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Cold Process Soap Making

Updated: Sep 6, 2021

Have you ever considered making your own soap? It is not as difficult as you might think. Although, you should be knowledgeable about the process because you have to work with




So, let's get the safety precautions ou


t of the way first. In order to prevent burns, you should wear proper protective equipment, including clothing which covers your legs and arms in case the lye solution splashes onto your skin (yes, this does happen and it hurts). Eye protection, respirators, and latex gloves. When you combine the lye solution with the water mix it away from your body to prevent inhalation and splash back and burns. The lye solution gets very hot when combined. If you allow the lye solution to sit for a long period of time in glass containers, the glass will become dull and erode over time. I recommend using plastic containers, use plastic number 5 because it is heat resistant and will not melt. If you are uncomfortable with the thought of working with lye you can always use the melt and pour soap method.


Trace is a term you may not be familiar with


for soap making if you have never done it. The term trace refers to the thickness of your soap when mixing all of the ingredients. A light trace should be the same consistency as a runny pudding. There are many videos available that you can view to help you better understand the consistency you are looking for when making soap.


There are many different recipes for soap making, but you can't just change the oils out as you want to because there is a different saponification rate for each oil. Saponification is a long word which simply means that the amount of lye required for each oil to have an end result of soap rather than lye and oils varies. The last thing you want left in your soap after you complete the soap making process is lye, because it can result in burns.


When making soap you want to use powdered pigments for colorants rather than liquid food colors. The possibilities are endless with your soap designs and they are limited only by your own imagination. It is a good idea to match up the color of your soap with the scent of the essential oil that you use. Other things you can add to your soap include flower petals, poppy seeds, coffee, oatmeal, etc. Additions such as these make your soaps exfoliating.


Below is one of my favorite recipes for soap making. It creates a white bar (typically, depending on the type and color of your ingr


edients). Try to find lighter color olive oil, you do not need to use virgin olive oil, which is darker in color. Shea butter also varies in shades of yellow, lighter shades will make a lighter bar of soap. This recipe will make approximately 2.5lb of soap.


Supplies:

Kitchen scale

Immersion Blender

PPE



Ingredients:

6.4 oz. Shea Butter

8 oz. Coconut Oil

4.4 oz. Lye

8 oz. Water

13.6 oz. Olive Oil

4 oz. Castor Oil



Essential Oil and pigment powder of choice


Instructions:

  1. Add the lye to the water, using the safety precautions listed above.

  2. Melt the coconut oil and shea butter.

  3. Add the olive oil and castor oil to the melted coconut oil and she butter, and stir to combine.

  4. Temp the oil combination and lye solution and make sure they are within 10 degrees of each other.

  5. Add the lye solution to the oils and mix until you have a light trace, then add essential oils and pigment powder and mix until blended. Be careful not to over mix or you can end up with lumpy soap.

  6. Pour the soap into your desired molds and allow to sit for 24 hours before removing from the molds and cutting.

  7. The soap has to cure for four to six weeks before it can be used.



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