Reddit reviews Silicone Molds [Petite Loaf, 12 Cup] Cupcake Baking Pan - Free Paper Muffin Cups - Non Stick, BPA Free, 100% Silicon & Dishwasher Safe Silicon Bakeware Tin - Kitchen Rubber Tray & Soap Molds

To add to everyone else, please get a scale. Are you new to this? Stay away from essential oils and milk till you get at least some YouTube videos on it down. I would just toss this batch because it's hard knowing where exactly you went wrong. Also, start small. Your batch is like 9 pounds and not many people start out that big. My first batch was 2.5 and I used individual soap molds. If you cook in that pan, you can't anymore. You might want to toss it. Get a wood/silicone mold for soap. It's going to be hell trying to get soap out of there. Also, if you really wanted to keep that as a soap pan, line it with wax/freezer paper to make it easier to get out. I'm sorry there are just so many mistakes here and maybe watch some videos by SoapQueenTV and Soaping101 on YouTube or pick up a few books. I'm not sure who inspired you to make soap but please please please do more research. You need to read up on lye, get a good soap calculator, read up on essential oils, safety, what to use for molds, oil properties...everything. I put the there because I want to mention that one ounce of lavender wouldn't have done much for that recipe. It would have most likely fade very fast.

Don't let people scare you off of using a ton of cocoa butter. I've used it up to 50% of a bar and had something decent. Your bar would not have come out right either way. Nothing in there would have created a lather you needed and it might have been semi-soft for a long time. I recommend getting some coconut oil, investing in Palm Oil/Lard/Tallow for conditioning and lather, olive oil, and castor oil to boost lather.

Here are some of those helpful links:

• SoapQueenTV
  
• Soaping101
  
• NaturesGarden
  
• SoapCalc
  
• Oil Properties Chart
  
• BrambleBerry (good source for most of your soaping needs)
  
• Silicone Cavity Mold I have for soap (for small batches now or when I don't feel like cutting)
  
• Soaping101 Study Hall on Facebook is a great resource for soaping when you get to ask a large audience of many experienced soapers advise. With over 3.9k in members they can give you tons of advise.

/u/TrashyTripod & /u/gotsmile, you guys are going to laugh at how easy this is.

There are recipes online. Do a little googling about what soap ingredients have different effects, like I did a rose oil (omg, the scent!) and rose clay soap, which is good for skin, or honey and oatmeal which is more exfoliation. Some are better for dry skin, oily skin, or just neutral.

I buy everything from Amazon:

• Molds: gems, bars, fun small shapes
  
  
• Melt and pour soap base: honey, goat's milk. I'm picky and I only buy the organic stuff. Buy it sooner rather than later, it will sell out by the holidays! Learned that the hard way, last year.
  
  
• Mix-ins: oatmeal, activated charcoal. You want everything to be food-grade.
  
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  How To
  
  The soap base breaks apart into 1 inch cubes. In a microwave safe measuring cup, microwave 2-4 cubes in 30 second increments until melted. Stir in any oils, perfumes, or colorants (although I avoid coloring soap, personally; I like the 'natural' stuff). Pour the appropriate amount into your mold. Working quickly, in the soap-filled mold, stir in any large add-ins, like charcoal or oatmeal. Wipe down the measuring cup, repeat as necessary.
  
  Leave the mold out at room temperature to set. Give it time (6-24 hours). Gently remove from the mold and wrap in cling wrap to avoid moisture beads from forming. Later, put the plastic-wrapped soaps in a little goody bag with a piece of colorful tissue paper. FYI, the tissue paper will stick to the soap if they touch.
  
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  Tips:
  
  
• Learn from my mistake: when you're done, wash the measuring cup and molds by hand. If you put them in a dishwasher, it will become coated in soap. This kills the dishwasher.
  
  
• Buy 2 molds. Make a batch in the morning and again in the evening. If you use the bar mold, that gives you 12 bars per mold x 2 molds x 2 times in a day, or 48 bars for ~3 hours of work on a Saturday. You'll get faster as you get the hang of it.
  
  
• How much soap base you need depends on the size of your molds and how many soaps you're making. I found that 2 lbs of soap base was enough for about 16 bars using this mold. But I didn't really like the shape of the soap in that mold because it was too deep.
  
  
• If you're using heavy or large add-ins, it pays to let the soap solidify for a second before mixing them in, or it'll all sink to the bottom.
  
  
• It's fun to combine with other homemade cosmetics gifts, like DIY lip balm or something, but that requires a whole other set of materials, so increases your costs.
  
  
• More tips on how to avoid "weeping." This site is SUPER helpful!

I had posted this recipe in a thread here a little while back and am pretty happy with them:

I’ve been making no bake bars that are really easy and pretty tasty:

1 oz herb, decarb for 25 minutes at 250 F
Move into double boiler with 2 cups clarified butter, you can also use coconut oil.

Simmer in the butter for 2 hrs, strain and press the bud to squeeze out all of the butter, discard the bud.

To the melted herb butter add:

400 grams honey

350 grams smooth peanut or almond butter

5-10 grams lecithin (optional)


Let that melt and mix together over a double boiler then add:

6 cups oat flour

5 Tbps raw cacao powder

1 Tbps salt

Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

You may need to add a little more oat flour if it’s wet, up to an additional cup.

Mix together well and let sit 20 minutes before moving into molds (I use these)or a brownie pan. Refrigerate until solid and enjoy :)

They freeze well and can be eaten straight from the freezer due to the high fat content.

This would come in handy when I make banana bread and zucchini bread.