New to cold process, please help!

[rdc1978]

There's not much that I can add, except this. Plan out your steps and go through them in your head at least a few times. My mistake in the beginning was not being organized, both physically and mentally. Now I walk myself through the steps before each batch. Also read as much as you can about what to look for after you pour soap into your mold. Read about gel phase, ricing, seizing, braining, volcano. Make the decision ahead of time if you want to put your soap through the gel phase and what you need to do. Good luck and ask questions.

To this end, I bought a 1.5 pound mold that allows me to test out fragrance samples AND try different techniques and practices.

LOL, not a one of those smaller soaps have been a winner, but it's so helpful for understanding some of the challenges of making the soap on a larger scale. It also isn't as big an investment in time and resources.

Not a problem. Just wrap it up in towels and every 30 minutes check to make sure that it is not getting to hot. I like for mine to get around 120°F for 1-2 hours. Get yourself a infra-red thermometer or IR thermometer for short because that's the only way to check your soap temperature during gel phase. You can get a reliable one from Amazon for around $20. It is great for checking your oil, lye temperatures also. I would say it is a necessity but that's my opinion only.

I'd only add that for me, if I'm soaping at like 90 degrees, I normally put the mold on a cookie sheet, cover the mold with the top of a cardboard box and wrap it all up in electric blankets. It seems to work well for me, because I'm not sure if my soap gets hot enough for get phase with regular towels if I soap at 90 degrees.

 

[KiwiMoose]

If you're going to put it on your dining table, assuming it's wooden, then please make sure you have something sturdy between your soap mold and the table. it will stop the heated soap making a mark, and also any bits of raw soap batter that might be on the mold from ruining the surface of your table. I reckon a wooden chopping board or something oughta do it.

 

[penelopejane]

Thank you for the advice! I've definitely been reading a lot and watching a lot of videos. I know for a fact that I want to put my soap through gel phase and honestly, I'm so scared to do it. I've seen videos where only part of the soap goes through it and I'm worried that will happen to me. The only place where I can make my soap and leave it to cool is on my dining table and there's a fan above it. Do you think I should turn the fan off while the soap cools or will a towel be enough to insulate it?

The annoying thing about soap is everyone's skin is different so one soap that is perfect for one person will be hated by another person. That's why you really have to try a few recipes and discover what suits your skin.

To achieve gel you want to keep the environment around the soap stable so it can reach its own saponification temp and hold it until it gels all the way through. To do this wrap the soap in a blanket (not just a towel for the temps I get in my house) and definitely keep it away from a fan. Don't open the soap for 12-18 hours or you will lose all the heat.

If it is cold in your area you can preheat your oven to 110*F and turn the oven off and put the wrapped soap in the oven for 12 hours without peaking. All this does it keep the environment around your soap a little more stable so it can do its own thing.

I really like soaping 101 and this forum for info.

 

[atiz]

It seems like you've got plenty of good advice here! The only thing I can add is don't be scared of the process. It's really not more involved than baking a more elaborate cake recipe. Just line up everything you know you'll need, and then go. Your soap may or may not gel, but that's not the end of the world. Be careful with the lye, but don't be scared of it; just wear your goggles. Good luck!

 

[SoapSisters]

My best advice is to make small batches in the beginning. I've been soaping for a bit over a year, and I still make small batches (~500g or 16oz). This way if soap doesn't come out as expected, you haven't "wasted" ingredients. I've been able to experiment much more because only 500 grams of oil are riding on it each time. I can always make the recipe again if I like the way it came out.

I would also recommend changing only one thing from recipe to recipe. I found that if I had too many new variables, I couldn't figure out which was making the difference in the new soap. So for example, if you use rice bran oil first, maybe the next time you make soap you'll keep everything the same and just substitute olive oil for rice bran. And so on.

I am personally very sensitive to the cleansing (drying) effects of coconut oil and use 10-12% only in my soaps. I think everyone finds their soap preferences along the way, by trial and error. Good luck - and enjoy!

