Soap Makers Help!

[Backyard Buddies]

Thanks guys!

I'm glad to know that this can be done in steps. Since I'm putting out a lot of money for oils in this initial stage, keeping costs low on the mold is one way to make this possible.

Morgaine - Thanks so much for the directions! That helps a TON. Your soaps are beautiful! I love the smell of lemon verbena. I bet both soaps are heavenly! I can't wait to do my own!

MissPrissy - Thanks for the do-it-yourself directions. I'm going to pull some pictures off the net and submit them to my neighbor for him to get started.

Ninjapoodles - Did you get the liners with or without the cut lines? It would save a little money to get the liner without the box. For example, the 24 bar slab mold with liner and lid (Bar Size 2.25 x 3.25 x 1.5) is $86.50. The liner only is $75.00. The difference is much greater when you get into the bigger sizes, though, so for those of you doing larger batches, that would be a good deal. Being unhandy and not wanting to risk it not fitting, I'd probably fork over the extra $11.50 to be sure I had a good match. They look like great molds and I hope someday to move that direction if this all goes well. I could sure use something a little more dummy proof than I am.

I can't wait to get started. I'm nearly done reading The Soapmaker's Companion and have already selected a couple of recipes to try.

 

[Morgaine]

the soapmakers companion is a great book. I loved how she walks you through step by step. I really needed that the first time, lol.

I hope everyone else likes the soap this Christmas, cause that's what everyone is getting. Three different soap scents, a bag of scented bath salts and one of those nylon puffs for the girls. The guys are getting a shaving soap, shaving brush and mug.

I can't wait to see your first soap! It's a lot easier than you think, just be respectful of the lye and make sure you have some vinegar close on hand just in case.

 

[cheeptrick]

I use the same book...it is very informative. The binding is all broken I've read it so much.

I do not insulate my wooden molds...you do not really need to GEL to get soap. Try it out...I stopped insulating years ago. In the winter I put my soap outside so I do not get the GEL at all...my molds are too big to put in the frig...but if I do a small batch I will put in the frig to stop the gel.

BIG difference really...my soap retains its natural color when I prevent the gel.

Mograine...you inspired me to make my applejackpeel with cider today...seeing your pretty soaps with poppy seeds. I put poppy seeds in my ajp soap....

 

[Jenlyn9483]

Ok Guess, with the help of my friend Daynna, I have found a small recipe to do for my first batch. It does require goat milk but a smaller amount. Odds are that im going to screw it up the first go around, but I wont be out too much and I've got to get the hang of this...and if I dont just do it already, im going to knit pick myself to death..
Here it is:

Handmade Goat Milk Soaps

Lye is one of the main ingredients in soap making. Pioneers made their lye from scratch, by saving wood ashes from their fires, then trickling rainwater slowly through them, into a barrel. They’d save rendered clarified fats for their soap recipes, collected from the slaughter of chickens, pigs and beef etc. They’d make enough soap for the entire year on their annual soap-making day.

Soap making can be fun and easy, but first, a few words about safety.

Lye, sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic soda, can be fatal if swallowed—so it should be kept out of reach of children and pets, preferably locked in a high cabinet. While in the process of soap making, children should be kept out of the general area—outside in the fresh air would be ideal! Ventilation is important whilst soap making, as is avoidance of breathing lye fumes. Try to wear rubber gloves and eye protection of some kind, as lye burns and is a skin irritant. If lye accidentally comes into contact with your skin, wash the area well with vinegar, then flush with plenty of fresh running water. If splashed into your eyes, flush well with water and consult a physician immediately.

Lye doesn’t remain lye during soap making. It reacts as it is combined with the fats, and as a result becomes a soap/glycerin mix.

Goat’s Milk Soap

• 1-cup lard, melted
• 1-cup coconut oil, melted
• 1-cup goats milk
• 1/4 cup lye granules
• 1/4 cup water

Use stainless steel or glass utensils, including thermometers, as lye reacts with certain metals. Use plastic or wooden spoons for stirring. Dissolve lye granules in cold water; stir. Heat first three ingredients near 110 to 120 degrees F. Stir lye/water mixture into fat mixture and stir continuously for fifteen minutes. Then stir every fifteen minutes until a spoonful drizzled across the surface remains raised. Pour into molds. Leave in molds for two days. Freeze for about three hours. Remove soap from molds. Leave soap to age for around three weeks to become mild.

I have all my ingredients and supplies. I am going to be making this either this after noon or in the morning, after morning chores. I will let you all know how it turns out. Once I get the hang of it I will start using milder, nicer more expensive oils and such and start experimenting. But this seems easy enough. Oh and btw, I dont have a stick blender yet, hopefull will have one soon, so I will be stiring by hand. Wish me luck!

 

[cheeptrick]

Jenlyn....
I find that hand stirring is BETTER. I've burn up many a hand blender with my soaping. DH said NO more.....stir with that blender on the end of your arm! LOL

I have even poured my soap BEFORE tracing and let it sit for 20 minutes and then went at it with a wire whisk on top....gorgeous end result....like icing on a cake....although JUST a hint.....these bars are tough to wrap for selling. BUT they sure are pretty.

It is more forgiving than folks think.....JUST make sure your temps are exactly the same and you'll do fine. I've never botched a batch....except for trying to dye once!!

Good LUCK....Post us pictures when you are finished!

I'm making a coconut milk soap today!!

 

[ninjapoodles]

Quote:
The only thing that bothers me about this recipe is not having the weight of the ingredients, thus not being able to run it through a lye calculator for safety.

Also, equal parts lye and water would be a heavy, heavy water discount, which leaves much less margin for error...I'm guessing that they're counting the goat's milk as part of the "water," despite not having it mixed with the lye.

Otherwise, it looks like a good recipe!

 

[MissPrissy]

Quote:
I VERY much dislike these kinds of recipes.

 

[cheeptrick]

OH....I just noticed the measurements. YES....I agree with MissPrissy and Ninja...you should really use a recipe that goes strictly by weight.
Here is a good one I use....
42 oz olive oil
28 oz coconut oil
18 oz palm oil
12.7 oz Lye
33 oz goat milk (or buttermilk can be used too )
1 cup ground oatmeal
4 Tbsp. raw honey <do not insulate if you use goatsmilk or honey...unless you want big orange gelly spots in your soap>
4 oz Oatmeal Milk and Honey Sweet Cakes Fragrance Oil

fats and oil temp: 92 degrees <I mix at 80 degrees>
lye/milk temp: 92 degrees
cure for 4-6 weeks

I mix distilled water and lye first....then when my oil and lye water are 80 degrees I add my goatsmilk to lye water and then mix with oils.


Run it thru this lye calculator and see how it works out...you could discount the lye at 5% for superfatting.
http://www.brambleberry.com/lye_calc_1.php

 

[smom1976]

just to clear things up.. have we all come to an agreement that we can substitute crisco for palm oil... (having a hard time finding that other brand)

 

[MissPrissy]

Crisco is not palm oil. You can use crisco to make soap but it has its own sap value. Run it through a lye calculator to get the right measurements of lye to oil.