Frugal soap lady

[pollypurebred39]

I thought this was interesting enough to share



how to make soap, lye, fats, full instructions for the frugal housewife

[mauimagic]

Interesting and still far beyond my scope!!

[Ceashels]

That sounds like a great experiment. I made soap once with an acquaintance and really had a hard time following all of the complicated steps of this oil and that oil and yet another oil not to mention the fragrances she then added. Between the steps and her chattiness I left wanting to learn how to make soap... still. LOL


Perhaps I'll start saving fats for things other than saute.

[pollypurebred39]

I thought it was really interesting, yet incomplete. It assumes you have basic knowledge of soap making. Like in the soft soap recipe, it just says to mix it all together. But, there's something about lye that requires things are mixed in a certain way. Makes me nervous to try that one. Perhaps it can go just as written, the lye into the fat I believe, but I don't know enough about the subject to dare it.

I've come across some simple recipes which are just fat or vegetable oil, lye, water. However they too were incomplete with the process. I'd really like to find your basic bottom line recipe with detailed instructions, but so far it's alluded me.

A so easy a monkey could do it one, maybe a simple crockpot one. Most of those I've seen have way too many ingredients. I'm seriously looking for a 3 ingredient soap.

It's a shame you left leaving still wanting to learn how to make soap. Maybe you'll get another chance to give it a go.

[HappyMama]

Making soap is so fun and rewarding Polly, you will love it. Thanks for the link

Just remember :

Put on your protective gear: eye protection, long sleeves, long pants, shoes, and gloves. Always have vinegar there to help if lye gets on your skin, it will burn. Make sure there are no little kids around when you do it. I Know you all know this.

It’s a good idea to mix your lye water in a stable, well ventilated area. Mixing lye in the water causes a endothermic reaction, the water heats up instantly and fumes will rise from the solution. Do not intentionally breathe the fumes, they are caustic.

Carefully add the lye to the cold water. Do not add water to lye, it will cause a violent reaction and you could end up with caustic solution all over you and the area you are in. Once you have added the lye to the water, you will need to stir.

An old soapers saying to remember when you first start is add lye to the water it is smarter add water to the lye and you will die. I know horrible saying but helps many to remember in beginning.

If you’re nervous about adding the lye water to the oils, you might want to move the container holding the oils to the sink. That way, if there are any spills they will be contained.

By the way I have been making mine in the crockpot lately and love it. I have a crock pot just for soaping.

[zakity]

Hit you tube for tutorials. I watched a ton before I actually ever made soap. There are some good ones.

[pollypurebred39]

HappyMama

So if I were to follow this recipe, and added the lye to the fat and then the rest of the ingredients, it would??? explode?

SOFT SOAP
6 lb. fat Melt and cool
1 box lye. at this point, mix and add
1/2 cup Borax
2 1/2 pints cold water

Mix ingredients together add Borax.
Stir until a little thicker than honey.
Pour into 6 gal. crock, fill crock with cold water.
Stir every day for 2 weeks and its ready to use.

As I read this recipe, that's how it sounds like it goes. It seems incomplete. I'm not even sure was soft soap is. What the consistency will be, how you would use it.

And the little saying about dying certainly would keep one on their toes! LOL

[HappyMama]

HappyMama

So if I were to follow this recipe, and added the lye to the fat and then the rest of the ingredients, it would??? explode?

SOFT SOAP
6 lb. fat Melt and cool
1 box lye. at this point, mix and add
1/2 cup Borax
2 1/2 pints cold water

Mix ingredients together add Borax.
Stir until a little thicker than honey.
Pour into 6 gal. crock, fill crock with cold water.
Stir every day for 2 weeks and its ready to use.

As I read this recipe, that's how it sounds like it goes. It seems incomplete. I'm not even sure was soft soap is. What the consistency will be, how you would use it.

And the little saying about dying certainly would keep one on their toes! LOL

No adding lye to fat is ok , not to water.


Castile Soap
Ingredients (by weight, unless noted)

* 26 ounces olive oil
* 26 ounces coconut oil
* 2 ounces castor oil
* 1.2 ounces stearic acid (optional, for hardening)
* 8.38 ounces sodium hydroxide (lye)
* 14 to 20 ounces distilled water — not by weight (I use 18 ounces)

Note: if you omit the stearic acid or change any oil kinds or amounts, rerun the lye calculator at MMS Sage. If you use beeswax instead of stearic acid, use 1.5 ounces (and run it all through the calculator).
Method

Measure the solid oils (oils which are solid at room temperature) using a scale (tared to eliminate the weight of the glass measuring cups). Pictured: coconut oil and stearic acid.

