Making Cold-Processed Soap

Recipe for Shea Butter Soap This is a superb, easy to make soap that lathers well and is highly moisturizing. • Gather ingredients: – – – – – – –

10.5 oz (298 g) coconut oil 10.5 oz (298 g) olive oil 9 oz (255 g) shea butter 8 oz (227 g) distilled water 4.2 oz (119 g lye) Scent 0.6 oz (17 g) Colorant (Optional)

Molds • For recipes with 30 oz of fat (850 g) you will need a soap mold that will hold at least 5 cups of liquid. • Good materials for “found” molds include wood, plastic, and milk cartons. If made of inflexible material they need to be lined with freezer paper. Don’t use aluminum. • Craft store plastic soap molds (coat with mineral oil).

Special Equipment Needs – Digital Scale • Capable of measuring in tenths of an ounce, or in grams, or both • Capable of adjusting for tare (weight of the container) • Use fresh batteries or AC adapter

– Two food thermometers (70130*F range) • One waterproof, digital “instantread” thermometer • One dial-type thermometer

– Stick blender, e.g. KitchenAid Hand Blender – Gloves (rubber, extra long) and Goggles – pH strips (7 [neutral] to 11 [too alkaline to use])

Using an Stick Blender in Making Cold Process Soap: – The amount of time it takes for your soap to trace will depend on the following: • the oils used in your recipe • the amount or percentage of sodium hydroxide used in your recipe • if you are stirring your soap by hand it will take a lot longer to reach trace than if you were using an immersion/stick blender.

– Combine your oils with your lye solution while stirring by hand. Put your immersion/stick blender in the soap mixture and turn it on to a low setting for approximately 2 minutes. If your soap has not shown any signs of trace, turn off your immersion/stick blender and stir by hand for a minute. Repeat the above steps until your trace stays even, while stirring by hand. Then you are ready to pour the soap into your molds.

Preparing Areas PLACE IN MAIN WORK AREA: • • • •

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Scale Bowl or glass measuring cups for lye and for distilled water Bowl or glass measuring cup for solid fat and for each liquid fat Small bowls for scent and colorant (if using them) Large pot (stainless steel or chip-free enamel) or large glass pitcher for mixing all ingredients Food thermometer (preferably waterproof, digital “instant-read”) Stick blender Long-handled spoon (stainless steel or plastic) Spatula (rubber or silicone) Soap mold/s Plastic wrap or other mold cover and large towel Roll of paper towels Vinegar (for cleanup and possible burns) Plastic dishpan with water and some vinegar (for soiled utensils) All recipe ingredients (including lye)

PLACE IN LYE MIXING AREA: • •

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Large pan (stainless steel, enameled, or heat-resistant plastic) Don’t use aluminum! Food thermometer (long, dialtype) Long-handled slotted spoon (stainless steel or plastic) Pitcher of cold or chilled tap water Bowl of ice cubes Roll of paper towels

REMEMBER: • Measure correctly, control the temperature, and mix your ingredients well. • Allow plenty of time – preferably two to three uninterrupted hours the first time • If lye solution comes in contact with your skin, apply vinegar, then flush area well with cold running water. Remove any contaminated clothing.

ALSO IMPORTANT • Dress appropriately – Cover yourself completely – long sleeves, long pants, and solid shoes

• Work area needs – Source of running water, good ventilation for lye mixing area, waterproof covering to protect work surface

Preparing the Ingredients • In your Main Work Area turn on your scale and set to ounces or grams. • Place the empty container on the scale and tare it to zero. • Pour distilled water into it till you have the correct weight for your recipe. • Using the same weighing method, weigh the liquid fat/s. Use a separate container for each. Pour into the large pot/pitcher. • If using liquid colorant, add a few drops now. • Using the same method, weigh all solid fat for your recipe into large microwave-safe bowl/s. Use a separate container for each. • Heat the solid fat/s in the microwave till they are just melted. Be careful not to overheat. Leave in microwave until needed. • If using scent, weigh into small bowl, using the same method as for the water and fats. (Batch weight 1.8 lb, use 0.6 oz (17 g)) • If using powdered soap colorant, mix in a small bowl with 1 Tbsp of liquid fat taken from the large pot/pitcher. Blend mixture to a smooth paste. Don’t add to pot yet. (Batch weigh 1.8 lb, use ¼ to ½ tsp)

Lye Precautions • Lye reacts with some metals: aluminum, zinc, and tin. Safe containers include heatproof stoneware, glass, enamel, stainless steel and plastic. • Lye can remove paint. If lye, lye/water or freshly-made soap splatters onto a painted surface, wipe it off immediately. Wash the area with water and detergent; wash it with clear water, then wipe it dry. Use old rags, because lye weakens cloth fiber. • 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. Pour vinegar over area and then immediately rinse well with cool running water.

