Soaping 101 liquid soapmaking video?

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At the request of Susie and DeeAnna, here is more detailed info on how I make my glycerin liquid soap. I hope you're seated comfortably! lol

First, the formula. I have 2 favorite glycerin liquid soap formulas (GLS for short) that I regularly make, and the one I will be sharing is actually the very first liquid soap formula I ever tried making in my soaping life- 3bees~1flower's (Carrie Peterson's) Olive Oil GLS formula that she posted over on the Dish forum and that she also shares on her GLS tute on the YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6brP--yQpU

It's very easy to make and it results in the most gorgeous, clear-as-a-bell liquid soap with wonderful, bubbly lather. And by using a dilution rate of 1 part paste to .75 (or 75%) water, it dilutes out to a sumptuous consistancy that's beautifully thick and honey-like, but not too thick to clog my pump bottle.

Anyway, here is 3bees~1flower's (Carrie's) formula that she posted on the Dish and also on her YouTube video in the link above:

-65% Olive Oil
-25% Coconut Oil
-10% Castor Oil
-Superfatted @ 3% up front using SummerbeeMeadow's Advanced Liquid Soap Calculator: https://summerbeemeadow.com/content/advanced-calculator-solid-cream-or-liquid-soaps

As I mentioned previously, I dilute it at a rate of 1 part paste to .75 (or 75%) water [multiply your paste weight by .75 or 75% to get the water amount].

This next ingredient is optional, but to my dilution water I also like to add 3% sodium lactate (in liquid form) as per the weight of my paste. The SL is my little miracle worker that helps the paste soften/break up easier and more quickly [paste weight X 3%]. In spite of it being a liquid, I don't figure the sodium lactate into my 75% water calculation- I just calculate it as an additive apart from the water amount. In case you're wondering, I've found that with or without the sodium lactate, the finished soap still comes out to a nice, thick consistency, but without it, the dilution definitely doesn't proceed as quickly/easlily.

My procedure in order:

1) I melt my oils in my designated soaping pot and set aside.

2) In a separate, stainless pot that's roomy enough to prevent any accidental boil-over, I add my room-temperature glycerin and KOH together. Yep- that's right- both are at room temp when first combined. I got that important tip from tarafotty over at the Dish. There's no need to heat the glycerin first. Tarafotty said it's actually safer if you don't heat the glycerin first because adding KOH to hot glycerin causes sizzling and splashing, etc... so I just add the 2 at room temp and then heat from there, and it always goes well for me.

3) I turn on my stove's exhaust fan, then I turn my burner to med-high to bring the glycerin/Koh to a boil, stirring all the while with a stainless spoon.

~Make sure you follow the safety protocols that you normally follow when mixing lye solution- wear goggles and gloves, and don't breathe in the fumes! With one hand, I cover over my nose and mouth with a thick cotton diaper (clean, of course),folded over onto itself 3 times to provide a thick barrier against the fumes, and with the other hand I stir.~

The goal is to heat the glycerin to boiling so that the KOH will dissolve quickly and completely. If at any point you find the glycerin/KOH mixture to be boiling up too high and threatetening to spill over the pot, just remove the pot from the heat until it mellows out a bit, and then place the pot back on heat and continue boiling/dissolving/stirring in this manner, until all is dissolved/clear.

You'll notice as it heats/boils that the glycerin/KOH mixture will go through different stages: First, it starts to turn a bit white, then really white and bubbly/cloudy, and then it gradually gets clearer and clearer until all is dissolved and the solution is crystal clear. Near the end, you'll periodically need to take the pot off the heat and stir the boiling solution down to be able to gauge how far things are progressing along.

If near the end you find you have a few stubborn bits of KOH that are taking their sweet time to dissolve, just smash them up against the side of the pot with the back of your spoon to help them break up/dissolve faster, then continue boiling and stirring until all is crystal clear.

It normally takes between 8 to 10 minutes tops for all my KOH to dissolve.

