Homemade Soap

hannoja

Well, I've been reading all over the place and have decided to have a go. Thanks to everyone, particularly Angelina who has offered so much wonderful advice

npsmama, there are a few links in this thread I think, and in similar soap-making-related threads, but out of the ones I've saved, this one might be a good place to start

Angelina, I want to try a small batch (possibly only one or two bars, it doesn't really matter) using what I have at home. I've come up with a little recipe from my 'research', and a lot of aforementioned advice here, and other places (mainly linked to from here ). I was all set to have a go, then realised that the only thermometer in the house is one you use when someone has a temperature, which looks like it has a little aluminium bulb on the end. This obviously won't do, so that's stopped me in my tracks for now However, it's given me a good opportunity to ask you what you think of my little recipe :P

Simple Orange and Cinnamon Soap:

50g Coconut Oil*
250g Olive Oil
40g Caustic Soda**
100ml liquid (Orange Flower Water)

Additives:
Mandarin Essential Oil (1 tsp.)
Cinnamon (pinch)

*I've got 2 little pots (125ml Superdrug, 100g Natures Aid). The Superdrug pot is almost gone, but I put a few drops of essential oils in it (orange and tea tree I think: smells 'orangy') as I was disappointed that it didn't smell of coconut - or anything - as I expected, so wanted to make it smell nice. Hehe.

**Jeyes 'Kleen Off': only says 'contains Sodium Hydroxide', but I read somewhere that it's perfectly fine for soap-making..

I'll try and buy a couple of cooking/brewing thermometers in the next few days, by which time you (or another helpful, knowledgeable person) will have replied to say how wonderful my recipe looks! :rotfl:

Thanks in advance

^..^

Gigervamp

You don't need a thermometer!

There is a process whereby you use the heat of the lye mixture to melt the solid oils. (RTCP- room temperature cold process.)
Just pour it on to the oils once it's mixed up. It's a lot easier that faffing around with thermometers!

This is the way I make my soaps. The only time I heat the oils is if I'm using a really hard oil like cocoa butter.
Using cool oils also helps if you're using a fragrance or essential oil that is likely to seize (a lot of the floral and spice oils are prone to this) or if you're adding goatsmilk or honey.

I'm not sure that using the orange flower water is worth it as the lye will probably burn off the scent.

HTH

lauren_1

MY receipe was
40oz Olive Oil Do you think it would work if i used 40oz of mixed oils such as olive/coconut/wheatgerm? I dont have 40oz of the same oil but have lots if different. Also is this fluid oz rather than weight ounces?
5oz Lye (Caustic Soda)
14oz Water

When it reached trace I added the finely grated peel of 1 large orange and some Tangerine Essential oil.

Hopefully today or tomorrow it will be set and then I can turn it out of the mold, cut it up, stamp it will my little flower stamp and wait a Loonnnnng 6-8 weeks for it to cure.

Gigervamp

lauren_1 wrote: »

MY receipe was
40oz Olive Oil Do you think it would work if i used 40oz of mixed oils such as olive/coconut/wheatgerm? I dont have 40oz of the same oil but have lots if different. Also is this fluid oz rather than weight ounces?
5oz Lye (Caustic Soda)
14oz Water

You'll need to recalculate the lye. I use the calculator at soapcalc.com. Just plug in the weight of each oil that you want to use and it will tell you how much lye you need.
This is VERY important because oils have different sap values and if you use the incorrect amount of lye you might end up with a caustic soap.

All weights in soapmaking are weighed weights.

hannoja

Thanks. I thought I'd read somewhere that you don't need thermometers. I think it might make me feel a bit better to have at least one on hand though...

Yeah, I don't expect the flower water to 'survive', but it's sitting in my kitchen and I can't even remember why I bought it! No idea what else.. ahh, it was for something to do with making my own moisturiser or mister or somesuch, but I added some essential oils to water in a spray bottle, which do fine for a freshen up, and I'm waiting to use up all the shop-bought mosturisers before I have a go at making some, so uhm... could keep it I guess..

Gigervamp

Lol, ok well, waste not want not!

Bitsy_Beans

Redbedhead wrote: »

I thought this said home made SOUPS and typed a whole long reply:rotfl:

Thank goodness I am not the only one who needs glasses!!!!! :rotfl:

cherrypie556

And could guide me in the right sites where top buy ingredients. Also wat is the best base to use?

Thanks

Pink.

Hi cherrypie,

There's a recent thread with lots of links and advice that should help so I've added your post to it to keep the replies together.

Pink

hannoja

Well, today I made my first ever batch of soap! :j

I used my little recipe above and it all went fairly much to plan.
There was a slight hiccup at the beginning.. I'd mixed the 'Lye' and then I put the coconut oil in a pan on the scales, then poured in all the Olive Oil on top......... :doh: I then went to turn the hob on and realised the gas had run out...... So far, not so good.. Anyway, determined that this WAS going to happen today, or it'd be another week before I'd have the house to myself, I took a step back and tried to think logically (not easy!). I therefore 'fished' the coconut oil out of the pan and microwaved it gently (medium power) in a plastic bowl. I checked it after a few seconds and it was virtually liquid, so I added the olive oil to it (the olive oil had a few little lumps of coconut oil in it from my mistake), mixed it up, and popped it back in the microwave. It was all liquid within no time, so I then continued as normal.

I mixed the oil and lye when the oil was around 95oF and the lye was just under 100oF. I don't have an electric blender, so it took just over 40 minutes to reach what I think was trace. I was stirring and stirring and thinking it would never happen and I'd done something wrong, at the same time telling myself it was getting thicker and it could take up to 60 mins., when I realised that it was at trace - it left a 'trail' when 'poured' with the whisk, which stayed visible for a while. I then poured it into a little box (like one of those that the chunky power adapter comes in with electrical thinggies) lined with the bag from a cereal box (cleaned and cut). It was rather 'wrinkly', but it's snuggled up in a towel in a cupboard now and I'm going to do my best not to go near it till about this time tomorrow....

Thanks for the inspriation. I hope it works. I'll be so chuffed if it does. I'm guessing it'll make 2-3 bars of 'normal-ish' sized soap.

:beer: