SmartSoapmaking

TitlePage|AbouttheAuthor|Dedication

AFewFirstThoughts

SuperstitionsGalore!MythsaboutSoapandSoapmaking

WhatIsSoap,Anyway?WhatItIsandWhatGoesIntoIt

WhatDoIUsetoMakeIt?GatheringtheEquipmentYouNeed

Anne’sSheaButterSupreme

Step-by-StepSoapmakingFromPreptoCleanupandBeyond

MoreRecipes!DifferentSoapsYouCanTry

All-VeggieGroceryStoreSoap#1All-VeggieGroceryStoreSoap#2GroceryStoreShorteningSoapNonVeggieGroceryStoreSoapOlivePalmSoapChris’sAvocadoSoapAaron’sHazelnutSoapAlmondFacialSoapAnne’sLongerLastingSoap

DesigningYourOwn

HowtoCreateGreatRecipes

INSValuesChart

GettingYourSoapinShapeHowtoChooseorMakeaMold

WrappingItUpLovelyPackagingforYourSoap

Why?Why?Why?FrequentlyAskedQuestions

AFewFinalThoughts

WheretoLearnMore

WheretoFindDesignTools

WheretoGetSupplies

MoreBooksforYou

SMARTSOAPMAKING

TheSimpleGuidetoMakingTraditionalHandmadeSoapQuickly,Safely,andReliably,orHowtoMakeLuxuriousHandcraftedSoapsfromScratchforFamily,

Friends,andYourself

ByAnneL.WatsonIllustratedbyWendyEdelson

ShepardPublicationsFridayHarbor,Washington

Textcopyright©2007,2013byAnneL.WatsonIllustrationscopyright©2007,2013byShepardPublications

EbookVersion1.5

AnneL.Watsonisthefirstauthortohaveintroducedmoderntechniquesofhomesoapmakingandlotionmakingtobookreaders.ShehasmadesoapunderthecompanynameSoapTree,andbeforeherretirementfromprofessionallife,shewasahistoricpreservationarchitectureconsultant.Anne,herhusband,Aaron,andtheircat,Skeeter,liveinFridayHarbor,Washington.

Soap&LotionBooksSmartSoapmaking~MilkSoapmaking~SmartLotionmaking

Cookbooks

BakingwithCookieMolds

Lifestyle

LivingApartTogether

Novels

Skeeter:ACatTale~PacificAvenue~Joy~Flight~AChamberedNautilus~IslandWomenTrilogy(ComingSoon)

Forupdatesandmoreresources,visitAnne’sSoapmakingPageat

www.annelwatson.com/soapmaking

ForAaron

AFewFirstThoughts

“Makesoapwhenthemooniswaning,oritwillbeharsh.”

“Youhavetostirsoapclockwise,oritwon’tset.”

“Soaphastobestirredwithasassafrasstick.”

Youprobablywouldn’tbelieveanyoftheseoldsuperstitions.Butsoapmakinginstructionstodaycanbealmostasillogical.Theymaketheprocessseemcomplicatedanddifficult.Theymakeitlookterriblydangerous.Itisn’t.Maybeyou’relikesomeofmystudents.Untiltheytookmyclass,theywere

afraidtotrysoapmaking.Iloveitwhentheclassisfinishedandtheysay,“Well,ofallthings—isthatallthereistoit?”Ormaybeyou’vemadesoap,butyouwonderifeverythingyoulearnedtodo

isreallynecessary.Ifthere’sasimplerway,you’dsureliketoknow.Ineithercase,I’vebeeninyourshoes.Istartedoutafraidtotrysoapmaking,

andthenafriendtaughtmehow.ButforalongtimeIbelievedalotofoldwives’talesaboutit.IdidsomethingsthatnowseemassillytomeasanyofthesuperstitionsIquoteabove.WhenIbegantosuspectthatsomeofwhatI’dlearnedwasnonsense,

Idecidedtofindoutwhatwastrueandwhatwasn’t.SoIstartedaskingpeople,andnaggingpeople,andtradingsoapfortechnicalinformation.IbargedaroundtheInternetandbuggedlibrariansandteachers.Istudiedsoapmakingbooks,watchedavideo,andevenlearnedcomputerprograms,alltoseewhatdifferentpeoplehadtosayaboutthethingsIwantedtoknow.GoodthingI’magrownup—ifIwereakid,peoplewouldhavetoldmeIwasapest.Asitwas,theyprobablyjustthoughtit.WhenIcouldn’tgetanswersanyotherway,Iexperimentedonmyown.What

willhappenifIdon’tfollowthisrule?Sometimes,nothing.Bye-bye,rule.Moreoften,though,Ifoundthattechniquesusefulforbabyingparticularrecipeshadbeencastasrulestoapplytoall.Inthisbook,Itellyouwhenyou’relikelytoneedsuchtechniquesandwhenyoucanskipthem.OneofthemainthingsthatIlearnedwastonotblindlyacceptwhatIwas

told.Shortofstickingmyfingerintoalyesolutiontoseeifitreallywouldburn

me—anddon’tyoudothat,either—Itestednearlyeverything.So,unlikesomesoapmakingbooks,thisoneisn’tbasedonhanded-downinformation.It’sbasedonthingsI’vetried.Onceinawhile,Idoacceptsomeone’swordforsomething,butwhenIdo,I’vebeencarefultosayso.Ontheotherhand,I’mnotequippedtorunatestinglab.I’mcertainofmy

resultsfortherecipesandbatchsizesI’veworkedwith.Otheringredientsorquantitiesmaygivedifferentresults.So,“gobythebook”atfirst,thenexperimentfurtherifyoulike.Orskiptheexperimentingandjustmakesoap.

SuperstitionsGalore!

MythsaboutSoapandSoapmaking

Thereareagreatmanymisconceptionsaboutsoapmaking.Let’staketimetodispelsomeofthem,startingwithafewthatmakepeopleafraidtomakesoap.

MythsThatScareYouAway

Myth#1:Soapmakingisdifficult.“Istirredthatpotfortwodays,andIneverdidgetittomakesoap.”WhenIwasfairlynewtomakingsoap,IjoinedacoupleofInternetmailing

listsforsoapmakers.Themessagesincludedlotsof“Help!”emailsfrompeoplewhohadbeenstirringabatchforhoursordaysandcouldn’tmakeitwork.Iwonderedhowtheydidit.Howdoyougetabatchofsoaptofail?Icouldn’t

thinkofapolitewaytoask.Yearslater,Iposedthisquestiontoagroupofexperiencedsoapmakers.They

agreedthatbyfarthemostcommoncauseof“Help!”emailsisthatnewsoapmakerstrytodesigntheirownrecipesbeforetheyknowhow.Makingsoapanddesigningrecipesaretwodifferentcrafts.It’sbesttolearnthemoneatatime.Sostartwithrecipesthataretriedandtrue.Someofthosewritersof“Help!”messagesmayhaveunknowinglypicked

difficultrecipes.Athemeyou’llfindoverandoverinthisbookisthatdifferentsoaprecipesvarydramaticallyinwhatittakestomakethem.Someareeasyandsomearen’t.Andjustbecausearecipeisharderdoesn’tmeanthesoapitmakesisbetter.I’llshowyouhowtofigurethatoutinadvance.

Myth#2:Soapmakingisexpensive.“Youneedallthisspecialequipment,andtheingredientscostalottoo.”We’renotsettingupafactoryhere.Asidefromacoupleofspecialitems,

soapmakingusesmoreorlessthesametoolsthatcookingdoes.Manysoapmakersusetheirregularkitchenequipment,anddoitsafely.Yes,you’reusinglye,butlyeisn’tplutonium.It’seasilyneutralized,diluted,andremoved.Ifyouwashyourequipmentcarefully,there’snoreasonnottouseyourkitchenware.“Carefully”isthekeywordhere—youdon’twantsoapinthesoup,orsoupinthesoap.Buttheideastillbotherssomepeople.Andsomematerials,suchas

aluminum,tin,andcopper,workfineforcookware,butyoucan’tusetheminsoapmakingbecausetheyreactwithlye.Soyoumaynotwantorevenbeabletousesomethingsfromyourkitchen.

Ifyoubuypots,lookforstainlessorenameledsteel.Enameledsteelspatterwareisusuallyinexpensive.Restaurantsupplystoresoftenhavegreatpricesonstainlesssteelpots.Yourothertoolsandcontainersmaybestainlesssteel,enameledsteel,heat-

resistantplastic,oroven-safeglass.Chancesare,youhaveplentyofusablestuffinyourcabinetsanddrawers.Ifyou’renotsureaplasticcontainerisheat-resistant,fillitwithboilingwater.Ifyoudecidetobuyequipment,shoparound—bestofall,visitathriftstore(charityshop,intheU.K.),discountstore,ordollarstore.Astomaterials,youcanmakesoapfromjustaboutanyfat—anythingfrom

thecheapestvegetableoilorshorteninginthegrocerystoretothemostexotic,unpronounceablesubstanceeverwrungfromatropicalplant.Someofthebestmaterialsaretheonesthatareplentifulandcheap.Don’tthinkingredientsarebetterjustbecausetheycostmore.Afinalpointonexpense:Ifyoucanmakegoodsoap,youcanmakeitforgifts

—beautiful,greatly-appreciatedgifts.Andforalmostallofus,that’slessexpensivethanhittingthemallsforeveryeventthatcomesalong.Anymoneyyouinvestshouldcomebacktoyoufromthatalone.

Myth#3:Handmadesoapisharsh.“Oh,lyesoap....It’sroughonyourskin,isn’tit?Idon’twanttomakethat.”Mostofushaveheardabouthomemadecountrysoapthatwould“takeyour

hiderightoff.”Butcountrysoapwasn’tharshbecauseitwasmadewithlye.Allsoapismadewithlye,eventheglycerinsoapblockssoldincraftstores.Evenluxurysoapsthatsellformorethanmostofuswouldpay.Countrysoapwasharshbecausethequalityofingredientswasunreliableand

therewasalotthesoapmakersdidn’tknow.Theyrenderedtheirownfatsandmadetheirownlyefromhardwoodashesandrainwater.Theyhadnotestforthestrengthoftheirlyesolutionotherthanfloatinganegginit.Theirrecipeswerehit-and-miss.Today,mostsoapmakersbuytheirfatsandlyealreadyprepared.Theywork

frompreciseformulationsthatcarefullybalancetheingredients.Infinishedsoapthat’smadeproperly,nolyeremains.Sohowdoyoumakeitproperly?Tobeginwith,usetherecipesanddirectionsinthisbook.Beforewe’redone,

I’llshowyouhowtocheckasoaprecipeyoufindelsewhere,aswellashowtodesignyourown.

Myth#4:Soapmakingisdangerous.

“Well,Idon’twanttomessaroundwithlye.”Idon’tknowwhy,butnearlyeveryonesays“messaroundwithlye,”asif

soapmakinginvolvedslingingthestuffallovertheplace.Iassureyou,itdoesn’t.Youstirsomelyeintowater,andmixthelyesolutionwithfat.Ihaveyettomakeamessdoingthat.AndIhaveyettogetburned.Ofcourse,youcan.Ifyou’recarelesswithlye,youmaywellgethurt.If

you’recarelessridingabicycle,youmaygethurttoo.Thisdoesn’tkeepmanypeoplefromridingbicycles.Itjustmakesthemtakereasonablecarewhentheyride.Theywearprotectivegearandpayattentiontowhatthey’redoing.Thatstrategyworksinsoapmakingtoo.Yourprotectivegearforsoapmaking

isgogglesandgloves,andyouwearthemwheneveryouworkwithlye.Likewhenyou’remowingthelawn,keeppetsandchildrenawayfromwhere

you’reworking.Likehouseholdcleaners,soapmakingingredientsmustbestoredsafely.Labeleverything,whetheryouthinkit’shazardousornot.Keepallcontainersclosedtightlyandoutofreachofchildrenandpets.Likedrivingacar,soapmakingshouldbeavoidedwhenyou’refeeling

impairedinanyway—tired,angry,tipsy,distracted,sick,rushed,whatever.Likefryingindeepfat,soapmakingneedsyourfullattention.Onceyou’vemixedthelyesolution,stickstrictlytowhatyou’redoingtillyoursoapisfinished.Don’tleavethelyeunattended,evenfor“justaminute”—especiallyifyouhavepetsorkids.Usingmymethods,thiswon’tbeaproblem,becauseyouwon’tneedthelongcoolingtimesyouwouldwithmostotherinstructions.Wealldothingseachdaythatrequirecare.So,whenyoumakesoap,justbe

careful—youalreadyknowhow.

MythsThatLeadYouAstray

Sofar,I’vediscussedmythsthatarebelievedbypeoplewhohaven’tmadesoap.Butthere’sanotherwholeclassofmisconceptionsheldbysoapmakersthemselves.Someoftheseideas—likeneedingtostirwithasassafrasstick—mustbe

centuriesold.Notmanypeoplewouldstillbelievethat.ButsomemythsareofferedastruthbyhalfthesoapmakingbookstodayandasimilarpercentageofWebsites.Rememberthejokeabouttheguywhosnapshisfingerstokeepelephants

away?Hisfriendsays,“Butthere’snoelephantsaroundhere.”Andtheguysays,“Yeah,itworks,don’tit?”Somesoapmakinginstructionsarelikethat.Ifyoutakealotoftimeand

troubletodowhattheysay,therecipeworks.Butitworksjustaswellifyoudon’t.So,whybother?Hereareafewmisconceptionsandmystificationsstillmakingtherounds.

Myth#5:Youhavetomixsoaptillyougettrace.Onethingthatpuzzlesnewsoapmakersisinstructionstostiryoursoap

mixturetillitshowsaconditioncalledtrace.Thisisdescribedaswhenthemixtureissothickthat,ifyoudribbleabitofthemixturebackintothepot,a“trace”ofwhatyoudribblewillremainonthesurface.Beginningsoapmakingbooksoftencontainclose-upphotosofsoapattrace.

Iremembersquintingatmanyofthem,tryingtofigureitallout.WhenIstartedmakingsoap,Imadetwosuccessfulbatches,frettingabouttracethewholetime.Thesoapcameoutfine,butIwassureIwasdoingsomethingwrong.Ihadn’tseenanythingthatlookedlikethephotos.Itwasmygoodlucktohaveafriendwhohadbeenahighschoolchemistry

teacher.WhenIphonedandtoldheraboutmydifficultieswithtrace,sheaskedwhatitwas.Iwassurprisedachemistdidn’tknow,butIexplainedasbestIcould.Therewasabriefsilence.OfcourseIcouldn’tseeher,butshewasprobably

rubbingherforehead—whichshedoeswhenanyonesayssomethingthatmakesnosense.Finally,shesaid,“Youdon’tneedtoworryaboutthat.Ifyoujustmeasure

correctly,controlthetemperature,andmixyouringredientswell,you’llgetsoap.”Idecidedtofollowheradvice,andI’veneverlostabatchofsoap.Follow

mine,andyouwon’teither.

mine,andyouwon’teither.Butwhythedifference?Areallthosesoapbookswrong?Notreally.Withhandstirring,youdohavetolookfortrace.That’sbecause

saponification—thechemicalreactionthatcreatessoap—hastothickenthemixturetothatpointbeforeyoucanstopstirringandpouritintothemold.Otherwise,someofthefatandthelyesolutioncouldstillseparate,leavingthereactionincomplete.Butinmoderncraftsoapmaking,handstirringismostoftenreplacedbyuseof

astickblender.Thisblendsthefatandthelyesolutionsorapidlyandthoroughlythattheyquicklygetmixeddowntoamicroscopiclevel.Thatnotonlygetsthemixturesaponifyingawholelotfaster,italsohelpsholdthefatandthelyesolutiontogetherwhileit’shappening.Ofcourse,thechemistryismorecomplicatedthanthat,butthebottomlineis

thatyoudon’thavetowaitforthemixturetothickenallthewaytotracebeforepouringitintothemold.Itwillgetthereafteryoupourit.Howdoyouknowwhenyoucanstopblending?Don’tworry,I’lldescribethe

signsforyou.You’llbeabletotellbysight,bysound,andevenbytemperature.Yes,you’llbeabletogaugeitwithathermometer!Onceagain,recipesvary.Forafewtemperamentalones,youmayneedtolet

themixturecomefullytotracebeforepouringitout.Butformostrecipes—includinganyoftheonesinthisbook—youdon’t.

Myth#6:Thelyesolutionandthefatmustbeatthesametemperature.Oneoftheoldestandmostcommonerrorsinsoapmakingcraftbooksistosay

thattheseingredientsmustbeatexactlythesametemperaturebeforeyoumixthem.Itseemsthatoneofthefirstsuchbookswaswrittenbysomeonewhobelievedit,andit’sbeenpasseddowneversince.Youstillcomeacrosscomplicatedinstructionsforusinghotandcoldwaterbathstomatchthetemperatures—instructionsthatwouldkeepabarrelofmonkeysbusy.It’sjustnottrue.There’sarangeofabouttwentydegreesFahrenheit(eleven

degreesCelsius)that’sperfectforsoapmaking.You’lldofinewhenyourlyesolutionandyourfatareeachanywhereinthisrange—andImakeiteasytogetthemthere.

Myth#7:Soapmustbeincubated.Anotherfallacyisthatsoapmustbekeptwarmafterit’spouredintothemold.

Allsortsoflittlenestsandincubatorshavebeenprescribedforthispurpose.Somesoapbooksgivedirewarningsthatthesoapwon’tsetifyouevenpeekatitwhileit’sgettingthere.

Accordingtothismyth,soaphastogothrougha“gelstage.”Now,it’struethatsoapbecomesakindofgelifyouholdintheheat.Then,asitcools,itbecomessolidandopaque—justlikesoapthathasn’tgonethrougha“gelstage.”Temperatureduringthesettingperiodhaslittleornothingtodowithsoap

setting.I’vetriedtomakesoapfailbypouringitintomoldsthatdon’tconserveheatandthenputtingtheminacoldplace.NomatterwhatIdid,thesoapcameoutfine.Infact,whenIaskedothersoapmakersaboutthis,Ilearnedthatmostmilksoapmixturesareactuallycooled.Ifasoapmixturedoesn’tset,thereasonisusuallyexcesswaterintherecipe—nottemperature.Insomecases,though,warmingmayhaveotheradvantages.Somerecipes

producesoapwithasortofthinrindifthemixtureisn’tkeptwarm.Thisrinddoesn’thurtanything,andyoucantrimitoff—butwarmingmaypreventitentirely.Also,somesoapmakersreportthatwarmingcreatesabettertextureinsoap

fromtherecipestheyuse.Otherssaywarmingmakesthetextureworse!Inmyowntesting,I’venoticednodifferenceatall.Inanycase,youwillcertainlygetsoap,whetheryouwarmitornot.

Myth#8:Soaptakesmanyweekstostopbeingcaustic—orittakesnotimeatall.Manysoapmakersbelievesoapiscausticformorethanamonthafteryou

makeit.That’stheoldermyth.Thenewer,oppositeoneisthatsoapshouldbecompletelyusablewithinhours.Afewsoapmakerstakethistoextremes—ifsoapisn’treadyforuseassoonasit’ssolid,theysayitwasmadewithtoomuchlye.Inmyexperience,neitherofthesenotionsistrue.I’veexperimentedwith

quiteafewsoaprecipes,testingthesoapwithpHstripsandbyusingit.Theresultsdependedontherecipe.AlmostallsoapsItriedcouldbeusedonmyhandsrightoutofthemold—butusingsomeofthesameonesonmyfaceconvincedmetheydobecomemilderoverasmuchastwoweeks.Butapartfromthat,newsoapcangetmushyfastifyouuseitbeforeithasa

chancetodryoutalittle.So,regardlessofmildness,it’sgoodtostorethesoapinawell-ventilatedareaforatleastacoupleofweeks.

•

Onceagain,don’tbelieveeverythingyouhearorread.Evenbookshaveerrors—andifyouswalloweverythingyouseeontheInternet,youmaywindup

stirringyoursoapclockwisewithasassafrasstickunderawaningmoon.

WhatIsSoap,Anyway?WhatItIsandWhatGoesIntoIt

Firstofall,here’swhatsoapisn’t:Itprobablyisn’tthestuffyoubuyinthesupermarket.Mostbar“soap”isactuallysoliddetergent.Checkthelabelingonthewrapper.Youalmostneverseetheword“soap.”So,whatissoap?Soapisformedbycombiningfatwithlye.Thesoapisproducedbyachemical

reactionbetweenthem,calledsaponification.Abitoftrivia:Chemically,soapisasalt.Traditionally,themixtureoffatandlyewasboiled.Buttodaythemost

commontechniqueformakingsoapbyhandiscoldprocess,orCP,themethoddiscussedinthisbook.(Bytheway,“coldprocess”doesn’tmeanthateverythingstayscool,butonlythatyoudon’taddheatyourselfoncetheingredientsaremixed.)Othersoapmakingmethodsincludemeltandpour(MP),hotprocess(HP),coldprocessovenprocess(CPOP,pronounced“SEE-pop”),andrebatching.Thesoapfromallthesemethodscomesfromfatandlye,thoughforsome

methodsthey’realreadycombinedforyou.Otheringredientsincludewaterorawater-basedliquidtodissolvethelye,andoptionaladditiveslikecolorantandscent.Togettheresultsyouwant,youneedtoknowalittleaboutsoapmaking

ingredients.Let’stakeacloserlookatthedifferentkinds.

Fat

Soapmakingfatcomesfrombothanimalandplantsources.Mineraloilscannotbeusedtomakesoap.Soapmakersclassifyfatsbywhetherthey’reliquidorsolidatroom

temperature.Generally,theliquidfatsarecalled“oils,”andthesolidfatsarecalled“butters.”Buttheuseofthesetermscanvary.Somesolidfats,suchaslardandtallow,aren’tcalledbutters.Some“oils”areactuallysolidfats—palmoil,forexample.Themostconfusingcaseiscoconutoil,withitsmeltingpointaround76°F(or

around25°C).Thismeansit’susuallysolidbutcanbecomeliquidintheheatofsummer.Toaddtotheconfusion,apartiallyhydrogenatedformofcoconutoilissolidto92°F(about33°C),whileaformcalledfractionatedisliquidatallnormaltemperatures.Tomaketheconfusionoftermscomplete,manysoapmakerssimplydon’tlike

thetermfat—oftenbecausetheyequateitonlytoanimalfatslikelardandtallow—sotheyrefertoallotherfatsas“oils.”Ofcourse,youcanuseanytermsyoulike—butforclarityandaccuracyinthisbook,I’llsticktothetermfatforallthesesoapmakingmaterials,whethersolidorliquid,animalorplant.Intraditionalcountrysoapmaking,thesolidfatswereusuallyaby-productof

meatbutcheringonthefarm.Fatforsoapwouldbemadebyrenderingbeeforporkfat.Today,soapmakersgetbeeftallowandporklardready-made.Butafewspecialtysoapmakersstillrendertheirownanimalfats,whichmaynowincludesuchexoticsasbuffaloandemu.Soapmakersdifferaboutusinganimalfat.Tallowandlardmakegood,

inexpensivesoap,butifyou’reopposedtotheiruse,youcanchoosefrommanyexcellentfatsmadefromplants.TherecipeIstartyouwithhasnoanimalfat.Amongsoapmakingfatsfromplants,thesolidfatsincludesheabutter(from

sheanuts),coconutoil,avocadobutter,andpalmoil.Theliquidfatsincludeallthecookingandsaladoils,aswellassheaoil(fractionatedsheabutter),castoroil,andtheoilofnumerousotherseeds—fromflaxseedtopeachpits.Oneoftheprincipaloilsinsoapmakingisoliveoil.(IntraditionalCastilesoap

recipes,it’stheoneandonlyfat.)Anygradeofoliveoilwilldo—youdon’tneedagrademeantforfinecooking.Infact,olive-pomaceoil,theworstchoiceforcooking,issaidtobethebestforsoapmaking.Basicoilssuchascorn,safflower,olive,andcoconutaresoldbygrocery

stores,healthfoodstores,foodco-ops,restaurantsuppliers,andbig-boxdiscountstores.Exoticoilsandalmostallbutterswillprobablyhavetobeboughtfromstores

Exoticoilsandalmostallbutterswillprobablyhavetobeboughtfromstoresthatsellsoapmakingsupplies,orfromcatalogsorInternetsources.Youmayfindjustwhatyou’relookingforfromasmallsupplierthatservesaspecialmarketniche.ThoughcatalogsandInternetsourcesmaysellbasicoilsaswell,andatlowerprices,buyingthoselocallymaybecheaper,becauseyouavoidshippingcosts.

Lye

Theothermostimportantingredientinsoapmakingislye.Thisnamecanactuallyrefertoanyofseveralalkalis—akindofstrongbase,theoppositeofanacid—anditcanevenrefertothosealkalisplusthewaterthey’redissolvedin.Butnowadays“lye”almostalwaysjustmeansthedryformofsodiumhydroxide,orcausticsoda—andthat’swhatyou’lluseinyoursoapmaking.(Liquidsoap,bytheway,takesadifferentkindoflye—potassiumhydroxide,orcausticpotash.)Inthepast,lyewasmadebyleachingwoodashes.Onereasonthat“granny

soap”wasoftenharshwasthathomemadelyevariedinstrength.Havinglyeavailableinastandardized,industrially-producedformisoneofthemainreasonssoapmakingtodayissafeandpredictable.Therecipesandtechniquesinthisbookassumeyou’reusingcommerciallye.Idefinitelydon’trecommendmakingyourown.Formerly,lyewasreadilyavailableingrocerystores—butinsome

communitiesithasbeentakenofftheshelvesbecauseit’susedinmakingnotonlysoapbutalsoillegaldrugs.Youmightfinditatahardwareorhomeimprovementstore(DIYstore,intheU.K.).Ifnot,chemicalsuppliersmaysellsmallquantities.OrbuyfromsoapmakingsupplyWebsitesorfromothersoapmakers.Thelabelshouldsay“100%lye”or“100%sodiumhydroxide.”Neverusea

draincleaningproductthatdoesn’tstatethis,becausethelyewillbecombinedwithotheringredientsthatcan’tbeusedinsoapmaking.

Water

Inthepast,soapmakersoftenusedrainwaterforitspurity.Forthesamereason,today’ssoaprecipesalmostalwayscallfordistilledwater.Youshouldusedistilledatleastforyourfirstefforts,sincemineralsintap,spring,andwellwatercanaffectyoursoap.Afterthat,ifyouwanttoexperimentwithanotherkindofwater,goahead.Ifitdoesn’twork,youcanalwaysgobacktodistilled—orsetoutarainbarrel.WhenIlearnedsoapmaking,recipeshadafairlyhighpercentageofwater,and

weweretoldtoletthesoapdryoutforsixweeks.Thecurrenttrendistominimizewatersothesoapscanbeusedsooner—butthatcanhaveitsowndisadvantageswhenyouworkwithlye.Sincetherecipesinthisbookwillbeusedbybeginners,I’vedesignedthemwithmediumamountsofwater.Otherliquidsbesidesplainwatercanbeusedinsoapmaking.Some

soapmakersuseteasmadefromsoothingherbssuchaschamomile.(Othersoapmakersseenopoint,believingtheherbslosetheirdesirablequalitiesintheprocess.)Makingsoapwithmilkinvolvesspecialtechniquesnotcoveredinthisbook,butyoucanfindseveralbooksandWebsitesonitifyou’reinterested.

