Making Cold-Processed Soap

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:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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:
•
•
•
•
•
•
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
•
•
•
•
•
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.
•
•
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
•
•
•
•
•
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
•
•
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.
•
•
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.
•
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).
•
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.
•
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)