How to Make Soap - Soapmaking Guide for Beginners

[Marsi]

This has already been beaten to death, but I agree that this is an unnecessary hurdle to put in front of new soapers! Wiser to focus on the most necessary, agreed-on practices so we don't overcomplicate things for noobs. (Personally, I just don't have enough room for duplicate equipment.)

Q: Do you already have a visual for trace? Easier to recognize trace if they have photos to work off! I'll hunt for pics we can use here without stepping on toes...


This is definitely going in my shopping cart; thank you!

"Q: Do you already have a visual for trace?"
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/stickblending-to-emulsion.60618/https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/emulsion-trace-false-trace-and-acceleration.78825/

 

[SoapySuds]

I mean, you could write a book on it and post it here, with all the last details. But this is good.
If someone is serious, they will buy a book and read all the fine details there. But this is good.
Other than the grammar errors, this is great.
Cold process should be mentioned and if someone wants to know what 'trace' is or other terms, it's a great place to point people to the search bar and use it to find out what these things mean in the forum.

 

[mrsserena]

I have a question, and recommendation, about this particular bulleted warning sentence….

"Nonreactive pitcher or container to mix lye into water (NOT PYREX OR GLASS!!!!)"

The question is Why?
Pyrex is tempered glass, specially designed to withstand the heat of a furnace or flame.
As a Chef, I’ve used pyrex ovenware on the BBQ, under the Broiler, and in the Oven.
It’s specifically created to withstand extreme temperatures without breaking. The large Pyrex mixing-bowls are equipped with handles. Incidentally, Brambleberry’s founder (and President) uses them when doing her “How-To Video” segments for You-Tube, and also recommends their use.
I think, personally, that this quote I’ve taken in-question is misleading and inaccurate. Would you like to respond? If not, I recommend the changes, to reflect this. With the First Warning to be:

* The Equipment MUST be kept specifically FOR SOAP PRODUCTION ONLY! Never use, or allow the interchange, of any hardware used in SOAP preparation, later, for FOOD production.
* Only the use of branded “PYREX” glass, or stainless-steel, or Silicone for the mixing of lye and oils in the soap-production process.

These are my recommendations. Does anyone agree or disagree?

Thank you, ThinLizzie


I use and highly recommend the use of surgical gloves, if you don’t like using rubber-gloves. Just ONE splash of lye-water will help you to understand why!
There’s a REASON why they use lye to dissolve dead bodies. It works FAST to dissolve flesh and bone to a ‘pourable liquid.’ And LYE burns like HELL!

They've changed the formula for pyrex glass, and it is no longer resistant to the lye chemical. So it's not the heat, but the chemistry that is a concern.

 

[psfred]

"Pyrex" is just a trade name, unless the container was made by Corning before 1990 (or maybe earlier) it's just tempered glass.

Look for the small R in a circle after "Pyrex" as that is the trademark for the "real" stuff (borosilicate glass, not plain silica glass).

Story I heard was that someone got all excited about borosilicate glass leaching boron and possibly poisoning people, but while it does indeed leach borates with very long contact, it really requires serious etching to cause any real issues. The result was that real "Pyrex" is off the market and it's no longer possible to buy borosilicate glass for home use. Hence the detonating baking dishes, etc.

 

[cmzaha]

It is so easy to buy HDPE buckets at any hardware or paint store, they have wide bottoms and are microwave safe. So why bother with cheap flimsy dollar store measuring cups or pyrex glass measuring cups that can explode? I still have a few of my original buckets that have been used since day 1 of soaping and I made a lot of soap. I also used them to make masterbatch up to 10 or so batches so I would always be ready to soap, by just melting my oils in the microwave until just cloudy.

 

[Minerva's Curious Physick]

"Q: Do you already have a visual for trace?"
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/stickblending-to-emulsion.60618/https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/emulsion-trace-false-trace-and-acceleration.78825/

Videos like this are so helpful (they also helped me learn how to stickblend soap batter without incorporating air bubbles when I was a complete noob--pulse while pressing against the bottom of the pot/pitcher, stir, pulse, stir, always keep the tip submerged)

 

[msunnerstood]

A couple of things;

In the introduction section there are no paragraph breaks and I think having that long of a section with no break will make people skip over it.

I would also put the safety section before the Gathering the ingredients section.

 

[user 57692]

Hi,

Been reading and re-reading this thread.

1) A question I have is: What is NaOH ? It showed it in the second screen capture but did not define what it is.