Additives

Probablyeverythingbutthecat’spajamashasbeenaddedtosoap.Infact,ifIseea“Cat’sPajamasSoap”nexttimeIgototheFarmersMarket,Iwon’tbesurprised.Additivesareusedtochangethescent,color,ortextureofsoap,ortoenhance

itinsomeotherway—forexample,tomakeitmoremoisturizing.Youdon’treallyneedanyadditives,andforsomepeople,avoidingthemistheirmainreasonformakingsoapinthefirstplace.Butothersenjoythem,solet’slookatsomecommonones,andyoucandecideforyourself.Probablythemostcommonsoapadditiveisscent.Thetwokindsusedmost

oftenareessentialoilandfragranceoil.Anessentialoilisanaromaticoilproducedfromaplant,sometimesdiluted

withacarrieroil.Theplantoilmaybedistilledwithwaterorsteam,ormaybeextractedwithsolventsorcarbondioxide.Somesoapmakerspreferessentialoilsbecausethey’re“natural.”However,

somepeopleareallergictoparticularones.Somearenotrecommendedforuseduringpregnancy.Somedon’tworkwellinsoap—forexample,thescentofcitrusessentialoilstendstofadequickly.Ifyouwanttousenaturalscentbutaren’tfamiliarwithpropertiesof

individualessentialoils,Isuggestyoustartwithlavender,sinceit’spleasant,available,andgenerallysafe.Beyondthat,researchthepropertiesofanyessentialoilthatappealstoyou.Essentialoilsareavailablefromgrocerystores,healthfoodstores,foodco-

ops,NewAgestores,soapmakingsupplystores,andInternetsources.AlmostalloftheseexceptInternetsourcessellsmallquantitiesathighprices.Thisisfineforyourfirstbatchortwo,butafterthat,savemoneybycheckingtheInternet.Searchonthekeywords“essentialoilssoapmaking”foralonglistofsuppliers.Afragranceoilisanartificialchemicalaromainacarrieroil.Fragranceoils

aresupposedtobenontoxic,butlikeessentialoils,theymaysometimescauseallergicreactions.Unlikesomeessentialoils,theydon’tfadequickly.Somesmellgreatandsomearehorrible.ManyInternetsourcessellfragranceoils.Thekeywordsforasearchare

“fragranceoilssoapmaking.”Butbeforeyoubuyanyfragranceoil,makesureit’ssuitableforcoldprocesssoap.Thesellershouldstatethatprominently.Fragranceoilssoldatcraftstoresareforcandlesandmelt-and-poursoap,notforcold-process.Whenyouopenabottleofessentialoilorfragranceoil,especiallyforthefirst

time,keeptheopeningturnedawayfromyouand/orweargoggles.Onceinalongwhile,theoilfromoneofthesebottlesspraysallover.Colorantforsoapisavailableaseitherliquidorpowder.Ofcourse,asoap

mixturewillhaveitsowncolor,createdbythecolorsofthefatsandtheessentialorfragranceoils.So,anycoloryouaddwillblendwiththecoloralreadythere.Thesoapcolorantcanbeeitherapigment(natural)oradye(artificial).

Considerationsherearesimilartothoseconcerningessentialoilsversusfragranceoils.Bothtypesofcolorantareavailablefromsoapmakingsuppliers.Youmightcomeacrossrecipesthatsuggestusingcrayonsorfoodcoloring.

Botharenontoxic—butpersonally,Iprefertouseacosmetic-gradecolorant,ifIcolormysoapatall.Otheradditivesmaybeusedtomakethesoapharder,makeitmore

moisturizing,increaseabrasiveness—younameit.Possibilitiesincludefoodproductssuchasoatmealandpoppyseed,mineralssuchasmicaandpumice,anddecorativeortherapeuticflowersandherbs.Someadditives—particularlywholeplantmaterialslikelavenderbuds—don’tcomeoutofalyebathasprettyastheywentin,sofindouthowaparticularadditiveworksincoldprocesssoapbeforeyoutryit.

WhatDoIUsetoMakeIt?GatheringtheEquipmentYouNeed

Thoughtheequipmentforsoapmakingisn’tenormouslyexpensive,thereareitemsyou’lldefinitelyneed.I’vehadmyshareof“Help!”emailsfrompeopletryingtomakedowithequipmentthatjustwasn’tgoingtowork.They’reafraidtheywon’tlikesoapmaking,sotheydon’tspendmoney—butit’saself-fulfillingprophecy.Alittleliketryingouticeskatingwithrollerbladesyoualreadyhave.Remembermystoryaboutmychemistryteacherfriend?Shesaid,“Measure

correctly,controlthetemperature,andmixyouringredientswell.”So,it’snosurprisethatessentialequipmentincludesascaleformeasuringcorrectly,athermometerforcheckingthetemperature,andastickblenderforpropermixing.Youmayalreadyhavethesetoolsinyourkitchen.Thescaleshouldbedigitalandshouldmeasureintenthsofanounce,orin

grams,orboth.Youcanpayafortuneforakitchenscalelikethisinagourmetshop,butagoodpostalscalewillworkjustaswellandshouldn’tbeexpensive.SuchscalesareavailablefromofficesupplystoresorontheWeb.Yourscaleshouldhaveabuttonorcontroltoadjustfortare—theweightof

thecontainer.Beforeputtingingredientsintoacontainer,placeitemptyonthescaleandpushthetarebutton.Thescalewillresettozero.(Youmayhavetopushthetarebuttonmorethanoncetomakethathappen.)Now,whenyouputinyouringredients,you’llgettheirweightwithoutthecontainer’s.Anotherwaytoeliminatethecontainerweightistoturnthescaleoff,setthe

emptycontaineronit,andturnitbackon.Again,thedisplayshouldreadzero,andwhenyouaddyouringredients,you’llgettheirweightalone.Mostdigitalscalesusebatteries,butsomehaveanoptionalACadapterfor

pluggingintoanelectricaloutlet.Theadapterisworththeextracost,sincelowbatterypowermaycausepoorreadingsandfailedsoapbatches.Tochecktemperature,you’llneedoneortwofoodthermometers—typically

thelong-stemtypeusedformeatorcandy.Ifyou’retestingfortemperatureriseduringsaponification—asIhighlyrecommendatleastforbeginners—onethermometershouldbedigital,“instant-read,”andwaterproof.Otherwise,digital,dial,ormercuryareallfine.Youroptimumtemperaturerangeforsoapmakingis90°–110°F(32°–43°C).

Anythermometeryouuse,then,shouldcoverthatrangeandatleasttenortwentydegreesFahrenheit(atleastfiveortendegreesCelsius)toeitherside.Astickblenderisahand-heldkitchengadget,awandwithablenderbladeon

theend.Othernamesforitare“immersionblender”and“handblender.”Insoapmaking,astickblenderwillshortenmixingtimesfromhourstominutes.Therecipesandmethodsinthisbookassumeyou’reusingone.Youcanfindstickblendersatalmostanystorethatsellssmallappliances,and

ofteninthriftstores(charityshops,intheU.K.).Currently,myfavoritebrandisKitchenAid.Amorepowerfulmodelcanshortenyourblendingtimesconsiderably,especiallyformoredifficultrecipeslikeCastilesoap.Ifyouhaven’tusedastickblenderbefore,taketimetolearnhowitworks

beforeyoumakesoapwithit.Asasafetyfeature,thepowerswitchmustbeheldinthe“on”positionfortheblendertorun.Wheneveryouletupontheswitch,thebladestops.Tryitoutfirstwithwater.Lowerthebladeintotheliquidbeforeturningon

theblender,thenletupontheswitchbeforeliftingthebladebackout.Theblademustnotbeturningasitentersorleavestheliquid,orelsetheliquidmightsplatter.Practiceuntilyoucanhandletheswitchcorrectlywithoutthinking.AsIsaidbefore,youneedglovesandgoggles.Lyemanufacturersrecommend

neopreneorPVCgloves.WhenIstartedmakingsoap,Iboughtapairofchemicalglovesfromacleaning-supplystore.They’rebig,thick,andstiff.Theywork,andthey’llprobablylastlongerthanIwill.Buttheymakeithardtohandlethings,andbeingclumsywhileworkingwithlyestruckmeasaproblem.Manysoapmakersrecommendthemorecommonrubberglovessoldfor

cleaninganddishwashing.Thesemaybelessresistanttolyethanchemicalgloveswouldbe,butthey’remorepliable.Personally,Iliketheextra-longglovesyoubuyinpaintstorestowearwhilestrippingfurniture.Whateverglovesyouuse,beawarethey’llalmostsurelycutdownonyour

dexterity,soproceedcarefullyandwatchyourhands.Iftheglovesmakeithardtopressbuttonsonyourscaleormicrowave,useyourknuckleinsteadofyourfingertip.Gogglesareessential.Youneedthesnug-fittingkindwornbywoodworkers.

Glassesorsunglasses,eventhewraparoundkind,aren’tgoodenough.Don’ttaketheslightestriskwithyoureyes.Anyhardwarestoreshouldsellthekindyouneed,andthey’renotexpensive.Theinstructionsinthisbookcallforamicrowaveoventomeltsolidfat.

Thoughthat’sbest,youcouldmeltitinsteadinaslowcookerorinaregularovenatthelowestpossibleheat.Youalsoneedthefollowingkitchenware:

•Souppot,stainlesssteelorenameledsteelspatterware,orotherlargepot.Don’tusealuminum—itreactschemicallywithlyeandmaybeunsafe.Mypotholdsabouteightquarts(abouteightliters),whichleavesagooddistancebetweenthesurfaceofthesoapandthetopofthepot.Sincethesoapmixturemustbedeepenoughtokeepthebladeofthestickblendersubmerged,thepotshouldhaveadiameterofnomorethanabouteightinches(twentycentimeters)forrecipesofthesizeinthisbook.•Saucepan,stainlesssteel.Onethatholdstwoquarts(twoliters)isideal.You

coulduseenameledsteel,butitwon’tworkquiteaswell,asI’llexplainlater.•Roastingpan.Itdoesn’thavetobeaspecificsize,butyoursaucepanshould

fitintoitwithroomonallsides.Steelisgood—ordinarysteel,stainless,orenameled.Soisheat-resistantplastic.Thepanisjusttobefilledwithwaterandice,soifyoudon’thavearoastingpan,youcanimprovise—forexample,alasagnapanwillwork.Justdon’tuseanythingfragileormadeofaluminum.•Largemicrowave-safebowlorglassmeasuringpitcher(largejug,inthe

U.K.).IpreferapitcherbecauseIlikehavingthehandleandpourspout.Mineholds10cups(about2l).Plasticisfineifit’smicrowave-safe.•Bowlsorglassmeasuringcupsforweighinglyeandfats.Iusecupsbecause

ofthehandleandspout.Quart-size(orliter-size)isperfect.•Twolong-handledspoonsforstirring—steel,stainlesssteel,orplastic.For

theoneusedtostirthelyesolution,thebestchoiceisaslottedspoon.•Miscellaneousequipmentsuchasaplasticdishpan,arubberspatula,and

papertowels.Oneofthebestplacestobuymuchofthiskitchenwareatareasonablepriceis

arestaurantsupplystore.Thriftstores(charityshops)oftenhavegoodstainlesssteelandenameledsteelcookware.WhateverIneed,Icheckthethriftstorefirst.Whenbuyingusedcookware,makesureitisn’taluminum.Thenameofthe

materialmaybestampedonthebottomofthepot.Forenameledsteelcookware,makesuretheinteriorsurfacesarenotchipped,orelsetheexposedmetalwillstainthesoap.Onceyoursoapmixtureisready,you’llneedamoldtopouritinto.I’ll

discussmoldslaterindetail,butforyourfirstbatch,Isuggestamilkcarton.Thebestkindisaquart-size(orliter-size)waxedcardboardcarton.Ahalf-gallon(two-liter)cartonwillalsodo,thoughtheshapeofthefinishedsoapwillbelessthanideal.Plasticmilkcartonsworkfinetoo.Don’tusethesilvery-linedpapercontainers—thatliningisaluminum,whichreactschemicallywithlye.Amilkcartonmakesagoodbeginningmold,forreasonsofbulkandheat

retention.Evenifyouhavesmallmoldsformelt-and-poursoap,don’tusethemforyourfirstbatchofcoldprocess.

Onemorethingyou’llneedisawaytotestyourfinishedsoap,tomakesureithasnoexcesslye.Thetraditionalmethodoftestingistotouchthesoapforasecondwithyourtongue.Thisisthesoapmaker’sversionofRussianroulette,andIdonotrecommendit.Evenifitwasn’tdangerous,there’sareasonwhywashingsomeone’smouthoutwithsoapisapunishment.ThebetterwaytotestiswithpHstripsoradigitalpHmeter,bothofwhich

measuredegreesofacidityoralkalinity.Sinceameterisexpensive,Iusethestrips.Thesearedesignedtochangecoloraccordingtowhatthey’retesting.Matchthecolortooneonthechartthatcomeswiththestrips,andyouhaveyourmeasurement.ThemostimportantthingtoknowaboutpHstripsisthatthereareseveral

kinds,designedtotestdifferentranges.ThestripsyouneedforsoapwilltestinapHrangeatleastfrom7(neutral)to11(tooalkalinetouse).YoucanbuysuchstripsfromanInternetsoapmakingsupplierorfromacompanythatsellsprofessionalorschoollabsupplies.Stripssoldinswimmingpoolsupplystoreswon’ttestinthisrange,andneitherwillstripsusedforaquariums,gardening,orsalivatests.DifferentbrandsofpHstripshaveslightlydifferentcolorranges.Someshould

beusedonlyundernaturallight,sinceanordinarylightbulbmayshiftthesubtleshadesofgreenortan.Nowlet’smakesoap!

