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How to Make Soap

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Version 0.1
Copyright © 2009 by Zack Smith.
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Introduction

This page has the purpose of explaining the basics of making soap. It's useful if you are interested in learning how to make soap, or if you need simply to review.

Generalities

1. All soap recipes provide amounts in weights. If you see ounces, that is not fluid ounces, it's a weight.
2. You absolutely must wear protective gear when making soap: Gloves, gobbles, long sleeve shirt, closed shoes.
3. You put lye into water, not water into lye!
4. When you put the lye into the water, it produces water vapor that contains lye. Don't breath it. Best just to do the mixing outdoors and stand upwind.
5. The moment that lye is exposed to air, it begins capturing water vapor. Minimize exposure to air! Don't get it on your skin and if you do, rinse with cold water extensively.
6. Mix your lye-water solution with your oils in either a stainless steel container or enamel, but not aluminum or plastic.
7. Each type of oil or fat requires a different amount of lye by weight.

Ingredients

The basics ingredients for making a soap are:
  • Water (or milk).
  • Lye.
  • Oils and/or fats.

Regular Soap

Basic Steps

  1. Mix your liquid oils.
  2. Obtain your distilled water.
  3. Add lye gradually. It will heat up.
  4. Before lye-water solution cools to 100 degrees F get your fats melted and mixed in with the oils. Heat them so that they come to about 100 F and keep them at that temperature.
  5. It is just when the lye-water solution is at 100 F you will need to mix the solution and oils.
  6. Mix using a handheld blender.
  7. Watch for "tracing" i.e. when dripping a bit of the liquid leaves a trace on the surface. When it traces you are ready to pour into the mold.

Results

Here's a photo of my water-based soap. I made two kinds: One based on just water, which is lighter. Another based on water that had black tea added, which is darker.

Goats Milk Soap

Goats' milk makes a smoother, less harsh soap than water does. I've made this kind as well using frozen milk chunks. More on the procedure later...

Results

The goats-milk soap that I made is smoother or creamier, and less corrosive.

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