2) Then later on, there is talk of NaOh and a mol? What is a mol? And what is CO2 ? (Thanks)

I started wondering about lye turning to soda ash. I found a figure 1800 mg/m3 for CO2 concentration of room air. A single molecule of CO2 will react with two NaOH molecules, the molecular weights are 44g/mol for CO2 and 40g/mol for NaOH, so to turn a gram of lye into soda ash would take about half a gram of CO2, which would be the equivalent of about 300 liters of air working its way into the lye. Then again, lye grains are way less than a gram so it would be like three liters of air, which is still a lot of air to penetrate into a solid object.

Steps to making your first batch

• Step 4: Once both your lye solution and your oils are 120 degrees or less, add the lye water slowly to the oils, and stir well.

1) About the temperature, does this mean the lye mixture AND oil mixture have to be the same temperature?
2) Or both just under 120 degrees?
3) Or do they have to be within a 10-15 degree range of each other and its still OK to mix?

4) And is there a "working range" ( a highest working range of 120 and a lowest working range of XXX) of temperatures? For example, say the temperatures of the lye and oil mix drops to 80 degrees? Is it still workable? OR would it need to be re-heated?

 

[Hertzyscowicz]

Hi,

Been reading and re-reading this thread.

1) A question I have is: What is NaOH ? It showed it in the second screen capture but did not define what it is.

2) Then later on, there is talk of NaOh and a mol? What is a mol? And what is CO2 ? (Thanks)

NaOH is the chemical formula for Sodium Hydroxide, the sort of lye you use to make solid soap. I think NaOh is a typo and it should say NaOH. CO2 is Carbon Dioxide. As for mol, it is the symbol for Mole, the SI unit for amount of substance, defined as around 6*10^23 molecules.

 

[TheGecko]

1) A question I have is: What is NaOH ? It showed it in the second screen capture but did not define what it is.

2) Then later on, there is talk of NaOh and a mol? What is a mol? And what is CO2 ? (Thanks)

NaOh is the chemical formula of Sodium Hydroxide also referred to as "Lye" or "Caustic Soda".

I believe "Mol" is the abbreviation for "Mole"; the unit of amount of substance in the International System of Units (SI). CO2 is chemical formula for Carbon Dioxide.

1) About the temperature, does this mean the lye mixture AND oil mixture have to be the same temperature?
2) Or both just under 120 degrees?
3) Or do they have to be within a 10-15 degree range of each other and its still OK to mix?

4) And is there a "working range" ( a highest working range of 120 and a lowest working range of XXX) of temperatures? For example, say the temperatures of the lye and oil mix drops to 80 degrees? Is it still workable? OR would it need to be re-heated?

Yes and no. The post you referenced does use the word 'and' so the answer is 'yes'. As to "have to"....the answer is "no". It has always been a basic 'rule of thumb' for recommend that BEGINNING soap makers use single temperature for both Oils and Lye Solution; it is not only safer, but it is more likely to insure success. When I first started, both my Oils and Lye Solution were at 110F, but as I progressed and gained more experience and knowledge and familiarity with my combination of oils and butters, my Oils are generally around 120F and my Lye Solution is around 70F. That is MY personal preference...your mileage will vary.

 

[user 57692]

Thank you for the wonderful answers.

And wow, about the temperature, and yes that does make sense.

 

[Zing]

Hi,

Been reading and re-reading this thread.

1) A question I have is: What is NaOH ? It showed it in the second screen capture but did not define what it is.

2) Then later on, there is talk of NaOh and a mol? What is a mol? And what is CO2 ? (Thanks)






1) About the temperature, does this mean the lye mixture AND oil mixture have to be the same temperature?
2) Or both just under 120 degrees?
3) Or do they have to be within a 10-15 degree range of each other and its still OK to mix?

4) And is there a "working range" ( a highest working range of 120 and a lowest working range of XXX) of temperatures? For example, say the temperatures of the lye and oil mix drops to 80 degrees? Is it still workable? OR would it need to be re-heated?

When I first started, I was obsessed with temperatures but threw out my thermometers long ago. When my heated oil pot, and my lye solution pitcher, are just warm to the touch (touching the outside of the container), I mix them together. In the summer I even soap at room temperature.

When you add the lye solution to the oil mixture, it will heat up naturally and start to trace (get thick). If you soap over 120 degrees when things are hot to start with, it'll get to trace very quickly. I like to soap at cooler temperatures because I make designs and want more time.

I want my oil mixture warm enough so that it is clear and transparent. I do not want my oil mixture cool because the solid oils turn it opaque.

I hope that helps. Welcome to the forum!

