Making Handmade Soap - Cold Processed Method
What is Soap? As far as I am concerned Soap is Magic! It is intriguing, and fascinating, and can be frustrating, but its always interesting! The chemistry involved in this process is:
An alkali plus an acid, together with water as the catalyst, creates the manufacture of a salt and glycerine.
When the alkali (Sodium Hydroxide) is combined with the Liquid (Distilled Water) and added to the fatty acid/s (Olive, Coconut Oils etc), a reaction called saponification occurs. Once this has happened the alkali is on it's way to being neutralised and after curing the soap for several weeks, should no longer be in evidence. Soap is made with but does not contain Caustic Soda (Sodium Hydroxide).
SAFETY PRECAUTION REMINDER
Always wear protective gloves when handling Sodium Hydroxide, mixing ingredients,
and taking fresh soap out of the moulds.
Safety First
- Please be aware that you are using Caustic Soda (Lye) which is a corrosive, and burns or poisoning are risk factors you must be mindful of
- Always store Caustic Soda high up, clearly marked and sealed tight
- Always remain aware of the danger
- Be aware of your surrounding work areas and keep these areas clear of clutter to avoid mishaps.
NEVER ADD WATER TO CAUSTIC. ALWAYS add the Caustic (NaOH or Lye) to the water
When you mix Caustic Soda (Lye) and Water together, the reaction between them generates a great deal of heat - this heat will break a glass jug or crack a brittle (non pliable) plastic jug.
For personal safety, wear protective gloves and goggles
Never breathe the fumes and always mix your solution outside or in a well-ventilated area
- Don't allow children or pets in the immediate area
- Don't allow yourself to get distracted and leave Caustic Soda unattended
- Be aware of the environmental hazards and dispose of unsaponified ingredients safely
- When cleaning the soap pot, let the mixture harden (set up), then scrape remains into a plastic bag, which should be tied up and put out with the rubbish
- Leave the Washing up of Soap Utensils for 12 hours or so. This way the leftover is semi-saponified, and it is much easier to clean up (no greasy sinkful of water)
- If washing immediately, add vinegar to the hot water and wash utensils as normal wearing gloves with washing up liquid/detergent.
Be Prepared In Case of An Accident
- ALWAYS: Keep Water and/or Vinegar handy
- If you splash Caustic (Lye) Water or Raw Soap into your eyes: Do not rub your eyes, instead rinse with cold running water thoroughly and attend an Accident & Emergency Department immediately
- If splashes of Caustic (Lye) Water or Raw Soap occur on your skin: Immediately flush/wash affected area with Water to rinse away the raw soap. Any splashes can be quickly neutralised by the vinegar; lemon juice works too, and in an emergency even lemonade - all contain an acid, vinegar (acetic acid) and lemon (citric acid), which neutralises the alkaline action of the Lye.
Equipment:
As you will see, you will probably find you already have most of these utensils already. The main things to avoid are aluminium, glass (Pyrex is suitable) and lightweight plastic. So check the Kitchen cupboards or the shed!
- Stainless Steel Thermometer
- Accurate kitchen scales – preferably digital
- Rubber Gloves and Glasses or protective eye wear
- Heavy Duty Plastic buckets
- Stainless Steel Stockpot or old casserole dish
- Old spatulas
- Moulds – Lined Wood, Plastic Containers or Milk Cartons
- Stainless Steel Stick Blender (not aluminium)
- Old blanket or towels (for insulating)
This recipe will make a good hard Soap with plenty of lather. It contains 44% Olive Oil. When you are comfortable with Cold Process Soaping, I recommend you spread your wings a little, and try some recipes with Luxury Oils and/or Butters – there’s plenty to choose from! When re-formulating Soap Recipes, Always use a Soap Calculator to ensure the correct proportion of Lye/Oils.
300g Coconut Oil
400g Olive Oil
200g Palm Oil
130g Caustic Soda (Sodium Hydroxide or Lye)
330g Liquid/Water
20ml (4 Teaspoons) Essential Oils or Fragrant Oil
Again, this will make a good creamy soap with plenty of lather. You will notice this time that the bubbles are a little smaller! It contains a lot less coconut and this contributes to this. I have used oils that are easily available in supermarkets and Asian grocery stores in Australia. We don’t recommend using this much Soy regularly, as the soap you make with it with not keep as long as with other soft oils.
190g Coconut Oil
20g Macadamia Nut Oil
180g Olive Oil
350g Soybean Oil
131g Caustic Soda (Sodium Hydroxide or Lye)
350g Water/Liquid
25ml (5 teaspoons) Essential Oils or Fragrant Oil
How to make it happen:
- First things First!
Put on Safety Goggles or spectacles to protect your eyes and also wear some rubber or disposable gloves
- Weigh the water in one container and Caustic Soda in another. Take into the open air or a well ventilated area and pour the Caustic Soda into the water and stir with a durable plastic spoon or scraper to ensure there is no undissolved Caustic Soda. This will become VERY hot. Be careful not to breathe the fumes
- Whilst this is cooling WEIGH the Oils (do not use liquid or volume measurements) and place into large and durable container, preferably a stainless steel stock pot. Set this on a low heat to melt
- Whilst this is cooling weigh ALL Oils (do not use liquid measurements) and place into large and durable container
- When both the Lye Water (this is the Caustic Soda and Water solution) temperature and the temperature of the oils are approximately the same, and roughly between 30-40ºC, pour the Lye Water carefully into the oils
- Use the stick blender to mix (emulsify) until the Soap looks like whipping cream.(This is thin or early “trace”). At this point you may add any botanicals, herbs or additives. This is also the time to add the colour/s if you are using any
- When the mixture looks like thin/medium custard, add the Fragrance and/or Essential Oils. (The total amount of Essential Oils should not exceed 2.5% of the Oil Weight.)
- Stir/blend until mixture until you can leave a trail on top when you pour a little across the surface. This is how you know it is ready to pour
- Pour into Mould and cover with a piece of laminating film or plastic (or Milk Carton and reclose the lid). The soap is now ready to put to bed to reach “gel stage”, and now it will saponify fully. Wrap in an old blanket or towel to insulate (This encourages Gel Stage)
- After 24-36 hours, remove from the Mould and slice. If using a Milk Carton, peel away the Carton and cut. If you feel the soap is still very soft, just leave it another day and then cut into bars. Set the bars on their edge and store out of the damp and direct light to cure.
On curing & drying:
Opinion varies as to the time required for full "curing". Soap is cured when it is no longer moving through the process of saponification, and this occurs during the first week or so. Drying however is a different matter, you can use your soap as soon as you feel is fully saponified. However, the longer you dry it, the harder the bar will become and the more mild. I prefer a minium of six weeks, but I leave my Goats Milk, Castille, Shampoo and softer mixes for 4-5 months for full hardness. The more water that has evaporated from the Soap, the longer each bar will last!
Soda Ash: You may sometimes get a "film" of white powdery ash or dust on top of your soap. Simply cut it off, or scrape it off and your soap is fine to use. You can often avoid this by covering your soap with plastic or bakers paper during gel stage.
Preservatives: You will NOT require a preservative for your soap. The natural pH is usually all that is required. However, if you live in an area of high heat/humidity, you may wish to add an anti oxidant such as Rosemary Oleoresin Extract, or you can add Vitamin E or include some Wheatgerm Oil in the base oils.
Please note - NEVER USE VOLUME MEASUREMENTS - always weigh oils and water. You cannot always be sure that your conversion of a millilitre amount to a gram amount will not affect the Sodium Hydroxide quantity.
Warning: if skin irritation should ever occur, discontinue use immediately.