 

[DeeAnna]

"...that's the only way to check your soap temperature during gel phase. ..."

A year or so ago a person here on SMF was insisting their soap never gelled, but photos of the soap showed it had a partial gel "bullseye" ring. Come to find out, they were using an IR thermometer which was telling the soap maker the soap was a lot cooler than it really was.

An IR thermometer only "sees" surface temperatures, and this can mislead a person into thinking the soap is much cooler overall than it really is. I insert a barbecue temperature probe into the center of the soap if I want to monitor the temp of CP soap during saponification.

 

[LunaLe]

Thank you all very much! I really appreciate all the tips! I was watching more videos and reading last night and I'm feeling a lot more confident about everything. I just bought a thermometer on Amazon and I'll be ordering a stick blender later today. I tried finding mixing bowls at the dollar store, but none of them had the little triangle with a 5. Most of my bowls from doing melt and pour are glass, so I don't want to use those. I'm having a hard time finding a measuring cup that can handle making the lye water in, any suggestions for that?

 

[LunaLe]

"...that's the only way to check your soap temperature during gel phase. ..."

A year or so ago a person here on SMF was insisting their soap never gelled, but photos of the soap showed it had a partial gel "bullseye" ring. Come to find out, they were using an IR thermometer which was telling the soap maker the soap was a lot cooler than it really was.

An IR thermometer only "sees" surface temperatures, and this can mislead a person into thinking the soap is much cooler overall than it really is. I insert a barbecue temperature probe into the center of the soap if I want to monitor the temp of CP soap during saponification.

This is good to know. I have a stainless steel thermometer already, I guess I will use it as well and compare it to the temps that I get with the thermometer I just ordered from Amazon.

 

[rdc1978]

"...that's the only way to check your soap temperature during gel phase. ..."

A year or so ago a person here on SMF was insisting their soap never gelled, but photos of the soap showed it had a partial gel "bullseye" ring. Come to find out, they were using an IR thermometer which was telling the soap maker the soap was a lot cooler than it really was.

An IR thermometer only "sees" surface temperatures, and this can mislead a person into thinking the soap is much cooler overall than it really is. I insert a barbecue temperature probe into the center of the soap if I want to monitor the temp of CP soap during saponification.

I did the same thing and with the same thought in mind, because I wanted to make sure the middle of the soap was getting hot enough for gel. Good to know it's what the pros do too!

 

[rdc1978]

Thank you all very much! I really appreciate all the tips! I was watching more videos and reading last night and I'm feeling a lot more confident about everything. I just bought a thermometer on Amazon and I'll be ordering a stick blender later today. I tried finding mixing bowls at the dollar store, but none of them had the little triangle with a 5. Most of my bowls from doing melt and pour are glass, so I don't want to use those. I'm having a hard time finding a measuring cup that can handle making the lye water in, any suggestions for that?

So, I've been using the plastic measuring cups with the spout from the dollar store to mix lye water. I have a ton of them, but the original one does not seem to be degrading after a number of uses. I've also seen that the plastic containers for mixing paint can be used.

For my mixing bowl I splurged and got a really, really thick glass mixing bowl from brambleberry. It's pretty heavy, but I've never had a problem. For larger batches I use a large stainless steel pot I got from Walmart. That works well too.

 

[TheGecko]

I shouldn't be scared, but I can't help it. I know that I will mess up and probably more than once, I just don't want to. LOL

My first batch of soap...from the kit...was perfect. The following three months were a mixed bag of successes and failures...about 50/50. And while I celebrated my successes, I didn't let my failures get me down...they were simply opportunities to learn more. And no matter how long you have been making soap, you will still have 'opportunities'. I follow several soaps on YouTube that have been making soap for years and they deal with ricing, morphing colorants, accelerating fragrances, etc.

 

[cmzaha]

"...I know for a fact that I want to put my soap through gel phase and honestly, I'm so scared to do it. ..."

