First soap batch ever in our RV

[Ozzietx]

My wife and I are currently traveling the country in our 5th wheel. Our goal is to see the country and try and decide where we want to settle. Part of our journey is to also be more conscious of what we are putting in and on our bodies. This has led to making our own soaps.
Since we are in an RV, we have some space constraints. I am also attempting to do this on a fairly conservative budget. I have attached a copy of the recipe along with the various steps. It’s now sitting in an electric blanket set on high. I will turn it off in a couple of hours.
We will see how it de- molds in a day or two.
We just want to see what if we can actually make soap before we get truly creative.

 

[AliOop]

Well done! Small batch, good recipe using grocery store ingredients and distilled water, and a repurposed mold. I bet your soap will be great!

My only suggestion is to use a #2 or #5 plastic, PET, or stainless steel pitcher, pot, or bowl for mixing your soap batter. Glass can etch over time, making it prone to shattering without warning. It can also shatter if dropped. Either event will leave you with a caustic cleanup that has glass shards in it. A fair number of YouTube soapers do use glass, but most responsible ones will recommend against it. Any stainless pot that you use for cooking will work very well and ensure that you don't have to purchase or store a single-use item that takes up your limited storage space.

 

[Ozzietx]

I will obtain proper mixing plastic. I did not mix my oils with the lye solution in the glass bowl.
I just used that bowl to weigh my ingredients and to put over a double boiler to make liquid.
I then transferred the oils to a plastic mixing bowl for lye solution integration.
I wrapped the Pringles can/batter in a heating pad on high for an hour, then reduced the heating pad to low for 2 hours. It is now resting while being insulated with a towel.
How many days should I leave it in the “mold”
Before attempting to de-mold?

I received a message that people are having a difficult time reviewing so many photos, so I will delete some of them.

 

[AliOop]

Excellent, glad to hear that you didn't mix the batter in glass. Glass is fine for just melting the oils. If you enjoy using a double-boiler, that's great, but I find it to be a lot of extra work and dishes. You can also melt your oils in the microwave, or in a stainless steel pot directly on a low-temp burner.

The thing about soap is that there is no set time for unmolding. Much depends on a combination of your recipe, your process, and ambient temperatures/humidity. I'd start checking around 18 hours. Once the soap has the consistency of a firm cheese (think cheddar, directly out of the fridge), it's probably ready to unmold. However, if it is still sticking to the paper when you try to unwrap it, it probably needs more time.

 

[Ozzietx]

Well, at the 12 hour mark, the soap seemed pretty hard. I went ahead and de-molded it.
It looks like my freezer paper could have been taped better and I had a bit of leakage.
Overall, it looks like a success.
I seem to have had some swelling. It appears to have risen, like a loaf of bread. Are the patterns of discoloration due to the fact that I pulled it and cut it too soon?
It looks like this mold will not be reusable.

 

[Vicki C]

Very nice! And, what a fun adventure. Re your questions, your soap might have gotten too warm and started to “volcano” although with no sugar I’m not sure why that would happen. Looks fine though. The slight discoloration could be from a partial gel, where maybe the inside was slightly warmer. Again, looks fine to me.
Love your avatar!

 

[Ozzietx]

Very nice! And, what a fun adventure. Re your questions, your soap might have gotten too warm and started to “volcano” although with no sugar I’m not sure why that would happen. Looks fine though. The slight discoloration could be from a partial gel, where maybe the inside was slightly warmer. Again, looks fine to me.
Love your avatar!

Thank you.
We will let it cure and see how it performs.

 

[Ford]

It looks like this mold will not be reusable.

Hi, if you want a reusable round mold. Get a small piece of pvc, with a "flat" end cap. I cut mine at 12 inches. Also, cut your end cap freezer paper larger. The over lap will help seal. The top with the can. Along with your tape.
Using 60% Lard. Instead of crisco. Makes a good soap as well. Hint, hint.....

 

[dmcgee5034]

Congrats on your first soap! So smart to test with a small batch. Maybe others will chime in, but perhaps the heating pad on high to start was what overheated your soap? I’ve never soaped with shortening, but agree a swap to lard in your recipe should make a lovely soap.

 

[Ozzietx]

Congrats on your first soap! So smart to test with a small batch. Maybe others will chime in, but perhaps the heating pad on high to start was what overheated your soap? I’ve never soaped with shortening, but agree a swap to lard in your recipe should make a lovely soap.

This is actually the shortening with tallow and lard. I chose it specifically because of those fats. It is different than their vegetable shortening.
Opening a can of shortening is much easier than rendering tallow and lard, which I have also done. Plus there is very little, if any, animal smell.

Hi, if you want a reusable round mold. Get a small piece of pvc, with a "flat" end cap. I cut mine at 12 inches. Also, cut your end cap freezer paper larger. The over lap will help seal. The top with the can. Along with your tape.
Using 60% Lard. Instead of crisco. Makes a good soap as well. Hint, hint.....

I will be purchasing the PVC soon. Thank you.

 

[Nona'sFarm]

Solid recipe, obviously you've done your research. Congratulations! I love that you are using oils that you can get at the grocery store and can be used for cooking and soaping. Very resourceful!
I'm thinking the 'discoloration' may be glycerin rivers, not sure. I second the other suggestions you have received: try heating pad on low only and if you want a more uniform bar, use PVC pipe. Since this is for personal use, uniformity may not be a concern.

 

[dibbles]

I love first soap pictures - thanks for sharing. Ditto what others have said about your questions. It looks great!