Making Bar Soap
By Hand From Scratch
Intro
SOAP - SAPONIFICATION
Making soap is the process of mixing a fatty acid in the form of an oil or fat with an alkali base; sodium hydroxide; lye. The process is called saponification.
SAPONIFICATION VALUE - SAP
The saponification Value (saponification number or SAP) represents the number of milligrams of sodium hydroxide required to saponify 1g of fat. Each oil and fat has its own sap value. In order for our oils and fats to saponify with lye, we need to know the sap value of all fats, and oils we plan to use.
Once we know the sap values, we can use them to calculate the amount of lye we need to fully saponify our oils and fats into SOAP.
Oils and fats vary in their sap values from year to year and crop to crop, the exact values are not achievable by the home crafter, so we use the generally accepted values set by the soap industry.
LYE CALCULATOR
To make the process easier someone designed a calculator to do the math for us. The Lye Calculator, also known as a sap calculator, or a soap calculator.
Before using any recipe always run the figures through a trusted lye calculator, there is nothing worse than using a recipe that was not calculated correctly only to have your valuable ingredients be wasted on a mix that does not saponify, or become soap.
THE LYE
Sodium hydroxide, Potassium hydroxide are both forms of lye. Sodium hydroxide is used for bar soap. Potassium hydroxide is used for liquid soap. A combination of both sodium and potassium will make cream soap.
Sodium hydroxide is very hygroscopic, which means it attracts moisture from its surroundings, it is very important to keep your container of lye tightly closed. When measuring lye do it as quickly as possible, close up the container of remaining lye asap, the longer the lye is exposed to the air, the more moisture it will attract, the more moisture it attracts the less strength, your lye will have.
TIP:
When making soap, have your water or other liquid ready so that you can put the measured lye in the liquid as soon as it is measured. Lye comes in different grades, or purity, technical and FCC or food grade. Technical grade is the most common grade soap maker's use. Lye can vary slightly in strength, from manufacturer to manufacturer, and batch to batch.
If I were a chemist I would test my lye to know exactly what strength I had. Since I am not a chemist I use the generally accepted lye strengths, and I super fat.
SUPER FAT
Super Fat is where soap has oils left over after the saponification process is complete. There are three reasons to super fat a soap recipe.
1. The first is because we do not have the exact sap values of the oils and fats we use.
2. The second is that we do not know the exact strength of our lye. Because we do not know these exact values, we could be off enough for our soap to become lye heavy. Lye heavy soap is harsh, drying and could possibly burn the skin. The standard is to super fat at least 5% to cover the discrepancies in sap values, and lye strength.
3. To make a mild soap. I regularly super fat above 15%. The trick is to balance your fats and oils, so that you get a hard bar, some oils make a very soft soap at this level of super fat.
FATTY ACIDS
Oils and fats are made up of several different fatty acids. The differences in fatty acids determine the qualities your finished soap will have. Coconut lathers well, but is drying. Olive is very moisturizing, but lathers little. Palm makes a hard bar but doesn't lather well. Shea butter, is moisturizing, and makes a hard bar, but doesn't lather well. Learning to combine the different fats and oils with their various fatty acids, is the key to making a great bar of soap, and don't be fooled, climate does play a factor in how a fatty acid functions in a soap.
For example, glycerin is considered moisturizing, but like sodium hydroxide, glycerin is hygroscopic, it extracts moisture from its surroundings, usually from the air, but if you live in a dry climate, the glycerin doesn't have any moisture to draw on; it will draw its moisture from you, your skin, making glycerin drying.
Distilled water is recommended for making soap and mixing lye in. I have regularly used filtered tap water, but currently have been using distilled water, I have yet, to have seen a big difference in the quality of my soap.
It has become a common practice to reduce water some to speed up the soap making and curing process, the more water used, the longer it takes to bring the soap to trace, the more water there will be to evaporate, the more the soap will shrink. If given a choice, I would recommend reducing water 25-30% (you will see this option with some lye calculators).
CAUTION: You must ALWAYS exercise caution when using lye. When reducing the amount of water you use to mix your lye, your lye water will be much stronger, making a splash or drip more dangerous, and more likely to cause harm, to lungs from breathing, skin from spills, or eyes if you were to get in one or both of them. Have water, vinegar and milk handy incase of spills. Water is your first defense, then vinegar on the skin, and milk for the eyes.
Always wear your breathing mask, googles, gloves, long clothes (pants, shirts), socks & shoes, these will give you a measure of protection.
NEVER MIX water or other LIQUIDS INTO DRY LYE, ALWAYS MIX your DRY LYE INTO your LIQUIDS. If you were to forget and pour your liquid into dry lye, you could have your self a volcanic eruption, spewing and spraying liquid lye out of your pot, causing serious injury.
When mixing your dry lye INTO YOUR LIQUIDS, mix slowly, and cautiously especially if the dry lye is in a lump or pile in the bottom of your pot, it is best to sprinkle dry lye slowly into your liquid, mixing as you go, rather than dump it in all at once, this may help to prevent an eruption from trying to mix a resistant mound of wet lye in the bottom of your pot.
