First things first.

A couple of years ago I stumbled upon a wikibook about the venerable art of soap-making and I was instantly fascinated by the idea of making soap from scratch (don't know whether Lush even existed at that point, but Body Shop sure did - for those who can afford it). However, the wikibook was a very sober affair, and all this talk of dangerous chemicals effectively put me off soapmaking for a while. It was only when, coincidentally again, I stumbled upon another website about soapmaking - a website with lots of pictures this time - that I felt brushing up my knowledge of chemistry would be worth the trouble.

So I read a lot, looked at countless pictures to whet my appetite and started looking for a big pot and safety goggles. Took me quite some time to get all the equipment necessary for my first foray into rocket sc..., er, soapmaking. But finally I had everything I needed...