4) Once all is dissolved/clear it's time to pour the hot KOH/glycerin solution into the waiting melted oils in my soaping pot. I use a rubber spatula to scrape/squeegee every drop of the glycerin/KOH solution out into the oils. By the way, my soaping pot is off the heat when I do this (and from here on out as well- things are hot enough as it is!).

5) Once all the solution is in, I start whisking with a stainless whisk. Some people use a stickblender for this part and that's perfectly fine (you'll get to the paste stage much quicker with a stickblender), but please don't do it if your stickblender has a plastic wand/shaft. The glycerin/KOH/oil mixture is so hot that it may melt your plastic stickblender. If you have a stainless stickblender, though, feel free to use that. Otherwise, you can do as I do and use a stainless whisk. A whisk is actually all I've ever used for this step and it works perfectly fine.

As I whisk (off-heat), my batter will look opaque at times, and then clear golden amber with lots of bubbles on top, etc... All of these changes are normal, and I just keep on whisking away until the moment I start to see tiny little bubbles flying/floating up in the air over the pot or around my head. Some people call this the 'Flying Bubble Stage', but I kinda like calling it the "Laurence Welk Stage" lol. It normally takes all of 10 minutes from the time I start whisking until I see the flying bubbles. When I see them, I stop whisking, even if my soap in the pot is still liquid, which it usually is (still liquid), and with a nice foamy head on it like beer, to boot. In spite of the foamy head and the fact that it's not paste yet, it's all good and there's absolutely nothing to be concerned about. As long as I have the flying bubbles, all is well and on its way, and I can proceed to the next step....

6) ....which is when I cover my pot and leave it alone -still off the heat- to do its thing and become paste. If you used a stickblender, it will become paste very quickly indeed- as little as an hour or so- but with the whisk method, it normally takes between 4 to 6 hours for mine to become paste. So.... I either go out or I just busy myself with other things during this time. Or if it's bedtime, I'll just leave it to set up overnight and check on it in the morning, or later in the afternoon, or even later in the week if I have other things to do. As long as it's tightly covered, there's no need to worry myself about it or feel rushed. That's one of the beauties with this method- you can be lazy with it, and you don't need to cook it to the paste or neutral stage if you don't feel like it. Just let it rest on your counter for 4 to 6 hours or however long and it will become neutral paste all on its own. At least that's been my experience.

7) Because of the bubbly head that's normally resting on the top of my batter, it's pretty hard to tell if I have paste yet just by peeking into the pot and looking, so I scoop into it with a spoon to see what's what. I know I've reached the paste stage if it feels like I'm scooping into thick, sticky taffy, only the color is a beautiful translucent golden color with somewhat dried bubbles still on top.

8 ) When it's paste, I spoon out little globs of it from a couple of different areas of the pot and apply the tongue test to check for zap. Some people use pheno drops, but I'm kinda partial to the tongue test. It's accurate, instantaneous, easy, and best of all I don't have to shell out any money for it. lol If it doesn't zap, I proceed to the next step- dilution. So far, I've never had a GLS batch zap on me yet, but if i did, I'd just let it sit for ahile longer and test again.

I will have to write my diluting procedure in the next post (below) since I've exceeded my word limit for this post. :oops:


IrishLass :)

Hi IrishLass
I am new to liquid soap making. Only after reading your glycerin method of making liquid soap, I got confidence to start. Please help me with couple of doubts:
1. You have mentioned that pre-melted oil. At what temperature the oil must be heated. Is it have to be boiled? When mixing the Lye solution with oil, is there any temperature level of oil we have to check?
2. As you do, can a beginner use stainless steel Whisk instead of hand/immersion blender (because I don't have blender). How fast one has to stir / whisk manually to get the saponification process successful?
3. For boiling glycerin and KOH to get it dissolves, can we use Gas Stove or Electric Induction stove ? (because I don't have Crock Pot)
4. Please confirm if there is absolutely no need to cook the paste using crock pot / slow cooker and just leave it covered for few to several hours. ( I am asking this doubt as some say that it has to be on low heat setting in crock pot and whisk every 30 minutes for 4 to 8 hours).
Sorry to put so many questions. I am new and hence needed to get it well in my mind before I start doing the liquid soap which is clear liquid soap and not opaque. Thanks.
 