Anne’sSheaButterSupreme

HereistherecipeIrecommendforyourfirsteffortsatsoapmaking.It’snotonlygoodasastarter,it’salsomyfavoriterecipeofall,producingasuperbsoap.Ifyou’reallergictonutsorhavesomeotherreasontoavoidsheabutter,start

insteadwiththerecipegivenlaterfor“All-VeggieGroceryStoreSoap#1.”Thatone,though,isn’tquiteaseasytomake,andthefinishedsoapisn’tquiteasfine.It’shandytocopythisrecipesoyoudon’thavetoflippagesbackandforthas

youworkthroughtheinstructions.

10.5oz(298g)coconutoil10.5oz(298g)oliveoil9oz(255g)sheabutter8oz(227g)distilledwater4.2oz(119g)lye

Scent(optional)—Startwiththemanufacturer’sdirectionsforamount,oruseabout1.2oz(about35g).Sincearomastrengthsandpersonaltastesvary,figuringhowmuchtousemaytaketrialanderror.

Colorant(optional)—Followthemanufacturer’sdirectionsforamount.

Beforeusingthisrecipe,readthefollowingpagesthoroughlytounderstandthemethod!

Step-by-StepSoapmakingFromPreptoCleanupandBeyond

I’vetoldyouthatmakingsoapissimple,anditis.Therearethreebasicsteps.

1.Preparethefats.2.Makealyesolution.3.Mixthelyesolutionandthefats.

That’sit.Everythingelseiseitherpreparation,cleanup,oradetail.Ofcourse,someofthedetailsareimportant.Notdifficult,justimportant.

ManyaretricksandshortcutsI’veworkedoutformyselforlearnedfromotherswholiketosimplifysoapmaking.Thesearewhatmakestudentscommentattheendofmyclass,“Ithoughtitwouldbemorecomplicatedthanthat.”Otherdetailsaregivenjustsoyouwon’tbeleftwonderingaboutanything.

Don’tletthemfoolyouintodecidingsoapmakingishard.Ifyouweredescribinghowtomakepancakes,youcouldwritepagesofdetails.Thatdoesn’tmeanit’shardtomakepancakes.Thefirsttimeyoumakesoap,allowplentyoftime—preferablytwotothree

uninterruptedhours.Thetimeyouneedwilldecreasedramaticallywithexperience.Ittakesmeabouthalfanhourtomakeabatch.Butyou’llbemuchslowerwhenyou’relearning,andit’simportantnottofeelrushed.Nowlet’slookatthewholeprocedure,frompreparation,tocleanup,and

beyond.

DressingforSoapmaking

Coveryourselfcompletelyforprotection—longsleeves,longpants,socks,andsolidshoes—usingclothesyoudon’tcareabout.Orwearaprotectiveouterlayer,likealabcoat.Ifyouhavelonghair,tieitback.

PreparingtheWorkAreas

Foryourmainworkarea,themostimportantrequirementisahandysourceofrunningwater.Isetupinmykitchen,whereIcanusethesink.You’llneedaspecialworkareaformixingthelyesolution.Themost

importantneedinthisareaisgoodventilationtoremovefumes.Somesoapmakersmixthelyeoutdoors,othersworkonastovetopwiththerangehoodfanrunningattopspeed.Whereveryourlyemixingareais,keepotherpeopleandpetsawayfromit.Ifyouworkonatablethat’spaintedorvarnished,protectthesurfacewithatarporotherwaterproofcovering.Here’salistofwhatgoesinthemainworkarea.

•Scale.•Saucepan.•Souppotorotherlargepot.•Largemicrowave-safebowlorglassmeasuringpitcherforsolidfat.•Bowlorglassmeasuringcupforlye.•Bowlorglassmeasuringcupforeachliquidfat.(Butskipthisitemifthere’s

onlyonekindofliquidfatintherecipe.)•Smallbowlsforscentandcolorant(ifyou’reusingthem).•Foodthermometer,preferablywaterproofdigital“instant-read.”•Stickblender.Plugthisinnearthesink—totherightofit,ifyou’reright-

handed,totheleftifyou’realefty.Takethesamecareyouwouldwithanyelectricalappliancenearwater.Useagroundedoutlet,orifavailable,aGFIoutlet—thekindwithacircuitbreakerandaresetbuttonbuiltin.•Long-handledspoon,steel,stainlesssteel,orplastic.•Spatula,rubberorsilicone.•Soapmold.AsIsaidbefore,Irecommendamilkcartonforyourfirst

efforts.Ifit’scardboard,openthetopcompletelytomakeasquareopening.Ifit’splastic,cutoffthetopjustbelowthescrewthreads,butleavethehandle.•Rollofpapertowels.•Vinegar.(Thisisforcleanup,notforlyeburns.)•Plasticdishpanwithwaterforsoiledutensils.Ipourinsomevinegartoo.

Idon’tcountonthevinegartoneutralizelye,butthesmellatleastremindsmethere’snastystuffinthedishpan.•Allrecipeingredients(includinglye).

Here’salistofwhatgoesinthelyemixingarea.

•Roastingpan,stainlessorenameledsteel.•Foodthermometer.(Ifyouhaveonlyonethermometertosharebetweenhere

andthemainworkarea,placeitherefirst.Ifyouhavetwo,thisonehaslessneedtobedigital.)•Long-handledspoon,steel,stainlesssteel,orplastic—preferablyslotted.•Pitcherofcoldorchilledtapwater.

•Bowloficecubes.•Rollofpapertowels(ifyou’renotbyyourmainworkarea).

PreparingtheIngredients

1.Inyourmainworkarea,turnonthescale.Makesureit’ssettoyourchoiceofouncesorgrams.2.Placetheemptysaucepanonthescaleandpushthe“tare”buttontoreset

thescaletozero.3.Pourdistilledwaterintothesaucepantillyouhavethecorrectweightfor

yourrecipe.Ifyoupourtoomuch,don’ttakethepanoffthescale—removeexcesswaterwithaspoon.4.Withthesameweighingmethodyoujustusedforthewater,weighthe

liquidfatfromyourrecipeintothesouppot.Orifyouhavemorethanoneliquidfat,weigheachoneintoaseparatebowlorcup,thencombinethefatsinthepot.Usingseparatecontainersletsyouremovesomeofanindividualfatifyoupourtoomuchwhilemeasuring.5.Ifyou’reusingliquidcolorant,addafewdropsnow.6.Placethesouppotinthesink.7.Weighallsolidfatforyourrecipeintothelargemicrowave-safebowlor

glassmeasuringpitcher.It’seasytotellsolidfatsapartandremovealittleofoneifyouaddtoomuch,soyoudon’tneedseparatecontainersfortwoormorefats.Justtarethescalebeforeaddingeachone—don’ttrytoaddtheweightsinyourhead.8.Heatthesolidfatinyourmicrowavetillit’sjustmelted.Thetimeneeded

dependsonthequantityandtypeofsolidfatandalsoonyourmicrowave.Inmine,ittakesabouttwoandahalfminutesforthesolidfatinmystarterrecipe.Becarefulnottooverheat.Thefatshouldnotboilorsmoke.Youcanleavethemeltedfatinthemicrowavefornow.9.Ifyou’reusingscent,weighitintoasmallbowl,usingthesametechnique

asforthewaterandtheliquidfat.Ifyourscentcamewithrecommendationsforquantity,figuretheamountneededforyourbatchweight—meaningthecombinedweightofalltherecipe’sfat,withouttheotheringredients.Forallrecipesinthisbook,thebatchweightwouldbe1.8lb(0.8kg).Ifyouweregivennorecommendations,useabout1.2oz(about35g)ofscentforthisbatchweight.10.Ifyou’reusingpowderedsoapcolorant,mixitinasmallbowlwithabout

atablespoon(around15milliliters)ofliquidfattakenfromthelargesouppot.Formystarterrecipe,useaquartertoahalfteaspoon(aroundtwomilliliters)ofpowder.Blendthismixturetoasmoothpaste.Don’tputitbackinthepotyet.

MixingtheLyeSolution

1.PUTONYOURGOGGLESANDGLOVES.2.Inyourmainworkarea,makesureyourbowlorglasscupformeasuring

lyeiscompletelydry,asisanythingelsethatmightcontactthelye.3.Putthebowlorcuponthescale,andtareitbacktozero.(Ifit’shardto

workthescalebuttonswithgloveson,useyourknuckleinsteadofyourfingertip.)4.Weighthelyeforyourrecipeintoabowlorcup.Note:Inrarecases,static

electricitywillmakethelyegrainsscatterasthey’repoured.Ifyouseethishappening,spoonoutthelyeinsteadofpouringit,orfirstwipethebowlorcupwithadryersheet.5.Takethebowlorcupoflyeandthesaucepanofdistilledwatertoyourlye

mixingarea.Setthesaucepanintotheroastingpan.6.Ifyourlyemixingareaisonthestoveinyourkitchen,turnonyourhood

fantotopspeedandopenwindows.7.Tricklethelyegraduallyintothewaterinthesaucepan,stirringconstantly

withthelong-handled,slottedspoon.Note:You’readdinglyetowater.Neveraddwatertolye.I’veseenmorethanonesetofsoapmakinginstructionsgetthiswrong!(SinceIpromisedI’dtellyouifIpassedalonginformationwithoutexperimenting,IhavetosayIhaven’ttriedaddingwatertolye.It’senoughformethattheU.S.ConsumerProductSafetyCommissionrecalledasoapmakingbookforgivingthatadvice.)Asthelyedissolves,thesolutionwillheatupandgiveofffumes.Ifyou’re

workingoutdoors,stayupwind.Ifyou’reinyourkitchen,standawayfromthesolution,keeptheventfanrunning,andkeepthewindowsopen.Somepeopleareunusuallysensitivetolyefumes,andnoonefindsthempleasant.Formostpeople,thefumesfromasmallbatchliketheonefrommystarterrecipewon’tbeaproblem.Justdon’tgettoocloseorletthemcollect.Trytokeepthelyefromformingacrustonthebottomofthesaucepan.You

wantthelyetodissolveasyouaddit.Ifacrustdoesform,grateitwiththebackoftheslottedspoon.Becarefulnottosplash.Scrapethelastofthelyefromyourbowlorcupwiththespoon,thenkeep

stirringtillthelyeisthoroughlydissolved.Thesolutionwillbecloudyatfirst,thenturnclear.Evenafterthat,afewgrainsoflyecanremain,sokeepstirringtillthey’reallgone.8.Pouryourcoldorchilledwaterfromthepitcherintotheroastingpan—not

intothesaucepanwiththelyesolution.Makethewaterintheroastingpanas

deepaspossiblewithoutfloatingthesaucepan,thenaddicecubestotheroastingpan.Thisbathwillquicklycoolthelyesolution,especiallyifyoursaucepanisstainlesssteelinsteadofenameled.Stirringthesolutionwillhelpcoolitevenfaster,andsowillliftingthesaucepanslightlysotheicewatercontactsthepan’sbottom.9.Checkthetemperaturebyholdingthethermometerinthelyesolution

withoutlettingittouchthebottomofthesaucepan.Youwantthesolutiontobeintherangeof90°–110°F(32°–43°C).10.Whenthesolutionhascooledenough,takethesaucepanoflyesolution

andyourotherlyeutensilstoyourmainworkarea.Don’ttrytocarrytoomuchatonce!Putthoseotherlyeutensilsintotheplasticdishpanofvinegarwater.AsIsaidearlierinthisbook,you’reextremelyunlikelytoburnyourselfor

anyoneelsewithlyeifyoujustfollowdirections,payattention,anduseglovesandgoggles.Butifitdoeshappen,flushtheburnwithcoldrunningwaterforatleastfifteenminutes,withanycontaminatedclothingremoved.Lyemanufacturersrecommendthatyouthencalladoctororpoisoncontrolcenterforfurtherhelp.

CombiningtheIngredients

1.Takethefatyoumeltedandpouritintothesouppotwiththeliquidfat.(Ifthemeltedfathasbeensittingforverylong,itmightbegoodtoreheatitabit.)Combiningthefatsshouldbringthemalmostatonceintothedesiredrangeof90°–110°F(32°–43°C).2.Pourthelyesolutionintothesouppotwiththefat.Thelyesolutionandthe

fatdoNOThavetobeatidenticaltemperatures,butthefinalmixtureshouldbesomewhereintherangeof90°–110°F(32°–43°C).3.Stirbrieflybutwellwiththelong-handledspoontostartmixingthe

ingredients.4.Carefullycheckthetemperaturewiththethermometerandmakeanoteof

it.(Again,it’sbestifthethermometeriswaterproof,“instant-read,”anddigital.)5.Mixwiththestickblender.Moveitthroughthemixturesoeverythinggets

mixedthoroughly,tippingthepanasyouneedto.Whiletheblenderisrunning,becarefultokeepthebladesubmerged,oryou’llstiralotofairintothesoapandmaysplashthemixture.Whenyouliftthebladeoutofthemixture,takeyourfingeroffthebuttonsothebladestopsbeforereachingthesurface.You’llsoonseechangesinthemixture.Originallyoilyandtransparent,itwill

becomecreamyandopaque.Thesurface,whichwasshinyatfirst,willbecomeduller,andtheoilyringattheedgeofthemixture’ssurface—rightwhereitmeetsthewallofthepot—willshrinkandallbutdisappear.Nextyou’llnoticethemixturethickeningandgettingsmoother.Itwillcome

toresemblethickeggnogorverythinpudding.Atthispoint,youcanstopblending,becausethesaponificationthatproducessoapcancontinuewithoutfurthermixing.Youmightcallthisthe“pointofnoreturn.”(AsIsaidbefore,withthestickblender,youdon’thavetokeepmixinglongenoughtosee“trace,”asotherinstructionsmightcallfor.)Besidesthesevisualsigns,youcangetafeelforthethicknessbyturningoff

theblenderandbrieflystirringwithitlikeaspoon.Withaweakerblender,youcanevenhearthedifference,asthethickeningslowsdowntheblade,causingthesoundofthemotortodropinpitch.Thefinalsignforyouistemperature.Whenyounoticethemixturegrowing

thickerandsmoother,startcheckingitagainwithyourthermometer.Saponificationgeneratesheat,andbythetimethemixturehasreachedthe“pointofnoreturn,”thetemperatureshouldhaverisenaboutacoupleofdegreesFahrenheit(onedegreeCelsius).Onceithas,you’redone!Anexperiencedsoapmakercandowithoutthistemperaturetest,butIhighly

recommenditatleastforyourfirstfewtrieswhileyoulearntheothersigns—especiallyifyou’renotworkingwithateacher.Beyondthat,though,it’salwaysagreatfinalcheck.Howlongshouldyoubeblending?Thatdependsagooddealonthepowerof

yourmotor.Withapowerfulblender,theappearancecanstartchangingalmostatonce,andyoucannoticethickeningwithinafewminutes.Withaweakerblender,youmightseelittledifferenceatallforfiveortenminutes,orevenlongerwithadifficultrecipe.YoushouldhavelittletroublerecognizingthesignsI’vegiven—butifyou’re

notsure,itdoesn’thurttoblendsomemore.You’llwanttostop,though,bythetimethetemperaturehasrisenfivedegreesFahrenheit(threedegreesCelsius).Justafewdegreesabovethat,themixturecansuddenlybecometoothicktopourfromthepot!6.Addanyscentorcolorantyou’vemadeready,andblendabittomixitin.7.Pourthemixtureintoyourmold,scrapingthepotwiththerubberspatula.If

yourmoldisacardboardmilkcarton,closetheflapsexactlyastheywerewhenunopenedandfastenthemshut.Ifthecartonistoofulltoclose,orifyou’reusingaplasticmilkcontainer,coverthetoplooselywithplasticwrap.Labelthecartonorcontainer.Youdon’twantanyonetomistakethisformilk.8.Putyourmoldasidetositawhile—somewhereoutofthecat’sorthekids’

reach.Thesoapwillcontinuetosaponifywhileit’ssitting.Thisreactionwillkeepgeneratingheatasitgoeson—soifyouhappentonoticethesoapandmoldgettingwarmer,don’tworryaboutit.They’resupposedto!

Cleanup

1.Don’ttakeoffyourglovesandgogglestillyou’refinishedcleaningup.2.Ifyouuseadishwasher,washyourutensilsoncebyhandbeforeloading

them.Ifyoudon’t,yourdishwasherwillprobablyrunover.Ifyou’rewashingonlybyhand,washtwice.Payspecialattentiontohandlesandtheouterlipofthepot.3.Wipedownyourworksurfaceswithapapertoweldampenedwiththe

vinegar.4.Washyourgloveswithyourhandsstillinsidethem.5.Nowtakeoffyourglovesandgoggles.

RemovalandTesting

Yoursoapshouldbesolidinabouttwelvehours,andreadytocomeoutofthemoldandbetestedinabouttwenty-four.You’llknowthatthesaponificationismostlycompletebecausethesoapandmoldwillhavecooledtoroomtemperature.Ifyourmoldisamilkcarton,youcanalsosqueezeittomakesurethesoapissolid.Ifitis,putonyourgloves,thentearorcutawaythecarton.Atthispoint,thesoapshouldn’tbecaustic,butyoushouldkeepyourgloves

ontillyoutestit.Putalittledistilledwateronitssurface,scrubitaroundtomakeapaste,thenpushapHstripintothepaste.Ifthestripshowsanythingintherangeof7to10,thesoapisfine.TheexactpHreadingdoesn’tmatter—thestripsdon’tmeasureallthataccuratelyanyway.Buttheywillletyouknowifyoursoapisinasaferange.IfthepHstripreads11or12,letthesoapsitforafewdaysandtestitagain.It

mayjustneedalittlemoretime.Ifyourreadingisabove12,don’tusethesoapanddon’teventouchitwithoutgloves.SometimesaveryhighpHwillslowlydecreasetillthesoapisusable.Moreoften,thesoapshouldbediscardedorrebatched.(Seemychapteronfrequentlyaskedquestionsforinfoonrebatching.)Ifyoursoapisinablock—asitwillbeifyouusedamilkcarton—thenstart

yourtestingontheoutsidesurface.IfthattestsOK,slicetheblockinhalfwithalarge,sharpknifesuchasaFrenchcook’sknife.Lookatthecutsurfaces.Yoursoapshouldhaveatexturethat’sfairlysmooth

andregular,withaconsistencylikecheese.Itmaybeslightlystickyonthecutedges,andtheremaybeasmalldifferenceintexturebetweenthecutfacesandtheoutersurfaceoftheblock—somethinglikearindcoveringasoftcheese.Thisisnormal.FinishbytestingoneofthecutsurfaceswithapHstrip.IfittestsOK,you’re

homefree.It’simportanttotestforsafety’ssake,butdon’tletmescareyou.Ifyou

followtheinstructionsinthisbookanduserecipesthatareproperlydesigned,youshouldneverseeapHreadingthat’sdangerouslyhigh.

CuttingandCuring

Aftertesting,removeyourgloves,takeyourlarge,sharpknife,andfinishslicingthesoapintobars.Ifyoulike,youcantrimthesidestomakethemneater.Youcanalsosmooththeedgesbybevelingthemwithavegetablepeeler.Soapshoulddryoutforawhile,whichalsogivesitachancetogrowmilder.

Setthebarsinawell-ventilatedarea,onarackifpossible.Dryingtimedependsonhowmuchwaterthesoapwasmadewith,aswellasonhowit’sstoredandthehumidityofthestoragearea.Minimumtimesnormallyrangefromacoupleofweekstoamonth,withmostoftherecipesinthisbookfallingabouthalfwaybetween.Soapwithaveryhighpercentageofliquidfatmayneedtodryevenlonger.Howcanyoubesurethesoapisdryenough?Justtryabar.Ifitgetsusedup

toofastorgetsgooey,thatsoapneedsmoretime.Thelongerthebarsdry—uptoacoupleofmonthsorso—theharderthey’llbeandthelongerthey’lllastinuse.

MoreRecipes!DifferentSoapsYouCanTry

Manybooksgiveyounumerousrecipesthatarereallyonlyacoupleofsoapsdressedupwithdifferentscentsandcolors.Instead,I’llnowgiveyouavarietyofbasicsoapsthatareeasytomake.Creativechoicesofscentandappearanceremainforyou—avisittotheWebsiteofanymajorsoapmakingsupplierwillprobablygiveyouenoughinspirationtolastaboutfiveyears.Myrecipesincludeagoodassortmentofsoapsthatuseonlygroceryorhealth

foodstorefats.Otherrecipescallforfatsthatprobablyareavailableonlyfromsoapmakingsuppliers.Goodsourcesarelistedintheresourcessectionofthisbook,andyoumaybeluckyenoughtofindalocalvendor.Localpricesareoftenhigher,butcountshippingcostswhenyoucompare.Ifyou’remakingsoapforothers,beawarethatsomepeoplearehighly

allergictoparticularfats.Allmyrecipesuse30ozoffat(850g).Youneedasoapmoldthatwillholdat

least5cups(1.2l)ofliquid.FollowthedirectionsI’vealreadygiven,unlessarecipecallsforavariation.

RecipeChecking

Beforeyoutryanewsoaprecipe—mineoranyoneelse’s—alwayscheckthegivenlyeandwateramountstomakesurethey’recorrect.Eveniftherecipecomesfromapublishedbook,don’tuseittillyou’resureithasnoerrors—andthatgoesdoubleforanyrecipeyoufindontheInternet.Thoughyoucandothemathyourself,thesimplestandsafestwaytochecka

recipeiswithalyecalculator.Thesetellyouhowmuchlyeandwateryoushoulduseforagivenquantityoffat.ManysuchcalculatorscanbefoundandusedontheWebforfree,andthey’refoundinsomecomputerprogramsaswell.I’velistedsomeofbothkindsintheresourcessection,alongwithWebsitesthatexplainhowtocalculatebyhand.

All-VeggieGroceryStoreSoap#1

Thisisanexcellentbasicsoapwitheasilyavailableingredients.

9oz(255g)coconutoil21oz(595g)oliveoil9oz(255g)distilledwater4.1oz(116g)lye

All-VeggieGroceryStoreSoap#2

Thissoapisalittlesofterthanaverage,butyoumightnotevennoticethedifference.Ithasgoodlatherandismoisturizing.Carefulwiththisone—allergytopeanutsiscommon.(OutsideNorthAmerica,cornoil—sometimesknownas“maizeoil”—maynotbeasreadilyavailable.)

3.5oz(99g)peanutoil17.5oz(496g)cornoil7oz(198g)coconutoil7oz(198g)distilledwater3.8oz(108g)lye

GroceryStoreShorteningSoap

Thissoaphasgoodhardnessandlatherbutisbelowaverageinmoisturizing.I’duseitwheremoisturizingislessimportantthancleaningpower.ThisrecipecallsforCrisco,apopularAmericanbrandofvegetable

shortening.Inotherpartsoftheworld,youcansafelysubstituteanyothershorteningmadeofsoyandcottonseedoils.(Theproportionsdon’tmattertoomuch,becauselyerequirementsofthetwooilsarenearlyidentical.)

20oz(567g)Crisco10oz(284g)coconutoil10oz(284g)distilledwater4.3oz(122g)lye

Non-VeggieGroceryStoreSoap

Aharder-than-averagesoapwithaveragelather.Averageinmoisturizing.

8.4oz(238g)lard9.8oz(278g)coconutoil9.8oz(278g)oliveoil8oz(227g)distilledwater4oz(113g)lye

OlivePalmSoap

Aslightlyhardersoapwithgoodlatherandmoisturizing.

18oz(510g)oliveoil12oz(340g)palmkerneloil9oz(255g)distilledwater4.1oz(116g)lye

Chris’sAvocadoSoap

Amoisturizingsoapwithaveragelather.IdesignedthisformyfriendChris,whoaskedforsoapwithavocadooil.

2.5oz(71g)avocadobutter7.5oz(213g)coconutoil12.5oz(354g)avocadooil7.5oz(213g)oliveoil9oz(255g)distilledwater4.1oz(116g)lye

Aaron’sHazelnutSoap

Thissoaplathersverywellandishighlymoisturizing.Donotinsulateorwarmthissoapasit’ssetting.Idesigneditformyhusband,Aaron,andscenteditwithhazelnutfragrance,whichheloves.

17.5oz(496g)hazelnutoil10.5oz(298g)palmkerneloil8oz(227g)distilledwater3.9oz(111g)lye

AlmondFacialSoap

Thissoaplathersbeautifullyandishighlymoisturizing.Sincethisrecipecontainsonlyliquidfats,themethodisslightlydifferent.Putthefatsintothemicrowave-safepitcherandwarmthemtojust100°F(38°C).They’llreachthattemperaturequickly—inlessthanaminuteinmymicrowave.Don’ttrytouseregularcoconutoilhere—itmustbefractionated!

5.9oz(167g)fractionatedcoconutoil22.1oz(627g)almondoil7oz(198g)distilledwater4.1oz(116g)lye

Variation:Increasethewaterto8oz(227g)andpourintoamugforuseasshavingsoap.

Anne’sLongerLastingSoap

Thisisafairlyhardsoapthatworkswellwheresoftersoapsgetsticky.Sinceallthefatsinthisrecipearesolid,you’llneedtomodifythebasicmethodalittle.Onewayistoheatallthefatstogethertillthey’remelted,thencooltoabout110°F(43°C).Oryoucanmeltallthefatsexceptthecoconutoilandthencombinethem.Eitherway,you’reworkingatthehighendoftheusualtemperaturerange,whichpreventsthefatfromsolidifyingonitsownduringprocessing.

1.5oz(43g)cocoabutter6oz(170g)avocadobutter10.5oz(298g)palmoil6oz(170g)coconutoil6oz(170g)sheabutter9oz(255g)distilledwater4oz(113g)lye

DesigningYourOwn

HowtoCreateGreatRecipes

Onceyou’vemadegoodsoapfromoneortwoofmyrecipes,youmaybeeagertodesignyourown.Itreallyisn’thardifyouspendalittletimelearningaboutvariousfatsandadditives.You’llalsowanttobecomefamiliarwithlyecalculatorsandothersoapmakingdesigntools.Writedowneverythingyoutry.Thiswillhelpyoulearnwhatworksandwhat

doesn’t,andtorepeatwhatworksespeciallywell.Startsmall.Thoughsmallerquantitiesforceyoutobeespeciallycarefulwith

measurements,youavoidhavingahugebatchofsomethingthatdidn’twork.

