I saw someone asked for CP liquid soap recipes, and I know that many of us have posted our recipes spread throughout many threads. I am going to share my recipes and process, and hopefully others will also. Because my way is one way, not the "right" way, or the "only" way.
First, I use this lye calculator:
http://summerbeemeadow.com/content/advanced-calculator-solid-cream-or-liquid-soaps
EDIT- I now use this calculator, much more user friendly:
http://summerbeemeadow.com/sites/all/sbm_calc_input/calc_input_page_1.1.html
ETA, again: I now use soapee.com. It is so very much easier than SBM, and non of the extraneous, confusing things on the calculator!
because I get much better outcomes with it than any other for liquid soap. It looks complicated and confusing. It is not. Just leave blank anything you don't want to fool with like glycerin, alcohol, borax, etc. Use 0% superfat for dishes and clothes, and 1-3% for hand soap, shower gel, shampoo, etc. Then plug in your fats and what type of soap you are making, and you are good to go. They, unfortunately, do not give amounts in grams, but it is easy enough to convert using online conversion tools.
RUN EVERY RECIPE THROUGH A LYE CALCULATOR FOR YOURSELF. NO MATTER WHERE YOU GET IT. Sorry for the caps, but it can not be stressed enough. Typos happen.
My process is not complicated, so if you are looking for some super duper magical process, look elsewhere. I hate extra steps. HATE them. But, let's just take one recipe and go through it. I will go through using the lye calculator with the process to help anyone unaccustomed to this calculator.
First I type what kind of soap and date in the recipe name(I print each recipe, so this does help.)
Liquid Laundry Soap 11-3-14
Then I click "Liquid Soap KOH + NaOH* + Water + Alcohol" Don't get intimidated, you don't have to use all of that. Please note that if you don't type any numbers in for the KOH or NaOH, you get a default of 100% KOH, which is already pre-set for the 94% KOH that is available. So, you don't have to worry about that.
Ignore the alcohol and glycerin unless you intend to use them.
Superfatting-this is laundry soap, so I use 0%.
Then I weigh my pot and utensils, it is not necessary, but oh-so-nice to know when you go to dilute. Type those values into the calculator.
Pot-103.7 oz(I use a crock pot, so all my recipes are sized accordingly. You do not have to use a crock pot.)
Utensils-3.6 oz
Choose oils/fats
This is just a click the arrow and choose your oil section. Then type the amount you intend to use in ounces.
Coconut Oil, 76 degree- 24 oz
Soybean Oil- 8 oz
Other ingredients: I use 0.5 oz grated handmade bar soap to help speed trace, and 1 oz EO,so I type
Grated soap 0.5 oz
EO 1 oz
Then under that section it says, "Click here when done". You are done, so click there.
Now is when people freak out. So, bear with me and just hang in there. Highlight and print out the recipe part only(gives 1 sheet recipe rather than 4 sheets).
I want you to go grab a highlighter or something. You are going to highlight only the following.
Coconut oil 24.00 oz
Soybean oil 8 oz
Potassium Hydroxide 100%(proportion of recipe, NOT purity) 8.08 oz
Batch Water 24.25 oz
Initial Batch Weight 4lb 0.34 oz
Other Items:
Grated soap 0.50 oz
EO 1 oz
This is all you need to worry about. Ignore everything else.
Continued...
OK, so the process.
I weigh my coconut oil out into a safe container to make soap in.(I use my crock pot because it is larger than anything else I have that is safe to make soap in, and I make a lot of laundry soap at the time.)
I weigh my soybean oil out into something I can pour from, usually a Pyrex cup just for the spout. I DO NOT use Pyrex for anything that KOH or NaOH is going into!
I put on proper safety equipment(gloves, safety goggles, and long sleeved shirt), weigh out my water into a lye safe container, then weigh my KOH out. Add the KOH slowly to the water, stirring between each addition. I do this under the vent hood of the stove with the vent on high, and hold my head back to avoid breathing fumes. When the last of the KOH is in, looks totally clear, and it stops sizzling, I add the grated soap. Stick blend to mix well. If I forget at this point to add the soap, I add it to the CO.
Put on an oven mitt, and pour that steaming hot lye water mixture over the solid CO. Nope, I don't even melt my CO. Stick blend until it is all melted. Add the soybean oil and stick blend to trace using 20-30 second bursts with equal time hand stirring between to save the stick blender motor. If I am truly in a hurry, I use 2 stick blenders, and alternate them rather than hand stirring.
You will see several stages, you may even see flying bubbles. Bottom line is when you get stiff paste consistency(think Elmer's paste from when you were a child.), stop stick blending. I pull out the stick blender, and scrape it off. Throw a beach towel that is doubled(I only use it because it is the perfect size). You can use a blanket or a couple of bath towels. Whatever works for you and holds in heat is fine. Just be sure it is washable, as it may get soapy. I take this time to wash, dry, and put away the stick blender and other equipment I will not need from this point onward. Takes about 10-15 minutes. Write down on your recipe the stages this went through and how much time each step takes. This keeps you from having "second batch jitters" when you are sure you have gone wrong. (Is this just me?)
