Nature's Comforts Handmade Soap
Handmade soap is an exciting and creative craft. After using handmade soap, you never go back to store bought. It offers mild, moisturizing bars that feel fantastic on the skin.
Getting Started
You will need:
-A glass bowl or a stainless steel pot
-Heat resistent glass measuring cup (1 cup and 4 cup sizes)
-An immersion blender (stick blender)
-A microwave or a stove element (or hot plate)
-A digital scale that masures to 0.1 oz.
-2 candy thermometers (one for the lye solution and one for the oils)
-Rubber spatulas (preferably the thin ones generally used to clean out tall bottles)
-Stainless steel ladel for spooning soap into molds
-Old rags
-Rubber gloves (I use the yellow dishwashing gloves), long sleeve shirt, protective glasses, long pants, socks.
-Molds (plastic, wooden (lined with freezer paper), or even silicone baking molds for extremely easy removal)
-Plastic wrap
-Old towels for insulating soap
-Paper towel to lay soap on during the curing period
-Knife or soap cutter to cut into bars. You can also use a wavy potato cutter to get a neat effect.
-Base oils of your choice or follow the recipe below
-Distilled Water (I like to buy the big jugs that go in a water dispenser)
-Sodium Hydroxide (Lye - can be purchased at Home Hardware)
-Vinegar (to neutralize lye)
-Milk (coconut, soy, cow, goat), Aloe Juice, or Floral Waters (if you choose to use these, take the water amount and cut it in half, the other half will consist of the milk, aloe, or floral water in a separate container. The lye will be incorporated into the water portion. Later, when the lye solution is added to the oils, add the other liquid to the oils at the same time)
-Extracts (if you choose to use these)
-Essential Oils (if you choose to use these. Use at 1tbsp. per lb. of soap)
-Fragrance Oils (if you choose to use these. Use at 1 tsp. per lb. of soap)
-Other additives (if you choose to use these. May consist of dried herbs (lavender, peppermint, etc.), clays (for skincare properties and colour), ground walnut husk, apricot kernels, or luffa (for exfoliation), ground oatmeal, honey, and any other creative ideas you can think of)
-Paper, Printer, & tape for labels
Note: do not insulate soap with milk and honey. The honey causes the soap to heat more than normal and will cause the milk to burn.
The Ingredients
The following is an easy base recipe used by many soap makers. I added a couple of additives to give you an idea of how to incorporate them (measure by weight):
2lb Batch (the 2lb. are determined by the weight of the oil)
-8 oz. Coconut Oil
-6 oz. Palm Oil
-18 oz. Olive Oil
-12.16 oz. Distilled Water (room temperature)
-4.5 oz. Lye Crystals
-2 tbsp. Lavender Essential Oil
-1/4 - 1/2 cup Ground Oatmeal (or oatflour)
Note: Be sure to double check all of your soap recipes in a lye calculator to ensure the correct amount of lye, water, and oil. The amount of lye will change for every oil. I generally use a 5% superfat (5% less lye than is needed to change all of the oil into soap). This gives room for error and a more moisturizing bar.
The Recipe
- Make sure everything is ready before you start. Make sure you are wearing all of the protective gear (gloves, long sleeves, protective glasses, etc.). Now we are ready to start.
- Use your scale to measure the lye crystals in a small glass measuring cup. Measure the distilled water in the large measuring cup. I go outside to mix them, as the fumes are quite powerful. Slowly add a small amount of the lye crystals to the water and mix with a spatula. Keep adding a bit at a time while stirring; it will get very hot (chemical reaction between the lye and water). Never add the water to the lye, as it will explode. You must be very careful when working with lye, it can burn your skin. Vinegar neutralizes a lye solution, so keep it on hand. If you get lye on your skin, immediately wash it off with soap and water, then use vinegar to neutralize any remaining lye. You can now bring your lye solution inside to cool (I sometimes put it in the fridge to cool it quicker - bring to 110 degrees F.).
- While the lye cools, measure your oils into a large bowl. Sart with the palm and coconut oils, as you will need to melt these either in the microwave (glass) or on the stovetop (stainless steel). Then add your liquid oils. Bring all your oils to 110 degrees F. On a side note, I personally do not ensure my oils and lye are exactly the same temperature and I haven't had any problems. I ensure the lye is about 110 degrees F and my oil is luke warm.
- Get the rest of your ingredients and molds ready. Line wooden molds with freezer paper. Measure out essential oils and additives in separate bowls.
- When both the lye and oils have reached 110 degrees F, add the lye solution to the oil and mix with an immersion blender.
- When your soap reaches a light trace (you know this has happened when you lift your blender (while not running) and a slight lifting occurs on top of the soap, like a slightly thick gravy), add your additives and essential oils and blend thoroughly.
- When your soap has reached a medium trace (slightly thicker, generally right after the additives have been incorporated, you are ready to quickly transfer your soap to the molds.
- I use a clean spatula to clean the soap out of the immersion blender (place on plastic wrap or any other safe surface), then use the ladel to put into the molds. Use the spatula to get as much soap into the molds as possible.
- Cover your molds in plastic wrap, wrap in an old towel (to insulate), and store in a safe place away from pets and children and even curious husbands for 24 to 48 hours (until the soap is hard). The soap will heat and cool several times during this period.
- If using a plastic mold, you may find it easier to unmold if you place it in the freezer for several hours beforehand. Pop your soap out of the molds, place on paper towels and cut into bars (a good size is usually 1" thick, 3.75" long, and 2.5" wide)
- Your soap now needs to cure for about 4 weeks (basically needs to sit there). for the best air circulation, lay the soap on it's side (the 1" part) and leave a space between each bar. During this time, the soap will continue the saponfication process (lye reacting with oil to make soap) and water will evaporate out of the bar to make it harder and less prone to spoilage. Is is important to let your soap cure for the entire period or it will be harsh to the skin (more lye heavy). I find that castile soaps (100% olive oil) need to cure for longer.
- After the 4 week curing period, your soap is ready for labeling. I simply print my labels on a strip of paper (5 per page) and tape it around the soap. A great labelling program is Avery Design Pro.
If you have any questions, please contact natures-comforts@live.com