Mixing the Lye Solution • • • •

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In your Main Work Area - PUT ON GOGGLES AND GLOVES Put the bowl on the scale and tare it to zero Weigh the lye into the bowl. Spoon out the lye instead of pouring it. Take the bowl of lye and the container of distilled water to your lye mixing area. Set container into large pan. Trickle lye gradually into the container of distilled water stirring constantly with the long-handled, slotted spoon. As the lye dissolves, the solution will heat up and give off fumes. Stand away from the solution. Keep stirring until all grains have dissolved.

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Pour cold water from the pitcher into the pan making it as deep as possible without floating the container, then add ice cubes to bath. Continue to stir lye solution until cooled and is between 90-110*F.

Combining the Ingredients •

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Take container with lye solution and lye utensils to Main Work Area. Put the utensils into the plastic dishpan of vinegar water. KEEP GLOVES AND GOGGLES ON. Take the warm melted fat and pour into large pot/pitcher with the liquid fat. Combining the fats should bring them to the desired range of 90-110*F. Pour the lye solution into the pot/pitcher with the fat. Final mixture temperature should be in the range of 90-110*F. Stir briefly but well with long handled spoon. Carefully check and note the temperature with a thermometer.

Combining Continued •

Mix with stick blender moving through mixture so everything gets mixed thoroughly. While running be careful to keep blade submerged. – Mixture changes from oily and transparent to creamy and opaque. The surface which was shiny becomes duller and the oily ring at the pot’s side shrinks and disappears. – Next the mixture thickens and gets smoother like thin pudding. Draw a line in the soap with the stick blender. If a "trace" of the line remains for a few seconds, the soap has traced. – At this point, stop blending because the saponification that produces soap can continue without further blending

Combining Continued • Check the temperature. Saponification generates heat and the temperature should have risen a couple degrees. Once it has, you’re done. Don’t allow the mixture to heat more than 5*F as it becomes too thick to pour from the pot. • Add any colorant or scent you’ve made ready, and blend a bit to mix it in. • Pour mixture into mold, scraping pot with the spatula. Cover with plastic wrap. • Put mold aside to sit awhile. A heavy towel can go over the mold if the room is cool

Cleanup • Don’t take off your gloves and goggles till you’re finished cleaning up. • Wash all utensils, containers, pots, pans, etc. by hand before putting in dishwasher or if washing only by hand, wash twice. • Wipe down work surface areas with paper towel dampened with vinegar. • Wash your gloves with hands still inside them. • Now take off gloves and goggles.

Removal, Testing and Cutting •

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Soap should be solid in about 12 hours, and ready to come out of the mold and be tested in about 24 hours. It should have cooled to room temperature. Don gloves. Put a little distilled water on the surface, rub to make a paste, then test paste with pH strip. – If strip shows in the range of 7-10, the soap is fine. – If it reads 11 or 12, let it sit for a few days and test again. – If it reads above 12, don’t use it and don’t touch it without gloves. Discard it and try again.

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If pH within the acceptable range, slice the block in half. Look at cut surface. The texture should be fairly smooth and regular, with a consistency like cheese. Test the cut surface with a pH strip. It should be within the range of 7-10.

Cutting • After testing, remove gloves and finish slicing the soap into bars. • Set the bars on a rack in a well-ventilated area to dry out and become milder. Minimum drying times normally are a couple weeks to a month.

Packaging • Good packaging will give your soaps the professional look they deserve. – Cigar Band: Belt-like wrap around the middle of the bar made of paper or material – Gift wrap with paper or material (use pinking shears to cut). Secure ends with fabric glue or tacky glue.

