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I agree with pp who said that it mostly depends on your washing skills - and good reminders about the saponification process using up the lye. Think about the material of your tools as well- a glass bowl is much easier to clean for safe food use than a plastic bowl would be.

That being said I personally did buy a separate set of tools mostly because it's not that expensive. I bought a $27 Cuisinart Hand Blender in pink so there is no confusion and bought the rest of my tools from the dollar store like mixing bowls and spatulas (I confess I did also buy 3 nice pour spout containers off Amazon when I ordered my mold :))

Good luck! edit: forgot a word

Have you looked over the Soap Queen's website? https://www.soapqueen.com/

I've been learning how to do this via her site, her book, and advice from my mother. I picked up her book Pure Soapmaking Friday and I love it. Things that I did not understand are sorting themselves out. She explains what each of the oils do, so you can understand why you would use them, goes over tips and tricks, explains why weird stuff happens to soap, goes over equipment...pretty much it's been an amazing starting point. The first 1/4 of the book is all the basics and the rest is recipes.

Full disclosure, this author also owns Bramble Berry, which is a US (not sure if you can order from the UK) soap supplier site. Having said that, most of my stuff I've purchased from other sources and it hasn't made a bit of difference. The site also does a lot of video tutorials.

I really suggest looking up YouTube videos, too. YouTube has been a huge help in sorting out what trace is, what different sorts of trace there are, and design info. I think YouTube soap stuff is addicting. Be careful. Search "soap making challenge" and get ready to watch a zillion of the most amazing videos. :)

Ok, I trust you know best, but for the sake of being a know it all, I'm going to say that is actually takes very little space (if you have a small kitchen/bathroom/a sink and some ventilation, that's probably enough) and very little special equipment.

This is what I would say the basics would be for you:

• Beer;
  
• Oil/Fat (you can just use cooking oil, like canola or vegetable oil).
  
• Lye;
  
• A crappy thermometer;
  
• A kitchen scale;
  
• Mixing bowls;
  
• A pot (to make a double boiler out of);
  Mixing spoons;
  
• A casserole dish, cardboard box, whatever, and plastic wrap to line it with, as a mold;
  
• A knife and spatula (technically cake turner) for getting the soaps out.
  
  It's really pretty basic/cheap stuff. You can use used plastic bags and tape as gloves, you can wear sunglasses as safety glasses. Just be careful with the lye. When you mix the lye and water, its going to stink a bit, so you need some ventilation for that. You'll need the oil/fat to get to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, so you'll use a double boiler for for (a bowl sitting on-top a sauce pan/pot is what I use).

The chemistry of making soap is just simple saponification a book like this would probably help. Scientific Soapmaking: The Chemistry of the Cold Process https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935652095/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_t6GFAbDRF0CTQ if you really want to go in depth there are engineering books on soap as well. Soap Manufacturing Technology, Second Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/1630670650/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_68GFAbVMD7SK7 this would be really in depth and probably cover modern soap and surfactant chemistry as well. My specialty is mostly Hair Color and personal care, i’ve only begun making soap recently. Beside when i was a kid and we made soap from rendered animals.

I've just done a few batches, the easiest was 100% coconut or the recipes that have been predominantly coconut. I'm sure there's a chart somewhere out there with very specific times. The BEST liquid soap resource I have found is this gem http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1580172431?pc_redir=1409141248&robot_redir=1

The kit isn't bad, however, I'm not crazy about the scale, it can only hold 3kg. I'd much rather see you get a scale that will hold 5kg. (they're not expensive).


Also not crazy about the "blend of oils". You'll get much more for your money if you choose a recipe that has some common oils used and buy them separately (olive, coconut, shea butter, palm/castor).

Also you will certainly want a stick blender, which is $15-20. This is a must have, not sure why the kit doesn't include it.

Anyway, if you think this is something that you will stick with and want to make more, I suggest buying your own quality stuff.

Stick Blender - $15 (Proctor silex at Walmart)

Digital scale $12 (linked above)

Digital Thermometer - $9 (Taylor waterproof - look on Amazon)

Goggles - $2 (amazon)

Isopropyl Alcohol - $3 (Walmart)

Spoons/silicone spatulas/bowls/cups - Dollar store - maybe $7?

Gloves (box of disposables) $4 (Walmart)

Mold $12 (Amazon)

Lye $10


Distilled water $1 (Walmart)


Oil will cost you less per oz if you buy in quantity, but even "regular" sizes of olive/coconut/shea butter/palm (Palm oil is a bit controversial because of sustainability concerns, all you can really do besides avoiding it altogether is buy from reputable companies that state that their Palm oil is RSPO certified) will cost you around $50 (Walmart and Amazon).


All told you're still under $100 and you've got a great kit that's got a lot more in it (more oil, blender, thermometer, bowls, etc).

It doesn't come with fragrance or lavender buds, but you can add some essential oil for a few dollars more and for what it's worth, I strongly suggest your first batch should be scent-free and color-free. Get your basic soap recipe the way you want it, then add scent, color, etc.

