Lofthouse Gardens
How to Make Your Own Soap


Soap is made from combining fats with water and lye - scientifically called saponification. It’s a fun and interesting process and by doing it yourself, you can gain control over what you use on your body.


BASIC INGREDIENTS:
  • Lye
    • Lye MUST be used to make soap. It chemically changes the oils into the soap. To make solid bars of soap, use sodium hydryoxide (caustic soda). Caution MUST be used when handling lye. It can burn skin, eyes, clothes, tables, etc. Some sources caution more strongly than others about lye and wearing protective gear when mixing the lye and water. My suggestion - USE EXTREMELY GOOD JUDGEMENT! When you are first starting out, at least use rubber or latex gloves, eye protection, and a dust mask.
      Another thing to know, always pour the lye into the water and not the other way around. When lye and water are combined, it creates heat (up to 200 degrees). It needs to cool (more on this later).
  • Water or other liquids
    • In “The Natural Soap Book”, it says “Water is used as a solvent within the soapmaking process... [it] dissolves the sodium hydroxide, carrying it into all corners of the pan... thereby ensuring thorough interaction with the neutral oils.”
      Types of liquids that can be used
      • Distilled water - this is inexpensive and easy to use. Distilled water does not have minerals in it that could affect the outcome of the finished product. Avoid using tap water if possible.
      • Milk - cows milk, buttermilk, goats milk, cream. These are the easiest to acquire. Milk can be a little tricky to use and great patience is required. The process of adding lye to milk is different than adding lye to water.
      • Aloe Vera juice - this adds the skin healing benefits of aloe and is a nice variation from water.
      • Herbal infusions - can possibly add skin healing benefits of herbs. For each cup (8 oz) of distilled water, use 3-4 tsp of dried herb or 2-3 tsp of fresh herb. Pour boiling water over herbs and steep for 20-30 minutes (or more if desired), strain. Cool completely before adding lye.
  • Oils and Fats
    • Called base oils, fixed oils, or carrier oils. There are many oils that can be used in the soapmaking process. Each oil offers it's own skin friendly qualities. (Do not use mineral oil, baby oil, or petroleum jelly in soaps.) “The essential nature of any soap is directly related to the oils and fats in it.” (The Natural Soap Book by Susan Miller Cavitch, pg. 18) One good reference for oil properties is Colebrothers.


Top Basic Ingredients Basic Equipment Things to Know
Making the Soap Additional Information Oil Properties Herbs and Other Additives


BASIC EQUIPMENT:
  • A scale, to measure oils and lye. If you can find one the measures to the 100th power, it will be more accurate (i.e. 0.00).
  • A glass liquid measuring cup, at least 4 cup capacity (heavy duty glass, like Pyrex).
  • An old plastic container to measure the lye in - 1 to 2 cup capacity.
  • Measuring spoons or small measuring glass to measure the scents.
  • At least two long handled, heat resistant, non-metal spoons - wooden spoons work fine, but will need to be replaced occasionally. One will be used to stir the lye into the water and the other will be used to stir the oils and lye solution together.
  • A large (8-12 quart), stainless steel or enamel pot (do NOT use aluminum, tin, iron, or teflon). This is what you will put the oils into to melt them and then the lye solution will be added to the oils to make the soap.
  • A mold - something to pour the soap into - it can be a shoebox, plastic box, pringles can, specialty soap molds, or whatever, but it needs to have removable sides, or flexible sides, or be lined with freezer paper or plastic wrap.
  • Liner for the mold - like freezer paper or plastic wrap (and tape to hold it down)
  • Safety gear: rubber gloves, goggles, and dust mask to avoid breathing the fumes of the lye
  • A thermometer (like a candy thermometer), two if possible.
  • Other Equipment
    • An immersion blender (or stick blender). It speeds up the saponification process to make trace happen within a few minutes.
    • Vinegar - to neutralize the lye when washing your equipment or if it gets on your skin.
    • Ice cream scoop or similar sturdy spoon for scooping out solid oils & fats.
    • A lid for the mold. This can be a cutting board, a piece of cardboard, plastic wrap (with something solid over it), etc.
    • Large bath towel to wrap around the mold for insulation. The air temperature outside the mold could affect the saponification process happening inside the mold. The insulation helps keep the internal temperature consistent. Note - wooden molds do not need to be wrapped for insulation.
    • Apron & hand towel. The apron can protect your clothing from oil stains. It’s nice to have a towel handy to keep ‘other’ water out of the soap pot (after washing your hands, dishes, wiping the water off the glass lye solution container, etc.)
    • Ice - to help cool the lye solution quickly, set the glass container in a sink with cool water surrounding it. Add ice to the surrounding water.
    • Ruler - to measure and mark the soap before cutting to ensure even bars.
    • Soap cutting tool - crinkle cutter, dough scraper, heavy wire, or knife.
    • Paper and pencil or pen - Write everything down. Even if you are following a recipe, write down anything you may do a little differently, write down the date and time as well. Keep a record of what you do so you can refer to it later - this is especially helpful if you create an incredible bar of soap and want to duplicate it. Keeping track of the date will help you know when it will be ready to use.