ChoosingFats

Choosingablendoffatsforanewreciperequiressomethought.Eachfatischemicallyunique,whichiswhysoapmadefromonefatorblendmaybequitedifferentfromanother.Thequalitiesthatmostconcernsoapmakersarefluffylather,stablelather,soaphardness,andmoisturizing.Somefatsproducesoapwithfluffylather—thesoapmaker’stermforlarge,

abundantly-producedbubblessimilartothosefromcommercialbars.Althoughfluffylatherhaslittletodowithhowwellthesoapcleans,it’sapleasantqualitythatyou’llprobablyfavor.Thedisadvantageofsuchfatsisthatmostofthemtendtodrytheskin.Someofthebestfatsforfluffylatherarecoconutoilandpalmkerneloil.Somefatsproducesoapwithstablelather,whichisdenserandcreamier.Asa

rule,thesefatsaremoremoisturizingthantheonesthatmakesoapwithfluffylather.However,somepeopledislikethiskindoflather—afactorifyou’remakingsoapsforothers.Goodfatsforstablelatherareoliveoil,sweetalmondoil,andcornoil(sometimescalledmaizeoil).Somefatsmakesoapthat’sharderandlastslonger.Amongthebestfatsfor

hardnessaretallow(beeffat),coconutoil,andpalmkerneloil.Somefatsmakesoapthatdriestheskin,othersaremoremoisturizing,or

emollient.Someofthebestfatsformoisturizingareapricotkerneloil,sweetalmondoil,sheabutter,andoliveoil.Yourchoicesmaydependonpracticalconsiderations.Somefatsare

expensive,othersquitecheap.Someareavailableineverygrocerystore,othersarehardertofind.Somefatsarejustmoredifficulttomakeintosoap.Aruleofthumbisthatatleast40%ofasoap’sfatshouldbesolid.Likeall

rulesofthumb,thisonehasexceptions.Oneoftheoldestsoapformulas,Castilesoap,traditionallywasmadefromonehundredpercentoliveoil.Itis,however,notoriouslyhardtomake.Andarecipewithallitsfatpolyunsaturatedwon’tmakesoapeasily,andmaynotmakegoodsoapatall.Eachofthesoapmakingfatshasitsstrengthsandweaknesses.Ifyouwantto

designyourownrecipes,learnthepropertiesofdifferentfatsandtrydifferentcombinations.

Superfatting,LyeDiscount,WaterRange

I’vealreadyrecommendedusingalyecalculatortocheckallnewrecipesbeforeyoutrythem.Ofcourse,you’lluseonetoowhendesigningyourownrecipe,totellyouhowmuchlyeandwateryou’llneed.Atermyou’relikelytorunintowhenusingoneofthesecalculatorsislye

discount.Let’stakealookatwhatthismeans.Inthechemicalreactionthatmakessoap,thelyeisneutralizedbythefat.If

youusedonlyexactlyenoughfatforthisneutralizing,therewouldbenomarginforerrororforinconsistencyinyouringredients.Itwouldbeeasyforyoursoaptoturnoutwithtoomuchlye.Soweusealittleextrafatasabuffer.Thisiscalledsuperfatting,andrecipesusuallyhaveitbuiltin.About5%to8%superfattingisthenorm.Lyediscountisanotherwaytorefertothis.Mostlyecalculatorsfigureinthis

discountasadefault.Butbecarefultocheckthis.Afewwillgiveazerolyediscount,whichwillputyoursoap—atbest—rightontheedgeofbeinglyeheavy.Mostlyecalculatorsalsogivewaterquantityasarange.Withtheleastwater,

yougetfastersaponificationandfastercuring.Butthenit’salittlehardertodissolvethelye,andthesolutionmaygiveoffmorefumes.Forareasonabledryingtime,youdefinitelywanttousetheleastwaterifless

than40%ofthefatinyourrecipeissolid.Ontheotherhand,ifyourscentisonethatspeedsupsaponification—“acceleratestrace,”asthesupplierssay—youmaygetbetterresultswiththemostwater.

TheMysteriesofINS

Intheearly1900s,chemistsfiguredoutawaytoroughlypredictthehardnessofsoapwhenmadefromagivenfatorblend.TheindicatortheycameupwithiscalledtheINSvalue.

Thoseinitialsstandfor“IodineNumberSaponificationValue.”Theiodinenumberisameasureofhowunsaturatedafatis,whilethesaponificationvalueisusedtofigurehowmuchlyeisneededtoconvertthatfattosoap.TheINSvalueisthesaponificationvalueminustheiodinenumber.Valuesrangefromlessthanzerotoover250.Thehigherthenumber,thegreaterthehardnessthesoapissupposedtohave.(TheinformationontheoriginandpurposeofINScomesfrom“TheHistoryoftheManufactureofSoap,”byF.W.Gibbs,inAnnalsofScience,Vol.4,Issue2,April15,1939.Youdidn’tmissthatissue,didyou?)Veryfewhandcraftsoapmakersarechemists,sonotmanyhadevenheardof

INSvaluestillDr.RobertS.McDanielwroteabouttheminhisexcellent2000bookEssentiallySoap.Withoutreallyexplainingwhatthevaluesstoodfor,McDanieldidsaythatanyblendoffatswithavaluenear160shouldproduceanidealsoap.Formyself,Iwouldn’tcallasoapidealwithoutalsoconsideringthe

propertiesofthefatsandthesoap’sintendeduse.Butfrommyexperiments,anINSvalueintherangeof145to160doespredicteasysaponification.Inotherwords,ifyourmixturehasavalueinthatrange,youshouldgetittoturnintosoapwithoutmuchfuss.Andifitsvalueisnotclosetothatrange,therecipemayeitherbetroublesomeormakepoorsoap.Orboth.So,INSvaluescanbeagreathelpinfiguringwhetheryourexcitingnewidea

forasoaprecipeislikelytowork.Later,whenyougetabetterfeelforvariousfatsandthewaytheyworktogether,youmaynotneedINS—someadvancedrecipedesignerspaynoattentiontoit,eveniftheydidatfirst—butyoucanalwaysfallbackonitinapinch.TogettheINSvalueforablendoffats,youhavetouseanINScalculatoror

doalittlearithmetic.AtableofINSvaluesfollowsthischapter.Tocalculatebyhand,lookupthevalueofeachfatfromtherecipeandmakeachartlikethis:

Addtheweightsofeachfattogetthetotalweight.Inthiscase,wehave:

12oz+18oz=30oz

Next,dividetheweightofthepalmkerneloilbythetotalweight:

12oz÷30oz=0.4

MultiplythisnumberbytheINSvalueforpalmkerneloilandroundtheanswertothenearestwholenumber:

0.4x235=94

Thesamecalculationfortheoliveoilgivesyou65.NowaddyouranswerstogettheINSvaluefortheblend:

94+65=159

YoucanseethisisnearlytheidealINSvalueof160.Afatblendwiththisvalueshouldbeeasytomakeintosoap.Andinfact,thisblendproducesaverynicesoap,whichyou’llfindasoneoftherecipesinthisbook.Justthesame,youcan’tjudgeafatorblendjustbyitsINSvalue.Youstill

needtotakeintoaccountallpropertiesofindividualfats.UsingagoodsoapmakingprogramorWeb-baseddesigntoolisthebestwaytomakesureyourfatsprovidegoodhardness,moisturizing,andlather.Seetheresourcessectionofthisbookforseverallistings.Thevaluesinthefollowingtableweremostlycalculatedfromsaponification

valuesandiodinenumbersIfoundonvarioussuppliers’Websites.NotethattheINSvalueforeachtypeoffatcanvaryfromonebatchtoanother—so,ifyoursupplierlistsavalue,usethatinstead.Ifyoucan’tgettheINSvaluefromyoursupplierorthistable,youcanoften

findtheothervaluestocalculateINSyourself.AsIsaidbefore,it’sfiguredbysubtractingtheiodinenumberfromthesaponificationvalue—mostoftencalled“SAPvalue”or“SAPnumber.”Confusingly,saponificationvaluesarefoundintwodifferentversions.The

onesyouwantarethe“big”oneswithwholenumbers.Theotherkind,withdecimalvalueslessthan1,cannoteasilybeusedtocalculateINS.

INSValuesChart

Almondoil~97Aloebutter~238

Apricotkerneloil~91Avocadooil~103

Avocadobutter~130Babassuoil~234Beeswax~84

Blackcuminseedoil~72Baobaboil~98Borageoil~49

Camelinaseedoil~44Canolaoil~70Castoroil~95

Cocoabutter~158Coconutoil(plain,“76°”)~248Coconutoil,fractionated~324

Cornoil(maizeoil)~71Cottonseedoil~88

Crisco~111Emuoil~125

Eveningprimroseoil~38Grapeseedoil~66Hazelnutoil~101Hempoil~40

Illipebutter~153Jojobaoil~9Karanjaoil~96

Kokumbutter~154Kukuinutoil~25Lanolin~83

Lard(pigfat)~125Linseedoil(flax)~–3Macadamianutoil~120Mangobutter~137

Mangooil~138Meadowfoamoil~88

Minkoil~105Mowrahbutter~130Neemtreeoil~118Oliveoil~109Palmoil~148

Palmkerneloil~235Passionfruitseedoil~63Peachkerneloil~87

Peanutoil~93Perillaseedoil~0Pistachiooil~106Poppyseedoil~57Rapeseedoil~69Ricebranoil~82Rosehipoil~–7Saffloweroil~48

Saffloweroil,highlinoleic~100Salbutter~146Sesameoil~79Sheabutter~112Sheaoil~100Soybeanoil~62Stearicacid~209Sunfloweroil~58

Sunfloweroil,higholeic~102Tallow(beeffat)~159

Tamanuoil~84Walnutoil~42

Wheatgermoil~58

GettingYourSoapinShapeHowtoChooseorMakeaMoldSoapmoldscomeinaninfinitevarietyofshapesandsizes.So,it’sbesttoputoffthinkingaboutthemtillyou’vemadeasoapbatchortwo.Yourideasofwhatkindyouwantwillprobablybechangedbyyourfirstefforts.Fortherecipesinthisbook,you’llneedamoldthatholds5cups(1.2l)of

water.

KindsofMold

Varioushouseholdobjectscanbeusedforsoapmolds.Manybeginnersusecardboardorwoodboxes,bakingpans,plasticfoodcontainers—justaboutanythingyoucanimagine.Forindividualbars,the“snacksize”disposable/reusablefoodstoragecontainersmakegreatmolds.TheonesIbuyhaveamaximumcapacityofaboutacupandahalf(aboutone-thirdliter),thoughyouwon’tfillthemcompletely.Theymakealarge,easy-to-holdbarwithanattractiveraisedborder.Goodmaterialsfor“found”moldsincludewood,glass,plastic,silicone,and

stainlesssteel.Ifyouusecardboard,itmustbesturdy.Keepinmindthattheobject’sshapemustallowthesoaptoberemovedeasily.Loafpans,browniepans,andwoodboxesareobjectsthatworkwellforthat.Severalkindsofsoapmoldaresoldbycraftstoresandsoapmakingsuppliers.

Themostfamiliarkindisthemoldedplastictraywithcompartmentsforthreeorfourindividualbars.Craftstoresselltheseforworkingwithmelt-and-poursoap,butsomesoapmakerslikethemforcoldprocessaswell.Idon’t,becauseIdisliketheextrafussofpouringindividualbars,andI’vehadtroublegettingthesoapout.Traymoldsarelarge,shallowboxes,onebarindepth.Theymayinclude

ornamentalpatterns,aswellasraisedlinesthatmakegroovesinthesoaptoguidecuttingitintoindividualbars.Ortheymayhaveremovabledividersthatseparateyourmixtureintobar-sizedportionsafteryou’vepouredit.Bakingpans

canbeusedastraymolds—justdon’tusealuminum.Blockorloafmolds,suchassimplewoodboxes,makeathickblockofsoapto

beslicedintobars.Thisistheeasiestkindtouse,andit’salsoeasytomake.Fortherecipesinthisbook,youcouldbuildonewithacavityabout4in.high,3in.wide,and7in.long(about10cmhigh,8cmwide,and18cmlong).

LiningaSoapMoldTobesureyoucanremovethesoap,lineanymoldthatcan’tbetakenapartordestroyed.Somebookssaythatsoapcanberemovedeasilyfromflexiblemoldssuchasplasticfoodcontainers.Inmyexperience,that’ssometimestrue,butnotalways.

Moldsmadeofabsorbentmaterials—suchaswoodorcardboard—allneedtobelined.Othersmayaswellifthey’reinflexibleorhavecomplexshapes.Aswithsomuchinsoapmaking,theneedforliningmaydependontherecipe.Ahighpercentageofliquidfatmakesyoursoaplikelytostick.Goodliningmaterialsinclude:•Piecesofplastictarp•Freezerpaper(withthe

shinysidetowardthesoap)•Plasticbagsthatfityourmold(withanyprintingonthesideawayfromthesoap)•Parchmentpaper•PlasticwrapDONOTUSEALUMINUMFOIL.Itreactswithlye.

Withplasticlinings,theheaviertheplastic,thefewerthewrinklesinthesurfaceofyoursoap.Forinstance,thetrashbagsmeantaslinersforoutdoorgarbagecanswillworkbetterthanthesmaller,thinner-walledonesthatyou’duseinyourkitchen.Aneasywaytomakealineristousetwooverlappingrectangles.For

instance,I’veusedpiecesofplastictarptolineboxmolds—onerectanglelaidintotheboxlengthwise,anothercrosswise.Eachwaslongenoughtocoverthebottomandtwosides,withenoughleftatthetoptofoldoverandcoverthepouredsoap.Butdon’tuseapiecedlinerinamoldthatismadetocomeapart,evenifyou

tapethelinerpiecestogether.Forsuchamold,youneedalinerthatcan’tleak.Aplasticbagworks,ifyoucanfindoneinagoodsize.Forinstance,agallon-sizefoodbagmightdoit.Ablockmoldcanbelinedsafelywithonelargesheetofpaper.Here’sthe

easiestwaytodothis,asalsoshownintheillustrations.

