Aug 12: Soapmaking Day

Soapmaking with Marie

To begin, I weighed the lye on a digital scale and then quickly stirred it into a glass Pyrex measuring cup filled with the appropriate amount of filtered water. I did this process with the measuring cup down in my sink to protect my work area (and myself) from splatters. Lye burns when it gets on your skin! I stirred it quickly and very thoroughly (while having a window open and holding my breath so as not to breathe the fumes). It then sat on the windowsill to cool until it got down to 105 degrees or less. This takes several hours. Be sure to keep this TOTALLY out of reach of children and animals.

Meanwhile, on the stove top I was melting my base oils, which I carefully weighed on my digital scale, as well. I heated these at a low temperature because I want this mixture to cool down to the same general temperature as the lye water (in roughly the same time frame).

When both mixtures were in the range of 100-105 degrees approximately (definitely not any warmer, but cooler is fine), I carefully poured the lye water into my melted oils and had my stick blender ready to mix them. A stick blender is fabulous for this, and can save you many hours of stirring. With this instrument you can often get soap to trace in a matter of minutes.

Because my ingredients were all quite cool, the mixture traced quickly. See how it is very creamy and milky looking, instead of clear? As soon as it begins to thicken, add your essential oils or fragrance oils. I added about 1.5 ounces of lavender.

Here is a closer photo of what the soap mixture looks like when it's at "trace". This is when you know the chemical reaction is complete and it's ready to pour into the mold. See how the drizzle sits on the top? It's like pudding.

I use kitty litter pans as my molds. They are the perfect size and are incredibly durable. I have had these for years! They can be purchased at any discount or convenience store. Mine were from Walmart, and of course have never been used for anything but soap (don't worry). I oil my mold before I pour the soap by smearing a very fine layer of one of the base oils that I used in my soap (not PAM spray). Just a quick coat of the bottom and sides will do. Then pour the soap mixture into your mold.

The soap must then be immediately put to bed in a draft-free place. You will want to be certain to have a blanket ready to wrap the soap in. The soap will need to remain in "bed" (no peeking) for 24 hours. This allows it to stay warm and continue the chemical reaction which takes it from a pudding consistency to a solid bar.

Nite Nite little soap.

Good morning, soap! When I take my soap out of its bed, I stick the whole pan in my deep freeze for several hours to make it easier to get out of the mold. The thicker the soap, the longer you'll need to freeze it to get it out. It doesn't take more than a few hours, and I usually try not to leave mine in the freezer for more than half a day, as it's harder to cut when it's frozen solid. You'll notice I use a drywall taper's knife as my tool for cutting soap. This seems crazy, but it's the best tool I've found.

You will want to pull the soap away from the sides before you unmold it. Then flip the pan over and press firmly on the underside with both hands until you hear a big plop. Some batches pop out quickly and some will take some finagling, but in time you will get it down to a science. Another reason I like these molds is that they are somewhat flexible, which makes it easier to get the soap out.

I cut my bars very specifically by using a ruler and measuring approximately 3" increments the long way (the pan is about 12" long) and 2" increments the short way (it's really between 8-8 1/2 inches wide so you can fudge a little here or there). I then use my taper's knife to make the first cuts across.

Then I cut the long way.

Next, I use a potato peeler to smooth all the edges. Be sure to save your peelings! They can be dried and used for laundry soap or handsoap (wait and see... I'll share the recipe for that later on). With handmade soap, people do not expect perfection. Some of the appeal of handmade soap is the raw and natural beauty.

Last, but not least, I store the bars not-touching in a cardboard box in a cool dry place (I prefer to use a closet) for 2-3 weeks or longer, until bars are firm and dry. The longer they "cure", the firmer the bars will be when used. You want to be certain that the bars have air-flow, which is why they cannot be touching as they are drying.

If you are interested in knowing more about making soap, I have some resources to recommend. The first is my how-to worksheet with soapmaking basics. You can download my free pdf file here. Next, you can go to one of my favorite soap suppliers Majestic Mountain Sage and use their lye calculator to make your own recipes, search through their recipes, and order supplies. There are also great books and resources online that you can find through a Google search. Questions or comments? I'm happy to walk you through it. Or if you're stuck halfway through and need to be coached, or have had a soap batch disaster, I can help with that too. Just holler.

Enjoy!

m.e.g.