How to Make Soap (Basic Cold Processes Soap Recipe)Frigga Halladottir (Jen Haley) frigga_of_glennlinn@hotmail.com

Come, learn some of the history as well as the simplicity of creating pure, all-natural, all-vegetable and entirely biodegradable soap. All ingredients and supplies are provided. This class will mainly be demonstration, with some hands on in the final steps.

Comments and questions are welcome at all times!

Equipment:COOKING POT large stainless steel or painted enamel (Any other kind of metal will not make soap, but a big mess!)SPOON large long handled -plastic, stainless steel or woodSPOON smaller heat resistant - labeled “LYE -SOAP ONLY”SCALE that can measure in 2 gram or 1/10 ounce increments2 PITCHERS or containers with a handle and pour spout (one with a firm fitting lid) - labeled “LYE -SOAP ONLY”HEAT element or stove top burnerTHERMOMETER (mine is labeled “SOAP ONLY”)EYE PROTECTIONAPPROPRIATE CLOTHING- long sleeves, long pants, closed shoesGLOVESAPRON, if desiredVINEGARTOWEL largePLASTIC WRAPMIXING DEVICE- stick blender or a drill with a paint mixing bit -dedicated to making soap, labeled “LYE -SOAP ONLY”MOLDS – plastic or wood (NOT aluminum!)

Supplies: All of these items will be WEIGHED!Sodium hydroxide or NaOH crystals (also called lye/drain opener)26.5 oz (750g) coconut oil18oz (500g) olive oil 44 oz (1250 g) soy bean or canola oil3 ¼ cup (750mL) water, cold or room temperature NOTE: I use distilled water, but any SOFT water can be used.1 to 2oz scent, fragrance, essential oil - if desired1 cup slight-abrasive or exfoliant - if desired

This amount of oil and lye will make five and a half pounds of finished soap. After curing, the soap will weigh slightly less due to water evaporation.

Many of the items above can be found in your kitchen already. Some should be used for soap making ONLY as described above. Many of these items are reusable for others things; my large stainless steel pot is also used to make beer, wine and soap). There are also items that you will use that need to be dedicated for making soap exclusively. These should be labeled and used for ONLY soap making because the lye (sodium hydroxide/NaOH) is not good to ingest, breath in or touch.

Always wear appropriate attire (as listed above), and tie hair back when working with lye. It will burn holes in you!! Read the lye crystal container's label and always wear gloves and eye protection!!

The first time you make soap, plan for an uninterrupted two hours for the creation process and mixing. It takes about three hours for me to make soap by myself. This includes shopping as well as kitchen time (set up, weighing, mixing and clean up).

All measurements are by weight (except the water); this is the only way to ensure as near to the exact amounts as possible. I do not weigh the water because there is a range of the amount of water required in the recipe. Less water seems to lessen the amount of time the soap needs to cure and will last a bit longer in your soap dish..

Please go to www.thesage.com and run your recipe --even this one!-- through the lye calculator BEFORE beginning. Each oil is listed individually because each oil reacts differently when mixed with the oil. www.thesage.com also has a wonderful

and easy to use conversion calculator for all types of measurements (weight, volume).

Always read through all of the steps And make certain you have everything that you need BEFORE beginning the actual process of making soap. Now onto the show!

STEP 1 Ready the Lye Neutralizer.Mix one part vinegar into ten parts faucet water in an easy to pour container. Set aside. This will be used to neutralize any residual or accident spillage of lye solution. Have nearby and handy at all times!

STEP 2 Weigh All Ingredients.Remember to tare or zero the scale with the container on it before beginning.-Determine the amount of lye you will need. If you have your recipe from www.thesage.com, look at the lye table for an even amount between 6 and 7%. -In a well ventilated area , wearing the protective gear and with the Lye Neutralizer very near, weigh the lye crystals, using a 6 or 7% lye discount from your recipe. Place a lid on it and set the container aside in a safe location until the next step.-Weigh out each oil separately. Double check the weight of each oil each time and then put it directly into the large cooking pot on a low to medium-low heat. Use the thermometer often to monitor the temperature of the oils. Use the long handled spoon to help break up the solid oil, if desired.

Note: Be sure to only HEAT and NOT COOK the oils. Start on a low heat. Propane burners are much quicker than electric. Monitor your oil temperature regularly, otherwise you will be waiting for your oils to cool to the temperature that you need before mixing in the lye solution. The oil is ready when there are no solids and when the temperature is between 90 and 120 degrees F.