Whoa there, Nellie. No need to be scared. This isn't brain surgery. When you learned to ride a bicycle or drive a car or [insert other life skill here], did you do it perfectly right off the bat?

As a gracious man told me once when we first got big boat and had to get it into the yard. My hubby was struggling and I was standing there watching nervously. A sailor that had just come in told me he will get it and, "we are not born knowing how to handle a boat." He also helped guide my husband in, which is unusual in our area for sailors and powerboaters. It took practice to get that boat in her slip when we got her to her home. Everything takes time, patience and practice.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Thank you all very much! I really appreciate all the tips! I was watching more videos and reading last night and I'm feeling a lot more confident about everything. I just bought a thermometer on Amazon and I'll be ordering a stick blender later today. I tried finding mixing bowls at the dollar store, but none of them had the little triangle with a 5. Most of my bowls from doing melt and pour are glass, so I don't want to use those. I'm having a hard time finding a measuring cup that can handle making the lye water in, any suggestions for that?

I'm pretty wedded to a large measuring jug than actually came with my partner's stick blender as part of a set. It's actually a number 7 plastic - clear and rigid plastic that almost looks like a pyrex. Before that I had a set of 6 nested measuring jugs that I bought from K Mart that were also good. The big one was for the actual soap mixture, the smaller ones for measuring lye etc, and the mid size one for mixing the lye water.

 

[shunt2011]

I've only used a thermometer a handful times when I first started soaping. It's a good idea for beginners until they are comfortable. I've never ever used it for testing gel phase. I've always just wrapped them with a couple towels and let them be, check them after an hour or so and then again about an hour later. If all looks good, no overheating I just leave them be until ready to unmold.

 

[lsg]

If I want to force gel, I usually do CPOP

 

[LunaLe]

If I want to force gel, I usually do CPOP

I think this is what I'm going to do. How do you put your soap in the oven? Do you spray it with alcohol or cover it with anything? Does it get soda ash often?

 

[Dumfrey]

I started out religiously checking temperature. And after I got lazy, saw more problems and issues. Controlling the temperature of the lye water and oil is an important variable to record.

 

[lsg]

I heat my oven to 160-170*F and turn it off. I just set my loaf mold, uncovered, in the oven and leave it for at least overnight. If you are using cavity molds, then set them on a bread board or other sturdy surface before putting in the oven. I usually don't spray with alcohol. I don't usually get soda ash. If the soap does get ash,, I just wipe it off with a damp cloth.

 

[cmzaha]

I think this is what I'm going to do. How do you put your soap in the oven? Do you spray it with alcohol or cover it with anything? Does it get soda ash often?

I strongly suggest putting something on the rack below or setting your mold on something to catch any spills in case your soap overheats and volcanos. It can happen and the raw batter will ruin the finish of your oven. Caution is better than replacing an oven, especially a built-in oven, which many times cannot be replaced easily. Even an aluminum sheet pan can catch spills and it cheap to replace. It would be ruined but who cares, I would not.

The same advice goes for setting molds on tables, counters etc. If it has a surface you do not want destroyed put something under the mold to catch spills, volcanos etc.

 

[Arimara]

Thank you all very much! I really appreciate all the tips! I was watching more videos and reading last night and I'm feeling a lot more confident about everything. I just bought a thermometer on Amazon and I'll be ordering a stick blender later today. I tried finding mixing bowls at the dollar store, but none of them had the little triangle with a 5. Most of my bowls from doing melt and pour are glass, so I don't want to use those. I'm having a hard time finding a measuring cup that can handle making the lye water in, any suggestions for that?

Look for type 2 or 5 plastic containers for mixing lye. Those hold up the best. You may occasionally hear that type 7 is also fine but the US is not as detailed as some other countries can be when it comes to plastics (type 7 plastics tends to be a general mixed bag of plastics). I just have a whole bunch of plastic measuring containers, a stainless steel pitcher and silicone spatulas.