I then zap test. Yep, no cooking, no waiting hours or weeks, just 10-15 minutes. I have yet to be zapped after making 9 batches of various soaps using this technique. So, if you like, and are in a hurry, dilute now. However, I am not promising clear soap if you dilute now. It will clear up eventually, even if diluted, if you use 0% superfat and properly weighed and made the soap. But it may not be clear right away. I have some of this laundry soap that was white when first diluted(pulls jar out of cabinet) a couple of weeks ago, and it is clear now. But it was VERY not clear when first diluted. So, don't come complaining to me if it is cloudy, OK?
Now, if I am going to store this as paste, I will let it sit a few days in the pot to cool and finish doing all saponifying before dividing into Ziploc bags. I do this BECAUSE I store in Ziploc bags, and I am not sure how safe they are with potential unsaponified KOH. I label those bags and stick them in the fridge or cabinet. They don't need to be cool, but I can't lose them if they are in the fridge. I am going to get some place to store them out of the fridge one of these days....
But, pretty much, this is cold process. No heat, other than what the KOH/water reaction brings.
If you know how to dilute, you can stop reading here. And thank you for your patience in reading a very long tutorial.
To dilute:
I am not going to tell you how much water to use, because you need to learn your oils and recipes for yourself. Good rule of thumb for me is to begin with half my paste weight in water. If you are diluting the whole batch at once, this is where knowing your pot and utensil weights come in handy.
Once I add half the paste weight(in this case about 32 oz) in water, I then add heat, and break up the soap paste to increase surface area. I only add heat to speed dilution, not to complete saponification. This will not be enough water, but it is where you begin. I then add about 4 oz of water at the time until I get down to one or two small lumps of soap paste. I then add about a tablespoon of water until I am down to one small soap lump. I then stop, as this will melt while the soap is cooling enough to handle it. Write down how much water this took, so you know for the next batch.(saves a lot of time) If you are adding EO/FOs, add them while the soap is warm, but cool enough you can stick a bare finger in there safely. My rule of thumb on EO amount is 0.5 oz PPO for non-irritating EOs. I use my citrus EOs because unlike bar soaps, they stick well in liquid soaps. Other people have different EO rates. This is my way, not the "right" way or "only" way.
I then pour this into my laundry soap container that has a dispenser and use 1/4-1/2 cup per load depending on how dirty and how much laundry I have. I use white vinegar in a Downy ball to help bring the pH down in the rinse cycle. Just put enough to get to the line on the Downy ball.
I really hope others post their recipes and methods so folks don't think I am the "expert". I am not. I am just lazy enough and impatient enough to want the easiest way I can find.
First, I use this lye calculator:
http://summerbeemeadow.com/content/advanced-calculator-solid-cream-or-liquid-soaps
EDIT- I now use this calculator, much more user friendly:
http://summerbeemeadow.com/sites/all/sbm_calc_input/calc_input_page_1.1.html
ETA, again: I now use soapee.com. It is so very much easier than SBM, and non of the extraneous, confusing things on the calculator!
because I get much better outcomes with it than any other for liquid soap. It looks complicated and confusing. It is not. Just leave blank anything you don't want to fool with like glycerin, alcohol, borax, etc. Use 0% superfat for dishes and clothes, and 1-3% for hand soap, shower gel, shampoo, etc. Then plug in your fats and what type of soap you are making, and you are good to go. They, unfortunately, do not give amounts in grams, but it is easy enough to convert using online conversion tools.
RUN EVERY RECIPE THROUGH A LYE CALCULATOR FOR YOURSELF. NO MATTER WHERE YOU GET IT. Sorry for the caps, but it can not be stressed enough. Typos happen.
My process is not complicated, so if you are looking for some super duper magical process, look elsewhere. I hate extra steps. HATE them. But, let's just take one recipe and go through it. I will go through using the lye calculator with the process to help anyone unaccustomed to this calculator.
First I type what kind of soap and date in the recipe name(I print each recipe, so this does help.)
Liquid Laundry Soap 11-3-14
Then I click "Liquid Soap KOH + NaOH* + Water + Alcohol" Don't get intimidated, you don't have to use all of that. Please note that if you don't type any numbers in for the KOH or NaOH, you get a default of 100% KOH, which is already pre-set for the 94% KOH that is available. So, you don't have to worry about that.
Ignore the alcohol and glycerin unless you intend to use them.
Superfatting-this is laundry soap, so I use 0%.
Then I weigh my pot and utensils, it is not necessary, but oh-so-nice to know when you go to dilute. Type those values into the calculator.
Pot-103.7 oz(I use a crock pot, so all my recipes are sized accordingly. You do not have to use a crock pot.)
Utensils-3.6 oz
Choose oils/fats
This is just a click the arrow and choose your oil section. Then type the amount you intend to use in ounces.
Coconut Oil, 76 degree- 24 oz
Soybean Oil- 8 oz
Other ingredients: I use 0.5 oz grated handmade bar soap to help speed trace, and 1 oz EO,so I type
Grated soap 0.5 oz
EO 1 oz
Then under that section it says, "Click here when done". You are done, so click there.
