Did I make soap?

[DawninWA]

Ok, so I think I made soap .

Problem is, instead of melting the oils (lard and castor, going for cheap the first time around, in case I messed it up), I just used the microwave to bring them to 110ish degrees. It was soft, but not completely melted. So when I added the lye, it was already vanilla pudding consistency. Hmm....oops.

I blended it for 20 minutes or so, it did get noticeably thicker, but I had no way of knowing if I got it to trace. I put it in the mold and into a styrofoam cooler. Meanwhile, a little bit later, I scraped all the rest of the soap off the sides of the bowl I mixed it in and made a ball (since I didn't want to keep poking at the stuff in the cooler), and it is hardening. Does this mean it worked?

I am hoping to make a shampoo bar that my very tender scalp will approve of (it hates coconut oil).

 

[Ellacho]

Sometime, I also use the microwave to melt my fats. As long as you have measured oils and lye correctly, I think it worked !

Do the test strips or a zap test when your soap is out of the mold. Good luck!

 

[Shalisk]

I melted my oils the first time in the nuker (Never again made a mess) but mine were completely melted. It SOUNDS like its working (But im inexperianced)

My only bit of advice?

DONT use it on sensative skin first just in case.

Good luck.

 

[Susie]

There are many of us that routinely melt our oils in the microwave with no issues whatsoever. I just run it for 30 sec to 1 min at the time. To start it, heat 1 min, then 30 sec intervals until almost melted. Stir it to completely melt the oils. Add liquid oils.

If you used more of a balanced solid/liquid oil ratio, I would tell you to use the method I learned recently of just adding the solid oil to the hot lye/water, then add the liquid oils once the solids are melted. I just learned that from this forum, and it works a charm! (Thank you SO much, guys!) One less step is a win in my book.

 

[Ruthie]

What Susie said! I often just use the heat of the lye water to melt my hard oils. As long as you do not have too many hard oils, it works great. If they are not completely melted, setting the container in a sink of hot water will finish the process.

 

[jesfayven]

I made my first batch about 3 weeks ago and I had purchased a book before doing so. The book I am referencing is Smart Soapmaking by Anne L. Watson. She says if your not sure about "trace" what you should do is take the temp of the mixture (lye and oils) right when you combine them and once you've mixed (once the mixture is growing thicker and smoother) then retake the temp. Once your mixture has risen in temp (couple of degrees fahrenheit, 1 degree Celsius) you've reached the "point of no return". By the time the temp has risen 5 degrees you want to stop. After that the mixture will get to thick to pour into mold. Hope this helps. This is a really good tip for beginners.