TIP: To help you remember to mix dry lye into your liquid instead of the other way around, remember this saying "Snow Flakes Fall on The Lake", the dry lye being the snow, falling on your liquid lake.
THE WEIGH
When making soap we weigh not measure lye, oils, and fats. Weighing water for lye is optional, just to keep it simple I weigh my water too. Unless stated all soap recipes call for weighing ingredients.
THE STICK BLENDER
I have only made one batch of soap without a stick blender, the soap took 2 hours to trace; To mix that batch of soap, I used the drink attachment with my kitchen aid hand mixer, and then switched to the double beaters. Because it took so long to trace, I didn't expect it to be a hard batch of soap; but to the contrary, it was extremely hard within 10 hours of molding.
TIP: I would recommend every new soap maker buy a cheap stick blender, it will prove to be a time and back/arm saver when it comes to making soap.
TAKE SAFTEY SERIOUSLY
1. Don't Mix lye or make soap when someone or something (children, a spouse, or a pet) can get under foot. Children and pets have a way of getting under your feet very unexpectedly; often time's it may even be one's spouse.
2. Wear eye protection when handling lye, and raw soap. You only have one pair of eyes.
3. Don't breath fumes; use your Vapor face mask, when mixing lye, and raw soap. Lye fumes can burn you, if you breathe them.
4. Use your kitchen gloves when you mix lye, or handle essential oils, fragrance oils, and raw soap.
5. Protect your arms by wearing a long sleeve shirt when making soap.
6. Protect your legs by wearing long pants.
7. Keep your feet safe by covering them with shoes and socks.
8. Have a container of vinegar ready in case of spills. Lye water and raw soap can burn. Vinegar can stop the burn.
RECIPES
These recipes are just suggestions, you may use any recipe you choose, just be sure to run any recipe you choose through a lye calculator. All of these recipes have their lye discounted to make them a 10% super fat, and the water has been has been reduced 25%.
Coconut, Olive, Palm
8oz Distilled Water
4.2oz Lye (NaOH)
5oz Coconut Oil
20oz Olive Oil
7oz Palm
SMR 6.0 * 4.3 * 6.9 * 7.2
BMR 5.1 * 4.7 * 5.4 * 5.1
Crisco, Lard & Coconut
8oz Distilled Water
4.1oz Lye (NaOH)
20oz Crisco
8oz Lard
4oz Coconut Oil
SMR 5.2 * 3.9 * 6.3 * 6.0
BMR 5.1 * 4.7 * 5.4 * 5.1
Crisco, Olive & Coconut
8oz Distilled Water
4.2oz Lye (NaOH)
14oz Crisco
12oz Olive Oil
6oz Coconut Oil
SMR 5.3 * 4.3 * 6.5 * 6.9
BMR 5.1 * 4.7 * 5.4 * 5.1
Olive, Coconut, Palm & Shea Butter
8oz Distilled Water
4.2oz Lye (NaOH)
14oz Olive Oil
6oz Coconut Oil
6oz Palm Oil
6oz Shea Butter
SMR 6.2 * 4.4 * 6.7 * 6.4
BMR 5.1 * 4.7 * 5.4 * 5.1
Olive, Palm Kernel, Macadamia & Castor
8oz Distilled Water
4.8oz Lye (NaOH)
22oz Pomace Olive Oil
10oz Palm Kernel Oil
4oz Macadamia Nut Oil
1oz Castor oil
SMR 6.0 * 4.6 * 6.3 * 6.9
BMR 5.1 * 4.7 * 5.4 * 5.1
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SMR=Soap Maker Rating
BMR=Bench Mark Rating
Hardness * Fluffy-Lather * Stable-Lather * Moisturizing
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^^Higher the number more of that quality
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Calculate Needed Lye
http://blueyondersoaps.com/lye-calculator.html
http://www.thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php
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Gather Your Equipment
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Gal Plastic Bucket/lid
Plastic Container
SS Sauce Pan
Stick Blender
Scale
Rubber Gloves
Googles
Vapor Mask
Spoons
Plastic Spatula
Knife
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Un-Mold Soap
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soap should just slide out. Remove plastic wrap from soap. If soap is soft or mushy, wait another day or two before you cut it. Soap should be firm not to sticky. |
After 24 hours check on your molded soap. Is it hard? If soap is hard, it is time to remove from the mold. Have a tray or something ready to put your soap on. Then turn the mold over and press on the bottom,
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Cut Soap
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When soap is firm you can use a ruler to determine where you want to cut your soap. I cut mine in half. Then sliced each half into bars. Then place them on a paper/plastic lined try.
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Cure Soap
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Depending on your recipe, your soap will need to cure 4-8 weeks. To cure soaps let them set in a cool dry place for the required time. After your soaps have cured, you can wrap & Package them Any way you like.
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