Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => CRAFTING CORNER => Topic started by: blckoakbees on June 19, 2008, 07:33:53 am

Title: Soap Making
Post by: blckoakbees on June 19, 2008, 07:33:53 am
 :?

Does any one have a good recipe for making soap with the beeswax and honey.  I thought that might be a fun project.

Thanks,

JA
California
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: eri on June 19, 2008, 10:51:24 am
Brushy Mountain sells soap-making kits for the beginner. Has lye in it, though. I've looked at poured soaps (no lye). I'm interested, too, in hearing from folks who've made soap. I had a bar with honey in it and it smelled great!
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on July 06, 2008, 03:49:04 am
lye is great in soap.  It really cuts through grease and oil. 
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: dpence on July 07, 2008, 01:14:59 am
Actually by definition soap has lye in it.  Anything else is called a detergent bar.  Just ask my wife.

www.marlenascountry.com

Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: marlena on July 07, 2008, 01:49:05 am
That's right, just ask me!  ;)  My husband is right. All true "soap" is made with lye.  That's why what you buy at the store will say "bath bar" or "beauty bar" on the label.

JA.....I make a really nice Oatmeal, Milk, & Honey soap that has both beeswax and honey in it. If you truly want to try your hand at making soap, I'd be happy to help you with a recipe. Lye is really not bad to work with as long as you use the proper safety gear and handling procedures. How big of a batch would you like to make?


~Marlena





Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on July 10, 2008, 03:52:45 am
This may be a little off topic, but it seems like today's soaps have more fillers in them than soap.  Used to be a bar of soap was rock hard, but you could get a good lather out of it twice a day every day for 3 months... but I'm lucky to get a week out of a bar today... it's all the moisturizers and stuff they add now.  I kinda wish I could get that old fashoned just plain old soap.  It always washed away clean (no soap scum buildup), too.  Sure my skin would get dry, but I'm a guy.  My skin isn't supposed to be buttery smooth. 
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: chefbb on July 10, 2008, 03:53:15 pm
Marlena,
I would love your recipe...to make say, a gallon of soap???  My son did a chemistry project on soapmaking and it was really amazing!! I think I had more fun than he did! I think the hardest thing was to find the lye...But, now I have lots and need to make some soap!
Thanks for any information you can share!
Bonnie
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: deejaycee on July 10, 2008, 06:24:01 pm
Marlena, could I trouble you for a copy of that recipe too please?  I've been thinking about getting into soaps and such for a wee while, but would love to be able to start with a proven recipe. 
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: johnnybigfish on July 10, 2008, 08:47:12 pm
 All I know is, Soap burns my eyes!!!
 But you know whats really coool??
 depence and Marlena!!!
 They're kinda like together here..in the same place but not in the same place..Sorta like a conference call!
 When depence was talking about "ask my wife" and she just appears, sort of like a guest on the Oprah show, coming out from behind a curtain, to everybodys amazement!!!
 THAT was COOOOOLLL!!!!


your friend,
john
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: marlena on July 11, 2008, 02:56:33 am
Normally a soap recipe is by weight. I'm not sure what a gallon of soap would weigh. I have several really good recipes depending on the oils you want to use and how mild you want the soap to be. When adding honey, the norm is about 1 TBS ppo (per pound of oil).

For the beginner....I would suggest the following recipe:

42 oz Olive oil
2.5 TBS honey (optional)
2 oz fragrance or essential oil (optional)
5.3 oz lye
5.7 oz water (use distilled)

That recipe makes what is known as a castile soap. Many believe it to be the gentlest soap you can make. And I tend to agree. If you want to include beeswax in this recipe, just sub 2 ozs beeswax for 2 ozs of the olive oil. You will have to heat the olive oil in order to blend the beeswax into it. Just allow to cool down before adding lye solution.

And PLEASE.....don't forget to wear safety gear when messing with lye.

If anyone is wanting a more complex recipe, just holler.

SgtMaj......my husband remembers his grandmothers soap darn near stripping his hide off but he says he was squeaky clean and a chunk of that soap lasted forever.  He wants me to make some plain soap with no moisturizing qualities. Maybe I'll have to send you a sample to try out when I get it made.  :-D



~Marlena
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: johnnybigfish on July 11, 2008, 08:16:48 pm
 I always thought that people here were using beeswax to make soap from.

your friend,
john
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on July 12, 2008, 06:30:38 am
SgtMaj......my husband remembers his grandmothers soap darn near stripping his hide off but he says he was squeaky clean and a chunk of that soap lasted forever.  He wants me to make some plain soap with no moisturizing qualities. Maybe I'll have to send you a sample to try out when I get it made.  :-D



~Marlena


Marlena, I'd absolutely love that!  Wouldn't mind having the recipe either.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: blckoakbees on July 12, 2008, 07:22:10 am
Marlene,

Thank you for the recipe.  I am wondering if there is a book you would recommend to help me get started.  I have never done this before.

I am sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you.  I just started a new job last month and while I really like the work, work gets in the way of life.

Thank you for any advice you can give me would you recommend buying the bushy beginning kit?

JA
California foothills
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: marlena on July 15, 2008, 01:30:10 am
JA.......I learned by doing alot of reading on the internet. There are several websites that give step by step instructions with pictures on making cold process soap. I believe I'm not allowed to post links yet so I'll PM it to you along with the link to a soapmaking forum that has a wealth of information. I must warn you......one batch of soap made and you'll be hooked!



SgtMaj......You got it! I'll let you know when I get it made. I'll even send the recipe that I use with it. I believe David's grandmother use animal fats (tallow & lard) to make her soap. I'm planning to do the same. Do you have any reservations about using a soap made from those two oils?


