SoapQuick-Day 1

Hey Decadent Subjects,

Today is the day I embark on my latest soapmaking journey using this SoapQuick formula that I bought from Mission Peak Soaps. As the photos will show, I've laid out everything in preparation for the big day (tomorrow.) I usually make soap on the weekends cuz I have all day, but since I do have a real 9-5, I'm only preparing my lye solution today. If you've never made soap before, lye is no joke! It is nothing to screw around with. It will burn and/or eat your flesh alive if you do not take proper care when handling it. Always wear rubber gloves (shame on me for not wearing mine in this pic.) Always add the lye to your water (preferably distilled water). Never add water to your lye. It will cause a catastrophic eruption. When the lye and the water are mixed, it heats up to over 200 degrees. You can literally see the steam rising from your container and it smells all to be damned! Do not inhale this stuff. I've already mixed my solution, and now I'm going to let it sit for a day until it reaches room temperature (less than 100 degrees). Tune in tomorrow for Day 2. Oh yeah, I still can't decide on a scent. I'm thinking some kind of chocolate in honor of Valentine's Day.

A Hope and A Prayer

Good Morning Decadent Subjects,

I think I've found the answer to my biggest challenge making soap: the oils! These damn oils are going to be the death of me. Soaping is a science, so I'm learning the hard way. Who knew that mixing lye, water, and something as basic as Crisco oil could produce Ivory soap. Okay not Ivory soap exactly, but you get the picture. I won't even go into how expensive soaping oils are. I'm talking olive oil, palm oil, and coconut oil to name the biggies. I'm a novice, and I don't have money to waste on this stuff and risk making a bad batch. To make a long story short, I found this pre-mixed base at Mission Peak Soap. It's a blend of coconut, palm, extra virgin, castor, and canola oils with a little rosemary extract thrown in for good measure. They say this bucket will yield 4 pounds of soap. I'm going to be making a 2 lb batch using my plastic loaf mold. This bucket of pre-mixed oil cost me $16.95 which is pretty good considering I'd pay that alone for just the olive oil. Of course, I'll have to add lye and water. Follow me as I make my first batch. Keep your fingers crossed. I bought two buckets of this stuff, so it better work:-) Tune in later as I do the set-up.

A special shout out to Pepper for graciously posing with the "bucket"