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Hi IrishLass
I am new to liquid soap making. Only after reading your glycerin method of making liquid soap, I got confidence to start. Please help me with couple of doubts:
1. You have mentioned that pre-melted oil. At what temperature the oil must be heated. Is it have to be boiled? When mixing the Lye solution with oil, is there any temperature level of oil we have to check?
2. As you do, can a beginner use stainless steel Whisk instead of hand/immersion blender (because I don't have blender). How fast one has to stir / whisk manually to get the saponification process successful?
3. For boiling glycerin and KOH to get it dissolves, can we use Gas Stove or Electric Induction stove ? (because I don't have Crock Pot)
4. Please confirm if there is absolutely no need to cook the paste using crock pot / slow cooker and just leave it covered for few to several hours. ( I am asking this doubt as some say that it has to be on low heat setting in crock pot and whisk every 30 minutes for 4 to 8 hours).
Sorry to put so many questions. I am new and hence needed to get it well in my mind before I start doing the liquid soap which is clear liquid soap and not opaque. Thanks.

I'm not IrishLass, but I can answer these until she gets here.

1. Melt oil on anything that creates heat. You just need melted oils, it does not matter how it gets there. No need to boil, just melt.

2. You don't have to have a stick blender, a whisk does fine. The heat helps speed saponification. Whisk as fast as you can without wearing yourself out in about 5 minutes of whisking.

3. Again, use whatever you typically cook on. You just need heat.

4. No need to use a crock pot. Once you see flying bubbles or reach paste stage, you remove from heat, cover, and walk away. Those people who obsess about cooking liquid soap for hours are just making life difficult for themselves. I have no idea why they do that.
 
Hi IrishLass
I am new to liquid soap making. Only after reading your glycerin method of making liquid soap, I got confidence to start. Please help me with couple of doubts:
1. You have mentioned that pre-melted oil. At what temperature the oil must be heated. Is it have to be boiled? When mixing the Lye solution with oil, is there any temperature level of oil we have to check?
2. As you do, can a beginner use stainless steel Whisk instead of hand/immersion blender (because I don't have blender). How fast one has to stir / whisk manually to get the saponification process successful?
3. For boiling glycerin and KOH to get it dissolves, can we use Gas Stove or Electric Induction stove ? (because I don't have Crock Pot)
4. Please confirm if there is absolutely no need to cook the paste using crock pot / slow cooker and just leave it covered for few to several hours. ( I am asking this doubt as some say that it has to be on low heat setting in crock pot and whisk every 30 minutes for 4 to 8 hours).
Sorry to put so many questions. I am new and hence needed to get it well in my mind before I start doing the liquid soap which is clear liquid soap and not opaque. Thanks.

I know others will chime in but I just wanted to say that once you try this method, you will love it. Everyone makes it harder than it really is. I've only made a couple of batches but I can tell you this:

1. I heated my oils until the coconut oil was melted. You don't need to boil your oils.
2. I only used a whisk and I got to the "flying bubble" stage in minutes. You don't need to beat it as you would with egg whites or whipped cream.
3. Yes, use your stove for boiling the glycerin and KOH. I don't use my crock pot for soap making.... at least, I haven't yet.
4. No need to cook. Once it reaches the flying bubble stage, cover it and walk away. Seriously. Just walk away. It will do what it needs to do all on its own.

And, hey, ask all the questions you want. No one here minds.
 