~Marlena
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: greenismycolor on July 15, 2008, 03:30:56 pm
Marlena

Thank you for posting the recipe. It seems nice and simple opposed to some that seem so complicated, I've read so many I have confused myself.. :-\  Anyway, I have been thinking of making soap for a while now and I will try yours.  My question is, can I cut this recipe in half? and, do I mix everything together cold, heated, if so what temp? is there any particular material in a pan, pot or bowl that I should use? Do you mold yours individualy or make one big block and cut it? if so, what do you use to cut it with? Do you or can you add color?  I hope you don't mind all the questions. I appreciate any information.

Green
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: derrick1p1 on July 15, 2008, 05:58:21 pm
I was looking into making soap last year and gave up because I couldn't find lye and was under the impression you couldn't get it anymore.

Where on Earth can you purchase lye???

Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: greenismycolor on July 16, 2008, 12:20:13 am
Derrick

You can order it online at brushymountain.com and betterbee.com.  Look in their soap making section.

green
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: greenismycolor on July 16, 2008, 12:26:18 am
Marlena

If it's not to much bother, I would really like the recipe you have for the Oatmeal, Milk, & Honey soap that has both beeswax and honey in it. I have a friend who's daughter was born with a chronic skin condition, and I read somewhere that this would be a great soap for her.

green
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: marlena on July 16, 2008, 01:37:14 am
Green,

No problem.....I'll share me OMH recipe with you. And I'm happy to answer you questions the best I can.

Olive oil  -  41 oz
Beeswax  -  1 oz
Fragrance oil  -  2 oz (optional)
Honey  -  2.5 Tbs
Ground oatmeal  -  2.5 Tbs  (I grind in coffee grinder)
Goat's milk  -  12 oz
Lye  -  5.3 oz

Due to the chance of overheating the milk with the lye, I freeze the milk before adding the lye. Allow the lye solution to cool. Add the beeswax to the olive oil and warm the oil till beeswax is melted. If using fragrance, add to olive & beeswax. Allow olive & beeswax mixture to cool. I usually wait for everything to reach room temp or at least pretty close to that. Once all is cool, add lye solution to oils. Hand stir only. Do not use a stickblender. Stir till soap begins to lightly thicken then add ground oatmeal. Stir till soap reaches trace (pudding consistancy). Pour into mold. Unmold and cut after about 24 hrs.

I've had several people claim that this soap is great for skin problems so your friend's daughter may find that this soap helps her. Everyone is differant and it is certainly worth a try. I would recommend that you NOT add the fragrance when making this soap for anyone with skin problems. I mix my soap in a plastic paint bucket (got at Wal-mart). I pour into a loaf mold. The above recipe makes a loaf of soap that measures 12.5 long x 3.5 wide x 2.5 high. DH got me a soap cutter this year so I cut my soap using it but before that I used a drywall blade and a miter box to cut my soaps. I usually cut 1 inch bars from the loaf. That should give you about 12 bars of soap. I don't add color to this soap because the milk and honey cause the soap to turn tan. It's best to allow this soap to cure at least 8 weeks before using but you should be able to safely use the soap at 2 weeks.

If you would rather make a smaller batch of soap let me know. I can post the revised recipe for a smaller batch.

Hopefully I made this clear as mud.  :-D   

~Marlena
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: deejaycee on July 16, 2008, 07:05:23 pm
Marlena, thanks so much for all your input here.  It'll be a couple of months before I probably get to give this a go (got some study that I have to dedicate to in the interim), but I'm really looking forward to it.

One question - where you give a weight for lye... is that 'dry' lye flakes or crystals or however it comes... or a solution?  I've seen reference to lye solutions in some sites and am a bit confused.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: greenismycolor on July 16, 2008, 09:44:46 pm
Marlena

Thanks a lot for the recipe.  I am a bit nervous, but none the less I'm going to try. It may be a couple weeks, but I hope to give you good results.

green
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: marlena on July 17, 2008, 02:05:18 am
deejaycee......you are so welcome. That is the weight for the lye only. I know what you talking about with the lye solution. Some people mix a lye solution at a certain percent and then weight the solution. I'm not one of those people because I make several differant recipes that require differant solution strengths. Besides.....I find it easier to mix lye in smaller quantities. I generally put my water (or milk) in a wide mouth quart canning jar and add lye slowly. Those jars are designed to withstand heat and tend to hold up to the heat from the lye solution. But use caution.....in all my years of making soap, I did have one quart jar bust on me from the heat of the lye solution. So......it's a good idea to mix the solution in sink.


Green......I'm here if you need me. I can even give you my email and/or phone # if you think you may want to chat about this before trying it. I'm sure you'll do great!  :)

Those of you looking for lye......some Lowe's stores do carry lye. Roebic® Heavy Duty Crystal Drain Opener contains 100% sodium hydroxide (Item #146450). That is where I used to get my lye. I now buy it from a chemical company in my area in 50 lb bags.

~Marlena
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on July 17, 2008, 05:50:26 am
Thanks Marlena for the recipe.  That looks just interresting enough to try sometime.  One question about it though, can regular whole milk or buttermilk be substituted in place of the goats milk? 
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: marlena on July 17, 2008, 12:23:54 pm
I've never personally used either one but I do know a few soapmakers who use buttermilk with great results. Give it a try.

~Marlena
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: greenismycolor on July 17, 2008, 10:32:02 pm
Marlena...that is a very kind offer and, I will take you up on it.  I am in the midst of gathering supplies right now, I did find that my local supermarket carries lye. I knew from a long time they carried Red Devil, but stopped a couple years ago.  Now it is a different company but the same 100% lye. Since this will be my first attempt I am still taking notes and trying to get containers...like your canning jar for the water and lye, I wasn't sure what to use that would be safe.  So any tips would be great!!! I will send you a private with my email address.

