Soap-making (thing)

Why make soap?

To put it simply, the majority of mass produced bars that you'll find in the supermarket are not soap, but synthetic detergent bars that 'cleanse' by harshly stripping away the skin's protective oils. Furthermore, commercially made soaps have salts and chemicals added to remove the naturally created glycerine. This is removed from the bars to be sold to cosmetics, resulting in a bar that will make your skin dry and irritated.

Many of the products you can buy will be sold on claims of the healing power of Aloe Vera, or cleansing essential oils. But, take a look at the ingredients list. You'll probably struggle to find the essential oils (which should have Latin names). Expect to find cheap substitutes, and a whole store cupboard of chemicals.

Home made soaps can be tailored for your own skin type, and are free from the harsh chemicals added to mass produced bars. Patchouli essential oil may sound wonderful. But, if you have dry skin, then it really isn't for you. In fact, if you have dry skin you should be skipping the soap step in your skin care routine, and be using gentle cleansers and moisturisers. My point is simple: You have more control over what you are putting on your face and body.

Safety.

You can't make soap without Lye aka Sodium Hydroxide (6N NaOH) aka Mr. Eats Flesh For Breakfast. Those of you that have seen Fight Club will know not to mess with this stuff; However, the movie cheats with science a little. In reality Edward Norton's hand wouldn't have only been burnt where Brad Pitt's saliva was. If you get Lye on your skin, then you'll know it. First comes the itching, then you'll have about ten seconds before burning. Once you feel the itching you need to get the stuff off; However, here's where the problem comes in. Some sources, like the sodium hydroxide node, say use running water. Other sources say wash your hands with the vinegar to neutralise the PH and then wash with water. A third set of sources say that you should have a water/vinegar mixture prepared (20% vinegar) to use. Now, I'm not gonna say this is right and that is wrong. Just don't get the damn stuff on your skin in the first place. If it happens try your luck. How wrong can you go?...

With the above information in mind:

• ALWAYS wear eye protection.
• Cover skin.
• Clean up properly.
• Do not leave lye 'lying' around.
• Clearly mark all equipment used for soap making and do NOT use it for food preparation.

If swallowed Lye can (and probably will) be fatal. Keep lye in a locked cabinet in a clearly marked bottle. Drinking lye/water is like drinking liquid fire. If someone ingests lye/water, do not induce vomiting. Some books say that you shouldn't try to treat the victim, Just to phone the emergency room immediately. Other sources (here, for example) tell you to make them drink lots of water and/or milk as well as phoning the emergency room.

Fumes are produced from lye/water. The majority of these will happen within the first two minutes of contact. You should be in a well ventilated space (outside preferable) and avoid these fumes at all costs. If there's nothing stopping you walking five metres away from the pot then do it. But, always watch it and have everyone else around is aware of what's going on. Communication is vital.

Some people are extremely sensitive to fumes that come from the lye/water and the stirring container. With prolonged contact, fumes can burn the eyes and skin of sensitive people. If you make soap in large amounts and afterward your face feels "sun burned", chances are it was caused by fumes.

when making soap you need to mix lye with water. Always add the lye to the water. Never the other way around. If water is added to lye, then the reaction will be very dangerous. So, once more - always add the lye to the water, and add it slowly.

Still interested?
...maybe a little more so?

Different soaps for different folks.

Everyone has different skin. We even have different skin types on different parts of our bodies. Faces need different care than bodies, and as such we shouldn't use one type of soap on ourselves, let alone one type of soap for different people.

There are four basic steps to skin care: exfoliating, cleansing, toning and moisturising. There are many people who do not use soap on their faces; Nevertheless, it is possible for you to make high percentage glycerine bars via soap making, and this is considered to be a very good cleanser. It also has the added advantage of adding moisture to the skin.

Different facial skin types.

You need to know your skin type, so you can apply products which will actually be beneficial to you; However, you should be aware that your skin type can and will change at different points in your life. This can be for a variety of reasons: diet, environment, age etc. You should be prepared to respond quickly when this happens.

The basic facial skin types are as follows:

• Dry Skin.
  Dry skin tends to be sensitive, delicate and susceptible to fine lines and flaking. If you have this skin type you will find that it can feel taut across the face: particularly after cleansing. Choose a gentle cleansing method and moisturise - This is a must. You should never use soap on dry skin. Alcohol, exposure to the sun, wind and central heating will exacerbate this skin type.

