First Soapmaking: A Heart-Shaped Flop

I imagined bars of creamy, milky soap but ended up with these lumpy bumpy hearts instead. 😞

My first homemade soaps.

My first attempt at making soap didn't quite turn out perfectly but learning a new skill often takes time. This happened when I started knitting again so many years after my grandmother taught me how to cast on. So many dropped stitches! It happened too when I began teaching myself to sew. So much unpicking! And it seems now that soap making will take practice and patience and a willingness to try again. 

The soap recipe I followed is really very simple. There are very few ingredients in it; just pure soap flakes, milk and milk powder. Essential oils can be added but I chose not to add fragrance as I wanted to limit the chance for things to go awry. But awry they went anyway! Luckily, flops like this are simply opportunities to learn, aren't they...

Lumpy bumpy bases.

During my first soapmaking session, I ran into a few problems which I think probably led to this somewhat messy, heart-shaped result.  The pot I used was one I already had and I don't feel it has a heavy enough base because it didn't heat up well at low temperature so it took forever for the soap flakes to melt, and the bottom of the soap mixture began to burn when I increased the heat. It is also very light and kept moving off the hotplate as I tried stirring the soap mixture leading to a less-than-constant temperature. I will be keeping my eye out for a heavy based pot at the op-shops before I try making soap again. 

Smooth and creamy but still too thick.

After considerable time and with much stirring, both by hand and with a stick blender, my mixture did finally reach the point where it was creamy and smooth and ready to pour into my heart-shaped moulds. I found it very tricky transferring the soap mixture from the pot to fill each heart as the mixture quickly became too thick on the surface when removed from the heat meaning I could not achieve a smooth finish for the base of the soaps. I wonder if a simple rectangular container might work better and make for an easier transfer of mixture to mould. At least until I get the consistency right.

Imperfection!

After 24hours to set, I turned the soapy hearts out of their silicone mould. While they are 'rough' on the base, they are somewhat smoother on top. So, while I definitely won't be gifting my soap to anyone until I sort out a few glitches, it's still very much usable for us here at home. Well, it will be once it cures for a few weeks. In the meantime, I'll be scouring the op-shops to find me a better pot so that I can have another try. 

Are you a soap maker? How did your first attempts turn out?

Meg