05-13-2008, 10:28 AM
I did up a document on how to make soap when I taught a class at the Library. I thought I'd post it here so that if anyone ever decides to go ahead with it they will know where to find the info.
It's very easy.
BASIC SOAPMAKING INSTRUCTIONS
A) Locating lye and safety precautions
B) The equipment list
C) The ten-step procedure
A) Locating lye (sodium hydroxide) and safety precautions
The following may frighten you, but thousands of people make soap everyday without mishap.
You may still be able to find 100% lye sold as a drain cleaner. Red Devil was once the best source, but they no longer seem to manufacture this product.
Generally, the best source is through the internet (see handout of internet resources). I find mine regularly on ebay. One problem is that lye is considered hazardous for shipping purposes, but I have not had to pay hazardous rates through ebay.
Apparently the process of making biodiesel fuel also uses lye, so there are more people looking for it, driving the price up.
Most good soap recipes list lye by weight for accuracy. Make sure you get lye in the granular form, which has a different weight than lye in flake form (the form of lye from laboratory chemical suppliers, pool chemical suppliers, etc).
Scales are a necessary part of successful soapmaking and allow you to use any type of lye.
Lye can be nasty if handled improperly. Keep lye tightly capped. Upon opening a container of lye, the lye crystals absorb water from the air, which can weaken the strength of the lye and cause it to form a solid lump.
Lye reacts with some metals: aluminum, zinc, and tin. Safe containers include heatproof stoneware, glass, enamel, stainless steel and plastic.
Lye, lye/water and freshly-made soap can burn and irritate skin. You'll notice itching before burning. Lye/water on skin is first noticed by a slippery feeling. Rinse your hands with vinegar and immediately rinse them with running water.
Since lye can burn skin, you can imagine what it does to eyes! Always wear eye protection! Wear sunglasses if you have to!
Lye can be fatal if swallowed.
Some people are extremely sensitive to fumes that come from the lye/water. Fumes also come from the stirring container. Fumes from small batches (1 pound) usually isn't enough to cause a problem. Be very careful not to breathe in while you are stirring or peering at your lye/water mixture.
Be aware than larger amounts of lye (larger batches of soap) create more fumes. With prolonged contact, fumes can burn the eyes and skin of sensitive people. If you make soap in large amounts and afterward feel as if your face is "sun burned," chances are it was caused by fumes.
Children, pets and feeble-minded people should not be in the soapmaking area or have access to stored soapmaking ingredients, especially lye and essential oil.
B) Equipment you will need
1. One 4-to-6 cup mixing container made of lye-resistant material (I use a plastic juice pitcher with a lid)
2. One pot that holds at least 4 cups (I use a stainless steel pot)
3. Stainess steel, plastic, wooden spoon or a rubber spatula
4. Two thermometers made of glass or stainless steel (candy or meat thermometers)
5. Eye protection (wear sunglasses if you have to!)
6. Rubber gloves (dish gloves)
7. Accurate scale to weight the fats and lye
8. Soap molds (any flexible plastic container works well)
C) The Ten-step Procedure
1) Put on eye protection and rubber gloves.
2) Use a heat-proof container to measure the amount of cold water specified in the recipe. Cold water is important. If you add lye to hot or boiling water, the water could "boil-up" out of the container. Stir the water and slowly add the lye. The water will get hot and turn cloudy. Continue to stir until the lye dissolves. Don't breathe or intentionally smell the fumes coming from the cup because they are quite "chokey." If you wait too long to stir the water, the lye could harden in the bottom of the container. This is not a problem. You can still stir it, but it will be more difficult. Add a glass or stainless steel thermometer to the lye/water and wait until it reaches the temperature specified in the recipe.
3) Heat the fat.
Put the fats in a lye-resistant container and place a glass or stainless steel thermometer into the fats. Be sure the thermometer doesn't touch the bottom of the container and give a false reading. Heat the fats and optional ingredients to the temperature specified in the recipe.
4) When both the fat and the lye/water reach the temperature specified in the recipe, add the lye/water to the fat. It's sometimes a balancing act to get the fat mixture and the lye/water mixture to specific temperatures at the same time. Never place lye/water in a microwave (the cup could break).
I have found that a temperature between 105F-110F seems to work the best. The key is that both solutions are the same temperature.
It takes lye/water longer to cool than it takes fat to heat. When both the lye/water and the fat are within five degrees of the temperatures specified in the recipe, use a pot holder and move the bowl to a sink (to contain splatters). Slowly pour the lye/water into the fats while stirring.
5) Stir the soap until it "traces."
When lye, water and fat first combine, the mixture is thin and watery. Gradually, as the lye and fat react chemically to form soap, the mixture thickens and turns opaque.
"Tracing" is a term to describe the consistency (thickness) of soap when it's ready to pour into molds.
I use a stick blender to completely put the oil mixture into contact with the lye/water mixture.