Thanks bunches
green

 
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: greenismycolor on July 19, 2008, 11:07:18 pm
Marlena, just wanted to let you know that I made my soap today. It is only 5 hours old at this time but it has started to set.  :-D It turned out a beautiful dark golden color, cant wait until tomorrow to see it when it is 24 hours old. 
When you use goats milk, do you use fresh or store bought canned milk?

thanks again, will keep you posted.
green
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on July 24, 2008, 03:34:16 am
Green, it's been a few days, how about an update?

Marlena or Green, I have a question for you... do you add the milk to the oil before adding the lye, or do you add the lye to the milk, then freeze it, or freeze the milk, add the lye to the frozen milk?? then add that to the oil?

I finally found lye at ace hardware.  Nobody else around here carries it.  That kinda says something about what kind of society we live in, doesn't it?
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: greenismycolor on July 24, 2008, 04:32:50 pm
SgtMaj, after 24 hours I cut the soap into blocks, checked it yesterday and it seems to be drying, still a bit soft, it is a beautiful amber color and the smell of the lye seems to be weaker. This is my first time around, so keep your fingers crossed.

about your question SgtMaj, do you add the milk to the oil before adding the lye, or do you add the lye to the milk, then freeze it, or freeze the milk, add the lye to the frozen milk?? then add that to the oil?

Yes to the latter.....you freeze the milk and add the lye to it....(the lye mix will get really hot, this is the reason for freezing) when that reaches close to room temp. you add that to your oil. That is the way I did mine, from Marlena's recipe. Are you going to try a batch Sgt.?

Yes the difficulty of buying lye does say something about our society, it's a very strong message when you see the young people around you die, from this stupidity. 2 days ago there was a 22 year old and one week ago a 36 year old ....young men, in the prime of their life, and the heart just stopped. Sorry maybe this is for another forum, but it hit close to home.

green



Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: chefbb on July 28, 2008, 07:33:07 pm
Marlena,
Thanks so much for the soap recipe!!  Can't wait to try it.  Someone was asking about a good book to read about soap making...My local public library had LOTS of books...PLus, there is lots of info online.  We ordered our lye online...couldn't find it locally except by the TON!!
Thanks again,
Bonnie
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: Cindi on July 28, 2008, 08:15:33 pm
I am curious.  How long does the soap last, months, years?  Does it ever go racid with the milk product in it?  Beautiful day, beautiful life, Cindi
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on July 29, 2008, 04:32:50 am
Cindi, I believe chemical reactions take place between the lye and soap which makes it able to last pretty much forever.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: Cindi on July 29, 2008, 10:37:55 am
SgtMgr.  Oh that is good to know, sounds logical, beautiful day in this great life, living on our wonderful earth.  Cindi
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: marlena on July 30, 2008, 01:32:34 am
Cindi, I believe chemical reactions take place between the lye and soap which makes it able to last pretty much forever.

You are correct, SgtMaj! Lye soaps will only get better and harder with age. The harder the bar.....the londer it tends to last.


Congrats Green!!!!  Did you make the OMH soap? Most people don't attempt milk soaps until they have a few batches of soap made with just water under their belt. Your a brave one. And from the sounds of it.......a natural. The OMH soap will take about 6 to 12 weeks to harden up depending on the humidity in the room your drying your soaps.

~Marlena
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: rdy-b on July 30, 2008, 02:21:15 am
I sold some beeswax to someone at the farmers market where i sell and they told me they where going to make soap-then they told me they where making chocolate soap seams the powdered chocolate is added to the batch and this soap is so-posed to be for sensitive skin -has anyone ever herd of such a soap-first time for me-she brought me a piece of this chocolate soap -i think it needs to cure longer because it is soft in the center -i haven't tried the soap yet -but i will- never know it might be a great discovery - :) RDY-B
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: johnnybigfish on July 30, 2008, 03:37:42 pm
 Yo rdy-b!
 Are you planning on bathing with this stuff or EATING IT!! :-D
 Sounds DELICIOUS!!

your friend,
john
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on July 30, 2008, 03:43:05 pm
Well I just finished mixing up my first batch.  It was interresting to say the least.  I'm not sure I did it right though... it's been more than an hour and it hasn't even begun to solidify, and it still basically looks like oil.  I basically followed the first recipe, except I added buttermilk and honey (no oatmeal or anything else though). 
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: greenismycolor on July 30, 2008, 10:52:31 pm
Thanks Marlena!!!!

Yes I did make the soap by the recipe you gave us.  It was a nice texture after 24 hours, sure has a nice feel to it, I cut it with a normal knife and it slid right through, and made beautiful bars.  Today is 10 days and it seems to be drying fine. My mom remembered when they made lye soap from years ago, and was not very encouraging when I told her I was going to try. When she saw and smell it she was quiet amazed, I think she will try a bar.  :-D  What would make the soap a lighter color, maybe a lighter milk? or?




Good luck SgtMaj. I hope your soap turns out great.  I am thinking to try buttermilk the next time, so keep me posted on your batch. :-D

Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on July 31, 2008, 02:58:00 am
What would make the soap a lighter color, maybe a lighter milk? or?

That's what I thought at first, but when I mixed the lye with the buttermilk, it turned blood red.  When I first saw it I was like :shock: because, not having worked with lye before, and being scared by the warning label on it, I thought the lye had eaten through my glove and had somehow been dissolving my hand.  Should have been using something to mix it with instead of my hand, but oh well.