Top Basic Ingredients Basic Equipment Things to Know
Making the Soap Additional Information Oil Properties Herbs and Other Additives


THINGS TO KNOW:
  • First of all, don’t be afraid of lye - just have respect for it. Some people think you need to dress head to toe in protective clothing, but it probably wouldn’t hurt to wear rubber gloves, goggles, and long sleeves when using lye - especially for the first few times you use it. Always add lye to water - NEVER add water to lye - it will explode!
  • Another major need-to-know is that the vegetable or nut oils and lye are measured by weight not volume - basically, if you want to use 8 oz of oil and you buy an 8 oz bottle - it won’t actually weigh 8 oz (it’s a little less). Water and essential oils can be measured by volume. In my recipes, I measure water and scent by volume, however, I've seen recipes where they are measured by weight, so make sure you know your recipe!
  • If you use oils that are solid at room temperature, they need to be about 1/4 of the total weight of oils used.
  • Many recipes have temperatures listed on them. If you only have one thermometer, use it in the oils, then 'feel’ the heat from both to see if they’re about the same (don’t touch the lye mixture!) Put your hand close to it to see how warm it feels. If the mixtures are too hot, the soap can ‘marble’ or even burn when they are combined - usually it doesn’t affect the usage of the finished soap, but it might not look as nice. If the mixtures are too cold, trace will take a long time. If the recipe does not have temperatures listed, stay within 100-110 degrees.


Top Basic Ingredients Basic Equipment Things to Know
Making the Soap Additional Information Oil Properties Herbs and Other Additives


MAKING THE SOAP:
  • CAUTION - please proceed at your own risk! Do not make soap while pets or small children are in the area. Keep lye out of reach of children at all times. Wash everything you use before you allow children back into the area. I am providing basic information only, I am NOT responsible for how you interpret it. Thanks for understanding.


  • This recipe makes just over 4 pounds of soap. It can easily be halved. I usually use a box as my mold and line it with freezer paper. The box is from a case of canned goods. In the photos, I replaced the distilled water with brewed, cooled coffee. Remember that the oils and lye are measured by WEIGHT. The water and essential oils are measured by volume.
    • 28 oz wt olive oil
    • 8 oz wt coconut oil
    • 10 oz wt canola oil
    • 14 fluid oz distilled water (used cooled coffee in pics)
    • 6.2 oz wt lye
    • approximately 2 fluid oz essential oil(s) of choice

  • STEP 1 - Prepare your mold

    • Line a shoebox, other box, or wooden mold with freezer paper (Shiny side up).
    • Use spray oil in plastic containers.
    • Place a large towel under the mold after it is prepared. Once the soap is poured, cover the top with either a lid or plastic wrap and then pull the towel up and over the mold. Insulating the molds helps decrease temperature fluctuations from the surrounding air.
    • The photo at the right shows my mold (a box) lined with freezer paper and set on top of a towel so it can be insulated after the soap is poured. (See Step 5 below.)

  • STEP 2 - Prepare your tools and area.


    • Make sure the area you are in is free of obstacles - kids, pets, toys, rugs, etc. You do not want to trip over anything or anyone while making soap.
    • Have all your equipment out and ready before beginning. See ‘Basic Equipment’ list above.
    • Get a sink ready with hot, soapy water and add about a cup of vinegar.
    • Measure any additives that will be added later (essential oils, herbs, colorants). Note: To add dry ingredients to soap, do one of the following:
      • A) Mix them will a little oil (1 or 2 tablespoons) and add at trace.
      • B) When soap is at a thin trace, remove some of the soap and mix with dry ingredients, then add it back into the pot.
    • Have all of your remaining ingredients out and ready to be measured.

  • STEP 3 - Lye and liquid solution.

    • Measure distilled water into glass measuring cup and place in the bottom of a sink. Add cold water to the sink - about half way up the outside of the measuring cup (do not add additional water into the cup). Place 3 or 4 handfuls of ice into the sink water. (This will help prevent the lye & liquid from becoming too hot, and will also help it cool more quickly.) Add additional ice after you have mixed the lye and water, if needed.
    • Put on your protective gear!
    • Place the plastic container on the scale, set scale to zero (by pushing "tare") and measure the desired amount of lye. Be careful. Don't spill.