Cocoa butter lends a lovely, light chocolaty scent. And my family's favorite is made with coffee (mix coffee with Kahlua, let it sit for a week or so, then use the grounds as an exfoliant and a small bit of the extract for scent). I don't recall the exact ratios, the recipe came from Dr. Bob's Essentially Soap book (https://www.amazon.com/Essentially-Soap-Handmade-Scenting-Coloring/dp/0873418328). The coffee acts more like a deodorizer. It gets onion and fish smells off your hands. Also smells really nice in the am, but doesn't leave you smelling like coffee.

I made a bar fashioned after Japanese clay facial soap that has bentonite clay, kaolin clay, activated charcoal, and some light scent to it. I've got friends who have very sensitive skin and they've had no reaction to it, and it's helped clear up my roommate's acne.

I'll try and find the recipe for the actual bar, but I'm pretty sure I used a standard olive/coconut/castor/tallow mix.

Edit: basically I made a copycat of this:

https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-clay-charcoal-facial-soap/dp/B0007OH3QI

Thanks.

I was already aware that in general you could use mica for soap. I was curious if there was something special about Crafter's Choice or other soap supply versions of mica, compared to something like this that's marketed for stamping.

Great, easy to use soap making book... Highly Recommended
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0873418328/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i0

Smart Soapmaking, Cool Soapmaking, and Castile Soapmaking, by Anne L. Watson. Also her lotion and goat milk soap books if you want to splurge on the complete set.

https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Soapmaking-Reliably-Luxurious-Yourself/dp/1620355116/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Are you located in the US? You can get EO at pretty reasonable prices from Amazon: amazon.com/Lemongrass-Large-ounce-Best-Essential/dp/B00PHLPK1G

I've used this brand with good results.

I molded most of them in plain, rectangle individual molds because of the challenges in cutting salt bars. Here is the 6 plain bar rectangle molds I used. With the extra soap I had, I put the rest into some individual molds that have an impression on them. Here is the 6 bar impression molds I used.

The marbling technique I used was an in-the-pot swirl. 3/4 of my batter was colored with rose clay, 1/4 with titanium dioxide. I poured the white mix into the pink batter in equalish amounts at 12, 4, and 8 as spots on the clock, so to speak. At one spot, I poured high at about 6" above the batter, the next I poured medium at about 3" above, and the final I poured as close to the batter as possible; this makes it so the white gets dispersed at different depths of the pot and doesn't just float all at one level.

Next, I took a spatula and pushed into spot with the closest drop, pushed the spatula to the bottom on the bowl, and swirled once clockwise thru all the dots, meeting back at the center of the original spot, and pulled straight back out. That's it.

From there, I just poured my mix directly into the center of each individual mold, filling them slightly over full. I overfill slightly because I take one of those spatula frosters used for cakes and use it as a squeegee or a trowel, and level the soaps with a clean pass across each soap top. Any extra soap that comes off, I will use to fill an extra small mold so I don't waste soap. Spray with alcohol every 15 minutes for the first hour, and I also forced these thru gel phase to get the colors to pop more!

Voila!

no issues seizing, actually. i used the general procedure presented here. that is, i emulsified all the oils with the lye solution before adding the pine tar, then mixed like a mofo and watched like a hawk for trace. also, i heated the pine tar up a bit in the microwave so it would flow better.

this is the pine tar i used, which i found from this recipe.

are you gonna try another pine tar bar?

You can get them pretty cheap, there is not much reason to use one that is also used for food. I use this one and there are some more new ones even cheaper on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TJTASYG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Eek! I just looked at Bulk Apothecary it's $91 to ship a 50lb bucket to me. So 50lbs would total $190, $3.80/lb.

Wholesale Supplies Plus has free shipping over $25, so 18lbs (biggest they have) would be $44.99, $2.50/lb.

Amazon has a 50lb bucket for $111.30 with free standard shipping, $2.23/lb.

It's a shame you can't just buy lye at the hardware store anymore.

For this soap I used this stuff which is pretty good but my first choice is "The Real Stuff" from the American Rope & Tar Co.

The consistency of both is somewhere between corn syrup and molasses.

If you're selling in the US, you might want to read Marie Gale's Soap and Cosmetic Labeling: How to Follow the Rules and Regs Explained in Plain English, https://www.amazon.com/Soap-Cosmetic-Labeling-Explained-English/dp/0979594561, to make sure that you get your labels correct.

This is the first time I've heard of Pine Tar soap... I want to try. When you say you use Bickmore Pine Tar, is this what you are talking about?
https://www.amazon.com/Bickmore-Pine-Tar-32oz-Formula/dp/B000HHSC5G

This is the brand/where I get mine from

https://www.amazon.com/3M-8511-Particulate-Respirator-10-Pack/dp/B0002YKBV2/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1473432959&sr=8-6&keywords=masks+dust

Is this the book that you're referring to?

You could try Kevin Dunn. I haven't read it, but some of my soapmaker acquaintances swear on it.

You know now that you mention it I don't even know how pure it is. Here's its listing on Amazon, where I bought it from. I was under the impression that food grade means it's very pure, but now I'm not so sure. That's weird.