BTW - I didn't even notice that one of my gloves did have a tear in it until later... and found that lye is pretty much like bleach... you have to rinse it forever to get that slimy feeling to go away, but other than that, you don't notice it much... apart from the heat when mixing it... WOW that was much hotter than I thought it would get.  Seems like soap making would be a good winter activity... that batch had to have given out more than 1000 BTU's by the time it cooled.  Not that that's a whole lot, but in terms of energy savings between summer and winter, you have to double it because no only do you not have to generate as much heat to warm the house, you aren't spending money on A/C to cool it by that much either.  Of course it probably only adds up to a few cents, or maybe $50 if you're on natural gas instead of electric...  :roll:



Good luck SgtMaj. I hope your soap turns out great.  I am thinking to try buttermilk the next time, so keep me posted on your batch. :-D

Yeah, I was wondering, what did your batch look/feel like after you had finished mixing it?  Was it still just like oil?  I'm just not sure I got the recipe right... I might have put too much or too little lye in.  I wasn't sure exactly how much to add, so I just kept adding it to the overall mix until it would no longer dissolve into it, then I let the particles settle out that wouldn't dissolve into it, poured three molds, and the leftover is separate and contains all that extra lye, but all four batches still look, smell, and feel like cooking oil.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: derrick1p1 on July 31, 2008, 11:13:49 am
I"m currently reading 'The Everything SoapMaking Book' .  Very informative and interesting.  I haven't made any yet, but did get some lye and am anxious to start.  I need to pick up some of the materials (pots/spoons etc).  She recommends NOT reusing soap making equipment to cook with...what do y'all think? 

SGtmjr, let us know how it turns out.  According to this book, the ratio of lye to liquid is pretty sensitive and can determine if a batch traces and/or cures correctly.  But, as I mentioned, I've not made any before.  She also cautioned about using honey, as it can be difficult to work with in soap making, but I intend to give it a try soon.  She also has a coffee soap recipe.  You use strong coffee in place of water.  You can add the grounds if you choose to help exfoliate.

good luck,
Derrick
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: greenismycolor on August 01, 2008, 12:36:53 am




Good luck SgtMaj. I hope your soap turns out great.  I am thinking to try buttermilk the next time, so keep me posted on your batch. :-D

Yeah, I was wondering, what did your batch look/feel like after you had finished mixing it?  Was it still just like oil?  I'm just not sure I got the recipe right... I might have put too much or too little lye in.  I wasn't sure exactly how much to add, so I just kept adding it to the overall mix until it would no longer dissolve into it, then I let the particles settle out that wouldn't dissolve into it, poured three molds, and the leftover is separate and contains all that extra lye, but all four batches still look, smell, and feel like cooking oil.
[/quote]

SgtMaj.

I am posting the recipe that Marlena posted, below, the one with the goats milk is what I used.  It was a really nice dark honey color, but it seems to becoming lighter with age. After I first mixed it didn't look just like oil, but you could tell it contained oil. Within 2 hours you could tell it was going to be a soild, and after 24 hours it was a soft solid, but was firm enough to take out of the mold and cut it. The texture was the same all over, it didn't have any soft spots or spots of liquid. This was my first batch ever so I don't know how much help I can be. I used a diet scale, like you get at walmart for about 3-4 dollars, to measure my ingredients.

This is Marlena's recipe, where u use water:

For the beginner....I would suggest the following recipe:

42 oz Olive oil
2.5 TBS honey (optional)
2 oz fragrance or essential oil (optional)
5.3 oz lye
5.7 oz water (use distilled)

That recipe makes what is known as a castile soap. Many believe it to be the gentlest soap you can make. And I tend to agree. If you want to include beeswax in this recipe, just sub 2 ozs beeswax for 2 ozs of the olive oil. You will have to heat the olive oil in order to blend the beeswax into it. Just allow to cool down before adding lye solution.

And PLEASE.....don't forget to wear safety gear when messing with lye.


This is the one I used, from Marlena as well:

Olive oil  -  41 oz
Beeswax  -  1 oz
Fragrance oil  -  2 oz (optional)
Honey  -  2.5 Tbs
Ground oatmeal  -  2.5 Tbs  (I grind in coffee grinder)
Goat's milk  -  12 oz
Lye  -  5.3 oz

Due to the chance of overheating the milk with the lye, I freeze the milk before adding the lye. Allow the lye solution to cool. Add the beeswax to the olive oil and warm the oil till beeswax is melted. If using fragrance, add to olive & beeswax. Allow olive & beeswax mixture to cool. I usually wait for everything to reach room temp or at least pretty close to that. Once all is cool, add lye solution to oils. Hand stir only. Do not use a stickblender. Stir till soap begins to lightly thicken then add ground oatmeal. Stir till soap reaches trace (pudding consistancy). Pour into mold. Unmold and cut after about 24 hrs.

What kind of oil did you use?.....hope this helps

green[/b][/i][/i][/b]







Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: marlena on August 01, 2008, 01:06:36 am
What would make the soap a lighter color, maybe a lighter milk? or?

I used coconut milk powder in soap years back and it turned only a slight cream color. To get a white bar you would have to forget the milk and use water......no honey or beeswax, as it is also known to cause some discoloration in soap. Some fragrances (especially those containing vanilla) cause discoloration.

Should have been using something to mix it with instead of my hand, but oh well.

:shock: Ummm.......a cheap plastic spoon works very well.  :) 
Once you added the lye solution to your oils and stirred......and stirred....and stirred. It should have looked like pudding when you poured it into your molds. It really shouldn't look like cooking oil. I sure hope it sets up for you, SgtMaj.

~Marlena
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on August 01, 2008, 07:13:32 am
Well, the molds I poured first didn't really set up at all... they are still oil... kinda a solid oil, but I have to admit, I skimped on the oil and subbed in used fryer oil we had laying around after i realized just how much 42oz was and that I didn't have nearly enough olive oil... the fryer oil was crisco shortening.  Anyway, the leftover bit that had the lye crystals still in it, did KINDA set up... it has the basic consistency of brown sugar, and smells like it too.  Looking back, and having done a bit more reading up on it, I think I messed the whole thing up by not completely dissolving the lye in water first.  I added it to the water, but when I saw the crystals go straight to bottom and they didn't seem to do anything when I stirred them, I assumed it wasn't going to, and so added it straight to the oil before it had a chance to react with the water.  I'm going to try "fixing" it by melting everything and adding more water and lye and this time allowing the lye to fully react with the water before adding it to the oil.  Some other site recommended doing that if you somehow screwed it up, but that it would take much longer to fully cure since I'm effectively doubling the water content.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: greenismycolor on August 01, 2008, 08:24:31 pm
Marlena,

Although I really like beautiful dark honey color and the smell from the other one, my daughter said yuckkky to the smell. So I think I am going to try a batch with water, leave out the honey and beeswax, and add a scent she likes, maybe this will encourage her to use it.  Where in the world do you get coconut milk powder? would it be close to the same to use coconut oil? what kind of other scents compliment the coconut?

