recipes and where to shop

[MrsMakeSoap]

Hi guys! im so glad i found this forum im learning so much. What an excellent idea to share good advise.

so.. to get to it. Im wondering what ingredients i need to make some good homade soap* Im having trouble finding lye, so im looking for a recipe with alternatives. How about vegetable gycerin is this a soap base?
please help

 

[Guest]

lye can be ordered online and because I live in the middle of no-where, i didn't think i could get it locally. But yesterday I found it in Menards (a store that sells lumber and other housing supplies etc) so i was pretty cheesed about that, since it was cheaper than i could buy it online.


no vegetable glycerin is not a soap base, instead it's a byproduct of soap making. It's a result of the chemical reaction that takes place when lye is added to your oils. But big soap companies remove this and sell it for profit.


there are many web sites that are set up to describ the soap making process. Goggle is your best friend when your trying to learn more about it as well.

But come back here with questions as well. We range from beginners to experienced and we are here to share with others and learn ourselves.

Welcome to the addiction.

 

[Lane]

lye can be ordered online and because I live in the middle of no-where, i didn't think i could get it locally. But yesterday I found it in Menards (a store that sells lumber and other housing supplies etc) so i was pretty cheesed about that, since it was cheaper than i could buy it online.

I was able to find it when I was in Iowa. But when I moved to Las Vegas... What a pain! You practically have to be hazmat certified to have anyone even ship it to you... It's one of the main components in making Meth (I read this while searching as to WHY I couldn't find lye out here...) so they are really strict about NOT having it on a self in any store...anywhere... heck, you can barely find drain cleaner...

You are lucky you can find it! I hate getting ready to make soap only to find out I am out of lye and it will be a week before I can get it :x

 

[perfectsoap]

Lane,
What part of Iowa were you in? I am in Ames
No Lye here though :x
maybe I'll hit Des Moines up!
( I ordered some from some online place)

 

[Lane]

Lane,
What part of Iowa were you in? I am in Ames

I was in Primghar... tiny little town in the top NW corner...I have a friend who goes to school in ames!

 

[Tabitha]

There are 2 basic ways to make soap. One is the old fashioned process of CP (cold process) and MUST have lye to make it work. The second is M&P (melt & pour).

Glycerin is often confused with glycerin melt & pour soap base. M&P soap base is what is commonly known as glycerin soap. *Glycerin* is just one ingredient found in M&P bases & is available at your local drug store to use as a component in many other bath/body recipes.

I have seen MANY newbie melt & pour soapmakers label their M&P soap ingredients as: Glycerin, color, fragrance This is very wrong. There are many ingredients in a M&P base.

Here are the ingredients in one M&P glycerin soap base: INGREDIENTS: Coconut oil, sodium cocoate, sodium myristate, soidum laurate, sodium stearate, glycerin, sodium laureth sulfate, propylene glycol, sucrose, triethanolamine, titanium dioxide, DMDM hydantoin, aqua, goat milk.

Here is another base: Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Castor Oil, Safflower Oil ,Glycerine ,Purified Water, Sodium Hydroxide (saponifying agent) ,Sorbitol (from berries, moisturizer), Sorbitan oleate (emulsifier) ,Soy bean protein (conditioner),Titanium Dioxide (mineral whitener used in opaque soaps)

Hope that helps.

 

[Tabitha]

I also thought I saw a thread here about buying lye at Home Depot or another similar hardware store...

 

[MrsMakeSoap]

Good vs Bad

Thanks a lot. So much good advise. I really appreeciate it. Yeah i guess i really have to rresearch more b/c i was hoping to use no chemicals and stumbled across sodium hydroxide as a "must" have ingredient. The sad part is that since lye is so 'dangerous', its so hard get. so either you buy a soap base (with multiple chemicals) or buy lye? Well, then naturally i wonder how to determine Good lye(for the skin), and others for other purposes?

 

[Becky]

There are M&P bases out there that are natural, you just have to look for them. I'm sure that if we ask nicely, someone will post a link to a supplier? Pleeeeze?

Please think carefully about what you say about M&P. We have many members here that choose this form of soaping and create beautiful soap with it. The quickest way to upset people is to degrade thier chosen medium as containing chemicals and therefore not being as good as any other soaping process. This is not true - everyones choice is worthwhile.

If you are trying to avoid using lye, or cannot find it locally, another alternative is rebatching - you buy an already made batch of soap, heat it until it melts, and then add your fragrance, and other additives.