 

[Hezzwhite]

Hi! I am new to making soap just starting to start my business. I made my first mini shampoo bars and they are so pretty and smell so good but… the titanium dioxide did not blend out well so there are little TD specs all throughout the soap. When I was cutting it it was smearing on my gloves. Do I have to toss it out? Is it okay?

 

[melinda48]

Soapmaking for Beginners

There are several reasons people may want to learn how to make soap. While some may choose to do so simply because it’s a fun and satisfying hobby, many people start making their own soaps so they can avoid undesired ingredients like fragrances and synthetic detergents. Most commercial “soaps” are not 100% soap- they are detergent based and have their natural glycerin removed and may be called beauty bars, cleansing bars, face bar, etc. Glycerin is a skin-loving ingredient, but it is removed from commercial soaps to increase shelf life and to sell separately commercially for lotion and skin care products. If you make your own soap, not only do you get to use the ingredients of your choice, but the glycerin in your soap remains. Some hobby soapmakers may decide to make soap so that they may use homegrown ingredients like lard or tallow, aloe vera gel, herbs, and liquids like goat’s or cow’s milk. Some will make their own soap to use all organic ingredients, or perhaps make vegan soaps. Making your own soap allows YOU to choose the ingredients that suit you and your lifestyle.

While everyone seems to know what soap is, it does have a scientific definition. In short, soap is the salt of a fatty acid. From a chemical standpoint, “salt” is not the substance you sprinkle on your food (although sodium chloride IS a salt). A salt is the substance formed by the interaction of an acid and a base. In soapmaking, the acid is a fatty acid (the oils chosen, like olive oil) combined with lye (usually sodium hydroxide). The reaction between them is called saponification. Saponification can be defined as the process taking place that converts those oils/fats by the lye dissolved in water to soap. While lye can be dangerous to use, and precautions must be taken to make soap safely, lye is needed for this process. If someone tells you that you can make soap without lye, that is not true. What IS true is that if the soap is made properly, there is no lye remaining in the soap at all due to this chemical reaction between the lye and oils. There is an entirely new substance created- soap!

Preparation (Collect all of your supplies)

• Nonreactive vessel to melt your oils on stove or microwave (HDPE #2 or PP #5 plastic or stainless steel).
• Nonreactive pitcher or container to mix lye into water (NOT PYREX OR GLASS!!!!)
• Nonreactive utensils like stainless spoons or silicone spoons to stir
• Protective gear like safety glasses, apron, rubber gloves, long sleeves
• Mold for your soap, (lined if needed with either freezer paper lining, quilter's mylar, plastic cutting mats or silicone fondant mats) or silicone molds. Silicone and other molds sold for soapmaking generally do not need to be lined. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions if using a commercial soap mold.
• Consider an immersion blender for stirring/mixing the soap batter as a time and labor saving device
• Soapmaking software. Because of the need for precise measurements for both the oils and lye, always run any recipe you find through a soap calculator. Each oil has a different saponification value and requires a different amount of lye; and especially if you are substituting one oil for another, you will always want to double check the lye amount. We recommend the simple, easy to use calculator at SoapmakingFriend.com.

Safety notes

Soapmaking really is a simple process. The details needs more attention.

• All ingredients, including liquids are always measured by weight. This ensures precision.
• Lye is a caustic, and should be handled with care. Safety googles and protective clothing should be used throughout the process. Also, lye mixed in water gets HOT fast. So always mix cold water or whatever liquid your using with the lye-never use hot or warm liquids. In general, you will use about 2 times the amount of water as lye, but can err on the side of caution with a 2.5:1 ratio- that is, use 2.5 times as much water, by weight, as lye.
• Even though this soapmaking technique is called ‘cold process’, the soap batter is hot. Have hot pads at the ready, and protection for your counters.
• Mixing the lye into the water is crucial. Always add lye to water, in a taller vessel than you think you need. Never, but ever, add water to lye- it will volcano on your and be dangerous. “Add lye to water, just like you oughter” will help you remember this.
• Measuring is critical. You need to measure carefully as to ensure you have the proper amount of fats and lye so that you don’t have a lye-heavy soap. The old “grandma’s lye soaps” that you’ve heard will “take the hide off of you” should remind you of this. Your scale should go to the hundredth of an ounce if using imperial measurements, and to the tenth of a gram if using metric. Measuring lye in grams is a great idea, as it is more precise but ounces will work if you have an accurate scale for small amounts.
• Use only fragrances or colors designed for soapmaking. Anything with alcohol (like perfume) will cause the soap to seize right away. Some fragrances, like those with vanilla scents, will turn the soap brown. Consult the manufacturer’s directions if you are using a fragrance or essential oil new to you.
• As was mentioned earlier, make sure you run ANY recipe through a soapmaking calculator, even one you may have made before. This avoids any possibility of a lye-heavy soap, or not using enough lye and having a ruined batch. This takes just a few minutes, less than 2 minutes usually, and is important for the safety of your batch.

