soap!

So I mentioned that I was getting into soap. Let us chat about that some more. Looking at ETSY over the last few years, and all the fun things that are there to explore and buy, I have been inspired to do many things. My aspirations to do art, crafts, geeky stuff, nail polish, and now soap. Yeah I know that sounds like it's just going to be something that passes quickly and I lose interest in it, but really...I'm curious. Curious to find out more. *I am not an expert, this is all the information that I have learned the last few weeks or reading and tutorials and other research* Years and years ago a friend and I experimented with Melt & Pour (MP). This is a really simple process of cutting up the soap, melting, and well...pouring. Somewhere in the middle you add color and fragrance and any additives. You let it sit up for 30 mins and you're good to go. It gives you a lot of freedom to learn your scents, and other things in the middle. Get a good process and have a chance to practice. This is very family friendly, with parental guidance kids would love creating their own soaps! After MP , you can venture out into Cold Process (CP), which is more involved. This is where you add the lye to your fats and you actually work with the chemicals to create soap. After you melt and add everything, you will mold your soap and allow this to set up for a day or so. After removing the soap from the molding, cut and place the soap on a drying rack for 4-6 weeks for it to cure. another process I have come across that looks like it would be interesting is Hot Process (HP). It is the same as CP but before you mold the soap you cook it. This speeds up the curing process and give a few days, maybe a week at most, the soap is ready to use. So as you can see, when I want to get into something I get WAY into it. Like I said I am no way an expert but I really do enjoy learning about things and there is a bug inside of me that wants to create on a level that I can share with EVERYONE! More on what I made the other day and the awesome scents that I used tomorrow! ^_~