 The most important item in your soapmaking is the Scales. Without a good quality accurate scale, you cannot be certain of the proportion of lye to fats. The saponification process is a chemical equation. Each fat saponifies differently with lye, and each reaction must be calculated mathematically. This scale measures in both ounces and grams, besides other increments, to the thousandth place. It is amazing how small an amount of an ingredient can change the weight. |
 These are the main ingredients that I use in my soaps. I use a variety of pure Vegetable Oils that are kind to the skin. Each Oil must be measured out in its prefigured amount and added to the pot on the stove. |
 After measuring the fats/oil, you measure the lye. Soap simply cannot be made without lye. The word soap derives from the word Saponification, which is the latin term for the chemical reaction of oils to lye. When working with lye, ALWAYS use gloves and goggles because little splashes seem to always happen when you least expect them. Use a heat resistant glass receptacle OR a stainless steel bowl. Heat resistant plastics eventually will crack or split from the caustic nature of the lye. (Ask me how I know). I use stainless steel and am safe. Measure the lye and the Distilled Water separately, and slowly add the lye TO the water. The reaction of the lye and water sets up a chemical reaction and the solution becomes VERY hot and is very Caustic. I cover my mouth and nose with a folded towel and have a window fan going for ventilation. You really don't want to breath these fumes. Set aside the lye to cool, while you fiddle with the oils. |
 Once your fats and Oils are measured, they must be melted. |
 Use the stove to carefully melt, not burn, your oils. This doesn't take too long so don't think you can go and run a load of laundry! :) |
 Once the oils are melted, you can add herbs if you wish for some textural interest. Or you can steep the herbs in the hot oil, and infuse the oil with the herbal properties. Once the lye and oil have temperatures between 80 and 110 degrees Farenheit, and both are within 5 degrees of each other, you pour the lye into the oil slowly, stirring as you add it. |
 Continue stirring the lye/oil mixture thoroughly until it traces. A trace is achieve when the mixture is soupy thick. When you drizzle a small amount from the spoon back into the mixture, it maintains some of its definition on top of the mixture. Right before it traces, you may add colorants, fragrances, or more herbs. |
 Carefully pour the soap mixture into a prelined mold. Rubbermaid drawer dividers are great molds. |
 Cover the soap with plastic wrap or a board. |
 Then wrap the entire mold in towels or blankets and leave it alone for 24 hours, no peaking!! The soap will complete most of its saponification process during these 24 hours. After, you can pop it out of the mold and slice it and let it cure. Curing is the process where the excess water evaporates and the bar hardens. Good soap must cure at least 3 to 4 weeks, depending on the recipe so that it won't melt in the shower. The longer it cures, the harder it becomes. But, the longer it cures, the more the outer layer of fragrance oxidizes and dimishes. |
