Soap Makers Help!

[Morgaine]

I think it was mentioned by I'm not sure we really got into it.

So how do you do a master batch of oils? Is it liquid oils only, all your oils. Do you have to melt and mix the whole batch every time you make soap? I would love to hear about it.

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

Morgaine, It is so wonderful! It has simplified and speeded up my soap making time like nothing else has.

If you get oils in 5 gallon buckets, keep those to use for your master batch. If you don't get oils in 5 gallon buckets, get to a big box store (home depot, menards, lowes). They sell them there (with lids) pretty inexpensively.

When I make soap, I like to fill all my molds ... 2 of them take 9# of oil, one takes 6# of oil. So every time I want to soap, it's 24# of oil ..... I think each 5 gallon bucket will hold about 25# of oil, sooooo I go to my lye calc and find out how much of each oil I need for 30# of soaping oils. (I have three 5-gallon buckets). I weigh up each of my solid oils in my stupidly big SS pot and melt it. Weigh up my liquid oils, then add them to the solid oils once they are melted.

I pour about 1/3rd into each of my 5 gallon buckets. Then I do it again so I have a total of 60# of oils. I mix real well, then set in a cool place. Since I don't use palm oil (which can and will separate), my oils homgenize together nicely. If I used palm, I would set them in a cold place so they would cool off immediately without separating and then store in cool place so it would not melt. If it does melt on you, just stir with a long paint stirrer.

When it is time to soap, I measure out 2 pots of 9# of oil and one pot of 6# of oil. You can start soaping immediately without having to measure each of your individual oils for each soap batch.

If you don't have room to store your soaping oils between soaping, and say you have to make 6 batches of 3# of oil, instead of weighing each recipe on it's own, weigh out the oils for 18#, then weigh out 3# for each batch.

It's really great for room temp soaping, since the solid oils are already mixed with the liquid oils and the solid oils aren't as solidified. Makes the melting from the heat of the lye solution work much faster.

It really speeds up the time in making soap! Let me know how it works for you, if you try it.

 

[BirdBrain]

Cyndi,
Can you explain room temperature soaping? How and why is it done? What are the advantages?

 

[Morgaine]

MLF~ Thank you so much for explaining that. Now I really wish I had a better scale that would handle more than four pounds. Another thing to add to the wish list.

I added up my sales receits and I sold $208 worth of soap from March 3-24. But I spent a little over $600 in supplies, so I'm still in the hole. I need to order more coconut oil too, I'm out of that.

I had a mixed soap weekend. I didn't have enough coconut oil to do all I wanted, somehow I put two empty containers back on my shelves and I thought I had 5 coconut oils, but really had 2 1/2. So I did one Lavender Rosemary Salt Bar, 1 Cucumber Melon and 1 Oatmeal Milk and Honey. They all turned out fine. Then I was going to make a pure Olive oil soap. I don't think I'm going to make a castile again. I can never get a thick enough trace where I don't have some leakage at my seams. I had soap all in my oven. I'm done!

I just placed an order with The Scent Works. I got Black raspberry cream, Yuzu Japanese Grapefruit, Green Irish Tweed, and Coconut Lime Verbena. All of these had good reviews from the scent review board.

I set up a soapmakers reference thread. If anyone has anything they want to add, please do.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=155832

 

[Morgaine]

Quote:
this might help

http://homemadebathproducts.blogspot.com/2008/06/room-temperature-cold-process-soap.html

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Quote:
Wow! Thanks for starting the new thread!

Can't wait to hear what you think of your new scents! You got some good ones!

Are you planning to add anything special to the Yuzu? Everyone loves the added poppy seeds in my Lemon Verbena and have requested more soaps with exfoliating goodies. The only other exfoliating additive I've used is oatmeal. I'd love more ideas on what your customers have liked.

 

[Morgaine]

I was thinking of making the Yuzu a salmon or yellow color with turmeric and a pinch of pink clay. I'll see when I smell it. I have poppy seeds in my Lemon Verbena too

I have three that have oatmeal in them, I also have used cornmeal and grits, tea leaves, and lavender flowers. I like the poppy seeds and oatmeal the best. Grits are very scrubby, not to harsh though. I dislike the corn meal. It seems to get soggy very easily. I haven't used the soap with tea leaves yet. The lavender buds are nice too.

I've seen pumice and jojoba beads, strawberry seeds, crushed apricot pits and coffee grounds used.

ETA: I just thought of citrus peels! I think I have some orange peel, maybe I'll use that in the Yuzu Grapefruit.

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Citrus peel! Yes, I've used that as well. I put that in the Apple Jack & Peel batch, although only a small amount. It was one of my earliest batches and I was still being on the cautious side with additives. I used orange peel from my tree and dried it myself in the oven (grate the peel first, stir every so often). You could probably do the same thing with a grapefruit.

I've done the lavender buds (AKA "Mouse Poop") as well.

I've found that grinding them up in the Cuisinart makes them a little less ugly. When I make my Rosemary & Lavender batch, I grind up both of those and add them. You have to make the rosemary pretty small so that they won't be scratchy.

 

[Morgaine]

I add my lavender buds to my oils and stick blend it so they don't look too much like mouse poo

. I have 1 or 2 that are still big, but most are like tea leaves.

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

Quote:
this might help

http://homemadebathproducts.blogspot.com/2008/06/room-temperature-cold-process-soap.html

And if you don't want to have to store lye water because of children/animals/husbands that might accidently get into your lye solution, you can weigh the master batched oils, mix up your lye solution. While the lye solution is still hot, pour into your measured oils. The heat of the lye solution will melt your oils.