1.CutaStyrofoamblocksoitjustfitsthelengthandwidthoftheinsideofthesoapmoldbutrisesaboveitbyaninchorso(acoupleofcentimetersorso).Inotherwords,theblockshouldfillthemoldexactlylikeablockofsoapexceptthatitsticksoutthetop.2.Styrofoamiscrumbly,andyoudon’twantbitsofitinyoursoap.So,cover

theblockwithplasticwrapandtapeitsecurely.3.Measuretheinsideofyourmoldandusethemeasurementstocutasheet

fromarolloffreezerpaper.Thewidthofthepapershouldbeequaltothewidthofthemoldinteriorplustwotimesitsheight,plusaboutaninch(aboutacoupleofcentimeters)forslack.Thelengthofthepapershouldbeequaltothelengthofthemoldinteriorplustwotimesitsheight,plusaboutaninch(acoupleofcentimeters)forslack.

Asanexample,takeamoldwithacavitythat’s4in.high,3in.wide,and7in.long(thedimensionsIrecommendedearlier).Thewidthofthepaperwouldbe:3in(Int.width)8in(Int.heightx2)1in

(Slack)12in(Total)Thelengthofthepaperwouldbe:7in(Int.length)8in(Int.heightx2)1in(Slack)16in(Total)4.Cutoutasecond,identicalsheetoffreezerpaper,usingthefirstasapattern.Setoneofthesheetsasideasapatternformorelinersinthefuture.

5.Taketheothersheetandcenteritovertheblockasitstandsupright.Theshinysideofthepapershouldbedown.Nowfoldinbothsidesofthepaper,wrappingtheblockexactlyasifyouwerewrappingapresent,exceptthatthebottomsurfaceoftheblockwon’tbecovered.Youcansecurethefoldedendsat

firstwithstraightpinsstuckthroughthepaperintotheStyrofoam.Avoidingpinheads,tapethefoldedendsofthepaperwithpackingtape,thenremovethepins.6.Removethepaperliner,turnitover,andsetitintothesoapmold.Youcan

trimtheexcessfromtheheightifyou’reusingatoponyourmold.7.Ifnecessary,usedabsofshorteningtostickthelinertoitselfatfolds,orto

thesoapmold.Thismaymakethelinerfitmoreneatlyandavoidirregularitiesintheshapeofthesoap.8.KeeptheStyrofoamblockforthenexttimeyoumakeliners.Complexmoldsmaybelinedwithplasticwrap.Ifthepatterninthemoldis

toofancytolinewithoutlosingdetail,youcantrytousethemoldwithoutalining.Somemoldswillreleasethesoapifyouputthem,soapandall,intothefreezerforaboutanhour.Bewarned:Sometimesthisworksandsometimesitdoesn’t.Sincepetroleumjellyandmineraloilwillnotsaponify,somesoapmakersuse

themtogreasemolds,muchasacookwoulduseshorteningtogreaseacakepan.Othersfeeltheseproductsleaveanundesirableresidueonthesoap.

WrappingItUpLovelyPackagingforYourSoap

Youmaynotbeinterestedinpackagingsoapforyourownuse,butasImentionedbefore,handcraftedsoapmakesanidealgift.Andanicepresentationwithattractivepackagingisagreatfinishingtouch.Youdon’twanttowrapcoldprocesssoapinplasticorfoodwrap,because

thatwouldkeepmoisturefromescaping.What’susedinsteadisa“cigarband.”Thisisabelt-likestripofpaperorclotharoundthemiddleofthebar.Youcanmakeacigarbandfromanyattractivepaperorfabric.Toaddtextand/orgraphics,useastick-onlabel.Addresslabelsareagood

size,andtheycomeeitherinwhiteortransparent.Awordprocessingprogramwillmakelabelstoprintfromyourcomputer,butadedicatedlabelmakingprogramwillprobablybeeasiertouse.Imentiononeintheresourcessectionofthisbook,butsomeofthedozensofothersaresurelyasgood.Thelabelmightdescribethescentandlistsomeoftheingredients.Unless

you’resurethepersongettingthesoaphasnoallergies,youshouldatleastnotethefatsusedintherecipe.(Thisisassumingyou’relabelingsoapjustforgifts.Ifyou’resellingit,yourlabeltextmustcomplywithlabelinglaws,andthat’sawholesubjectuntoitself.)Forgraphics,freeclipartiseverywhere.Theproblemis,mostofitlooks

exactlylikefreeclipart.Whynotuseyourownphotosinstead?Youcouldtakepicturesofflowersthathavethescentsyou’reusing,oraseashelltosuggestanoceanscent,andsoon.Alabelmakingprogramshouldbeabletoinsertyourdigitalorscannedphotolikeanyothergraphic.Oruseagraphicsprogramtocreateyourowndesigns.Besidesseveralgood

generalprograms,somewonderfulspecialtyonesareavailable.Oneofmyfavoritesisaprogramforquiltdesign.Originalquiltdesignsmakelovelylabelsforsoap.Insteadofmakingacigarband,youcangift-wrapsoapwithfabric.Cutyour

rectanglewithpinkingshearsforafinishedappearance.Securetheendsandedgeswithfabricglueortackyglue.Orcutafabriccircleanddrawituparoundthesoapasabag,tyingthe

openingwitharibbonandlettingthetopedgesformafrill.Tiealabeltagtotheribbon.Youcanmakegoodtagswithperforatedsheetsofbusinesscardsmeantforcomputerprinting.Scrapbookingandminiaturessupplierssellpaperpunches

forcomputerprinting.Scrapbookingandminiaturessupplierssellpaperpunchesthatwillmakeonlyatinyholeinyourlabel,makingitlookmoreprofessional.Acircularwrappinginnylonnetortulleisalsogood.Thenetwrappingisleft

onwhenusingthesoap.Thisisparticularlygoodforsoapthatdoesn’tlatherwell,sinceitwillincreasethelatherdramatically.Youcancutnetcirclesyourselforelsebuythemprecutinthebridalsection

ofacraftstore.Fastenthetopwithatransparentrubberbandandtiethedecorativeribbonoverit,asaribbonalonewillcomeoffinuse.Transparentrubberbandsaresoldashairfasteners,solookforthemanywhereyou’dbuybarrettes.Youcanalsosewthetopclosedandtiearibbonoverthestitching.Forshavingsoap,useapotterymugasacontainerandaddanold-fashioned

shavingbrush.Soapandbasketsgotogetherperfectly.Sincesoapisaconsumablegift,it’s

nicetocomplementitwithsomethingpermanentlikeabasket.Goodpackagingwillgiveyoursoapstheprofessionallooktheydeserve.It

makesallthedifferencebetweenagiftthatlooks“homemade”andonethat’s“handcrafted.”

Why,Why,Why?

FrequentlyAskedQuestions

Whydoyourrecipesmakesuchsmallbatches?Personally,I’veneverwantedtomakemuchsoapofthesamescentatonce,

evenwhenIwasmakingsoapasabusiness.Buttherearepracticaladvantagestoo.Smallerbatchesareeasiertomixwhenyouuseastickblender.Theyproducelesslyefumes,soyoucanworkindoorswithnoproblem.Thecontainersareeasiertoheftaround,sothere’slesschanceofanaccident.Andsincesmallerquantitiesofingredientsareatrisk,abeginnerwillbelessafraidoffailure.Allinall,Ithinkit’sbestforabeginnertostartsmall.Butsmallerbatchesdo

haveonedisadvantage:Precisemeasurementismorecritical.Ifyouwanttomakelargerbatches,increasetheamountofeachfat

proportionally,thenusealyecalculatortore-figuretheamountsoflyeandwater.Thewaterandlyeyouneedtoaddarenotproportionaltotheaddedfat.Withmuchlargerbatches,youmightalsohavetowatchoutforoverheatingin

themold.Usingastickblendermeansthere’smoreheatgeneratedafterthemixturehasbeenpouredthantherewouldbewithhandstirring.Ifthere’stoomuchbulkandtheheatcan’tleavethemoldfastenough,thesoapmixturecouldevenreachtheboilingpoint.So,ifyourbatchisverylarge,youshouldstillstickwithmoldsofmoderatesize—andifyou’refillinganumberofthematonce,makesuretoleavespacebetweenthem.

Yourrecipesmeasureouncesdowntoatenth.Whyaren’tyouthatexactwithgrams?Sincethereareabout28gramstoanounce,measuringinwholegramsis

actuallymoreprecisethanmeasuringintenthsofanounce.

Whydoyouusecoconutoilinsomanyrecipes?It’struethatcoconutoilisexpensiveingrocery-storequantitiesandthatmany

storesdon’tevenstockit.Butit’sstilltheonlygrocerystorefatthatproducesgoodfluffylather.

Whatisfractionatedoil?IfIdon’thavethatkind,canIjustusetheregularoil?No,thepropertiesaredifferent.Tostartwith,fractionatedoilhasalower

meltingpoint,remainingliquidatlowertemperatures.Infact,that’swhatfractionationisallabout.Eachnaturalfatisreallymadeupofmanykindsoffatmixedtogether.To

fractionateit,it’sfirstmelted(ifitisn’talreadyliquid),andthencooled.Atsomepointinthecooling,partswithahighermeltingpointbecomesolidanddroptothebottom,whilepartswithalowermeltingpointarestillliquid.Theliquidthat’sskimmedoffisthefractionatedoil.Sometimesoilisfractionatedwithoutbeingcalledthat.Forinstance,sheaoil

iscreatedbyfractionatingsheabutter.

HowdoIsubstituteotheringredientsfortheonesinyourrecipes?Whoa.Youdon’tsubstituteinasoaprecipe,youdevelopanewone.Learnby

makingyourfirstfewbatcheswithtried-and-truerecipes.Youcangetascreativeasyouwant—later.

WhydoyourecommenddistilledwaterforsoapmakingandpHtesting?Mineralsintap,well,orspringwatercanaffectbothsoapmakingandtesting.

Somesuchwaterwouldprobablywork,butyoucan’tpredictit.Evenlong-agocountrysoapmakers—whoweremostlycompletelyunscientific—oftenreliedonrainwater,nature’sclosestequivalenttodistilled.

Whyweighthewater?Icanjustuseameasuringcup.It’struethat,forwater,fluidouncesformeasuringvolumeandouncesfor

measuringweightaremoreorlessequivalent(moreintheU.K.,lessintheU.S.).Andsinceusingapreciseamountofwaterisn’tcriticalinsoapmaking,measuringbysightinacupwillwork.Butweighingismoreaccurate,andlesstroubletoo,Ithink.Inanycase,theequivalenceoftheouncesisforwateronly.Don’ttrythisforanythingelse.

Whydoyouuseastainlesssteelsaucepanformixingthelyesolution?Everyoneelsesaystouseaglassmeasuringcup.Also,what’stheroastingpanoftapwaterfor?Whenyouaddlyetowater,thesolutiongetshot.Itcangetuptoboiling.For

coldprocesssoapmakingsuchasIdescribe,itshouldbeintherangeof90°–110°F(32°–43°C).Inaglasscontainer,gettingbackdowntothatrangetakesitforever.Withthestainlesssteelcontainerandacoldwaterbath,reachingthatrangetakesitonlyaminuteortwo,eveninhotweather.

Whyisitsoimportanttoaddthelyetothewaterinsteadoftheotherwayaround?I’veseensourcesthatsayyoucanaddwatertolye.OneortwobooksandafewWebsitessaytoaddwatertolye.DON’TDOIT.

Addingwatertolyeisdangerous,becausethereactionissostrong.TheU.S.

ConsumerProductSafetyCommissionactuallyrecalledonesoapmakingbookforgivingthisadvice.(SeeU.S.ConsumerProductSafetyCommissionRelease#04-010,October15,2003.Findthenoticeonthecommission’sWebsiteatwww.cpsc.gov.)We’realsowarnednottoaddlyetowarmorhotwater,againbecauseofthestrongreaction.

IreadthatIshouldkeepabottleofvinegarhandyincaseIgetlyeonmyself.Whydon’tyourecommendthat?Treatingtheburnwithvinegarwillmakeitworse.Thevinegarwillneutralize

thelyebutwillgenerateheatandfurtherdamageyourskin.Lyemanufacturersrecommendthatyouuserunningwater.

Yourinstructionsareforamicrowaveoven,butwhatifIdon’thaveone?Youcanmeltthesolidfatinaslowcooker,orinaregularovenatthelowest

possibleheat.Eitherofthesewilltakeforty-fiveminutestoanhourtomeltthesolidfatsinmystarterrecipe(includingthecoconutoil).Getthemmeltedcompletelybeforeproceeding.Idon’trecommendmeltingfatonastovetop.Notthatyoucan’tdoit,anddo

itsafely.Buttherearealotof“if’s”—ifyouuseadoubleboiler,ifyoupaycloseandconstantattention,ifyou’repreparedtohandleagreasefireifonestarts.Idon’tdoit,andagain,Idon’trecommendit.

Whycan’tIuseaplasticpailformixingthelyesolutionwiththefat?Whataboutotherplasticutensils?Ican’texactlyrecommend“plastic,”becauseplasticsarealldifferent.Some

soapmakerssaythatplasticworksfine.Butyoudohavetobesureit’sheat-resistant.Ifthecontainerismicrowave-safe,itshouldbeOK.Orfillitwithboilingwatertoseeifitgetssoft.