Hi IrishLass
I am new to liquid soap making. Only after reading your glycerin method of making liquid soap, I got confidence to start. Please help me with couple of doubts:
1. You have mentioned that pre-melted oil. At what temperature the oil must be heated. Is it have to be boiled? When mixing the Lye solution with oil, is there any temperature level of oil we have to check?
2. As you do, can a beginner use stainless steel Whisk instead of hand/immersion blender (because I don't have blender). How fast one has to stir / whisk manually to get the saponification process successful?
3. For boiling glycerin and KOH to get it dissolves, can we use Gas Stove or Electric Induction stove ? (because I don't have Crock Pot)
4. Please confirm if there is absolutely no need to cook the paste using crock pot / slow cooker and just leave it covered for few to several hours. ( I am asking this doubt as some say that it has to be on low heat setting in crock pot and whisk every 30 minutes for 4 to 8 hours).
Sorry to put so many questions. I am new and hence needed to get it well in my mind before I start doing the liquid soap which is clear liquid soap and not opaque. Thanks.[/QUOTE]

Not IL but can answer your questions.

The oils are just melted, many do not measure the temperature. They will be warm.

Yes, you can use a whisk but it will take a bit longer than with an immersion blend.

You cook the glycerin and KOH on the stovetop in a stainless steel pan.

You do not need to cook the soap. Once it's got the foamy/bubbly top just cover it and set it aside.

Good luck!

Oops, seems Susie and I were typing at the same time.
 
We were all typing at the same time, LOL.

The reason we can all answer this is we have all tried it. This is truly the easy way to make liquid glycerin soap. No stress, no muss, no fuss.

I did forget to specify a stainless steel pot, which shunt2011 caught.

Also, do not despair if you do not see flying bubbles. I did not for quite a while. I did get paste, though, so I knew it started saponification. You really only have to get it to where the oils and lye water do not separate. It will do all the rest by itself.
 
We were all typing at the same time, LOL.

The reason we can all answer this is we have all tried it. This is truly the easy way to make liquid glycerin soap. No stress, no muss, no fuss.

I did forget to specify a stainless steel pot, which shunt2011 caught.

Also, do not despair if you do not see flying bubbles. I did not for quite a while. I did get paste, though, so I knew it started saponification. You really only have to get it to where the oils and lye water do not separate. It will do all the rest by itself.

Thank you very much Susie, Misschief, Shunt2011 for your reply clearing my doubts about the procedure till IrishLass gets in to reply. After reading your reply my confidence has grown. Thanks once again to you.
 
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Hi IrishLass
I am new to liquid soap making. Only after reading your glycerin method of making liquid soap, I got confidence to start. Please help me with couple of doubts:
1. You have mentioned that pre-melted oil. At what temperature the oil must be heated. Is it have to be boiled? When mixing the Lye solution with oil, is there any temperature level of oil we have to check?
2. As you do, can a beginner use stainless steel Whisk instead of hand/immersion blender (because I don't have blender). How fast one has to stir / whisk manually to get the saponification process successful?
3. For boiling glycerin and KOH to get it dissolves, can we use Gas Stove or Electric Induction stove ? (because I don't have Crock Pot)
4. Please confirm if there is absolutely no need to cook the paste using crock pot / slow cooker and just leave it covered for few to several hours. ( I am asking this doubt as some say that it has to be on low heat setting in crock pot and whisk every 30 minutes for 4 to 8 hours).
Sorry to put so many questions. I am new and hence needed to get it well in my mind before I start doing the liquid soap which is clear liquid soap and not opaque. Thanks.

Wow- you gals are awesome- you make things so easy for me! :lol:

I'll go ahead and add my 2-cents to the soap pot anyway....

First things first- Welcome, Dingi!

Answer to question 1: I heat my oils on medium-low. No boiling. Just gently heat them together until the oils are clear/no longer cloudy. Once clear, I then cover my pot and remove from heat while I start heating the glycerin/KOH in a separate pot to dissolve. The only boiling I do is with the glycerin/KOH solution- those I boil together until totally clear. Once clear, I immediately add them right into my set-aside melted oils. No need to take any temperatures- I never do. You can if you want to for the sake of curiosity, but there's absolutely no need.

