My First CP Batch

by Lori Anne
(West Monroe, La.)

I think I made a mess of my first batch of CP soap using the room temperature method. It was going great until I added the fragrance oil.

Wow, then it went solid and was in chunks. I just packed it into a mold and got a stainless steel spoon and smashed it down into the mold and then put it to bed. Not sure how it's gonna turn out. HELP!! What did I do wrong?

Is it better to use the room temperature method or make CP soap heating the oils and checking temps?

And how do I get exactly, for example, 3.1 ounces of lye?

Answer:

It sounds like the scent you used rapidly accelerated the trace and caused the soap to sieze. It is best to research fragrance oils or do test batches before committing to a full batch of soap with a new fragrance. Some fragrances work better than others in cold process soap.

Either method is fine to use but if you are new to soap making it may be better to try the regular method first until you are more comfortable with taking shortcuts.

As for how to get exact measurements of lye in ounces...you use an accurate scale. It is an absolute must that you use a scale to measure the ingredients in a soap recipe. The scale should be accurate to one or two decimal places. A scale that weighs in grams is even better. Grams are smaller units of measure than ounces and are more accurate for small batches like the ones on this site.

Cathy