SgtMaj.

I admire your determination...that's it with anything, someone once said........if at first you don't suceed try, try again. I think that is good advice...Good luck and keep us posted.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: rdy-b on August 01, 2008, 11:44:54 pm
Well, the molds I poured first didn't really set up at all... they are still oil... kinda a solid oil, but I have to admit, I skimped on the oil and subbed in used fryer oil we had laying around after i realized just how much 42oz was and that I didn't have nearly enough olive oil... the fryer oil was crisco shortening.  Anyway, the leftover bit that had the lye crystals still in it, did KINDA set up... it has the basic consistency of brown sugar, and smells like it too.  Looking back, and having done a bit more reading up on it, I think I messed the whole thing up by not completely dissolving the lye in water first.  I added it to the water, but when I saw the crystals go straight to bottom and they didn't seem to do anything when I stirred them, I assumed it wasn't going to, and so added it straight to the oil before it had a chance to react with the water.  I'm going to try "fixing" it by melting everything and adding more water and lye and this time allowing the lye to fully react with the water before adding it to the oil.  Some other site recommended doing that if you somehow screwed it up, but that it would take much longer to fully cure since I'm effectively doubling the water content.
            UNBELIEVABLE  :? RDY-B
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on August 02, 2008, 12:49:03 am
what kind of other scents compliment the coconut?

Umm... lime.  But you have to put D lime in D coconut...

Sorry for that.  It's out of my system now.

Seriously, Vanilla compliments coconut.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: blckoakbees on August 02, 2008, 01:55:07 am
I am really glad I asked the question about soap.  I am ordering the lye.  I have not had a chance to make soap yet and I am really excited.  You know work really gets in the way of life.

Thanks Marlene

I will report back when I get a batch made.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on August 02, 2008, 11:00:58 am
            UNBELIEVABLE  :? RDY-B

Which part?
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: rdy-b on August 02, 2008, 06:44:02 pm
            UNBELIEVABLE  :? RDY-B

Which part?
  to start with used fryer oil instead of olive oil - I hope you didnt fry fish -my god its soap not axel grease - :) dont think you can wing it when it comes to soap -ingredients need to be pure and exact-dont give up-you will get the right combination after you spend several hundred dollars for ingredients and finaly get $2.00 worth of soap :-D RDY-B
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on August 02, 2008, 09:07:17 pm
to start with used fryer oil instead of olive oil - I hope you didnt fry fish -my god its soap not axel grease - :) dont think you can wing it when it comes to soap -ingredients need to be pure and exact-dont give up-you will get the right combination after you spend several hundred dollars for ingredients and finaly get $2.00 worth of soap :-D RDY-B

Well, for my first batch, I didn't want to really spend that much on olive oil for something I knew I would likely screw up... plus, I'm not going to sell this batch or anything, even if I did get it right.  Remember, I'm still in the experimentation phase here... and it pays to use cheap materials to experiment with... it doesn't get any cheaper than using up some of the old fryer grease we keep saving because we don't want to throw it down the drain or out in the trash... and the grease doesn't smell bad or anything.  'Sides, we have a vacation comming up in the next few weeks, so I'm all about saving money right now.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: rdy-b on August 03, 2008, 01:46:18 am
Have it your way -this will help you -the word for the day is SAPONIFICATION- :lol:                                                              http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Bacon-Soap/
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on August 03, 2008, 02:15:44 am
SAPHONICATION is not in the dictionary so it doesn't count... no tripple word score for you!

No, seriously, I went to look it up, it wasn't listed in dictionary.com
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: rdy-b on August 03, 2008, 03:01:37 am
SAPHONICATION is not in the dictionary so it doesn't count... no tripple word score for you!

No, seriously, I went to look it up, it wasn't listed in dictionary.com
       saponify        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saponification      8-) KEEP trying RDY-B
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on August 03, 2008, 03:32:55 am
wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a dictionary... doesn't count in scrabble.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: rdy-b on August 03, 2008, 03:53:07 am
wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a dictionary... doesn't count in scrabble.
   THOGHT you might of thought i meant SPAWNifacation  :lol: ;) 8-)  http://ia300134.us.archive.org/1/items/0375mov/0375.mov         RDY-B
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on August 04, 2008, 12:19:47 pm
Ok, well I did what I said I was going to, and it looks and smells MUCH better.  First I melted it in the microwave as best I could... that didn't really work too well as the vessel it was in overflowed a bit when it started boiling... so then I took it out, and put about half an ounce of lye in about an ounce of water and let that react pretty well.  Not fully, but it was fully dissolved and no longer burning hot, so I figure it was close enough... added that to the mix and stirred... that didn't do much for me, so I added about the same portions of lye and water again... and it started looking a bit better, so I moved it over to the stove and put the heat to it to boil it, and found out rather quickly that it doesn't take much heat to boil the heck out of it... so I boiled and stirred it until it got so thick I almost didn't think I could get it into the mold.  I dumped it into the mold, and it solidified in mere minutes.  The best part is, when I began washing the old pot I had boiled it in... there was some soap bubbles... so I know it worked out a lot better this time.  Now I can't hardly wait for it to fully cure to try it out.  If it really comes out to be soap like it should, then I'll use the good ingredients next time.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: marlena on August 04, 2008, 02:21:04 pm
Although I really like beautiful dark honey color and the smell from the other one, my daughter said yuckkky to the smell. So I think I am going to try a batch with water, leave out the honey and beeswax, and add a scent she likes, maybe this will encourage her to use it.  Where in the world do you get coconut milk powder? would it be close to the same to use coconut oil? what kind of other scents compliment the coconut?