Answer to question 2: I don't use a stick-blender with mine in the beginning stages, I just use a stainless whisk instead to stir things up. The only time I use my stick-blender is later on when I'm diluting the paste (when things aren't as incredibly hot anymore). Even then, though, a stick-blender is not an absolute necessity, but it does make dilution proceed much easier.

RE: How fast to stir..... I don't stir super fast or anything like that. I just stir at a comfortable pace for my arm, which I suppose is about medium pace. My aim is just keep the mixture in continuous motion- without exhausting my arm- until I see tiny flying bubbles floating up from the pot into the air around my head, which usually takes about 8 to 10 minutes for me. I should make a note at this point that if you don't see flying bubbles after 10 minutes of whisking.... or ever..... don't panic. Like Susie said, some people never see the flying bubbles, and that's okay. I've learned that they are really nothing more than a just a fun visual indicator that your mixture is proceeding along fine. When in doubt- if you have been whisking for 8 to 10 minutes and you haven't seen any flying bubbles, but the batter is holding together fine without separating into oils and glycerin- it's perfectly fine to just cover the pot and walk away.

Answer to question 3: No worries- I've actually never used a crockpot to make soap. I just use my electric stove-top and stainless steel pots or bowls when I soap. A gas stove or induction stove are also perfectly fine sources of heat.

Answer to question 4: I never, ever use heat to cook my batter to the paste stage. There's absolutely no need to do so. Those that say that the batter has to be continually heated on a low setting and must be stirred every 30 minutes for 4 to 8 hours are just plain wrong. There are no if's, and's or but's about it. You can certainly do it that way if you want to, but why would you ever want to when you absolutely don't have to, I always say? Confirmation complete. :)

No need to apologize for asking questions. Questions are good and welcome! Whenever in doubt, don't be afraid to keep asking. We want things to turn out well for you.


IrishLass :)
 
Great information! , looks like I have all I need to try this. You all made it sound so easy. (side note, I made the base soap bar recipe you all suggested and it helps to have a starting point to build from, thanks!) now I'm confident enough to try liquid soap, that seemed out of my reach. This is a wonderful place to learn!
 
Great information! , looks like I have all I need to try this. You all made it sound so easy. (side note, I made the base soap bar recipe you all suggested and it helps to have a starting point to build from, thanks!) now I'm confident enough to try liquid soap, that seemed out of my reach. This is a wonderful place to learn!

This method of making liquid soap is so easy and SO, so addicting! I already have enough liquid soap to last me months but I really want to make more. It's almost instant gratification.
 
I was just talking to my hubby about this, and how some groups make liquid soapmaking into some huge, difficult thing. He said it must be like the old Rice Krispie commercial where the mom goes into the kitchen and throws flour around and stuff to make the Rice Krispie treats seem super difficult to get praise and make folks feel guilty. I told him I thought he might be right on that one.
 
Wow- you gals are awesome- you make things so easy for me! :lol:

I'll go ahead and add my 2-cents to the soap pot anyway....

First things first- Welcome, Dingi!

Answer to question 1: I heat my oils on medium-low. No boiling. Just gently heat them together until the oils are clear/no longer cloudy. Once clear, I then cover my pot and remove from heat while I start heating the glycerin/KOH in a separate pot to dissolve. The only boiling I do is with the glycerin/KOH solution- those I boil together until totally clear. Once clear, I immediately add them right into my set-aside melted oils. No need to take any temperatures- I never do. You can if you want to for the sake of curiosity, but there's absolutely no need.

Answer to question 2: I don't use a stick-blender with mine in the beginning stages, I just use a stainless whisk instead to stir things up. The only time I use my stick-blender is later on when I'm diluting the paste (when things aren't as incredibly hot anymore). Even then, though, a stick-blender is not an absolute necessity, but it does make dilution proceed much easier.