STEP 3 Prepare the Molds. While the oils are liquefying, ready your molds in the way of your choice: use solid shortening to heavily grease all of the inside surfaces, or line the molds with freezer paper or heavy plastic bags (a garbage bag works well but leaves wrinkles in the finished soap). There are many molds specific for soaps, but nearly anything can be used, even a cardboard box, a yogurt container, a few plastic silverware drawer dividers, empty coconut oil containers, whatever catches your eye... Some containers that have rims might need to be cut open to get the soap out – these will be one time use molds.

STEP 4 Make the Lye Solution. *BE CAREFUL*Look at the recipe (from www.thesage.com) and choose on the lye table “% excess fat”an even number between 6 or 7. I usually choose an even number for ease of weighing. “Excess fat” means that there will be a slightly higher ratio of fats than oils in the recipe. This will ensure that ALL of the lye solution will be 'used up' and that a small amount of oil will be left over. This allows for slight errors, even with the most careful of measurements.A '% excess fat' range of 0 to 4 is unsafe, as there is not enough oil to use up all of the lye. A '% excess fat' range higher than 8 will result in soap that is very soft, because much oil is left unchanged, or used up by the lye solution. A '% excess fat' range of 5 to 8 is best as this will ensure that all of the lye solution is used up by the oils, but not too much of the oils are left over.Wear appropriate attire, eye protection and gloves!!In a WELL VENTILATED AREA, preferably outdoors, gather together the scale, the lye (NaOH) crystals, the water, the lye neutralizer (water/vinegar) solution as well as the containers and spoon for mixing the lye.-Measure the cold water into a pitcher, set aside. The amount of water I use usually is a median, rounded off, of the highest and lowest amounts of liquid indicated on the www.thesage.com lye calculator.-Remember to tare, or zero the scale with the container on it, before beginning! Weigh the lye (NaOH) crystals to the nearest gram. Double check the measurement.-Add the crystals slowly to the COLD water, using the small spoon to stir without splashing. REMEMBER this: Snow on the Lake! Do NOT add the water to the crystals or use hot water because this WILL result in an explosive reaction similar to a caustic volcano!! The temperature of the water will rise significantly so use potholders to touch or move the pitcher. A crust may form on the bottom of the container when adding the crystals – stir carefully, without splashing, scraping until the crust is completely dissolved before adding more lye crystals to dissolve. This can be a slow process of ten minutes or more, so be patient! Let the lye solution cool until 80 to 90 degrees F. The temperature can be coaxed lower slightly faster by using cold water baths -or even winter snow drifts outdoors. Do not place the lid on the container until the crystals are completely dissolved and the solution is done emitting fumes.

NOTE: I like to do this step 4 the night before I plan to make soap. The lye solution is at room temperature and always ready when the oils reach the correct temperature. Use a container or pitcher with a well fitting lid to store in a location that is well out of reach of young, curious or inquiring minds and bodies -esp children and animals!

STEP 5 Mix the Lye Solution and the Oils.The oil temperature is between 90 and 120 degrees F.The lye solution temperature is between 80 and 90 degrees F (or room temperature).-Drizzle or slowly add the lye solution to the oils, mixing constantly with the long handled spoon for several minutes. Be sure to get the creases, crevices and corners of the pot without splashing. -When the oil and lye solution mixture becomes creamy and opaque, I switch to a stick blender or a drill with a paint mixing bit until trace is achieved. This saves time and major muscle effort because the mixing can be completed in five to fifteen minutes. If not using an electric mixing device, continue mixing and blending with the spoon for another ten minutes or sometimes over an hour until trace is achieved. Mix with enthusiasm and energy! You're making soap! This is the alchemy part. By mixing two very dissimilar ingredients, you initiate a chemical reaction that there is no way to reverse where the result is something as amazingly useful as soap!

“Trace” is a term used to describe a stage in soap making: the thickening of the lye and the oil mixture. It is slightly thickened, similar to hot pudding or applesauce consistency. The best way to tell if your batch has 'hit' trace is when the spoon or mixer is raised above the surface of the batch of oil/lye solution mixture and it leaves a trail on top of the surface of the soap for a few seconds. Once trace is reached, you will have limited time to pour the batch into molds before it begins to harden. So work quickly!

Add the exfoliant, if using, at the first signs of trace. Stir in quickly.Next add the fragrance or essential oil. Stir ten times and get ready to pour!

STEP 6 Pour into Molds.-Pour the mixture into the molds. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a quiet place. I wrap the molds with large towels to help retain a bit of warmth as this helps carry the reaction further through the next 24 hours.*If you want to make SOAP BALLS, wait only 16 to 18 hours and see STEP 7.