    • While holding your breath and stirring constantly, carefully pour the lye into the liquid. (Open a window or turn on a vent fan - you don’t want to breath the vapors - and you will definitely know when you have!). Once the lye is dissolved - walk away quickly and recover from holding your breath. (Note - I am not stirring in the photo, because I was taking the photo.)
      Note: after the lye is completely dissolved, there will no longer be a problem with vapors.
    • Place the plastic container into the sink with soapy vinegar water.




  • STEP 4 - Oils
    • Measure the oils and put into the pot. Make sure to set the scale to zero with each oil measured. Place over low heat. Melt until there are just a few small chunks left. Remove from heat. Cool to 100-110 degrees. The chunks will continue to melt.
    • How you measure the oils depends on the size of scale you have. Mine only goes to 4.5 pounds, so I measure each oil individually and then add it to the pot. If you have a large capacity scale, you can put the pot on the scale and measure each oil into it - remember to push the tare button after each oil. If you use this method, don't over measure - you won't be able to remove that extra oil!




  • STEP 5 - Mixing and pouring

    • Let the oils and the lye/liquid solution cool until they have reached about 100-110 degrees. The lye/liquid can then be added to the oils while stirring constantly, but smoothly - don’t splash! The oils will become milky looking.






    • Now, here is where patience comes in. If using a spoon, stir, stir, stir. I am not sure how long this will take to ‘trace’ because I don’t usually stir with a spoon. If using a stick blender (as in the photo), trace will happen with 5-10 minutes. "Trace" is when the soap is thick enough that when you run the spoon through the top of the liquid, the trail does not disappear - about as thick as pudding just before it sets. [You can see in the 'pouring' photo that the mixture is thick and creamy.]




    • Just before it is fully traced, add the essential oil(s) (and other additives such as herbs and colorants). As per Step 2 above, these should have been pre-measured and ready to add.)


    • Pour into the prepared mold. Cover the soap with a lid or plastic wrap and then insulate the mold with a towel or blanket (top and sides if it is thin sided).















  • STEP 6 - Clean up


    • Wash items immediately. I like to start with lye items, then mixing items, and finish with the pot. I usually wash the items that have not come in contact with lye separately.
    • Wash equipment in hot soapy water (with vinegar) and then rinse in clean vinegar water. (The vinegar neutralizes the lye.) Don’t wash them with other dishes or in the dishwasher. Wipe off the work area with vinegar water.
    • Dry and put away your equipment, so it is not used for cooking. It may help to write “soap” on your items so you can keep them apart from your cooking equipment.


  • STEP 7 - Finishing Your Soap
    • Let the insulated soap sit for 24 hours undisturbed. It needs to stay covered. (The insulation helps keep the internal temperature of the soap consistent while it is still going through saponification.)
    • After 24 hours, uncover the soap and open the lid. Again, wait at least overnight. (There may be liquid on the top, just blot it with a paper towel and discard.) Wash your hands after handling raw soap, for this and the next two steps.
    • Unmold the soap onto a large cutting board that has been covered with a paper towel. Remove the freezer paper, if it was used. Again, wait for several hours or overnight. The waiting helps harden it a little more before cutting. (The waiting is also what could make an excited soap maker lose their mind!)
    • Cut the soap into bars. You can do this however you choose. I prefer to measure and score before I cut so I have evenly shaped bars, but this is a personal preference. After cutting, place the bars a little bit apart from each other on something that will allow air circulation on all sides. (i.e. a cooling rack, a paper towel placed inside a cardboard box, etc.) To keep dust off, cover with a light kitchen towel or tissue paper.
    • Allow the bars to cure for 3-4 weeks in an area that will not be disturbed. (Most of the saponification takes place just before trace, but time is still needed to make sure there isn’t any residual lye, plus it helps harden the soap.) Waiting is the hardest part - Ugh! The suspense....!


Top Basic Ingredients Basic Equipment Things to Know
Making the Soap Additional Information Oil Properties Herbs and Other Additives


