Cooking equipment / material to avoid: aluminium, tin, iron and teflon are all corroded by lye and can spoil the soap

Best to use: heat resistant glass, enamel or stainless steel. Heavy rubber or silicon spatulas. Wooden spoons are fine but discard them as soon as they start to break down

Keep a notebook with your soapmaking equipment and keep a track of each batch made and the "extra's" you put into it (eg: essential oils and various textures)

Get all your ingredients, equipment and soap mold ready before hand !
Once you're in action, you've got to keep moving ...

~ This natural soap has no added colours or preservatives ~
Shelf life is 6-12 months. Essential oil scent will fade over time

 

STEP 1

• Using scales, weigh the solidified Frymasta (palm oil alternative) on dinner plate ~ chop into pieces to melt faster
  • For each measurement make sure to reset the scales back to zero after placing plate/jug on scale
• Weigh the solidified Copha (coconut oil) ~ chop into pieces to melt faster
• Place solidified oils into pot on stove on medium heat
• Using scales, weigh the liquefied olive oil in separate pyrex jug
• Weigh the essential oils (if applicable) and set aside
  • You will use the essential oils at the very end
  • If you are using textures such as dried, crushed lavender leaves or crushed clove buds, prepare beforehand. Set aside
• Weigh the water
• Put your eye goggles and gloves on, weigh the sodium hydroxide

STEP 2

• Check the stove and make sure the solidified oils have started to melt
• Back at the workbench, FIRST pour the water into a large glass bowl
• Then SECOND, carefully add the sodium hydroxide to the water
  • Fumes will happen but they will very soon disappear, make sure you do not breathe in
  • A well-ventilated area is recommended
• The water and sodium hydroxide is now called lye solution ~ this will be VERY hot and caustic, please be careful
• Set lye solution bowl to the side
• Pour the olive oil into the melted Frymasta and Copha on the stove, once all oils have melted take pot off stove and set down beside the lye solution bowl as you will now need to take their temperature regularly

STEP 3

• This is a critical step, you need to be patient and attentive and make sure the lye solution and melted oils now cool together at the same time to 100F (using F is easier to read on the candy thermometer)
  • Place cardboard on the work bench area to place down spoons and thermometers
• Use the lye solution as the gauge: you can always add an ice pack to the base of the pot for a short period of time for the oils, or quickly reheat oil if necessary
• Put a thermometer into each mixture and keep checking until they are the required temperature
• Temperature is very important ~ don't be too hasty, they both need to be the same temperature to make this work
  • NOTE: this cooling may take approx 40 mins ~ don't wander too far, you've got to be ready when they're ready

STEP 4

• Now, keep your eye goggles and gloves on ~ this is where we make soap !
• When both mixtures are at the correct 100F temperature slowly pour the lye solution into the melted oils
  • Combining these two mixtures causes the process of saponification which is the creation of soap !
• With sticker blender, blend the two mixtures together for a few minutes until you notice it starts to thicken
• When the soap batter starts to thicken, this is called Trace.
  • Lift stick blender up and drizzle the batter, if it sits on top of the batter it is nicely at trace
• If you are adding Essential Oils, now is the time to do so. Mix thoroughly

STEP 5

• With your empty soap mold on the work bench (take dividers out), pour the nice warm soap batter into mold
• Carefully place dividers into the soap batter / mold
• Put plastic lid on top
• Wrap gently in blanket to keep warm
• Allow to sit, undisturbed, for 24 hours to complete the saponification process. No peeking !!!

STEP 6

• After 24 hours sitting (3 days setting for Castile soap), remove blankets and all going well, you will now have a beautiful batch of firm and fresh, hand made, home made soap
• Carefully take each bar of soap out of the dividers and place onto a clean wooden or plastic kitchen board
• If you have a soap stamp, gently use hammer / stamp to make impression into soap
• Lay bars upright on long edge and allow to cure in a dry room / shelf for minimum of 5 weeks (8 weeks if you have Castile soap)
• Soap is now caustic free ~ curing time is essential

STEP 7

Enjoy the luxurious lather of your beautiful, pure and natural soap made with the magical extra ingredient, Love!

 

 

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