RE: How fast to stir..... I don't stir super fast or anything like that. I just stir at a comfortable pace for my arm, which I suppose is about medium pace. My aim is just keep the mixture in continuous motion- without exhausting my arm- until I see tiny flying bubbles floating up from the pot into the air around my head, which usually takes about 8 to 10 minutes for me. I should make a note at this point that if you don't see flying bubbles after 10 minutes of whisking.... or ever..... don't panic. Like Susie said, some people never see the flying bubbles, and that's okay. I've learned that they are really nothing more than a just a fun visual indicator that your mixture is proceeding along fine. When in doubt- if you have been whisking for 8 to 10 minutes and you haven't seen any flying bubbles, but the batter is holding together fine without separating into oils and glycerin- it's perfectly fine to just cover the pot and walk away.

Answer to question 3: No worries- I've actually never used a crockpot to make soap. I just use my electric stove-top and stainless steel pots or bowls when I soap. A gas stove or induction stove are also perfectly fine sources of heat.

Answer to question 4: I never, ever use heat to cook my batter to the paste stage. There's absolutely no need to do so. Those that say that the batter has to be continually heated on a low setting and must be stirred every 30 minutes for 4 to 8 hours are just plain wrong. There are no if's, and's or but's about it. You can certainly do it that way if you want to, but why would you ever want to when you absolutely don't have to, I always say? Confirmation complete. :)

No need to apologize for asking questions. Questions are good and welcome! Whenever in doubt, don't be afraid to keep asking. We want things to turn out well for you.


IrishLass :)

Thanks a lot IrishLass for explanation of every step of making liquid soap and detailed answer to all my doubts clearly well that now I am fully confident to make liquid soap. :)
 
I was just talking to my hubby about this, and how some groups make liquid soapmaking into some huge, difficult thing. He said it must be like the old Rice Krispie commercial where the mom goes into the kitchen and throws flour around and stuff to make the Rice Krispie treats seem super difficult to get praise and make folks feel guilty. I told him I thought he might be right on that one.

I think your right on that, the others had me afraid :)
But I have to say, I've been sitting here all night getting a handle on this. Once I have the math down the method is great!
 
This method of making liquid soap is so easy and SO, so addicting! I already have enough liquid soap to last me months but I really want to make more. It's almost instant gratification.


It does look fun, I will have to just make room for jars next to my bars!
 
RE: How fast to stir..... I don't stir super fast or anything like that. I just stir at a comfortable pace for my arm, which I suppose is about medium pace. My aim is just keep the mixture in continuous motion- without exhausting my arm- until I see tiny flying bubbles floating up from the pot into the air around my head, which usually takes about 8 to 10 minutes for me. I should make a note at this point that if you don't see flying bubbles after 10 minutes of whisking.... or ever..... don't panic. Like Susie said, some people never see the flying bubbles, and that's okay. I've learned that they are really nothing more than a just a fun visual indicator that your mixture is proceeding along fine. When in doubt- if you have been whisking for 8 to 10 minutes and you haven't seen any flying bubbles, but the batter is holding together fine without separating into oils and glycerin- it's perfectly fine to just cover the pot and walk away.
IrishLass :)

Please clarify this doubt.
When the batter is holding together without separating into oils and glycerin, we can cover the pot with Lid and walk away, allowing it do the process on its own. In this context I have a doubt if the Stainless steel pot we use for this must have airtight Lid so that the vapor do not escape? I have vague memory that I have read it earlier some where in the internet and some people insist airtight lid.
About the soap calculators, in this forum, I read that if the purity of KOH is 90%, one must use soapcalc.net calculator and if the purity is 95 % , then one must use summerbeemeadow.com Calculator. Is it correct?
Thanks
 
I do not think the lid does needs to be airtight - I am not really sure where you would find that short of a pressure cooker...

As for the soap calc, you can use Soapee.com - it allows you to input your KOH purity manually.
 

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