Homemade Soap

Tracey04

if |I use this recipe:

12 oz (340g) of cold, clean water
125g of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) beads or pearls
1lb (454g) olive oil (preferably pomace grade but virgin or extra virgin will do)
10oz (284g) coconut oil (hard variety)
6oz (170g) palm oil (hard variety)
1/4 tsp Grapefruit seed extract OR vitamin E (optional preservative). Note... Grapefruit seed extract will speed up the time it takes for your soap to 'trace'.

cold, clean water = is this distilled water. Do you always use distilled when making, soaps, bath things and beauty products.
is sodium hydroxide = lye?
what is palm oil where do you get it from?
olive oil is this from supermarket that I cook with (extra virgin olive oil)1/4 tsp Grapefruit seed extract OR vitamin E = is this a holland and barret essential oil

are bachs remedy = essential oils?
how would you add shea and cocoa butters to the above recipe

also do you whisk by hand or by electric whisk (does this cause it to froth up) and is it till a thckness of cream of double cream.
Thanks again

Angelina-M

tracey04 wrote:

if |I use this recipe:

12 oz (340g) of cold, clean water
125g of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) beads or pearls
1lb (454g) olive oil (preferably pomace grade but virgin or extra virgin will do)
10oz (284g) coconut oil (hard variety)
6oz (170g) palm oil (hard variety)
1/4 tsp Grapefruit seed extract OR vitamin E (optional preservative). Note... Grapefruit seed extract will speed up the time it takes for your soap to 'trace'.

cold, clean water = is this distilled water. Do you always use distilled when making, soaps, bath things and beauty products.
is sodium hydroxide = lye?
what is palm oil where do you get it from?
olive oil is this from supermarket that I cook with (extra virgin olive oil)1/4 tsp Grapefruit seed extract OR vitamin E = is this a holland and barret essential oil

are bachs remedy = essential oils?
how would you add shea and cocoa butters to the above recipe

also do you whisk by hand or by electric whisk (does this cause it to froth up) and is it till a thckness of cream of double cream.
Thanks again

That recipe is superfatted at around 9% which is a bit high for me as I only superfat at about 5 to 6% so the bar is not soft.

I use different ingredients, or at least add more ingredients. I always use coconut and palm oil but in smaller quantities. The recipe has 30% coconut oil which I would find too drying and would use maybe 10 to 15%. I do the same with palm oil. I use approx 20% to 40% shea/cocoa butter. So its lower palm and coconut and higher butters in my recipes. You neednt do this and can make a good bar of soap with the above recipe (although I still think the coconut is a bit high)

I dont think you need to use the grapeseed extract as there's nothing in the recipe to preserve, I dont even use it when im doing fruit or veg based soaps and they last ages.

Yes if im doing a water based soap I will used distilled water, however I usually use fruit/vegetable juice or milk.

I use a stick blender to mix my soaps. You can get a cheapy one for about a fiver in Tesco.

I've never used bach remedies but im sure they arent pure essential oils.

rach

can you make homemade liquid soap?

Angelina-M

Yes, i've never made it but its made with Potassium Hydroxide rather than sodium hydroxide.

Seakay

Bach Flower remedies are herbal treatments, they are not oils but tinctures:

http://www.bach-flowers.co.uk/bach_remedies_shop.asp?gclid=CJP_qb323YoCFQsrlAodpnoSvA

OVERTHEODDS

rach wrote: »

can you make homemade liquid soap?

I use my castile soap to make liquid soap and shampoo.


I make soap too.
My next project is a shampoo bar.

Angelina-M

Hi all

Following on from the previous thread regarding soapmaking, I found quite a few people pm'ing me with questions on ingredients/equipment etc.

Well a friend told me about these videos http://hobbies.expertvillage.com/videos/soap-making-getting-ready.htm and they are brill for people interested in soapmaking... enjoy!

TKP_3

Thank you - I have just started making some soap (got a soap making book), but as I have only made one bar so far (and it is still curing for another 3 weeks!) any advise is great! These videos look very helpful.

Pink.

Hi Angelina,

I have merged your thread with the main soap making thread so that other users can see all the tips on there as well as watching the videos.

Pink

Angelina-M

Ok thank you :-)