There are basic things that you must have to make soap. No matter WHAT kind of soap you're making. These things are:
Accurate Kitchen Scales (this is a MUST. You have to measure your ingredients out right for the saponification to occur right and to have the right pH in your soap)
Gloves (Theres nothing like a lye burn, and rubber gloves, like the playtex kind, will prevent them.) Just make sure you get the right size, when I first started out I bought a pair of large gloves, I actually needed about a small. They were much too big and awkward to work with.
A candy or meat theromometer (I have used both candy and meat theromometers, and while they both work just fine, I've found that I like candy theromometers much more.) Other things that are good to have, but are not essential are:
Stick Blenders! (Why? Because unless you want to stir for HOURS trying to get your soap to trace, these are the best little things in the world. Trace happens within five to eight minutes with these. They sell anywhere from ten to forty dollars.)