Herbs that are suitable for dry skin include:
Chamomile,
Rose,
Comfrey,
Marsh Mallow,
Marigold.

Essential Oils that are suitable for dry skin include:
Chamomile,
Jasmine,
Neroli,
Palmarosa,
Rose,
Sandalwood.

Herbs that are suitable for normal skin include:
Elderflower,
Marsh Mallow,
Rose,
Marigold,
Lavender.

Essential Oils that are suitable for normal skin include:
Geranium,
Lavender,
Palmarosa,
Rose.

Different types of soap.

As you will see later. Soap is basically made by mixing lye with fat and/or oil. You can make different types of soap by adjusting what fat you use, mixing different fats, altering the ratios of lye to fat, adding other ingredients etc.

You probably only need two different soap types at a time. One body soap and one face soap. Basic recipes will be outlined later, in which you can add the relevant essential oils for your skin type. You may wish to include other things in your soap, like dried flowers, or finely diced pieces of fruit, for exfoliation. But, this will mean that your soap has a fairly short shelf life, whereas 'pure' soap bars get better with age.

Equipment.

• Obviously, don't use any of your soap making equipment for food preparation. Eating lye is no fun. Mark the equipment and lock it away.
• Lye will eat through most materials. You should only use stainless steel, plastic, enamel and/or heat resistant glass equipment, and don't make soap on those prized work surfaces, Work in an isolated room where people won't/ can't keep coming in and out.

Equipment you'll probably need:

• Reliable kitchen scales.
• 1 Stock pot.
  (The bigger the better.)
• 1 thermometer.
  (2 for convenience.)
• 1 spatula.
• 1 large mixing spoon.
  (not wooden, see above.)
• 1 Electric hand whisk.
  (Aka stick whisk.)
• 1 Large heat proof measuring cup.
• 1 Heat proof measuring pitcher.
• 1 Glass Bowl.
• 1 Large Mixing bowl.
• Goggles
• Rubber Gloves
• Molds.
• Freezer paper.
  (ie: a plastic sheet to line the mold/s.)

Mold Making.

My personal favourite mold right now is a piece of square guttering I found. I have sealed up the ends and it creates a large rectangular loaf that can be easily cut into good sized bars.

Lye To Fat Calculations.

When making soap, it is vastly important to be able to calculate how much lye you will need in your recipe. This MUST be precise. If you over calculate then you'll end up with unreacted lye in the soap, if you under calculate (recommended) You will end up with a small percentage of unreacted fat in the final bar. Different Fats have different saponfication values, and as such, need different amounts of lye to convert them into soap. The more fat in the final product, the softer the soap becomes and the shorter the shelf life. I advise leaving 5%-9% in your first batch of soap, then take it from there. You may prefer superfatted soap, it depends on your skin type and personal preference.

The internet houses plenty of free "Lye to Fat calculators".

Search and Ye Shall Find.

Colourings.

To colour, you need to remove a small amount of soap at the trace stage. Add the colour to this small amount of caustic soap, and then pour that back into the stock pot. Stir for one minute and then get it into the mold before it goes hard in the pot.

You can colour your soap naturally using small amounts (1/2 teaspoon per 1lb of soap) of:

• Cayenne Pepper; salmon,
• Cinnamon Powder; beige,
• Cocoa Powder; coffee/brown,
• Curry Powder; yellow, peach,
• Paprika; peach,
• Turmeric; golden yellow,
• Dark Cooking Chocolate; brown,
• Liquid Chlorophyll; light green.

Alternatively, you can use oxides and cosmetic pigments. But, use minute quantities or you'll be scrubbing the sides of your bath to get the stain off.

Wax chips also work. They're designed for candle making, but can be used with degrees of success in soap making.

Wax Crayons are cheap and good, but not all of the colours work. Remember, you're working into a small amount first, so it doesn't matter if it goes horribly wrong.

Finally, soap colourings, these are good for re-batches of bad soap, but they have a tendency to get removed during the saponification process.

Scenting.

Adding essential oils to your soap, will not only improve their effects on your skin, it was also replace the rather unpleasant smell that 'pure' soap has. You can effectively mix essential oils, but you need to understand that not all scents mix well together. There are three layers of scent: the top note, the middle note and the base note. These 'notes' are used to define the strength and substance of a specific scent. Top notes are the ones you will smell first, but they are fleeting. Middle notes provide a solid central smell, whilst the base notes act as a fixative and are arguably the most sensual of the three. As a rule of thumb, middle notes should make up 70% of the final fragrance.