Coconut oil is used in soap to increase the bubbly lather and should have no scent unless your using virgin coconut oil (which I would save for a sugar scrub). I get my coconut milk powder from Kangaroo Blue because they are close to me and have unbelievably fast service. But From Nature With Love also carries it. The coconut milk powder doesn't add any scent to your soap either so your free to use any fragrance oil or essential oil you want.



SgtMaj, use caution when you first try that soap as it could be lye heavy. Great for cleaning streaks out of underwear   :-D     but not so great for your hide.  There is a science to proper soapmaking. That is why soapmakers use what is known as a lye calculator. Each oil that you use in soap has a differant SAP number. That number determines how much lye you need to mix with your water in order to cause the chemical reaction that will turn the oils into soap. Too little lye and you will have too much excess oil left which may cause your soap to go rancid. Too much lye and you'll end up with soap that will burn the hide right off of ya! There is nothing wrong with using used oils. My Grandma did that back years ago. It would just be wise to run the oil you are using thru a lye calc and see how much lye you will need to have a good successful soap. Majestic Mountain Sage (MMS) has a lye calculator on their page or weight your oil and I would be happy to run it thru my soapmakers program. I think you'll be much happier with your ending product.

What was the oil in your fryer? Hope it wasn't vegetable oil.....(aka soybean oil)?


Anyone know when your allowed to post link to websites? I would love to post the link to the lye calc and a website that gives a tutorial on soapmaking.

~Marlena

Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on August 04, 2008, 02:44:15 pm
Marlena,
     Yeah, that's why I used the hot method... it's supposed to be a little more forgiving with the lye ratio.  I'll try the next batch with pure coconut oil.  I think I went wrong in my original recipe by not reducing the amount of oil to compensate for the amount of buttermilk I added.

SgtMaj
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: rdy-b on August 04, 2008, 07:10:36 pm
http://candleandsoap.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=candleandsoap&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.brambleberry.com%2Flye_calc_1.php       ;)     RDY-B
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on August 05, 2008, 12:54:57 am
Thanks Rdy.  I'm officially going to call it a success now.  I just couldn't keep my hands off it, so I got some on my fingers, and it felt just like regular store-bought bath soap... and when I rinsed my hand, it rinsed clean rather quickly.

PS - it smells terrible by the way... but of course, that's my fault for using the free ingrediants and doing quite a bit of experimenting with this batch.  But now that I have a better grasp on what I'm doing... I can make good stuff later.  I should find a good soap mold first though.  I'm thinking, something in silicone, so I can pop it out easy, and it won't melt or anything.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: utahbeekeeper on August 05, 2008, 11:43:35 pm
I'll try the next batch with pure coconut oil. 
SgtMaj

Sgt   you will find that coconut oil alone will be very drying to the skin.  Work with the numbers at SoapCalc (http://www.soapcalc.com/calc/soapcalcWP.asp) and find a happy medium for bubbly, hardness, conditioning.

Our cold process stuff is here (http://www.utahsoapworks.com/handmadesoap.html)  It has turned into a fun and profitable business, but we miss the fun days when it was just a hobby.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: rdy-b on August 06, 2008, 03:30:29 am
 utabeekeeper Nice web sites-gota love that precived value 8-) hapykeeping  :) RDY-B
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on August 06, 2008, 05:08:00 am
Wow Utah, your soap came out looking a heck of a lot better than mine did.  mine kinda looks lumpy... I think because I waited too long to pour it into the mold... it was literally hard to stir by that point.  Although it could also be the oils I used... Did you just use food coloring to color them the different colors, or was that just a byproduct of the ingredients used to make it?
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: utahbeekeeper on August 06, 2008, 11:00:45 am
Sgt    my wife is the "Soap Dish"    get it         and she uses oil based color for soaps, cosmetic grade color for lip balms . . . some are powder and some are pasty in a tube.  One soap we make is absent color or fragrance. . . . gets its oatmeal cookie aroma and brown color from goats milk, ground oatmeal and honey.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: Cindi on August 06, 2008, 11:08:33 am
Oh, I am reading all this stuff about making soap and reading all these posts pertaining to it....that is my wish that one day I will make that time to take that time.  I love homemade soaps, especially with oatmeal!!!  Beautiful and most wonderful days, Cindi
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on August 06, 2008, 05:23:23 pm
Is oil based color... oil based paint?
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: eri on August 06, 2008, 07:50:30 pm
Yes, nice site utahbeek. It's downright inspirational! This thread has also piqued my interest to the point of looking at several soapmaking web sites, different processes and ingredients, and yes, I've released my ignorant prejudice against lye. As a kid, I watched with awe my next door neighbor Mrs. Edwards wash the bedcovers in a big black cast iron cauldron of lye soap heated to a boil by a blazing wood fire and a log stirrer. As an adult I somehow got the idea that lye was bad, but now I believe not.

Ummmm, oatmeal and honey soap!
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: utahbeekeeper on August 06, 2008, 11:50:49 pm
Sgt   here is one of our favorite color sites . . . TKB Trading (http://www.tkbtrading.com/index.php?maincat=8)  You will see links on this page for several kinds of colorant used in various applications.