Put in a pot on low heat to melt slowly – don’t let them get too hot! I usually remove from heat when there are still tiny bits of unmelted oil.

Measure the liquid oils (oils which are liquid at room temperature) and put in the crockpot. Turn on to low to let the oils heat gently. Once again, don’t let it get too hot! I use an old crockpot that doesn’t get that hot. Cover while heating (not pictured).

When the solid oils are just about melted, add to the liquid oils in the crockpot and cover.

Measure the distilled water in a 4-cup measuring cup (not pictured). Measure the sodium hydroxide (lye) by weight into a separate, smaller measuring cup. Wear protective clothing and safety equipment when working with lye.

Carefully, while stirring, pour the lye into the water. I like to do this underneath the stove’s vent, so the fumes go outside. Stir until all crystals are dissolved. It will get very, very hot, so don’t touch the glass container. Leave under the hood, with the fan on, for about 5 to 10 minutes to cool down.

Again while stirring, and pouring carefully (impossible to do while photographing), add the lye/water solution to the oils in the crockpot. Use a soapy/vinegar/water mixture in the sink to rinse the containers and utensils that touched lye to neutralize this caustic.

Stir briefly, then switch to using a stick blender and blend until the mixture reaches “trace” — which is when it thickens. It will go from clear to opaque, and resembles vanilla pudding when done. The mixture, when dripped off the stick blender, will stay in visible ridges, rather than the mixture collapsing back into a smooth top. With this soap, it takes about 2 to 3 minutes. With pure olive oil soap, it can take 5 minutes or more to achieve trace.

Cover and let “cook” for about an hour.

During the cooking time, the mixture will change back to translucent. It will raise up at the sides, like waves. This is after about 15-20 minutes in my picture.

By the end of the cooking, the whole mixture will be translucent and the center of the mixture will be collapsed with the “waves” rolled into the center. (My picture of this stage is not very good, but it does happen.)

Also, there may or may not be liquid pooled in the center low point. This is glycerin, a natural byproduct of saponfication (the soap-making chemical reaction). Just stir this back in – it is very good for your skin!

Turn off the crockpot. During the cooking time, prepare your molds. I use two plastic drawer trays lined with freezer paper. Usually, I use freezer paper (shiny side up). During this soap making, I was out of that, so I used parchment paper that I greased with coconut oil; worked fine.

Fill the mold(s) with the hot soap mixture. Tap up and down on the counter or a floor to evenly distribute the mixture. You can use your hands, but be careful and touch lightly as the mixture is very hot! (And you need it to be hot to fill the mold properly.)

Now the soap in the mold(s) need to cool/harden, at least overnight. The crock can be scraped clean for instant delight – soap that’s ready to use!

When hardened and cooled, lift the paper to pull the soap out of the mold(s).

Peel the paper off the soap block. Put the block on a cutting board and use a big knife to cut into bars.




Here is a version of one I use:

Bunny's castile

Olive 32 oz
Castor 4oz

Lye 4.5 oz
Water 10.9 oz

handcraftedsoap.org

Here is a couple of versions I love doing. She has a great tutorial as well.

Making Hot Process Soap in a Crock Pot

[HappyMama]

Polly ,

Can't believe I forgot about Rhonda. Love, love , love her and her blog. She is wonderful and has a wonderful tutorial on making soap. I should do one on my blog someday....lol sigh... Wander around, she has such great tips, a blog and so many tips on making do and homesteading.

down---to---earth: How to make cold processed soap

[pollypurebred39]

Thank You!

You have a blog? I'd love to see it!

[shp1055]

here's another good soap site:

Soapmaking

I bought Elaine White's little purple book years ago for about $20. I loved it. Now it's like $55.00! when you can even find it.

Soap making wasn't hard for me, but make sure you have the proper protective gear and no kids are around.

[zakity]

I do the lye mixing outside. I won't do it in the house because of the fumes.

[Josephhgoins]

Wow, she seems a little crazy to me but.....


I have mad esoap a few times before. It's fairly easy. The one thing I was told was always pour the Lye into Water and not the other way around. Its a fairly violent chemical reaction.

P.S. I cheat and use my stand mixer to do the stiring and just make sure to clean it really well after.

[pollypurebred39]

I thought it was an odd page myself, but still interesting. lol

[HappyMama]

Thank You!

You have a blog? I'd love to see it!

Sorry just got back to this thread.

Thanks so much Polly, that means a lot. Have not updated in awhile, have a new that is being started for a project , that I contracted for. Will give you a pm when I update. You are the best!

Hugs