STEP 7 Cut and Cure.-Use a sharp knife or a length of wire to cut into bars of desired size.-If you want to make SOAP BALLS, then cut soap into cubes of desired size and mold with hands. OR do not pour soap into molds at all, leaving it in the large pot, and wait 16 to 18 hours to scoop out balls of soap with an ice cream scoop, molding into spheres with hands. My kids like this part.-Allow to lay in a dust free, dry place. Soap can be used immediately, but it will last longer if left to “cure” for at least three weeks. Curing will allow the soap to last longer in the soap dish; it will be less likely become liquid or squishy.

ADDITIVESThere are many additional ingredients that will add infinite variety to your home made soap! This list does not begin to imply all of the possibilities.

Milks that I have seen in soap recipes are: buttermilk, cow milk and goat milk. Milk is good for neutralizing the pH of the skin. A popular and very nice additive is goat milk. But make sure the lye solution temperature is BELOW 120 degrees F or the milk will curdle. If the goat milk does happen to curdle, use the lye solution/milk mixture anyway. It gives a nice brownish color to the finished soap.Personally, I use dried goat milk often. I subtract the amount of water needed to reconstitute the dried milk from the total amount of water used in the recipe. The remaining amount of water that was not used to reconstitute the milk is mixed with the lye crystals. When the lye solution reaches a lower temperature, I add the goat milk as well, mixing together thoroughly.

“Superfatting” is adding oils (like cocoa butter, almond or jojoba oil) just after trace. This will ensure these 'superfatting' oils will not react with the lye solution, but will instead impart the oil's benefits to the finished soap.

Exfoliants are only limited by the imagination. Some examples are finely ground corn meal, dried flower buds or petals, ground cinnamon, finely ground cloves, finely ground pumice or even unused coffee grounds!

Color can be obtained by adding wax color chips or all-natural colorants that can be found in the kitchen. I have read that food coloring can be used as well, but I have not tried this. If you do, please let me know how this turns out. I know that cinnamon will double as a colorant (brown) and as an exfoliant. Likewise, finely ground corn meal will double

as a yellow colorant as well as an exfoliant.

Natural dyes: Concentrations that are used will be your personal preference.Chlorophyll = greenTurmeric = yellowUltramarine = blueOcher, Paprika = redChocolate (bitter squares or dry powder) = brownCinnamon, Clove, Honey = brown

A marbled effect that is a swirl of two colors can be achieved by dividing the batch after trace is reached, and then

using a single color in each half (or color only one half), then pour each into the mold and mix slightly with a stick. A layered effect of two or more colors can be achieved by making different batches of soaps. It is a much longer

process than when creating a marbled effect. Pour a layer of soap into the mold, then wait at least an hour or two before pouring another layer of soap that is a different color. Repeat until the desired effect is achieved. This is difficult to obtain with a single batch of home made soap; once trace is achieved, there is limited time before the batch begins to harden and will no longer pour easily or at all.

French milled soap is created by grating and melting already finished soap, and then adding additional scents or oils, and then pouring again into molds. This method is another good way to achieve different colors for a layered soap.

LINKSwww.thesage.com MSS has soap recipes, a lye calculator, and a measurement converterwww.teachsoap.com

BOOKSThe Soap Book Simple Herbal Recipes Sandy Maine ISBN 1-883010-14-4Handcrafted Soap Delores Boone ISBN 1-58180-268-4

STORESJoAnne's FabricsWalmartA.C.MooreMichaelsgrocery storeshardware stores (Locally, the only location that I can find NaOH/lye crystals is at Ace Hardware.)health food storesdiscount and dollar storesBath and Body, similar storeswww.thesage.comwww.essentailoils.orgwww.true-aromatherapy.comwww.amazon.comwww.essentailwholesale.comwww.brambleberry.com

Additional notes:I have not mentioned the use of potassium hydroxide (KOH) instead of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as the base. Using potassium makes a softer or liquid soap and would be good for pump soaps or liquid shampoos. This has proven very difficult for me to obtain in New York state, so I have not attempted any recipes with it, although I have seen quite a few recipes using KOH. www.thesage.com has the option to choose NaOH or KOH when making your recipe.

Another type of soap not mentioned above is glycerin. It is clear and bought commercially – I have not found ANY recipes that show how to make this clear soap. It is easily melted and poured into molds It is a good option if you would like to have toys or similar items enclosed in the soap and seen. Layers also can be done, where the bottom layer is a solid white or tinted home-made soap and the top layer is clear glycerin.