Don't go crazy when putting essential oils into your soap, they're powerful, and they cost a lot. Try getting used to them - put up to 10 drops into a bath just before you get in. Or steam your face with one drop in a bowl of hot water. You will soon realise just how strong they are, and remember: too much on the skin can be damaging.

Top notes:
Bergamot, cajuput, caraway, citronella, cumin, eucalyptus, grapefruit, lemon, lemongrass, lime, mandarin, niaouli, orange.

Top to middle notes:
Basil, cardamom, coriander, fennel, ho leaf, lavender, peppermint, petitgrain, pine needle, rosemary, rosewood, tea-tree.

Middle notes:
Camomile, carrot seed, clary sage, geranium, ginger, juniper, marjoram, melissa, myrtle, nutmeg, palmarosa, turpentine, thyme.

Middle to base notes:
Black pepper, cypress, frankincense, jasmine, neroli, rose, ylang ylang.

Base notes:
Benzoin, cedarwood, cinnamon leaf, clove, myrrh, patchouli, rockrose (ciste/labdanum), sandalwood, vetiver.

General Ingredients.

• at least 98% lye:
  Check the packaging. Liquid lye is no good, lye mixed with other things (including metal!) is no good. It should be either flakes or granules. In the UK you may find it sold under the name "caustic soda". Often found in the drain cleaning section of DIY shops.

• Fats / Oils:
  Different fats and oils have different qualities. You can mix different fats and / or oils for different results.

Fats/Oils you can use in soap making:

Almond Oil (Sweet), Apricot Kernal Oil, Arachis Oil, Avocado Oil, Babassu Oil, Beef Hoof Oil, Beef Tallow, Bees Wax (white), Brazil Nut Oil, Butterfat- cow, Butterfat, goat, Camellia Oil, Canola Oil, Castor Oil, Chicken Fat, Chinese Bean Oil, Cocoa Butter, Coconut Oil, Cod-liver Oil, Coffee-seed Oil, Colza Oil, Corn Oil, Cottonseed oil, Crisco/Veg Shortening, Earthnut Oil, Emu Oil, Flaxseed Oil, Florence Oil (aka Olive), Gigely Tree Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Hazelnut Oil, Hemp Seed Oil, Java, Cotton Oil, JoJoba Oil, Kapok Oil, Karite Butter (shea), Katchung Oil, Kukui Nut Oil, Lanolin (wool fat), Lard, Linseed Oil, Loccu Oil, Macadamia Oil, Maize Oil, Mink Oil, Mustard Oil, Neat's Foot Oil, Neem Oil, Niger-seed Oil, Nutmeg Butter, Olium Olivate, Olive Oil, Palm Butter, Palm Kernel Oil, Palm Oil, Peanut Oil, Perilla Oil, Poppyseed Oil, Pumpkinseed oil, Ramic Oil, Rape Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Rice Bran Oil, Ricinus Oil, Safflower Oil, Sesame Seed Oil, Shea Butter, Shortening (veg), Soybean Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil, Sweet Oil, Deer Tallow, Beef Tallow, Mutton Tallow, Vegetable Tallow, Goat Tallow, Teal/Teel/Til Oil, Theobroma Oil, Tung Oil, Walnut Oil, Wheatgerm Oil, Wool fat (lanolin).

• Essential oils.
• Distilled or soft water.
• Colurants.

Basic Instructions.

There are two different ways to make soap. A hot process and cold process. I'm going to explain the cold process, because you should not be attempting the hot process unless you are an advanced soap maker. Furthermore the only benefit it adds is that the soap doesn't need to cure, and is thus ready quicker.

1. Do your sums and work out how much lye, fat/oil and water you will need. Put the lye into a container and the distilled water in another. Now slowly add the lye to the water and stir until it's dissolved. Be careful not to splash and also not to breathe in the fumes. If needs be you can add the lye and leave it whilst the majority of fumes escape, then stir the lye in.

It's come to my attention that using a hand blender can be pretty dangerous. You don't want lye flying around the room at high speeds. Maybe it's best to work up to this, soap can also be stirred to get to the trace stage, just be warned that it might take a while.

Soap         / pH 
Camay        / 9.5
Dial         / 9.5
Dove         / 7.0
Irish Spring / 9.5
Ivory        / 9.5
Lever 2000   / 9.0
Palmolive    / 10.0
Zest         / 10.0