Yesterday, I made my very first batch of handmade soap. It wasn't difficult but was time-consuming. The instructions that I copied from the web were incomplete and I had a few surprises. As a result, I don't think my first batch is turning out properly. I'm going to give it a few more days and if it hasn't hardened the way it should, I'll try again.
I have done some more research and now have a better soap recipe for next time.
What I learned from the experience so far:
- lye creates it's own boiling/heating action when added to water (made me jump)
- lye takes the finish off some surfaces (oops - lucky I was wearing rubber gloves as instructed)
- the ingredients need to be very carefully measured (I measured correctly but I think it is the recipe that I was following that isn't perfect)
- the ingredients have to be stirred constantly and forcefully for the mixture to thicken (I think I may invest in an electric hand mixer)
- there are many reasons why handmade soap may not turn out properly (learned this from a troubleshooting handmade soap website)
- it sometimes takes more than one try in the beginning to "get it right" - no kidding!
- it was interesting and fun, even if it didn't turn out as expected.
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