JGP
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: rdy-b on August 07, 2008, 03:29:07 am
One thing i would like to know -when using beeswax dose it give the soap blum like the candles -RDY-B
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: johnnybigfish on August 08, 2008, 09:09:04 pm
 yeh, Cindi, I've been reading these posts for awhile too and soapmaking is a lot more popular than i ever imagined!. I just mentioned to my wife about the percentage of replys to viewings in this thread.
 I went to michaels last weekend to see about soap molds...before i got out I had molds, smells, colors(oops...forgot the colors) AND A BIG CHUNK OF CLEAR STUFF TO PUT IN THE MICROWAVE TO MAKE SOAP.( as you can see, I look at the keyboard to type). I know its not the real thing but i couldnt help my self. I need to make it now! :) I told my wife that I bet if I make my own soap i would take more baths! :-D

your friend,
john
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: derrick1p1 on August 12, 2008, 04:20:09 pm
Yes, thanks to this thread, I have read the 'Everything Soapmaking book', have bought most of my materials, and plan to make my first batch this weekend.  It is much more popular than I thought.  Thanks for starting this thread! 

My first batch I plan on being adventurous and making a honey/bees wax soap.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Derrick
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on August 28, 2008, 03:29:48 am
Well, I'm back from vacation, and I just tried out my home-made soap in the shower yesterday, and was great.  The odd smell is gone from it, or at least very nearly gone, to the point that I can't smell it anyway... but now it has no odor.  It gave a decent lather, too.  I was a little worried it wouldn't last long, as it's still soft enough to be easily cut into bars... but it seems to be holding up quite well in that regard too.  At least as well as any store-bought soap would anyway.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: greenismycolor on August 29, 2008, 02:36:52 am
Bravo SgtMaj

Very glad to hear your soap turned our well. Now you can always be squeaky clean. :-D Will you try another batch?

green
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: SgtMaj on August 29, 2008, 07:41:11 am
Very glad to hear your soap turned our well. Now you can always be squeaky clean. :-D Will you try another batch?

Most definately... I'm hooked already.  If this soap that was made from used fryer oil, and the whole process and proportions screwed up so bad, could turn out this good; I can't WAIT to see what I can do with good ingredients and the right processes and proportions.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: derrick1p1 on September 08, 2008, 06:15:54 pm
I finally made my first batch.  I used olive, castor and coconut oils.  It stuck to the homemade mold, so it isn't pretty soap, but finding a better molding process and larger mold (mine only holds 1lb) is my next challenge.  I will order fragrance oil for my next soap.  Probably almond.  Then lemon verbena.

My first batch, I added the lye solution to the oil solution when each was about 120 degrees.  I stirred.  Then stirred.  And stirred.  And stirred.  Then took a break.  Then stirred some more.  It didn't trace and was like a very thin pancake batter.  I poured it into the mold anyhow and waited a day, thinking the oils/lye would seperate, but they didn't.  No scent or color (just white).  I'll know in a few weeks how it feels.

Thanks for all info./sharing about soap!

Derrick
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: jsmob on December 12, 2008, 11:55:04 pm
Quote
I'll know in a few weeks how it feels

 So how did it turn out?
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: derrick1p1 on December 30, 2008, 11:56:55 am
My first batch turned out perfect.  Hard and uniform.  I made a second batch using the same recipe, but added a small amount of fragrance oil.  This batch is usuble and lathers well, smells great, but is somewhat of a soft chalky texture.  It crumbles too easily when trying to cut.  Any ideas what may have gone wrong.  The whole process looked and went just as the first did until I started to cut it.

Thanks,
Derrick
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: Brian D. Bray on December 30, 2008, 06:59:31 pm
The fragrance oil increased to moisture content of the mix.  When adding any mount of moisture increasing component the amounts of the dry ingredients have to be increased slightly or the other wet ingredients decreased slightly to offset the higher moisture content.  It's kind of like intending to make cake batter and ending up with pancake batter.
I would wager that even just a 1/2 tsp increase of dry ingredients would have made the finished product firmer.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: sarafina on September 21, 2009, 06:19:13 pm
Thanks for the recipe, marlena!

My first soap-making a couple of years ago was with goat's milk and turned out great, but I did a lot of research before I made it.  Froze the milk, then thawed it out to a "slush" and mixed the lye with the milk in a metal bowl set inside a larger bowl of ice to keep from caramelizing the sugar in the goat's milk.

I would love to try some with my own honey in it - do you add any other fragrance oils?  If so, what complements the honey smell?  What property does the beeswax add to the soap?  I use SoapCalc to calculate the amount of lye and it has worked great on every batch so far.

I had to get my lye from a chemical supplier through the mail - sad you can't just go buy lye at the hardware or grocery store.

I haven't bought "detergent bars" in several years and we are spoiled rotten with my homemade soap.  I even take it with us on vacation!
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: luvin honey on December 22, 2009, 12:53:31 am
lye is great in soap.  It really cuts through grease and oil. 
I've been doing reading on soap, so forgive me if I sound like a walking dictionary :D. Although cold process soaps are made with lye, they won't have any lye "left over" since all of it will have combined with the oils in a process called saponification. If any lye were left over, it would burn your skin and be really not desirable at all.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: luvin honey on December 22, 2009, 12:55:45 am
I always thought that people here were using beeswax to make soap from.

your friend,
john
Hey John--beeswax can be a small percentage of the oil/fat/wax used but not too much. I think the soap gets too hard otherwise and doesn't lather well.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: luvin honey on December 22, 2009, 12:59:33 am
I was looking into making soap last year and gave up because I couldn't find lye and was under the impression you couldn't get it anymore.

Where on Earth can you purchase lye???


Hi Derrick--I've also had great luck finding it in farm-supply stores and hardware stores in the plumbing section. It's never labeled as lye but as drain cleaner or similar. It is NaOH or sodium hydroxide, 100%, or caustic soda.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: luvin honey on December 22, 2009, 01:06:49 am
Should have been using something to mix it with instead of my hand, but oh well.

BTW - I didn't even notice that one of my gloves did have a tear in it until later... and found that lye is pretty much like bleach... you have to rinse it forever to get that slimy feeling to go away, but other than that, you don't notice it much... apart from the heat when mixing it...
Holy cow! I hope you're kidding! How about a wooden spoon, whisk or stick blender? Seriously, lye can cause serious burns so your hand is about the last thing you want in it.