Basic Steps

• Step 1: Gather equipment and ingredients
• Step 2: Measure lye and add to the measured (weighed) water
• Step 3: Weigh the oils, and melt the hard oils first. Add soft or liquid oils so all of your oils are combined
• Step 4: Add the lye water to the oils gradually, stirring.
• Step 5: Stir until you reach trace, when lifting your spoon across the soap batter leaves a line or a ‘trace’ behind.
• Step 6: Pour into prepared mold(s)
• Step 7: When cooled and firm, cut into bars and set on a rack to cure for 4-6 weeks.

Get Started!

Now that you have your equipment, a knowledge of the safety rules, and the basics, we need our recipe and ingredients. Our recipe comes from the ‘sample recipes’ on SoapmakingFriend.com.

We’ll be using ingredients that you can find at your local grocery or drug store, except for the lye. Lye is found online, or in hardware stores with the drain cleaners. Just make sure you have 100% sodium hydroxide, lye, with no other ingredients.

Each oil you use brings something different to the soap. Coconut oil is cleansing, and helps create great bubbles in the soap, but too much can be drying for those with a dry and/or sensitive skin-type. Olive oil is conditioning to the skin, but can make a soft soap that can feel a little slimy in too- large amounts. Lard is inexpensive and helps give the soap stable lather, conditioning to the skin, gentle, and helps make the soap hard. If you are wanting a vegetable oil only soap, you may use palm oil instead of lard, but run it through a soap calculator to double check the lye!

A typical soap recipe looks like this:

• 60% Lard
• 20% Coconut oil
• 20% Olive oil
• Superfat at 5% (Superfat is the amount of excess oil used to ensure that all of the lye is used up, so the soap is not lye heavy, and the excess fat is conditioning to the body) https://www.soapmakingfriend.com/recipes/60564.easy-3-oil-first-soap

The recipe looks like this after you enter those amounts:

View attachment 67590

You will notice that the recipe page gives you a lot of information about the make up of the oils, and the qualities including cleansing, hardness, bubbles, lather, etc. For now, seeing that your recipe is in the general recommended percentages of each of those properties is great. Once you get more experience, you can vary this by your preference as you learn to formulate your own recipes.

You can see that the amounts of the oils are calculated for us by entering our percentages. The recipe also calculates the lye amounts and water amounts as well, so we are ready to go!

The printed page gives us all we need:

View attachment 67591

There are check boxes to help you check off the ingredients as you use them, so be sure to do that as you don’t want to leave out any ingredients. You can measure in grams and/or ounces by looking at the amounts in the columns.

Steps to making your first batch

• Step 1 - Find your recipe, and run it through a soap calculator. Ensure you have all your ingredients handy, as once you start it goes pretty fast! Grab a pen so you can check off the ingredients as you go.
• Step 2- Put on your goggles and gloves, and carefully weigh the lye in a small plastic container. Set aside, and weigh your water in a large non-reactive, non-glass container (plastic is good for these items). Add the lye to the water, stirring well and avoid breathing the fumes. Try to do this in a well-ventilated area. It gets HOT fast. Use caution. Let sit to cool.
• Step 3- Weigh your fats/oils, and melt the hard ones over low heat. Once melted, add the rest of your oils. Do this in a heat-proof vessel- stainless is great, and plastic works too. Do NOT use aluminum!
• Step 4: Once both your lye solution and your oils are 120 degrees or less, add the lye water slowly to the oils, and stir well. You will want to fully mix the ingredients, and this takes quite a bit of time with hand stirring. The batter will begin to change, from oils with liquid to a smooth soap batter that will become opaque and look like a thin pudding. An immersion blender, with burst off and on as to not burn out the motor, will make this job much faster and easier. Keep the immersion blender under the surface of the soap, as to not whip air into it. Then stir with the blender off, to keep checking to see when you are at “trace”
• Step 5: When the soap batter reaches a trace (when you can move the spoon through the batter and see a line, or a ‘trace’ left behind), the batter is ready to pour. Trace can be a thin trace or medium trace, but pour before the soap batter gets too thick. Add your “add at trace” ingredients if using them (like color or fragrance) and pour into your prepared mold. Cover with a towel to maintain the temperature without allowing it to overheat. At this point, you can remove your safety gear. Wash your items before the soap sets up on them. Some people will use old rags or newspaper to wipe off the thickened soap batter and discard so it doesn’t go down the drain. Some don't wash out their soap-pot and soaping utensils until the next day when the soap batter in them/on them has turned to soap overnight and they are super easier to clean then.
• Step 6: Allow to sit until firm, usually about 24 hours but some will harden faster than others. You will want to cut your soap with a sharp knife when the soap feels like cheddar cheese when you press on it. If it’s too hard, it may crumble. If it’s too soft, you won’t be able to unmold it. Check it several times if necessary. Because this is a ‘cold process’ soap, that is, not cooked or heat applied, the saponification process is not finished when the soap is poured into the mold. The chemical reaction will continue while the soap is in the mold and will finish as the soap heats up a bit more, and cools. The soap may go through a ‘gel’ stage as well, and you may see that if you check the soap during that time. It will look clear in the middle, and go out to the ends as it finishes. Don’t worry- this is a normal process!
• Step 7: Once you cut the soap, place on a rack in a dry place and allow it to cure for 4-6 weeks. It will become milder and sudsier with curing.

