easily cleaned, and easy to read. I started out with the dial kind instead of the digital, but I am too old now to see those small numbers. I recommend that you have two of these instant read digital thermometers. It is possible to make soap with one thermometer, but it sure is easier with two. The one I use is the Taylor 9842 Commercial Waterproof Digital Thermometer. It is easy to use, waterproof, and inexpensive.
3)A Good Digital Scale: The most important thing in soap making is measuring accurately. Get a good scale you will not regret it. Once again digital is way easier to read for these old eyes, but if you can read those little lines then the other kind of scale is fine. I think the best digital scale for the money is Digiweigh 600 x 0.1 Gram/g Digital Pocket Scale for home Candle/Soap Making Lab Set. Once again, you might find a great deal at a garage sale or a thrift store.
4)A Stainless Steel Stock Pot It is really important that this pot is staineless steal, aluminum will not workout. The pot also needs to be large enough to hold your water and oils combined. I have used many different pots for making soap. Most of the time I use my big stock pot from my kitchen, it works, and yes you can still use it for food. Just wash your pot really well before using it for food again. You can look for old pots at garage sales, just make sure they are not aluminum.
5)A Mold: When you are done making your soap you will need a mold to put it in. I have used everything from Pringles cans and pvc, to shoeboxes. I have also used candy molds, individual soap molds made out of plastic, and wooden loaf soap molds. I use a large wooden soap mold now, but to start out you might want something less expensive. I have found that the new silicon bakeware works pretty well. This one Smartware Silicone Loaf Pan Includes Storage Lid, Terracotta is pretty good, and even comes with a cover.
Except for a few items that you should already have around your kitchen, and of course the lye and oils, these five items are all you need to start you soap making adventure. I hope you enjoy it s much as I do. Happy Soaping.
The 4 basic types of soap that you can make at home:
Melt & Pour Re-batched or Milled Soap Cold Process Hot Process
Melt & Pour
This type of soap is ussually bought pre-made into large blocks. It is often clear and made out of glycerine, though it can contain many other things as well. This is ussually considered the easiest form of soapmaking because you simply melt the block down , add any scents, colors , or herbs that you choose and pour into a mold. When it is hard it can be unmolded and is ready to use. The ease of use with melt and pout allows you to make rather intricate and beautiful works of art out of your soap.
Re-Batching or Milled Soap
This is ussually a cold processed soap that is made into "noodles", melted, and remolded. This method is slightly difficult, but produces a harder bar of soap as well as a truer scent and color in the final product.
Cold-Processed
This is by far my favorite type of soapmaking. It is how I started and it just seems so simple and elegant to me. In order to make soap with this method you must measure and mix accurately . The mixture of oils and the mixture of lye and water need to be mixed at the right temperature. At this point saponification starts to occur and the soap and oil mixture will "trace" or become pudding like. It is then molded and insulated and saponification continues to occur. In 24 hours you can ussually unmold and soon after cut into bars. This product then needs to cure for4- 6 weeks or so to complete the saponification process, become hard and no longer have any lye in the bars of soap.
Hot processed
Hot processed soap is made similarly to cold processed soap, except that it is actually cooked during the saponification process. This reduces or eliminated the need for the product to cure after mixing, however, it also seems a bit more dangerous to me. With so many little ones around my house, its really not something I want to try. If you do choose to try it Ive heard that you can use the oven to do this rather successfully.
Dont Forget to check out all of our soapmaking ingredients at www.avalonsoapworks.com and check back here often for recipes, tips, and instructions on how to make great handmade items yourself!!
. It is a bit pricey but it works great. The other great option for finding a decent stick blender is to check out thrift stores. Stick blenders are one of those items that are really valuable to soap makers, but not so valuable to everyone else.
. It is easy to use, waterproof, and inexpensive.
. Once again, you might find a great deal at a garage sale or a thrift store.
is pretty good, and even comes with a cover.