I learned on another forum that lye is deactivated by vinegar, so just spray vinegar on anything/place lye has splashed. Goggles for your eyes, though!
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: luvin honey on December 22, 2009, 01:13:13 am
to start with used fryer oil instead of olive oil - I hope you didnt fry fish -my god its soap not axel grease - :) dont think you can wing it when it comes to soap -ingredients need to be pure and exact-dont give up-you will get the right combination after you spend several hundred dollars for ingredients and finaly get $2.00 worth of soap :-D RDY-B

Well, for my first batch, I didn't want to really spend that much on olive oil for something I knew I would likely screw up... plus, I'm not going to sell this batch or anything, even if I did get it right.  Remember, I'm still in the experimentation phase here... and it pays to use cheap materials to experiment with... it doesn't get any cheaper than using up some of the old fryer grease we keep saving because we don't want to throw it down the drain or out in the trash... and the grease doesn't smell bad or anything.  'Sides, we have a vacation comming up in the next few weeks, so I'm all about saving money right now.
The only thing is, each oil works differently, so you really need to either work it all out mathematically or use a lye calculator like on thesage.com to help you figure out how much lye and liquid you need for the exact amounts of oils you have. Good luck!
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: luvin honey on December 22, 2009, 01:25:40 am
I've been making soap like a crazy woman for over a month now, and I have a favorite: EIEIO. It has a bunch of farm ingredients like egg yolks, beeswax, honey, oats, goat's milk, propolis. If anybody would like it, I'll dig out the recipe and add it tomorrow.

I've been having fun using around-the-house containers for molds. My favorite so far: Old soy milk container and oatmeal canister. When the soap is firm, I just cut off the containers around it and peel the soap out.

Sarafina: I made beeswax and honey soap with a blend of eucalyptus/peppermint/rosemary EOs, another with cinnamon leaf EO and a third with peanut butter to make Bit O' Honey soap. My favorite is NO scent, as the scent-free beeswax/honey soap smells so wonderfully honey and nutty all on its own. It smells more like Bit O' Honey than the BOH soap!


I love the enthusiasm of all you soapers and hope this thread thrives all winter!
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: annette on December 23, 2009, 03:06:33 pm
I have enjoyed reading this post. I want to get into soapmaking at some point. Right now I am sticking to body products like lotions, creams, balms, etc.
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: luvin honey on December 23, 2009, 05:49:59 pm
Annette--Do your products use ingredients from the hive?
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: annette on December 24, 2009, 10:21:03 pm
I make mostly products using my beeswax, but lately I have branched out and I am making a different sort of lotion that doesn't use any beeswax. 
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: Robo on December 26, 2009, 09:39:38 am
I love the enthusiasm of all you soapers and hope this thread thrives all winter!

If you haven't had a chance to listen to the podcast we did with Monica Warner,  I would highly recommend it.   She shared a wealth of information including some great websites to get lye, essential oils, and the other supplies at great prices. 

http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/making-products-from-the-hive-with-monica-warner/ (http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/making-products-from-the-hive-with-monica-warner/)
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: blckoakbees on January 10, 2010, 03:23:55 am
 :) :shock: I am glad I asked about soapmaking.  I have made a couple of batches and my family loves it.  However, there are so many people selling soap at the craft fairs it really does not sell that well.  Most people are simply melting stuff adding fragrace and putting them in molds.

I did find a great mold which is easy.  PVC pipe makes really nice looking round soaps.  I really enjoy the soap making and will continue as it makes great presents.  I would love to have some more recipes for those who are willing to share.

Thanks.

JA
Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: luvin honey on January 13, 2010, 09:59:45 pm
Hi blckoakbees--I'm glad you started this topic, too :)

Can you tell me more about the PVC pipe? I've also read of people heating the pipes and smooshing them down to form an oval mold. Do you grease yours? Line it? How do you get the hardened soap out?


Here's my favorite recipe so far, but keep in mind I'm new at this. I love it because it has beeswax, honey and other farm products, is beautiful and a great soap.

The original was called EIEIO, but I have revamped it a bit:

I poured mine at a thin-medium trace into a loaf pan lined with bubble wrap, bubbly side facing up, very well greased with olive oil. When I peeled the wrap off the next day, the soap had a very cool honeycomb appearance to it :)

EIEIO (revised from The Soapmaker's Companion, Susan Miller Cavitch)
13 oz coconut oil
13 oz olive oil (save aside 1 cup oil)
13 oz palm kernel oil
6 oz lard
5 oz corn oil
5 oz sunflower oil
2 oz beeswax
_______________
Total oil: 57 oz

4 egg yolks, room temp
1/4 cup mixture of dried oatmeal (ground), wheat germ and cornmeal
12 grams grapefruit seed extract (optional preservative that I did not use)
7 tsp pure EO or FO (optional, and I did not use)

Total liquid: 19 oz (suggestion is 6.25 oz goat's milk/12.75 oz water)
Lye: 8.25 oz

Fats and oils: 100 F
Lye solution: 85 F

Add lye to water, mix well and let cool to 85 F. Mix egg yolks into set-aside 1 cup olive oil (oil at 85 F). Heat goat's milk gently to 80 F (I did not do this but instead chilled it as much as possible) and drizzle into the lye solution. Immediately add the milk/lye mixture to the oil (100 F), beating briskly. After 1-2 min of blending, drizzle in the well-blended egg/olive oil mixture, stirring briskly the entire time to present the egg yolks from curdling. At trace, add the oats/corn/wheat germ. Enjoy!


Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: BingalingBees on January 21, 2014, 12:28:58 pm
Please, if you're making cold processed soap wear protective glasses/goggles and use a lye calculator to make sure you have your oils vs lye solution ratios right on.

I use: https://www.thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php (https://www.thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php)