 

[SouthernEssence]

Re: Good vs Bad

Thanks a lot. So much good advise. I really appreeciate it. Yeah i guess i really have to rresearch more b/c i was hoping to use no chemicals and stumbled across sodium hydroxide as a "must" have ingredient. The sad part is that since lye is so 'dangerous', its so hard get. so either you buy a soap base (with multiple chemicals) or buy lye? Well, then naturally i wonder how to determine Good lye(for the skin), and others for other purposes?

If you go with HP or CP you do need lye. Soap can not be made without lye. Lye is not hard to get because it's dangerous, it's hard to get because idiots use it to make meth. When you do find it online you will probably have to complete a waiver before they'll send it to you.

Yes you do have to use a chemical to make soap, but there is no lye left in the finished product when made correctly. You no longer have oils, water and lye, they become a completely new substance...soap. Handmade soap is the best soap for your skin. Just look at the chemicals in commercial store bought stuff:
Sodium Cocoylisethionate, Stearic Acid, Sodium Tallowate, Sodium Isethionate, Coconut Acid, BHT, Sodium Stearate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoate or Sodium Palm Kernelate, Fragrance, Sodium Chloride, Titanium Dioxide, Tetrasodium, EDTA, Trisodium Etidronate, Sodium Dodecybenzenesulfonate.

Read up some more before attemping your first batch. Knowledge is the key.

 

[MrsMakeSoap]

well i appreciate the feedback Although there was a misunderstanding about good vs bad I was not referring to mp vs hp i meant the Lye the orig question refers to homade* i already use mp i have nothing against it My goal is to make it as much from scratch as possible and my 2nd goal is to use as few chemicals as possible. I found this site looking for Lye, and thought this is an amzing tool to LEARN A LOT

So.. the mps on last post and the FEW that iv found have more than just the chemical lye. The mobs used to use lye to get rid of dead bodies and a lot that iv research reitterarets to USE with CAUTION b/c it will burn your skin, so im willing to avoid this process

Where can i find them?

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Like Southern Soaper stated, you can't make any home made from scratch CP or HP soap without sodium hydroxide, impossible! Even M&P is created using sodium hydroxide. Again, no soap no lye, no lye, no soap, impossible!
So I guess I don't quite understand what you are asking. If you dont want to use sodium hydroxide, then you must stick only to M&P.

Paul... :wink:

 

[canyonhorses]

where to buy lye

here is a place to buy lye. they are out of California.
http://www.soapsaloon.com/

and they don't have to have a haz mat to ship. At least they haven't to me anyway.

hope this helps.
Paula

 

[Tabitha]

so either you buy a soap base (with multiple chemicals) or buy lye?

You can buy soap base w/o chemicals at Cierra, Brambleberry, tennesseecandlesupplies, KYcandle, & more. Just search for SFIC & there are many suppliers that carry the brand.

You can also find organic bases.

Rebatch might be a good match for you though. Buying CP, shredding it, adding water & *other* stuff. That way you get a CP soap w/o handling the lye yourself.

 

[chrisinflorida]

I buy from AAA Chemicals and don't have to fill out a haz mat form either. I think you may have to if you buy huge quantities though. My first order was 8 lbs and the 2nd one was for 16 lbs. I bought the 2nd order because it was on sale at the time. I am still using my original 8 lb order though. I just made my 12th batch of soap last week, so my lye is lasting a long time. I just checked and I still have 2-1/4 pounds left from my 1st order.

If you are carefull about using lye it really is not too dangerous. If you need to wear gloves and eye protection then do so, though I prefer not to. I tried it the 1st time and they just got in the way for me. So far no accidents. I am very careful with my lye and make sure that I go slowly when using it so as not to splash it anywhere and I monitor my animals and husband when I am using the lye.

Please don't let the fear of lye keep you from trying your hand at CP and HP soapmaking.

Chris

 

[Soapmaker Man]

You can always do what I do; carefully make up 1/2 to 1 gallon of 50% lye solution, mark it with a skull and crossbones, with the words "Caution LYE!" and store high out of harms way or in a closed closet. Then all you have to do is measure and pour out what you need. I buy sodium hydroxide locally, but if I had to buy online, AAA Chemicals would get my business, but they are closer to me since he is in Texas.

Paul

 

[MrsMakeSoap]

Im so EXCITED!
Thanks so much. These are awesome sites, and its very reasurring that youve used it and like it. Soap saloon looks like its got a lot of things i could use and the prices are great. AAA seems very reputable and says its food grade. thanks for the HUGE help im really looking forward to getting some new stuff LOL