Making Cold Process SoapHow to Make Cold Process Soap: Making lye soap is rewarding, but it is also a bit of work. If you can't make brownies from a box mix turn out right, you may want to consider melt and pour soap instead of attempting to make it yourself.
Equipment you need to make Cold Process Soap: An accurate scale , it needs to weight down to 1/10th of an ounce A stainless steel pot or enamel painted pot A plastic or stainless steel spoon 2 glass pitchers/containers, at least one needs the lid (make sure you write "LYE & Dangerous" all over the pitchers). You can use plastic pitchers, just be sure to test them to make sure they won't melt from the heat generated during the process- put the container in the sink and fill it with boiling water, if it warps or shows signs of it, it will not withstand the heat generated during the soap making process. Rubber gloves Goggles to protect your eyes A heavy apron A thermometer which reads as low as 90 degrees and higher than 200. A stick blender (used for making milk shakes in a glass) A corrugated box, approximately 8"x8"x9" A small size plastic trash can liner. Or instead of the box method, enough soap molds to hold seven pounds of soap
Supplies you will need (all ingredients are weighed, even the water): 11.2 ounces of lye. (I use Red Devil brand, you can get this in the drain opener section of your supermarket) 32 ounces of water 1 Pound of Olive Oil (any type will do, the cheaper the better) 3 Pounds of Lard 1 Pound of Coconut Oil (76 degree)
1.4 ounces of essential oil
Directions for Cold Process Soap: Put on your gloves and goggles. Read the warning label on the lye. It is a caustic and dangerous substance. The first thing you need to do is put your scale in your sink, place the empty container on it, THEN turn on the scale, THEN start pouring your water in. Weigh 32 ounces of COLD water in a plastic container. Never use hot water to mix with lye, it will volcano. Very slowly, pour the lye into the cold water. Make sure you leave everything in the sink. It is safer that way. Lye has a lot of static cling, so spills are easy to do. You'll notice the lye reacts with the cold water and it gets very hot. It'll also give off a gas, that's why you should keep a window open, put the exhaust fan on for ventilation, and wear a painters mask or some other mask. Don't breathe the fumes. When it is stirred, put the cap on the lye solution. Let your lye sit in a safe place (out of the reach of everyone including pets) until it cools off to room temperature. This will take two to three hours. When the lye gets back down to room temperature you're ready to start making your soap, start weighing out your fats. Put your weighed fats into a stainless steel container or porcelain (enamel) painted pot. Put the pot full of fats on the stove. Heat on the stove, stirring often. Keep a close eye on it because it reaches temperature somewhat quickly. Stir well before taking its temperature. You're looking for a temperature between 120 and 130 degree Fahrenheit. Always wear your gloves and goggles when working with the lye! Always clean your thermometer before using it.
When your fats reach between 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit, put your pot in your sink. Your lye solution should be at room temperature. Put on your gloves and goggles. Very carefully and slowly pour the lye solution into the fats. Use a large spoon (slotted spoon works best) to stir it in. Hold your head back while pouring to avoid any splash back getting you. Once the lye solution is mixed in, (a couple of minutes), use the stick blender, use it off and on (continuous use may blow it up). Blend for a minute, stir with a spoon for a minute, switching back and forth between blender and spoon. You should come to a very thick soap with this equipment, probably in about 5 minutes The lye, water and fats are turning into something completely different. Cold process SOAP! If you weighed accurately and had your temperatures accurate, then the bowl the mixture is in will stay warm to the touch.
You will see changes in your cold process creation. It will immediately start to become more opaque. It will become thicker and more opaque as time goes on. This is the mixture changing into soap. If you don't have a stick blender, you can stir with at spoon for about 1-1/2 hours. A stick blender costs about $20 or less, I highly recommend it. Stick blenders do have their disadvantages, they tend to give a soap that's done being stirred, but it is still so raw, the soap may burn your skin. When you hand stir, I dont have this problem. But it really isn't much of problem, especially if you are using gloves like you should be! Stick blenders also tend to cause overheating of the soap from time to time. But this shouldnt happen unless you really overdo the mixing.
After one hour of stirring, (If you're using a stick blender, this point will happen about five minutes into stirring), you'll notice that if you drop some of the mixture from your spoon onto the surface, that it kind of dents the surface. It looks very thick and this particular recipe that you're making has a light tan color.
Immediately pour your cold process soap into your molds. Let it sit undisturbed in a warm room for 24 hours. As the chemical reaction is taking place it generates heat. If you put your hand on the side of the box in about 1 hour, you will feel its warmth. Twenty-four hours are up. HURRAY! It should still be a little warm to the touch. You can now remove your cold process soap bars from the mold! They should just pop right out. If you have to struggle, then put the mold in the freezer for 3 hours. Take it out and use a blow dryer on the back of the mold. When condensation forms, it will slip right out. If you used the box for a mold for your cold process soap, just pull the plastic liner out of the box, remove it from the soap and cut into bars. The soap should have a nice, solid consistency. It may be a little oily to the touch. But it should be the same texture throughout. If you are going to melt the soap, now it is ready for shredding. If you're not going to melt it, just cut into bars and let the bars cure for 4 weeks or more for the best soap. You can use it in a day or two, but a well cured soap lasts so much longer and has better lather. So go ahead and use a bar, but let all the other bars dry in the open air for over a month. To be sure that your soap making project went well, purchase some ph testing papers. A good soap will fall in the 7-9 categories. A successful batch does not burn the skin in use. It is rich, bubbly, creamy soap that is extremely gentle to the skin. Rebatching Cold Process Soaps: Rebatching is another form of cold process soapmaking. You make your cold process soap from scratch, grate it up, place it over a heat source, in a kettle, with a little liquid (water works very well), and the mixture melts down into a mushy mess that you add colorant and fragrance too. This method is often used to preserve the scent or the healing properties of some essential oils. Beginner 4.5 pound Soap Recipe - makes just under 4.5 lbs of soap 16oz Canola Oil 16oz Coconut Oil 16oz Palm Oil 6.9oz Lye (5% superfatted) 15.8oz Water
Beginner 6.5 pound Soap Recipe - makes just over 6.5 lbs of soap 5oz Canola Oil 5oz Castor Oil 32oz Coconut Oil 32oz Palm Oil 11 oz Lye (5% superfatted) 24.4 oz Water
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