BASIC SOAP MAKING INSTRUCTIONS
Source of Recipe
http://groups.msn.com/SoapmakingIIanewbeginning/coldprocessinstructions.msnw
List of Ingredients
Cold Process
This method of soapmaking take a bit more time and precise measurements than the Melt and Pour method. You are also using a caustic ingredient.....lye ( sodium hydroxide).
Soap is a chemical reaction. It is the combination of fats or oils with an alkaline base, producing a substance that cleans. This process is called saponification. In soapmaking this alkaline base is usually sodium hydroxide ( lye) or potassium hydroxide. Water is also neccessary.
So what make homeade soap different than store bought soap? Well, simply, its glycerin. Homeade soap retains glycerin. Store bought soaps take it out and use it in other products. Glycerin is what keeps your skin soft. It is a humectant that attracts moisture and helps your body retain that moisture. In fact, store bought soaps arent really soap at all, they are detergents. But, we wont go into that right now. Lets make soap!
Cold process soapmaking required precise measurements of all the ingredients. If your soap contains too much lye....it can be harsh and cause serious chemical burns. If it doesnt have enough, it will be soft and possible go rancid due to the oils. If you plan on doing this, it is advisable to purchase a good quality digital scale. You should also take safety precautions. Rubber gloves and goggles are a good idea. Lye is a chemical and it will burn. * If you should happen to get lye spilled on you, vinegar will neutralize it. I always keep a bottle of vinegar handy when Im making soap.*
As an example, Im going to use a very simple recipe that I started out with.
10 oz of shortening ( Crisco)
4 oz coconut oil
2 oz olive oil
2 oz of lye
1 cup of distilled water
1. Put on heavy duty rubber gloves. Eye saftey goggles are a good idea also.
2. In a Pyrex or plastic bowl, measure out your water. Please be sure it is COLD. Next, measure out your lye. Carefully, pour the lye into the water. Stir with a wooden or heavy plastic spoon. This will become very HOT. Allow this to cool to approximately 95 degrees. This may take some time.
3. Meanwhile, melt your oils and shortening. Allow to cool to 115 degrees. This may take some time.
4. Once your oils and lye water have reached the desired temperatures, slowly pour the lye mixture into the oils. Stir. You will need to continue stirring until you it begins to look like creamy pudding. If you take your spoon and drizzle it some of the mixture on top and it stays, you have reached trace. It is time to pour.
5. Pour you mixture into your molds. cover your molds with a towel and set aside in a dry place.
6. After 24 hours, your soap should have hardened. You should be able to take it out of the molds. ( slice if you molded in a slab mold). you arent done yet!
7. The unmolded soap needs to "cure" for another 3-4 weeks. It needs to do this to finish the saponification process. Once finished, it should be safe for you to use.
Congratulations! You made soap! Now you can experiment with other types of oils. Please be sure to run your recipe through a saponification calculator to ensure the proper amount of lye. (www.the-sage.com)
Here is a good site with some helpful information"
http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~nandroso/suds.htm
Rebatching
Ill be honest and say that I dont know a lot about this method, but I have given it a try. It gives a soap that is immediatley usable. You dont have to wait 4 weeks to use it. It is often called Hand-milling or CPHP.
Until Im able to research it more, Im going to post links to websites that will walk you through this method.
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*Rebatch using oven bag method- www.soapteacher.com
* Different types of Hand-milling- http://www.tlcsoaps.com/handmilling.htm
* Soapcrafting- http://www.soapcrafters.com/craft.htm
* All types of soapmaking ( good info)- http://www.colebrothers.com/soap/
Melt and Pour
This is a good starting place for your journey into soapmaking. In a nutshell, melt and pour is simply melting a pre-made soap base, adding fragrance or additives, and pouring it into a mold. Once is has hardened, it is ready to use.
You can be very artisitic with melt and pour. The colors and designs are very hard to duplicate with the other forms of soapmaking.
Let's get started:
1. cut up your soap base into small chunks and place into a microwavable bowl or double boiler.
2. Heat the soap until it melts. Stop occasionally, to stir, so it doesnt boil over. Boiling burns off the glycerin.
3. Add small amount of fragrance and color. I always add my fragrance first because many times, the fragrance oil has color of its own that will not mix well with your desired outcome color.
4. Stir the melted soap to mix the color and fragrance well and get rid of "hot spots"**.
5. Set aside until the steam stops.
6. Pour into your mold.
7. Set your soap-filled mold aside to harden ( about 30 minutes to an hour depending on size)
8. Now you can remove your soap from the mold and use it right away!
**hot spots- if the fragrance oil doesnt get mixed well, it can cause a pockets of fragrance that may be irritating to skin.
Recipe
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