-
Weigh out all of the oils,
and the lye.
-
Heat oils either in the microwave
(about 3 min), or on the stove until they are lukewarm (about 100 degrees
farenheight)
-
Add the lye to the water,
and stir until all the lye is dissolved. I do this while the oils
are heating
-
Add the lye water to the heated
oils, and stir until the mixture thickens and looks like pancake batter.
This stage is called trace. I find that using a stick
blender saves a lot of time in this step. You can find hand blenders
at your local discount store for about $10.00, or at a thrift store for
about $3.00. I highly recommend using them. I can get almost
any batch of soap to trace in less than 10 min. with a stick blender.
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When the mixture is traced
put the soap in the microwave and cook it on medium power for 2 minutes,
checking after every minute. After two minutes the soap may still
look the same, or it can be considerably thicker. I find that the
soap doesn't really start to do anything for at least 5 min, but I stir
it every minute so it cooks more evenly.
-
Continue to cook the soap,
stirring every minute or two. Cooking times vary from oven to oven.
I find that cooking all batches on medium heat helps to prevent separations
and climbing. I cook it on medium power for at least 5 minutes, and
then turn it up to high for the last few minutes.
-
After about 7 minutes the
soap tends to try to climb out of the pot. It is often necessary
to check on it every thirty seconds. Stir down any foam, and continue
cooking. The soap should look like applesauce when you stir it.
As it cooks the grains slowly start to stick to one another, and the applesauce
gets lumpier.
-
You may notice the soap trying
to separate (the applesauce will look oily on top). If that happens
stir it back together, and continue cooking. I find that the oil
is absorbed during the cooking process.
-
After approximately 15 minutes
have elapsed, the soap sometimes goes through the "champagne bubbles" stage.
The champagne bubbles stage is when the soap tries to climb out of the
pot even when you are stirring it. I generally have to take the soap
out of the oven and stir the bubbles down three or four times before they
stop climbing at this point the soap is generally done. I like to
put the soap back in the oven for 30 seconds to cook out some more of the
water.
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When the soap is done it will
be a thick, cohesive mass. The overall texture should be smooth and
gloppy, and somewhat translucent. If the soap looks like mashed
potatoes you have probably over-cooked it. The soap is still usable,
just harder to mold. If you take some soap out of the pot and it
hardens to a wax-like consistency it is done. I do a pH test of the
soap just to make sure. There are several ways to test the pH of
a soap. I taste the soap to see if there is a lye tingle. To
do this, take a small amount of soap out of the pot with a clean spoon.
Allow the soap to cool slightly, and touch the tip of your tongue to the
soap. If the pH is too high the soap will tingle on your tongue.
If the soap pH is good, it will just taste like soap. Be careful
using this method. You can burn your tongue. pH strips are
available at restaurant supply stores, or online. They are a much
more sane way to test your soap.
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Add scents and coloring,
and glop the soap into a prepared mold. Tap the mold on a firm surface
to release any air bubble and smooth the top.
-
Allow the soap to cool for
several hours, and cut into bars Need
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