Soap Making - Part 2

Some people posted that soap making seems complex. It really isn't! There is some science involved but tools like the Lye Calculator make it really easy. I did everything in step 1 in about 1.5 hours and that includes taking the photos, set up, clean up and re-ordering supplies while the fats and lye cooled! It's also very economical. I ordered enough supplies for 8 - 10 more batches of soap and the total cost was about $45. A batch of soap makes up to 10 bars. That's about 50 cents per bar!

Picking up where I left off 2 days ago. Once you have the blankets or towels insulating the soap mold, let it set for a day. If you slip your hand under the towels you'll feel just how warm the soap gets. After about 24 hours you can remove the insulation and then let the soap stay in the mold until it's firm enough to cut. For me, that's usually one more day. This morning I removed my soap from the molds.

Sometimes when I use an "ordinary" container the soap will tend to stick. I put the container in the freezer for about 30 minutes and the soap will usually slide out. The plastic drawer organizer lined with freezer paper works beautifully as a mold. That little box I use for the overflow sometimes gives me a fit but a few hits upsidedown on the counter will usually knock out the soap.

The fun part is cutting the bars.

I usually get 8 - 9 bars from the soap mold and I cut the soap in the small box into small bars for travel soap. I travel frequently for work and make a few little bars that I can leave behind in the hotels.

I arrange the bars on an old cookie sheet lined in paper and leave it to cure for about 3 weeks.

It's not as easy as lotion to make but it's just as much fun!

Comments

[Suzanne]

I'm impressed! But I don't think I'm going to take up soap or lotion making....

[Lynda]

Looks like an awful lot of hard work Vicki. Do you make the soap because of your allergies or is it something you would be doing anyway?
By the way, love your tiles, and your worktop, and your kitchen......