Making household items at home, including making cold process soap, is becoming more and more common. There are a few different reasons for this, and all of them are good. One is that families are doing more things together to encourage learning and bonding. Another is to save money, since making things at home is generally cheaper than buying them in a store.
If you are interested in creating your own soap, there are some easy ways to do it. Some methods require cooking the mixture, but you can make it without heat. Making cold process soap does require some caution, but it can be done relatively safely and in a fairly short period of time.
If you are looking for a comprehensive guide on making handmade soap I would recommend you check out Soap Making Fun: Your Visual Guide to the Cold Process. It’s a video that walks you through the cold process soap making method. Perfect for the visual learner.
Click here to visit the Soap Making Fun: Your Visual Guide to the Cold Process website.
The first thing you need to do is to gather everything you will need for this project. For the first step, creating the lye mixture, you need to have an accurate scale. Digital is best, especially if it can measure tenths of an ounce. Put an empty pitcher on the scale, turn the scale on, and then pour distilled water into it. This way you get the perfect amount.
Since different recipes will call for different amounts of ingredients, you need to follow the recipe. But it is very important to follow the instructions for making cold process soap exactly. If you don’t your soap won’t come out properly.
Once you have the water measured, take a clean jar and place it on the scale. Then pour your lye into it. If you can, do this outside or open the windows in the kitchen to get the most air-flow possible. Be very careful whenever you are working with lye, even if it is dry! Lye is hazardous, and even dry grains of it getting into your gloves or sleeves is bad!
With gloves and safety goggles on, slowly pour the lye into the pitcher of water. Take all precautions not to make splashes, and never add water to the container of lye! This can cause a violent chemical reaction. Once you use a pitcher for this, label it clearly with “LYE, DANGER” and only use it for making cold process soap in the future.
Gently stir the mix until the lye is dissolved. You may hear some fizzing or boiling, and this is normal. Lye is useful, but it is an acid, so don’t be surprised when it acts like one. The chemical reaction will bring the mix to a high temperature, sometimes to over 200 degrees F, so make sure the container will stand up to this. Set the mix aside in a safe place to cool while you prepare the rest of the soap.
Now you need to weigh your oils. For the liquid oils, most people use olive oil when making cold process soap, but you can also use such things as sunflower or canola oil. For the solid oils, coconut oil, palm oil, or cocoa butter are popular types. Measure the oils carefully and slowly, since you can always add a little more, but once you have put them into the mix you cannot take them back out.
Melt your solid oils in a stainless steel or enamel coated pot, stirring gently as they melt. Use a thermometer to keep track of the oil’s temperature, and shut the heat off when it reaches about 110 to 120 degrees F. Continue stirring until all the oils are melted. Once no more chunks are present, add the room temperature liquid oils into the pot. This should bring the mix down to about 100 degrees.
The next step in making cold process soap includes the lye mix, so get your gloves and goggles on. Again, do this outside or with all the windows open in order to clear out any fumes. The lye mix should either be room temperature or just be a little warm. If the container the mix is in feels hot, it needs more time to cool.
Put the lye mixture carefully into the fats and use a slotted spoon to mix it in. When it is all mixed switch to a stick blender. This can be done without a stick blender, but stirring with a spoon will take upwards of an hour, and the blender can achieve the same results in a few minutes. Use short 5 second bursts with the stick blender, keeping your face well away from the pot.
While you are making cold process soap your fragrance mix should be sitting to the side. This should be added once the oils and lye are fully blended but aren’t getting too thick. Slowly add the fragrance in and stir the mixture gently until it really begins to thicken. When a little mixture dropped from the spoon onto the top of the mix leaves a little dent, it is ready to be put into the molds.
There are a couple ways you can mold your soap. If you want, you can go to an art and craft store and find some inexpensive soap molds to use. There are many that are for making cold process soap, and many people like the convenience on this option. The other way is to line a flat box with a trash bag and pour the mix onto the bag.
Let the soap sit in a warm room for about 24 hours, and then it should be done! Once it is cool, pop the soap out of the molds, or pull the block of soap out of the box and cut it into bar-sized pieces.
As you can see, making cold process soap takes a little care, but it isn’t difficult to do. You can add just about any fragrance or color into it that you want, and with just a little bit of work, you and your family will be able to enjoy your homemade soap!
If you are looking for a comprehensive guide on making handmade soap I would recommend you check out Soap Making Fun: Your Visual Guide to the Cold Process. It’s a video that walks you through the cold process soap making method. Perfect for the visual learner.
Click here to visit the Soap Making Fun: Your Visual Guide to the Cold Process website.