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
  • When you are first beginning to make soap, use a recipe that has been tested. There is a certain percent of lye that should be used with the oils and each oil requires a different amount of lye to make it into soap. Once you figure out the formulas, you can make your own recipes. (See internet sites below.)
  • Use 1-2 tsp of essential oils per pound of soap - keep in mind the type of essential oil being used - weaker oils (like citrus oils) will not last as long as the stronger oils (like mints, etc.)
  • Oil infused with herbs and then strained can be used as part of the oil in the recipe.
  • Herbs themselves can also be added to soap, just make sure they’re not large enough to scratch when in use - mix them with a little oil and add them at trace.
  • Essential oils add wonderful properties to soap and can help with so many skin types and afflictions.
  • Additional oils can be added at trace - it’s called superfatting, just make sure you have the lye to oil proportions right.
  • If you want to use milk instead of water, measure the amount you want to use. Freeze it, and then let it just begin to thaw. The lye needs to be added to the milk VERY slowly - it should take no less than 15 minutes to add the lye to the milk. Milk gets hotter with lye than water does and so if the lye is added too quickly, it will scorch and be unusable. (And yes, I know this from experience.)
  • Another way of adding milk to soap is by adding it at a light trace. To do this, divide the total amount of liquid in half. One half (the water) being used to dissolve the lye and the other half (the milk) being added at light trace. Using the above recipe, with the amount of liquid being 14 oz, use 7 oz of water to dissolve the lye. Mix with oils as directed. At a light trace add 7 oz of milk (it still needs to be frozen first and thawed completely). Finish as directed.
  • Most soapmakers now seem to use more vegetable and nut oils, but lard and tallow can still be used and create a hard bar of soap.
  • When packaging soaps, do not use plastic wrap or cellophane bags. Try tissue paper, a simple paper or velum label (wrapped around the bar), or place the soap in gift boxes or baskets.
  • When storing soaps, try to keep different scented soaps separate from each other. I've noticed the soaps start to smell the same if you don't. I just use cardboard dividers and it seems to work fine.
  • Molds can be just about anything - it’s kind of fun to wander down the isles of stores and try to figure out what can be used as a mold - cups, plastic containers of various sizes and shapes, pringles cans, pvc pipe, sections of rain gutter, etc. Some craft stores have soap molds for individual bars.
  • For more information, do your homework! Look in the library for soap making books. Look on the internet as well; some internet sites that I have found helpful are:
    • Miller Soap - this has been the most useful for me because of the variety of recipes and ideas - this is a good one for a beginner for sure!
    • Majestic Mountain Sage has a lye calculator to help you figure the correct amount of lye to use when creating your own recipes. They have ingredients, supplies, and recipes for various bath and body products.
    • Wholesale Supplies Plus for supplies, ideas, and recipes.
    • Boyer Corporation for lye. Or you may be able to find it in hardware stores. Make sure it is 100% lye!


Top Basic Ingredients Basic Equipment Things to Know
Making the Soap Additional Information Oil Properties Herbs and Other Additives


HERBS AND OTHER ADDITIVES:

Herbs make wonderful additives to soap. There are several ways to add herbs and their properties to the soap.
  • Make an herbal infusion by steeping 1 tablespoon herbs to each 8 ounces of distilled water. Strain. Cool. Use the infusion in place of the plain distilled water. This method is used to add color and/or skin healing properties.
  • Infuse all or part of the oils to be used in the soap with the herb by placing 1 to 2 ounces of herb in the top of a double boiler. Add enough oil to cover the herb without a lot of excess oil. Simmer water in bottom of double boiler (with the top on, of course) for 2 to 3 hours, making sure the water does not boil dry. Strain the oil and then measure it for use in the soap. This method is used to add skin healing properties to the soap. Some herbs will color the oil, but usually not much.
  • Powder the herb(s) and mix with a little oil and then add to the soap mixture at light trace. Some herbs will turn brown in the soap. This method is used for texture, exfoliation, or color.
Additive ideas may include:
  • Cocoa powder can give your soap a brown tone. Actual chocolate can also be melted and used. (Do not use chocolate chips - it needs to be pure baking chocolate.)
  • Paprika can give your soap an orange color (with speckles), it is also soothing for irritated skin.
  • Parsley can be powdered and mixed with a little oil and added at trace to add green speckles as well as add a little color throughout.
  • Aloe vera juice can be used in place of water and adds soothing and healing properties to the soap.
  • Calendula petals are wonderful for soothing many skin complaints. Infuse them in oil (see #2 above) or powder them and add at trace. They should stay yellow in the soap.
  • Other additives that can be used for exfoliation include oatmeal, poppy seeds, pumice, and loofah.
One more last note. If at first, you don't succeed, try again! My first batch of homemade soap turned out to be a disaster! After what seemed like several hours stirring time (and it still didn't trace), I finally just poured it into the molds and went to bed. It took about two weeks to actually set up and even then, I still had to pour some of the oil off the top. I tried to re-batch it (grated it and melted it with a little water), but that didn't work either. After more research, I figured out what went wrong, fixed it, and most of the soap since then has turned out well. I have not bought 'store' soap since I started making my own soap. My skin is not as dry, but the best part is - I know exactly what has been put in the soap. (YES! I have control!) It is fun to experiment with different oils and essential oils for their various properties. There are so many varieties of soap for so many varieties of skin. Homemade soaps smell better, feel better, and can be customized to meet the needs of the user. It's amazing to take something that is so common and make it into something that can be so fabulous.


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