• Labeling – Use a stick-on label – Describe the “Soap” identifying any scent and some of the ingredients, net weight of product, name and place of business

Though you can make soap using only one oil, the best soap recipes have a balance of oils Each oil will contribute a different quality to the final bar of soap. The qualities can be categorized in four ways: 1. Hard, stable, long lasting - palm oil, beef tallow, lard 2. Lathering - coconut, castor, palm kernel, lard 3. Moisturizing/Conditioning - olive oil, canola, sunflower, soybean 4. Luxury/Super Moisturizing - cocoa butter, shea butter, almond oil, hemp oil, jojoba

Many oils will have multiple characteristics - e.g. shea butter is super moisturizing and makes a very hard bar of soap as well. Coconut is primarily used because it makes great lather, but makes a super hard bar too. Tallow is primarily used as a base oil (hard), but it makes really creamy, moisturizing lather. A basic balanced recipe should have some of at least the first three oil categories - hard, lathering, and moisturizing. So a basic recipe could be: – 30% tallow – 25% coconut oil – 45% olive oil

That would be a great, balanced basic bar of soap.

Herbs in soap making: •

You can replace the water in soap recipes with herbal tea, but most of the properties (color and fragrance) are lost. The best way to use herbs in soap is to add dry, finely powdered herbs to the fats before adding the lye/water. – Use anywhere from 1 Tbsp to 1/4 cup dried herbs to 1 lb soap.

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The nicest way to add properties of herbs to soap is the addition of pure essential oils. Over time, soap can develop a "lye-fat" odor, which essential oils prevent. – Use anywhere from 1 tsp to 2 Tbsp essential oil per lb soap (depending on the strength of the oil).

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Color is an illusive thing as far as soap is concerned. – Natural colors can be obtained by adding 2 Tbsp ground Calendula petals - yellow, or adding milk(goats or cow's) - tan to brown, depending upon sugar and fat content. – http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/soap makingbasics/a/natcolors.htm

Additional Information • Honey: – Honey is also a wonderful additive to soaps. It can impart a light, warm, sweet scent, the added sugar content helps increase the lather, and acts as a humectant. – Use about 1 Tbsp per pound of oils and add it at a very, very light trace. You want to make sure it gets completely incorporated into the soap before your trace gets too thick. – Honey will turn your soap a light tan color. This is, similar to what occurs when you use milk in soap, it is from the chemical reaction with the extra sugars in the soap.

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Beeswax: - Beeswax is good for the skin. It will make your soap a little harder and it will reach trace quicker . Use about 1 oz per pound of oils. Melt with solid fats and add with other oils.

BEE HONEY SOAP RECIPE • This is a beautiful soap with a sweet smell. It comes out a great deep brown color, and feels fabulous on your skin. • Gather ingredients: – 12 oz vegetable shortening – 4 oz coconut oil – 1 oz beeswax – 1 cup distilled water – 2 oz lye – 1/8 cup (1 fluid ounce) honey • Follow Basic Instructions and the following …

BEE SOAP RECIPE • This is a lovely soap with a sweet smell. It lathers well and is highly moisturizing. •

Gather ingredients: – 11 oz olive oil – 9 oz coconut oil – 6 oz palm oil – 1.5 oz castor oil – 3 oz sunflower oil – 1.5 oz cocoa butter – 4.6 oz of lye – 10 oz of water – 2 generous tablespoons of honey added at very light trace – Scent and/or color as desired • Follow Basic Instructions and the following …

Directions: Follow Basic Instructions and the following: – Melt vegetable shortening . Melt beeswax and coconut oil together and keep warm. Or, if making the second recipe, heat all oils and cocoa butter together. – Prepare lye and cool. – Shortening/oils should be approximately 120*F and lye solution approximately 100 *F , gently pour solution into shortening/oils – Mix with stick blender on low until early tracing occurs – For the first recipe, pour beeswax and coconut oil mixture into soap mixture stirring constantly (the mixture will get VERY thick with the addition of the beeswax mix). – When the mixture is completely blended, stir in the honey. – Pour into prepared mold and cover with plastic wrap. – Allow to stand covered for 48 hours. – Test surface/s for pH within acceptable range. – Remove from mold and slice as desired. – Place on rack and allow to age in for 2-3 weeks.

Additional Resources • Anne’s Soapmaking Page – www.annelwatson.com/soapmaking

• Miller’s Homemade Soap Pages – www.millersoap.com

• SoapCalc – www.soapcalc.com

• An excellent book for beginners: – Smart Soapmaking by Anne L. Watson (2007)