Soap Making 2011

I did a soap making post a while back but I've never done an update on the recipe. So here we go.

Recipe:

In either ounces or grams, I use grams because I find it more precise and the math easier.

Water- 12 oz. or 366 g.
Lye NaOH- 5oz. or 143 g.
Coconut Oil- 12 oz. or 340 g.
Olive Oil- 12 oz. or 340 g.
Vegetable Oil (Crisco)- 10 oz. or 283 g. **

Combining temp: 120 degrees F
Time in mold: 48 hours

** I am aware of the destruction surrounding Palm oil which is the bulk of Crisco. I intend to change up this recipe and use mostly lard sourced from our local Farmer/Butcher. But I have to use up what I've purchased, thus the recipe above.

First thing I do is get my molds ready. I've used silicone cupcake molds, which work really well. But I just bought myself some no liner soap molds and I really want to try them out. 

I put all my fats into one big bowl and set it on the fire to melt and warm up. Takes a bit longer this way than heating it on the stove but this way's more fun. The olive oil I used in this recipe is infused with St. Johns Wort, which gives it that lovely red color and sweet smell. It should not effect the recipe other than imparting the awesomeness of SJW to the soap.


Now I get my lye and water ready. I read that lye will absorb water from the air so I don't get it out and pre-measured like I normally would. I do measure my water, using cold water from the tap and put it in the fridge to stay cool. After the lye is added to the water an intense chemical reaction takes place. The water went from 60*F to 180*F in a matter of seconds. Always ADD LYE to WATER. NEVER THE OTHER WAY AROUND! It can splash more and accidentally burn you.

Safety is really important! I use goggles and yellow rubber gloves. I didn't use to wear anything, because I'm young and invincible. But then I read a blog post from Deborah over at Antiquity Oaks about her adventures in the ER after getting the Lye/water mixture in her eye.  Needless to say I am convinced about safety and I now wear my oh so sexy goggles!

Ok back to soap... once the fats are nearly melted I'll go ahead and add the lye to water. The goal is to get both bowls (lye/water) and (fats) to the same temperature before combining them. As I said before, add lye to water. It will put off some serious vapors of which you don't want in your lungs. So I usually turn on the stove hood fan just before I put the lye in the water. I also cover my mouth with a towel just in case. Stir the lye/water until all the lye is dissolved. Then keep an eye on the temperature of both mixtures. The goal is 120*,  the lye/water will have to cool to 120 and the fats will have to warm up to 120. Once that happens pour lye/water mixture into fats bowl and mix. I use my little hand mixer which is super awesome for this task. I've also used a big kitchen mixer. Whatever works.

After about 2 minutes the soap will trace. Trace meaning to go from runny watery oil/water/lye to something more like pudding consistency. When the mixer moves the soap concoction should leave "trace" lines. Like running a spoon through pudding, you can see where the spoons been (does that make any sense?) Whatever.

So pour that gloppy soap thing into a mold. When I added the lye to fat it turned a horrid color of pea green. The really pretty red color imparted by the SJW turned green when the lye hit it. Which is fine because the soap should dry and cure out to be a softy green/yellow.

I added a small strip of parchment paper to my new mold. It isn't required but it should help me lift the soap out of the mold when it's done curing.

It has to be in the molds for 48 hours in order to have firmed up enough to handle. Also with these molds it forms an air lock so there is no getting it out before it's ready anyway.

This mold is a 3-4 pound size, molds come in many different sizes. This recipe fills one mold.

An Idea: the 52 week project

I came across a blog a few weeks ago where a gal took a picture per week and posted it. She called it her 52 week project. I think I'd like to do something similar. Lately I've been struggling with topics and I've been on a blogging hiatus. I read all my fellow bloggers though, faithfully. I just seem to have nothing to say. 
I wondered if this 52 week project would get me motivated again. Most people use the 52 wk. project to enhance their photography skills. I might use it to do a snapshot of what's going on around here. Not to say I wouldn't do regular posts too but this might keep me inspired.

We've made some changes around here, the blog for one and on the farm too, namely our new wood stove. I've done some sewing projects to make window quilts and have been learning to play the guitar too! I really used to hate winter but now I love it, whole weekends when planning happens instead of farming.