My First Batch of Soap.....and what I learned

Every soap maker remembers their first batch.

Mine was a mixture of excitement, nervousness, a few mistakes, and one very suspicious neighbor.

After weeks of research, I finally felt ready to make soap. I had read everything I could find about cold process soap making, including all the warnings about working with lye. Armed with my scale, measuring tools, oils, fragrances, safety equipment, and a healthy amount of confidence, I set up my workspace in the backyard.

To eliminate distractions, my husband and son were away camping, and my daughters were spending the day with Grandma. It was just me, my supplies, and a dream of making my very first batch of handcrafted soap.

Looking like a mad scientist in safety goggles, an apron, and gloves that nearly reached my elbows, I carefully mixed the lye and water. Every article I had read emphasized the importance of safety. Lye can cause serious burns, and I was determined not to make any mistakes.

As I leaned in to check whether the lye had fully dissolved, a tiny droplet of lye water landed on my bare calf.

I cannot adequately describe how much that one tiny drop hurt.

Within seconds it felt like ten fire ants had bitten me at the same time. Since it was the middle of summer and well over 100 degrees outside, I had chosen to wear shorts.

That was my first lesson.

Lesson #1: Dress for Safety, Not the Weather

No matter how hot it is outside, wear long sleeves, long pants, gloves, goggles, and an apron when making soap. Always have access to a clean water source in case of accidental exposure.

Thankfully, my garden hose was only a few feet away.

Once the excitement died down, I returned to my project and waited for the lye solution to cool to the proper temperature.

While it cooled, I melted my oils and butters. Unfortunately, I soon discovered that timing matters. By the time my lye reached the correct temperature, my oils were far too hot. Then, after cooling the oils, they became too cool and needed reheating.

I felt like I was chasing temperatures all afternoon.

 

Lesson #2: Patience is Everything

Freshly mixed lye solution can reach temperatures above 200°F and takes time to cool. Oils and butters can cool more slowly than expected. Use a thermometer and don’t rush the process.

Soap making isn’t a race. It’s more like a dance between temperatures.

As I waited for everything to cooperate, I received an unexpected interruption.

My neighbor suddenly appeared over the fence.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

Normally that wouldn’t have seemed unusual, but there was something suspicious in his tone.

“I’m making soap,” I replied.

He looked around and said, “Then what’s the pressure cooker for? I heard it yesterday. I think I need to call the cops.”

I stared at him in complete confusion.

The pressure cooker?

Then I realized what he was seeing.

The day before, I had been canning tomatoes and still had my summer canning station set up. Sitting nearby was a large pressure canner, a portable burner, and various kitchen supplies. Combined with my protective gear, buckets, oils, and containers of lye, I suddenly realized my backyard probably looked less like a soap-making workshop and more like something from a crime drama.

After firmly explaining that I had been preserving tomatoes one day and making soap the next, he finally walked away.

Needless to say, he didn’t make the Christmas cookie list that year.

 

Lesson #3: Be Mindful of Your Surroundings

If you’re making soap outdoors, remember that not everyone knows what soap making looks like. Sometimes perfectly innocent activities can appear suspicious when viewed out of context.

Finally, my lye and oils reached matching temperatures, and I was ready for the exciting part—bringing the soap to trace.

According to everything I had read, this should take about 20 to 30 minutes.

An hour later, I was still mixing.

After an hour and forty-five minutes, I was still mixing.

At that point I was convinced I had either misunderstood what “trace” meant or ruined the batch completely.

I stopped, grabbed my phone, and watched several beginner soap-making videos. That’s when I discovered my mistake.

The oils I had chosen were known for taking a very long time to reach trace when used alone. I should have included more hard oils or butters in my recipe.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have any on hand.

My only option was to keep mixing.

Eventually, after nearly two hours, I achieved a very light trace.

 

Lesson #4: Research Your Oils Carefully

Different oils contribute different qualities to soap. Some create hardness, some create lather, and some significantly affect how quickly the soap reaches trace.

Recipe formulation matters more than I realized.

With trace finally achieved, I divided the batch into two portions.

For one half, I added orange essential oil along with orange and green coloring. For the second half, I used cedar essential oil, cocoa powder, and green coloring to create a woodsy appearance.

I poured both batches into homemade cardboard molds lined with wax paper and placed them on a shelf to cure.

Six weeks later, they were ready.

Were they beautiful?

Not exactly.

The orange soap turned out far more colorful than expected because I quickly learned that orange essential oil naturally gives soap a beautiful orange tint all by itself. The green coloring was barely visible.

The cedar soap featured green swirls mixed with brown specks from the cocoa powder. It certainly wasn’t winning any beauty contests.

But it smelled wonderful.

More importantly, it was actually soap.

It cleaned my hands, produced lather, and survived the curing process.

That first batch wasn’t perfect, but it taught me valuable lessons about safety, patience, recipe formulation, and problem-solving.

Most importantly, it taught me that making soap was something I genuinely enjoyed.

I was proud of myself for trying something completely new. Although the process took far longer than expected, I couldn’t wait to try again. With every batch, I hoped to become a little better, a little faster, and a little more skilled.

Looking back now, that imperfect first batch was the beginning of a journey that eventually became Bath Essentials by Ani.

And every time I make a beautiful batch of soap today, I still smile and remember the one that started it all.