COLD PROCESS SOAP MAKING

 I have been making cold process soap for a little while now.  It is something Joe started several years ago and he got me hooked on it.  We are most definitely a "bar soap" family and in the movement away from chemicals we don't need to be putting on our bodies (found in many commercial cosmetics, including soaps) we exclusively use homemade soap.  That being said, I do use fragrance oils, but I am picky about my sources.  Of course there are soap brands that are nice and green, and many people make and sell wonderful soap (farmer's markets and even online) but why pay someone else for something I can and like to do?

Soap can be made so many ways, using a variety of ingredients/additives, colorants, scents and molds.  Up until last week I was only doing the cold process soap method and scenting with fragrant oils.  Read about hot process soap here.  I did a few batches with oxide colorant that turned out nicely and added another level of difficulty to the process.  My favorite mold is a wooden one Joe made.

My favorite recipe:

40gm castor oil  

320gm coconut oil

320gm palm oil

320gm olive oil

This a very general description of my soap making process:  I run my oil amounts through a lye calculator to find out how much water and lye* is needed.  Every fragrance oil and essential oil is different.  The amount used can vary widely so I like to check with my source to find the maximum percent I can safely use in soap.  Most of the time I use 2 fl.oz. of fragrance oil in my above recipe. 

*A special note on lye.  Lye is dangerous!  It can burn your skin.  Imagine the damage it can do internally if you inhale the fumes - horrible.  If you make soap do your research and be careful with lye.  Keep children and pets away when making soap and store lye and other soap making supplies out of reach.  Always add lye to water, never the reverse!  When I make soap I wear goggle and gloves.  White vinegar should be used to neutralize lye when cleaning all equipment and surfaces.  I like to rinse my hands in vinegar when I am all done just for good measure.  Ever take chemistry lab?  Remember that a strong base is just as powerful as a strong acid.  The word "acid" sounds scarier, but a strong base is just as dangerous.  When you make soap imagine you are in a lab working with a strong base...because you are!  Skin protection, ventilation, goggles!

With cold process soap you add lye to water and there will be a chemical reaction, producing a lot of heat and fumes.  Be cautious.  Separately, you heat the oils/fats/butters until they are blended.  When the lye mixture has cooled and the oils are melted they should be the same temperature.  Use of an ice bath to reach even temperature is common.  Most instructions say the ideal temperature is somewhere between 100 and 115 degrees F.  The two pots should be identical temperatures for best results.  Add the lye mixture to the oils slowly and beat with a stick blender or by hand.  The first few times Joe made soap he used a spoon to stir, but it took a long time.  Stick blenders can usually be found thrift stores.  We have worn out a few and have two right now, none of which we bought new.  Blend the mixture until trace, that's when it thickens like pudding.  Add scent and color and pour into molds.  For my wooden mold, I have to line it with a plastic bag or it will not come out of the mold.  Cover the mold and let the soap set for 24 hours.  It is still volatile at this point.  During the next 24 hours your soap will go through a gel phase where it continues to heat up, becomes transparent and then opaque again.  It will harden and you will be able to un-mold and slice it into bars.  Lay the bars out on paper and flip every few days.  Cold process soap needs to cure for about a month.  During this time the bars will harden significantly.

Another safety note:  I use a lot of kitchen equipment to make soap.  I don't use any of my soap making equipment for food preparation.  If you decide to make soap have a separate set of bowls, crock pot, spoons, pots, etc. that you use only for soap making.  Most of my equipment came from thrift stores, including the silicone loaf mold in the photo.  Keep soap making equipment in a separate location like a tote in the garage or basement.

My soaping supplies

Four fragrances from left to right: orange clove, witchy, monkey farts & bubble gum.  Monkey farts is colorant free.

Scented with chocolate fragrance oil, colored with coffee it looks and smells like cake!