That’s all there is to it! You’ve made soap.

As you gain experience, you may want to try different ingredients, fragrances, colors, and recipes. You are only limited by the ingredients available and your imagination.

This is terrific - wish I had it when I began making soap. I do have two suggestions. (1) a way to remember how to mix lye and water is “the snow falls on the lake” (always add the lye to the water - a side little ditty to remind you). (2) I laminate my recipes and then use a grease pencil to mark off the steps as an go. It is easy to wipe off the laminate after making soap - all ready to use again. ~ ; )

Hi! I am new to making soap just starting to start my business. I made my first mini shampoo bars and they are so pretty and smell so good but… the titanium dioxide did not blend out well so there are little TD specs all throughout the soap. When I was cutting it it was smearing on my gloves. Do I have to toss it out? Is it okay?

It was heavily “suggested” to me when I first began making to to not even think about selling for at least a year. Why? You would be surprised and amazed (not, necessarily, in a good way) at what can go wrong and this is how we learn. I acquiesced but was thinking, “this is crazy - I’ve got this”. I did not. Thank you to this group - your sage advice was right on. I would pass this same advice along to you - please learn for at least a year before you begi selling.

 

[Hezzwhite]

It was heavily “suggested” to me when I first began making to to not even think about selling for at least a year. Why? You would be surprised and amazed (not, necessarily, in a good way) at what can go wrong and this is how we learn. I acquiesced but was thinking, “this is crazy - I’ve got this”. I did not. Thank you to this group - your sage advice was right on. I would pass this same advice along to you - please learn for at least a year before you begi selling.

Honestly, waiting a year would be so much easier! But what do you do with all the product you make while learning? I hate the idea of throwing it out? What did you do with all the stuff you made before you started selling?

 

[melinda48]

Honestly, waiting a year would be so much easier! But what do you do with all the product you make while learning? I hate the idea of throwing it out? What did you do with all the stuff you made before you started selling?

Very simple! If it turned out well, I donated it to a local homeless shelter and a veteran’s home. I also gave some to family to test. i gave it to friends. There was never a question about what to do with it! If it was a fail, I tossed it (no I know about re-batching but early on I simply chalked it up to the cost of doing business so to speak.

 

[Relle]

Honestly, waiting a year would be so much easier! But what do you do with all the product you make while learning? I hate the idea of throwing it out? What did you do with all the stuff you made before you started selling?

Here's a link in the forum for you to read before selling.

 

[Marie_with_an_e]

I agree with waiting at least a year before even thinking about selling. Not only do you learn a ton about the actual soapmaking process, but it gives you time to get all the ‘business-y’ stuff taken care of as well: brand, logo, demographics, packaging, licenses, insurance, taxes, etc. It’s easy to start a business, not so easy staying in business.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

the titanium dioxide did not blend out well so there are little TD specs all throughout the soap. When I was cutting it it was smearing on my gloves. Do I have to toss it out? Is it okay?

Hi @Hezzwhite ! Welcome to the forum!

Since your question is about a problem with using TD, and NOT about when to start selling, I suggest you start a new thread with an appropriate title, such as "Help with TD in CP" or whatever, so more members will see it and respond.

 

[Hezzwhite]

Hi @Hezzwhite ! Welcome to the forum! View attachment 73825

Since your question is about a problem with using TD, and NOT about when to start selling, I suggest you start a new thread with an appropriate title, such as "Help with TD in CP" or whatever, so more members will see it and respond.

Thank you! I appreciate all the starting advice but I do want to know about the TD! Lol