To test for tracing:
a. Drip some soap onto the surface of the soap in the stirring bowl. It should leave a "trace" or small mound.
b. Draw a line in the soap with a spoon or rubber spatula. If a "trace" of the line remains for a few seconds, the soap has traced.
Tracing is easy to recognize, yet it causes new soapmakers a lot of worry. Relax and know that the soap will trace eventually. Just stir the soap constantly for the first 15 minutes or so, then stir the soap every fifteen minutes until it thickens and traces, no matter how long it takes. If you use a stick blender, you’ll only have to blend for about 2-3 minutes or less.
6) After the soap traces, add up to one tablespoon essential oil (if desired) and stir a few minutes longer to incorporate the oil. Essentials oils are necessary for a pleasant-smelling product.
7) Pour the soap into molds and wait for it to harden. The recipes states this length of time as 'time in mold.' Cover the molds and place them in a warm place where they will not be disturbed. Do not peek at them – each peek will reduce the temperature and you want them to stay warm. I wrap mine in a blanket and put them next to the heating vent.
8) Unmold the soap.
Soap can be still harsh when it's time to remove it from the molds. Put on rubber gloves and press the back of each mold compartment to release the soap. It's a lot like removing ice cubes from a tray. Sometimes the soap doesn't release easily from the mold. To overcome this problem, leave the soap in a freezer for a few hours. Freezing soap causes it to contract slightly, become hard and release from the plastic mold.
9) Wait the time specified in a recipe for the soap to"age" (usually 3 weeks). During the aging time the pH of the soap decreased (the soap becomes mild) and the bars harden. It's a good idea to write the following information on a piece of paper and place it with the soap: the date you made the soap, the date the aging time is over, and recipe.
10) Step 10 is *enjoy your soap!*
As soap ages, a fine, white powder may appear on the surface. This is soda ash (sodium carbonate) formed by a reaction of lye with carbon dioxide in air. This white powder is mostly on the surface exposed to air while the soap was in the molds. Soap that contains wax develops little or no soda ash.
There are three ways to deal with soda ash:
a. Try to prevent it.
Immediately after pouring soap into molds, cover the soap with plastic wrap or waxed paper. Press the wrap or paper onto the surface of the soap to prevent air contact.
b. Cut it away.
Overfill the molds slightly. Later, when the soap hardens, take a knife and cut the soap level with the mold. This also cuts away the soda ash.
c. Wash it away.
Wait until the soap ages and hardens. Wash the powder away by rubbing the soap with your hands under running water or by rubbing the soap over a wet dishcloth. Set the soap aside to dry -- then enjoy your soap!
It's very easy.
BASIC SOAPMAKING INSTRUCTIONS
A) Locating lye and safety precautions
B) The equipment list
C) The ten-step procedure
A) Locating lye (sodium hydroxide) and safety precautions
The following may frighten you, but thousands of people make soap everyday without mishap.
You may still be able to find 100% lye sold as a drain cleaner. Red Devil was once the best source, but they no longer seem to manufacture this product.
Generally, the best source is through the internet (see handout of internet resources). I find mine regularly on ebay. One problem is that lye is considered hazardous for shipping purposes, but I have not had to pay hazardous rates through ebay.
Apparently the process of making biodiesel fuel also uses lye, so there are more people looking for it, driving the price up.
Most good soap recipes list lye by weight for accuracy. Make sure you get lye in the granular form, which has a different weight than lye in flake form (the form of lye from laboratory chemical suppliers, pool chemical suppliers, etc).
Scales are a necessary part of successful soapmaking and allow you to use any type of lye.
Lye can be nasty if handled improperly. Keep lye tightly capped. Upon opening a container of lye, the lye crystals absorb water from the air, which can weaken the strength of the lye and cause it to form a solid lump.
Lye reacts with some metals: aluminum, zinc, and tin. Safe containers include heatproof stoneware, glass, enamel, stainless steel and plastic.
Lye, lye/water and freshly-made soap can burn and irritate skin. You'll notice itching before burning. Lye/water on skin is first noticed by a slippery feeling. Rinse your hands with vinegar and immediately rinse them with running water.
Since lye can burn skin, you can imagine what it does to eyes! Always wear eye protection! Wear sunglasses if you have to!
Lye can be fatal if swallowed.
Some people are extremely sensitive to fumes that come from the lye/water. Fumes also come from the stirring container. Fumes from small batches (1 pound) usually isn't enough to cause a problem. Be very careful not to breathe in while you are stirring or peering at your lye/water mixture.
Be aware than larger amounts of lye (larger batches of soap) create more fumes. With prolonged contact, fumes can burn the eyes and skin of sensitive people. If you make soap in large amounts and afterward feel as if your face is "sun burned," chances are it was caused by fumes.
Children, pets and feeble-minded people should not be in the soapmaking area or have access to stored soapmaking ingredients, especially lye and essential oil.