Now is when people freak out. So, bear with me and just hang in there. Highlight and print out the recipe part only(gives 1 sheet recipe rather than 4 sheets).
I want you to go grab a highlighter or something. You are going to highlight only the following.
Coconut oil 24.00 oz
Soybean oil 8 oz
Potassium Hydroxide 100%(proportion of recipe, NOT purity) 8.08 oz
Batch Water 24.25 oz
Initial Batch Weight 4lb 0.34 oz
Other Items:
Grated soap 0.50 oz
EO 1 oz
This is all you need to worry about. Ignore everything else.
Continued...
OK, so the process.
I weigh my coconut oil out into a safe container to make soap in.(I use my crock pot because it is larger than anything else I have that is safe to make soap in, and I make a lot of laundry soap at the time.)
I weigh my soybean oil out into something I can pour from, usually a Pyrex cup just for the spout. I DO NOT use Pyrex for anything that KOH or NaOH is going into!
I put on proper safety equipment(gloves, safety goggles, and long sleeved shirt), weigh out my water into a lye safe container, then weigh my KOH out. Add the KOH slowly to the water, stirring between each addition. I do this under the vent hood of the stove with the vent on high, and hold my head back to avoid breathing fumes. When the last of the KOH is in, looks totally clear, and it stops sizzling, I add the grated soap. Stick blend to mix well. If I forget at this point to add the soap, I add it to the CO.
Put on an oven mitt, and pour that steaming hot lye water mixture over the solid CO. Nope, I don't even melt my CO. Stick blend until it is all melted. Add the soybean oil and stick blend to trace using 20-30 second bursts with equal time hand stirring between to save the stick blender motor. If I am truly in a hurry, I use 2 stick blenders, and alternate them rather than hand stirring.
You will see several stages, you may even see flying bubbles. Bottom line is when you get stiff paste consistency(think Elmer's paste from when you were a child.), stop stick blending. I pull out the stick blender, and scrape it off. Throw a beach towel that is doubled(I only use it because it is the perfect size). You can use a blanket or a couple of bath towels. Whatever works for you and holds in heat is fine. Just be sure it is washable, as it may get soapy. I take this time to wash, dry, and put away the stick blender and other equipment I will not need from this point onward. Takes about 10-15 minutes. Write down on your recipe the stages this went through and how much time each step takes. This keeps you from having "second batch jitters" when you are sure you have gone wrong. (Is this just me?)
I then zap test. Yep, no cooking, no waiting hours or weeks, just 10-15 minutes. I have yet to be zapped after making 9 batches of various soaps using this technique. So, if you like, and are in a hurry, dilute now. However, I am not promising clear soap if you dilute now. It will clear up eventually, even if diluted, if you use 0% superfat and properly weighed and made the soap. But it may not be clear right away. I have some of this laundry soap that was white when first diluted(pulls jar out of cabinet) a couple of weeks ago, and it is clear now. But it was VERY not clear when first diluted. So, don't come complaining to me if it is cloudy, OK?
Now, if I am going to store this as paste, I will let it sit a few days in the pot to cool and finish doing all saponifying before dividing into Ziploc bags. I do this BECAUSE I store in Ziploc bags, and I am not sure how safe they are with potential unsaponified KOH. I label those bags and stick them in the fridge or cabinet. They don't need to be cool, but I can't lose them if they are in the fridge. I am going to get some place to store them out of the fridge one of these days....
But, pretty much, this is cold process. No heat, other than what the KOH/water reaction brings.
If you know how to dilute, you can stop reading here. And thank you for your patience in reading a very long tutorial.
To dilute:
I am not going to tell you how much water to use, because you need to learn your oils and recipes for yourself. Good rule of thumb for me is to begin with half my paste weight in water. If you are diluting the whole batch at once, this is where knowing your pot and utensil weights come in handy.
Once I add half the paste weight(in this case about 32 oz) in water, I then add heat, and break up the soap paste to increase surface area. I only add heat to speed dilution, not to complete saponification. This will not be enough water, but it is where you begin. I then add about 4 oz of water at the time until I get down to one or two small lumps of soap paste. I then add about a tablespoon of water until I am down to one small soap lump. I then stop, as this will melt while the soap is cooling enough to handle it. Write down how much water this took, so you know for the next batch.(saves a lot of time) If you are adding EO/FOs, add them while the soap is warm, but cool enough you can stick a bare finger in there safely. My rule of thumb on EO amount is 0.5 oz PPO for non-irritating EOs. I use my citrus EOs because unlike bar soaps, they stick well in liquid soaps. Other people have different EO rates. This is my way, not the "right" way or "only" way.
I then pour this into my laundry soap container that has a dispenser and use 1/4-1/2 cup per load depending on how dirty and how much laundry I have. I use white vinegar in a Downy ball to help bring the pH down in the rinse cycle. Just put enough to get to the line on the Downy ball.
I really hope others post their recipes and methods so folks don't think I am the "expert". I am not. I am just lazy enough and impatient enough to want the easiest way I can find.
Last edited:
