making homemade soap - Page 2

[Bestbirths]

Thank You Cynthia!

I am just learning about soap making from the web links on this board. I have never made soap before, but I have made jam, it sounds similar. Thanks to chichimama, I will BE SURE not to use aluminum pans!! I like the olive/coconut/lye reciepe. I don't think my people could handle the smell of lye for even one second in the house. I am considering making the soap outside at a local park that is secluded. There is a grill there where I have built fires before. I could do the mixing/measuring of lye into distilled water at the nearby picnic table or drag the table over closer to the grill. I could bring my long extension cord that plugs into this plugin thing that is in my car, for the hand blender...The grill is maybe 50 ft. from the parking lot...don't know if my extension cord is that long...hmmm. While waiting for whatever...from what I read there is some waiting involved....I'm crossing my fingers that I could do that waiting in my heated van. I would love some more specific instructions for making the soap. Do you have a link for that?

just need some good excuses to give if the park rangers or police come by and want to know what I am doing....UHH...hello officer?? Would you care for a sample of my open fire soap blend?

[Bestbirths]

a better idea than the park

may be a hot plate plugged in out on the back patio. Easier to control the heat that way.

[Cynthia Mosher]

Kath Miller's site is praised by soapmakers all over the world - www.millersoap.com

Good soaping luck!!

[JessicaS]

Ok this might drive everyone insane but if you are using liquid oils you dont actually have to heat the oils..just mix the lye into the water and put it in your oils...

people call it the "room temperature" method...it might be on the miller site...

I *have not* tried that method. If you use something like coconut or cocobutter you still have to melt those down and I think palm as well..I havent' tried it cause well..I tend to not be crafty so I am afraid if I switch methods something bad will happen..LOL

A hot plate by the door would work great..

Oh Lala, you are so sweet.. I use beezwax in my recipes..I have a bee keeping shop near me and I cannot stop using beezwax in everything!!..it really seems to work fantastic for the texture and really seems to add creaminess and makes them last longer....my soaps have turned out MUCH better since I have been using beezwax

I get my soap colors from them too.. the scents are from brambleberry. But FOs seem to stick a little more than Eos..dunno know why..

But the sandlewood soap you had sent smelled yummy for a long time till I used it all.. mmmmmmmm

Lala, if your pots were aluminum and had made soap in them they would have foamed toxic gas insane chemical reaction everywhere..I think you would have noticed..

Bestbirths, if you have problems with your skin I vote for the castor oil recipe. castor might taste like the bowels of hell but in soap it is ssooo lovely!! It adds lather and is an emoliant. but keep it under 20% probably as it makes the bar softer. Coconut oil can be a little drying so dont use more than 20% on delicate skin!

You can use several different oils if you want..coconut, olive and castor would be good cause the coconut would help with the bar softness caused by the castor..coconut and castor both add to the lather...

Do a search on google for oils properties in soap (I think it is on the miller site anyways) and you'll find what each kind of oil does for soap..very facinating I spend way too much time doing that..heh

soapcrafters.com has a fun recipe calculator and well as thesage.net just plug in how much you want to use of each oil and it spits out how much lye you need! they both have like a billion oils to choose from..it is fun!!

[JessicaS]

I wouldn't do it at the park though..you heat your oils..let them cool a bit then add the lye. Depending on what oils and other things the soap can either trace SUPER FAST or reeaaallyyy sssllooowww. But if it traces really fast you have to be like "GAH!! " and dump it in the mold really fast...

you need to act a little quickly sometimes so that may not work out very well..and having water or vinegar handy is necessary in case you accidently spill a bit on you..it can burn!!

[bestjob]

This is a great thread! I've been inspired and I've collected all the ingredients and a book with a recipe for castile soap. Dh will be in charge of anyone who wakes up on Thursday night while I stir, stir, stir...

Around here, pure lye is sold as Gillet's Lye and it is available at the hardware store.

[Bestbirths]

Yes, fascinating!!

The soap universe is fascinating! I have been reading the miller site and learning a lot. One thing it did mention is that the soap is sensitive to drafts and cold. I was wondering how this would work out, especially if I tried to make the soap in the winter outside. The no heat method sounds neat too.

To explain about the allergies, my family has multiple chemical sensitivity, it is not their skin that breaks out and is sensitive, as much as their nose smells something. This smell triggers something in the brain which leads to nausea, headaches, aches, pains, weakness, passing out, you name the bizarre symptom too, because the list is long. I need the soap to be unscented, and that includes any natural thing that has a strong smell. For ex: my dh is allergic to callendula and echinachea, basically because smells to the brain like a dried weed, from what I am gather. They are also allergic to natural fragrances. I am racking my brain as to what is in Kiss my Face's Olive and Aloe soap that is bothering them, but if you have ever smelled the soap, it does reak of something. So, I guess the answer I am looking for is to get the very mildest smelling soap imaginable. They are men, I don't think they are too concerned with lather or how soft their skin is! They don't care about marbled coloring or flakes of steel cut oats to help with exfoliation. (We do have five ladies in the house too, but that's a whole different batch of soap we'll have to do for us!!)

The beeswax idea sounds good, I've had a block of organic beeswax in my craft closet since 1991, just waiting for a project . Beeswax seems like it would be harmless. Another oil that I know has worked for them when I give massages, is just plain unscented emu oil. What I can't understand is that when we used unscented aura glow, which ingriedients list Peanut oil, olive oil, lanolin oil, and vitamin e oil, that made them sick! So, I really have my work cut out for me finding the right ingredients for my soap! If it does lather, I wonder if they could use it for shampoo too?

I also thought it was interesting that the older a soap gets, the more it loses its scent......so theoretically I could make my soap and let it sit in the kind of box described on the website for six months or so, and then it would be as odorless as humanly possible!

what will the neighbors think? Outside on the deck making soap...they'll probably want some.

[Cynthia Mosher]

A clip of that Kiss My Face soap's ingredients:

Olive & Aloe Soap Bar
Ingredients: Saponified Olive Oil, Water, Aloe Vera, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid (a natural pH balancer) and Fragrance.
Does not Contain: Animal Ingredients, Artificial Colors, Unnecessary Chemicals Or Animal Testing.


Note the "Does not Contain....Unnecessary Chemicals"

It doesn't have to contain any at all.
It's possible the irritant is the Fragrance. A common irritant in people with sensitive skin.

[JessicaS]

I bet it is either the peanut oil or the lanolin. Lanolin bothers people with wool allergies and a lot of people can have problems with peanut oil...

If you want to make shampoo I have heard adding jojoba works well for a good shampoo bar...

Essential oils don't tend to be as irritating as fragrence oils for allergy sufferers. But you don't have to use scent at all if you don't wish...I have made some without scent in the past and it doesn't stink or anything..

[Bestbirths]

hmmm....

I wonder if the neccessary chemical they are talking about is the lye? Did you see the big banner on the website that said "No Lye, no soap! You cannot make soap without lye"

[bestjob]

Citric acid, while natural, is still an acid, and it might change the pH enough to make the soap uncomfortable for your family. I believe that normal skin has pH of about 5.5, but your people may be different. Fragrance is also something that many people will react to. As far as lye is concerned, it should be used up in the chemical reactions that make the soap, or it would be neutralized by the citric acid. It should not be present in the finished product. If it is, the soap would feel pretty harsh to most people, not just people with sensitive skin.

[Lady of Z Lake]

How cool!! I really want to try this and am going to look over these wonderful suggestions/web sites. Can anyone recommend good books on the subject?

Thanks, and can't wait to get started now!!

[JessicaS]

The soapmakers Companion is supposed to be good but I dont remember who wrote it..

It might be the citric acid I have heard of problems with it before...

there is citric acid in most vitamin c tablets..you could probably use one of those to check if you have some laying around...

[Cynthia Mosher]

The Soapmaker's Companion- A Comprehensive Guide With Recipes, Techniques & Know-How by Susan Miller Cavitch

And if you purchase it through this link Mothering gets a percentage of the sale.

[bestjob]

I tried making soap using just room temperature olive oil and sodium hydroxide dissolved in water and it worked. It took a long time to look like it had traced (about an hour of stirring), and for the next few days I had to stir in oil that formed a film on top of the soap, but after a few days it was solid so I have cut it and set it to dry. I intend to make a rosemary soap for the kitchen with it.

[mamatanya]

severly allergic...

Bestbirths, I have allergies to all of the soaps at the healthfood store because they alway have "healthy" essential oils. The plain recipe works great for me, even used a little crisco from the cash and carry.

[TheCrosseyedToad]

I make soap too!

I have been making cold-processed soaps for about a year now. I have made 60+ batches now. Be forewarned it is addicting, and can be a VERY expensive hobby. Soon after I started soaping I was begged into making candles, then lip balms...and so on. I now make dozens of toilety items. It is addicting, and FUN!

For the Mama with allergies in the family...aloe vera can also be an allergen, as well as the peanut and lanolin oils. I would start off using 2 base oils at a time and NO additiives or fragrances. Maybe try adding one at a time.

I have made soap with ONLY 1 oil and lye as well. Actually several one oil batches. I tend to like the ones with more oils though. Adding beeswax to an all olice oil soap will help it trace and harden more as well. I have a beekeeper in my town, so, mine is all local, local honey can actually help with allergies...check into it.

Also, some soapers will not use beeswax as it can clog pores.

I will have to look up amounts for you (sleeping babe on lap), but, I have a great recipe with just vegetable shortening, olive oil and beeswax.

[princess buttercup]

I have researched soap making for over 2 years! (but yet to make a batch) does anyone have a great milk-based soap recipe? (buttermilk or cows milk) and any tips for making milk soaps?
thanks

[TheCrosseyedToad]

milk soaps

I use goats milk alot. I did use cows milk for the 1st time the other day. I use whatever recipe I like best and sub water for milk. You can also add half water to the lye then add 1/2 milk after lyr solution cools.

I have recently started using a stick blender whenever I use milk soaps as it really makes them smoother.

Oh, also, with milm soaps be certain not to over insulate them.

PS. Mine always smell icky for the 1st few days when they cure. Have no fear, after a week or so they smell great!

[Cynthia Mosher]

I have yet to make a milk based soap but I do put dairy cream into a few of my soaps. After the soap mixture has reached traced I add about 6-8 oz of fresh heavy cream, blend it well with the stick blender and then pour into the mold. It Has always turned out lovely.

~Cynthia