B) Equipment you will need
1. One 4-to-6 cup mixing container made of lye-resistant material (I use a plastic juice pitcher with a lid)
2. One pot that holds at least 4 cups (I use a stainless steel pot)
3. Stainess steel, plastic, wooden spoon or a rubber spatula
4. Two thermometers made of glass or stainless steel (candy or meat thermometers)
5. Eye protection (wear sunglasses if you have to!)
6. Rubber gloves (dish gloves)
7. Accurate scale to weight the fats and lye
8. Soap molds (any flexible plastic container works well)
C) The Ten-step Procedure
1) Put on eye protection and rubber gloves.
2) Use a heat-proof container to measure the amount of cold water specified in the recipe. Cold water is important. If you add lye to hot or boiling water, the water could "boil-up" out of the container. Stir the water and slowly add the lye. The water will get hot and turn cloudy. Continue to stir until the lye dissolves. Don't breathe or intentionally smell the fumes coming from the cup because they are quite "chokey." If you wait too long to stir the water, the lye could harden in the bottom of the container. This is not a problem. You can still stir it, but it will be more difficult. Add a glass or stainless steel thermometer to the lye/water and wait until it reaches the temperature specified in the recipe.
3) Heat the fat.
Put the fats in a lye-resistant container and place a glass or stainless steel thermometer into the fats. Be sure the thermometer doesn't touch the bottom of the container and give a false reading. Heat the fats and optional ingredients to the temperature specified in the recipe.
4) When both the fat and the lye/water reach the temperature specified in the recipe, add the lye/water to the fat. It's sometimes a balancing act to get the fat mixture and the lye/water mixture to specific temperatures at the same time. Never place lye/water in a microwave (the cup could break).
I have found that a temperature between 105F-110F seems to work the best. The key is that both solutions are the same temperature.
It takes lye/water longer to cool than it takes fat to heat. When both the lye/water and the fat are within five degrees of the temperatures specified in the recipe, use a pot holder and move the bowl to a sink (to contain splatters). Slowly pour the lye/water into the fats while stirring.
5) Stir the soap until it "traces."
When lye, water and fat first combine, the mixture is thin and watery. Gradually, as the lye and fat react chemically to form soap, the mixture thickens and turns opaque.
"Tracing" is a term to describe the consistency (thickness) of soap when it's ready to pour into molds.
I use a stick blender to completely put the oil mixture into contact with the lye/water mixture.
To test for tracing:
a. Drip some soap onto the surface of the soap in the stirring bowl. It should leave a "trace" or small mound.
b. Draw a line in the soap with a spoon or rubber spatula. If a "trace" of the line remains for a few seconds, the soap has traced.
Tracing is easy to recognize, yet it causes new soapmakers a lot of worry. Relax and know that the soap will trace eventually. Just stir the soap constantly for the first 15 minutes or so, then stir the soap every fifteen minutes until it thickens and traces, no matter how long it takes. If you use a stick blender, you’ll only have to blend for about 2-3 minutes or less.
6) After the soap traces, add up to one tablespoon essential oil (if desired) and stir a few minutes longer to incorporate the oil. Essentials oils are necessary for a pleasant-smelling product.
7) Pour the soap into molds and wait for it to harden. The recipes states this length of time as 'time in mold.' Cover the molds and place them in a warm place where they will not be disturbed. Do not peek at them – each peek will reduce the temperature and you want them to stay warm. I wrap mine in a blanket and put them next to the heating vent.
8) Unmold the soap.
Soap can be still harsh when it's time to remove it from the molds. Put on rubber gloves and press the back of each mold compartment to release the soap. It's a lot like removing ice cubes from a tray. Sometimes the soap doesn't release easily from the mold. To overcome this problem, leave the soap in a freezer for a few hours. Freezing soap causes it to contract slightly, become hard and release from the plastic mold.
9) Wait the time specified in a recipe for the soap to"age" (usually 3 weeks). During the aging time the pH of the soap decreased (the soap becomes mild) and the bars harden. It's a good idea to write the following information on a piece of paper and place it with the soap: the date you made the soap, the date the aging time is over, and recipe.
10) Step 10 is *enjoy your soap!*
As soap ages, a fine, white powder may appear on the surface. This is soda ash (sodium carbonate) formed by a reaction of lye with carbon dioxide in air. This white powder is mostly on the surface exposed to air while the soap was in the molds. Soap that contains wax develops little or no soda ash.
There are three ways to deal with soda ash:
a. Try to prevent it.
Immediately after pouring soap into molds, cover the soap with plastic wrap or waxed paper. Press the wrap or paper onto the surface of the soap to prevent air contact.
b. Cut it away.
Overfill the molds slightly. Later, when the soap hardens, take a knife and cut the soap level with the mold. This also cuts away the soda ash.
c. Wash it away.
Wait until the soap ages and hardens. Wash the powder away by rubbing the soap with your hands under running water or by rubbing the soap over a wet dishcloth. Set the soap aside to dry -- then enjoy your soap!
& 