Whyuseastickblender?Whynotjuststirwithaspoon?Orwhataboutanelectricmixeroraregularblender?Thestickblenderisidealformixingthefatwiththelyesolutionquickly,

thoroughly,andsafely.Youcanuseaspoon.Ifyoudo,bepreparedtostirforalongtime.Specialsoapmakingrecipesandtechniquesforelectricmixersandregular

blenderscanbefoundontheWeb.I’mnotanexpertinmakingsoapwitheither,butneitherseemstomeagoodtool,especiallyforabeginner.Aregularblendercanbeusedsafelyonlyforverysmallbatches,andifoverfilledmaypopitslidandspewthesoapmixtureallover.Also,boththesetools—especiallythemixer

—canbeatinsomuchairthatthesoaptextureispoor.

Checkingthetemperatureseemssuchaneasywaytotellifthesoapmixtureisreadytopour.Whydon’tallsoapmakingbookstellyoutodothat?BecauseIworkeditoutmyselfwhilewritingthisone!Ithinkit’sagreat

technique,especiallyforbeginners,becauseyoudon’thavetodependentirelyonyourjudgment.Inmytests,Icouldpouroutamixtureafteratemperatureriseoftwotothree

degreesFahrenheit(oneortwodegreesCelsius)andgetgoodsoapevenifIwasn’tyetsurefromvisualsignsthatthemixturewasready.WithariseoftendegreesFahrenheit(fiveorsixdegreesCelsius),themixturewasatheavytraceandindangerofsolidifyinginthepot!(Keepinmindthatthesespecifictemperaturedifferencesareformyownrecipesandbatchsizeasgiveninthisbook.)Infairnesstoearlierauthors,thismethodmightworkonlywhenusingastick

blenderorotherrapidmixer,whichhasn’tbeencommonamongcraftsoapmakersforthatlong.Ifyouwerehandstirring,Idon’tknowifyoucoulddetecttherise,becauseyou’dbegeneratingheatmoreslowlyandmightbelosingitaboutasfast.Also,agooddigitalthermometerhelpsalot,andthey’veonlyrecentlybecomesoaffordable.

Whatisfalsetrace?Ireadaboutthat,andnowI’mnotsureifmysoaphascometotrace,orifit’sjustfalsetrace.“Falsetrace”iswhenyoursoapmixturethickensconsiderablybutthenre-

separatesintolyesolutionandfat.It’srare,butitcansometimeshappenwhenthetemperatureofyourmixturefallsbelowtherecommendedrange,causingmeltedfattostarttoresolidify.Thethickeningcanfoolyouintothinkingthemixturehassaponifiedwhenitreallyhasn’t.Withhandstirring,thiscoolingandthickeningmighthappenanytime,but

withastickblender,youwouldprobablyonlyseeitrightafteryoustartblending.You’llknowit’stooearlyforsaponificationtohavemorethanbarelybegun,andinanycase,themixturewillshownosignificanttemperaturerise.So,justkeepblending,andthemixtureshouldappearnormalinaminuteorso.

WhyisyourexplanationofsuperfattingdifferentfromothersI’veread?Superfattingisthetermforincludingabufferofextrafatinarecipetomake

surealllyeisneutralized.Confusingly,somesoapmakersinsteadusethetermtomeanaddingpartofthefatjustbeforepouringthesoapintothemold.Thisisdonetosavethemostexpensive“luxury”buttersandoilstillthelyehasbeen

neutralizedbytheotherfat.Thisissupposedtoletthelateadditionretainitsdistinctive,desirablequalities.Thoughthereasoningmakessense,somesoapmakersbelievethismethodhasnobenefitoveraddingallfatsatonce.

Howdoyoumakemarbledsoap?Here’soneway.Pouralittleofthethickenedsoapmixturefromthepotintoa

bowl.Addyourcoloranttothebowlandmixwell.Nowpourthecoloredmixturebackintothepotandstironceortwice,justenoughtoswirlitaround.Thenpourthemarbledsoapmixtureintothemold.

HowdoImakeroundsoap?Roundsoapcanbemadeusingplasticpipeasamold.Themainproblem

seemstobegettingthesoapoutofthepipe.YoucanfindvariousschemesontheWebformakingandusingsuchmolds.

DoIreallyhavetowaitacoupleofweekstousemysoap?Isthereanywaytospeedthatup?Ifyou’resureyoursoapmoldcanstandtheheat,youcansetitcoveredina

regularovenataround170°F(77°C)rightafteryoupouryoursoapintoit.Aftertwohours,turnofftheovenwithoutopeningthedoorandleteverythingcoolforseveralhoursorovernight.Thesoapwillbereadytouse.Whenthisheatingtechniqueisaddedtocoldprocesssoapmaking,thecombinedmethodiscalledcoldprocessovenprocess,orCPOP(pronounced“SEE-pop”).Somewoodsusedformoldswilldofineintheoven,butotherswillblacken.

Unfortunately,it’shardtopredictaheadoftime.Ofcourse,youdon’twanttotrythismethodwithamilkcarton.

Whatisrebatching,andwhat’sitgoodfor?Rebatchingisthereprocessingofabatchofsoaptoaddingredients.For

instance,ifyourrecipewassomehowofforyoumismeasured,andyouknowexactlywhatwaswrong,youcouldrebatchtocorrecttheimbalance.Youcanalsorebatchtoaddspecialmaterials.Thesemightincludealuxury

fat,orascentthatwouldhavemadethesoapsaponifytoorapidly,oroatmeal,orabotanicalsuchaslavenderbuds.Rebatchingtoaddspecialingredientsissometimescalledhand-milling.Idon’thavemuchexperienceinrebatching,butyoucaneasilyfind

informationaboutitontheWeb.EspeciallygoodforthisisKathyMiller’sWebsite,listedintheresourcessectionofthisbook.

Whatdoesitmeanwhenascentissaidto“acceleratetrace”?

Whatdoesitmeanwhenascentissaidto“acceleratetrace”?Somescentsandotheradditivescanmakesaponificationhappensofastthat

thesoapsolidifiesbeforeyougetachancetopouritintoyourmold.“Acceleratestrace”isthewaymanufacturersdescribethispotentialproblem.Whenthesoap“seizesup”likethatinthepot,itdoesn’tmakethesoapdangerous,justmisshapen.It’ssaidthatyoucanpreventtheseizingbykeepingthescentcoolandadding

itwhenthemixturejustbeginstothicken.Personally,Iavoidsuchscentsorelsesavethemforrebatching.

I’vereadthatafailedsoapbatchhastobedisposedofashazardouswaste.Isthattrue?I’vereadthattoo.Thestatementispuzzlingbecauselye,theonlyhazardous

componentofsoap,isroutinelypoureddowndrainstocleanthem.Howcoulditbeanymorehazardouswhenpartlyusedupinsaponification?Alittleresearchconfirmedthat,atleastinmycommunity,themixturewould

notbeconsideredhazardouswaste.However,thefatinasoapmixturecouldclogyourdrain.

Whydon’tyoudescribethesignsofafailedsoapbatchlikeotherbooksdo?Frankly,Idon’thavemuchexperiencewithsoapfailures.ThefewthatI’ve

hadnearlyallcamewhenIwasexperimentingtoseeifIcouldmakearecipefail.TheotheronecamewhenItriedanonlinecalculatorthatwasn’tsetupcorrectly(andonceIidentifiedtheerror,Ifixedthatsoapeasilywithrebatching).ButI’veneverhadsoapfailwhenitwasmadefromaproperlydesignedrecipeandwiththemethodsIrecommend.AsIsaidbefore,mostfailuresseemtocomefromsoapmakerstryingtocreate

theirownrecipesbeforethey’reready.Otherscomefrominadequatemixingwhenstirringbyhand.Afterreadingthisbook,youshouldbesafeguardedfromeithersourceofproblems.Rememberwhatmychemistryteacherfriendtoldme:“Ifyoujustmeasure

correctly,controlthetemperature,andmixyouringredientswell,you’llgetsoap.”Whywouldthatfail?

AFewFinalThoughts

Torefinetheinstructionsinthisbook,I’veaskedtheopinionsofmanysoapmakersandsiftedtheresults.I’veexperimentedwithsuggestionsandmodifiedmyownprocedures.I’vetriedtotrimawayunnecessary,cumbersome,orconfusingdirections.Themethodsdescribedhereworkformeandtheyworkformystudents.But

noteveryonewillagreewithallI’verecommended—andthat’stobeexpected.There’smorethanonegoodwaytodoalmostanythinginsoapmaking.BesidesthetechniquesI’veoffered,I’dliketoleaveyouwithafewthoughts

aboutbasicapproach.•Nevergetlaxinyoursafetymeasures,butdon’tbeafraidofsoapmaking,

either.•Waittodevelopyourownsoaprecipestillyou’vemasteredthebasisprocess

ofsoapmaking.•Questiontradition—experiment.Soapmakingisfun,creative,andrewarding.You’llbeamazedatthebeautiful

soapsyoumake,atacostfarlessthanyou’dpayifyouboughtthem.Enjoysoapmaking!

WheretoLearnMore

Books

HerearethebooksIconsiderespeciallyusefulforbeginnersmakingcoldprocesssoap.

TheEverythingSoapmakingBook,byAliciaGrosso,AdamsMediaCorporation,Avon,Massachusetts,2003.Thisisanexcellentgeneralsourceofsoapmakinginformation.Unfortunately,it’soutofprint,solookforausedcopy.

EssentiallySoap,byRobertS.McDaniel,KrausePublications,Iola,Wisconsin,2000.McDanielisachemistwhomakessoapandwriteswell.Iwouldhavethoughtaprofessionalscientist’sbookwouldbeoutofreachforabeginner,butit’soneoftheclearestexplanationsofsoapmakingI’veread.

TheSoapmaker’sCompanion,bySusanMillerCavitch,StoreyPublishing,NorthAdams,Massachusetts,1997.Agoodreference,withdetaileddescriptionsofthepropertiesofvariousingredients.

WebSites

Anne’sSoapmakingPage

Checkhereforthelatestresultsofmyexperimentsinsoapmaking.There’salwaysmoretotryandtolearn!

www.annelwatson.com/soapmaking

SoapCalc

Thissiteisoneofthemostusefulsourcesofsoapmakinginformationandformulaanalysis.It’snearlyindispensableifyou’redesigningyourownrecipes.

www.soapcalc.net

Miller’sHomemadeSoapPages

KathyMiller’sWebsite.Hassoapmakinginstructionsandapagelistingfatsandtheirproperties.Anespeciallygoodresourceforrebatching.

www.millersoap.com

SoapNuts

AlargelibraryofresourcesfrommembersoftheSoapnutsYahoogroup.

www.soapnuts.com

ColeBrothers

Hassoapmakinginstructionsandapagethatlistsfatsandtheirproperties.

www.colebrothers.com/soap

SoapmakingDictionary

Definesdozensoftermsusedinsoapmaking,courtesyoftheCoconutCoastHandmadeSoapCo.

www.ccnphawaii.com/glossary.htm

Skinesscentuals

Goodbasicinformation,especiallyaboutpropertiesoffats.

www.saveonscents.com/skinesscentuals

EmailDiscussionLists

Therearemanysoapmakinglists,allwithdifferentpersonalities.Someencouragebeginnersandareexcellentplacesforquestions,whileotherlistsaremainlyforprofessionals.Someliststhriveondebate,whileothersforbidit.Searchontheterms“soapmaking”and“soapmaking”atYahooGroups(groups.yahoo.com)andseewhatlistsappealtoyou.Thentryafewandstickwithwhatyoulikebest.Somelistssponsorcooperativebuysofsoapmakingsupplies.These

operationsvaryinquality.Probablythesafestwaytofindagoodco-opgroupistogetinvolvedwithamailinglistandthenasktheothermembersforareferral.

WheretoFindDesignTools

OnlineCalculators

SoapCalc

Thisiswidelyconsideredthefinestsoapdesigntoolavailable,andit’sfree!Includeslye,water,INSvalues,andpropertiesoffats.

www.soapcalc.net

BrambleBerryLyeCalculator

www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Lye-Calculator.aspx

CranberryLane’sLyeCalculator

www.cranberrylane.com/calculator.htm

MajesticMountainSage’sLyeCalculator

www.thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php

PineMeadowsLyeCalculator

www.pinemeadows.net/lyecalc.php

ComputerPrograms

SoapMaker

Thisprogramfeaturesagraphicaldisplayofsoaphardness,fluffylather,stablelather,andemollientpropertiesofanygivenmixtureoffats.Itcancalculatearecipe’spercentagesofindividualfatsfromtheirquantities,andviceversa.Itcanalsocalculatethecostofsuppliesperbar,whiletheprofessionalversionkeepstrackofsupplyinventory.

www.soapmaker.ca

SoapCalc

Thisisasimplespreadsheetthatcancalculatelyeandwater,figureyourcostperbar,andalsore-sizerecipesforuseinanordinaryblender.Itdoesn’thavethefatspropertiesinformationcontainedinSoapMaker.(ThisSoapCalcisnottobeconfusedwiththefreeSoapCalcyoucanuseontheWeb.)

www.colebrothers.com/soapcalc

WheretoGetSupplies

Inthislist,suppliersinthewesternU.S.areonesI’veusedmyselfandcanpersonallyrecommend.Formostoftherest,I’vereliedonrecommendationsfromexperiencedsoapmakerswhoareacquaintedwiththem.

Fortheupdatedlistofsuppliers,visitAnne’sSoapmakingPageat

www.annelwatson.com/soapmaking

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