Soap School: How to Make Cold Processed Soap

I started making soap by the melt and pour method.  And I have taken a couple of courses through The Nova Studio on cold process method.  If you are unable or if you do not have some teaching classes in your area, I found this posting from The Natural Beauty Workshop called Soap School:  How to Make Cold Process Soap.  If this does not help you, there are many other sources on the internet that may help you.

Unmolding Cold Process Soap from Plastic Molds

Since I started out making soap by the melt and pour method, I have collected a lot of molds over the years.  I have taken several courses on the cold process method at The Nova Studio but never had the guts to make a batch until this week.  But I was wondering if I could use some of my melt and pour soap mold for cold process soap?  Well, guess what?  Just in time, this posting from The Soap Queen called Unmolding Cold Process Soap from Plastic Molds magically appeared.  It gave me some good information on the subject so I will try and use the molds after I have practiced making several batches of CP soap.

All About the Trace

So, you just started to learn to make soap by the cold process method....That is great!  But as a newbie your are confused how to recognize trace.  You probably wondering when trace actually happens?  What is trace?  Trace happens when the oils and lye water have emulisfied in the soap making process.  Once the soap has reached thin trance, it will continue to thicken over time. What to learn more?  Check out the recent post from The Soap Queen called  All About Trace.

Quick Tip: What Type of Water to Use in Soapmaking

In cold process soap making, distilled water was always used in this process of making soap.  But have you ever wondered if you could use any other type of water?  In a recent post on The Nova Studio blog called Quick Tip:  What Type of Water to Use in Soapmaking discusses what happened when they tried to use Reverse Osmosis Water and why you need to use pure distilled water.

 

Peppermint Lemongrass Sage Swirl Soap

I have been following I'd Lathering be Soaping for awhile.  In a recent post Jenny wrote an on how she made this Peppermint Lemongrass Sage Swirl Soap.   I would have to say that I love the look of this soap, especially the yellow colorant.  Would you believe the name of the color is Fizzy Lemonade?  It is from Brambleberry.  If you would like to see Jenny making this vertical layered shop check her post with commentary and her video.

Free Beginner’s Guide To Soapmaking: Cold Process

If you are just getting into making your own soap, the Soap Queen's has gone back to basics and created this article on cold process soap making for beginners. And she has graciously created a free download for anyone who wants one.  This is very informative and easy to understand, so  I would highly recommend it.

All About Soap Making: Cold Process

Are you interested in cold process soap making?  Here is an article by Gary Everson titled, All About Soap Making: Cold Process that appears on the website Ezine Articles:

"Cold process is a method of making soap which does not require an external heat source to initiate saponification (the chemical reaction that creates soap). It is the process of making soap from scratch with fats, lye and distilled water and is the purest and most basic form of soap. It may be formulated to hold essential oils for fragrance and extra conditioners (known as superfatting).

In Cold process soap making, all the components of the oils are retained, particularly glycerin which is often removed from mass produced soap. One common requirement for either hot or cold process is a good quality oil. Traditionally this was in the form of animal fats, such as lard or tallow, both of which make a very nice bar of soap, but more recently, with the trend towards vegetarianism and non animal based products, the use of vegetable oils has become predominant, the favorite oils among soap makers being Olive, Palm and Coconut oil.

You will need a Lye Calculator for Cold Process Soap Making, this will enable you to determine the precise quantity of lye required for a given amount of each type of fat used. I cannot stress enough how important it is to read the instructions and warnings listed on the lye container, in the wrong hands lye can be a very dangerous chemical. When you make the lye-water solution for your cold process soap, you will notice the lye reacts with the cold water and it gets very hot, to avoid this becoming an issue, you can either use chilled water, or make the lye solution the day before, however the lye and fat needs to be a similar temperature about 100 F, so you may then need to re-heat the lye solution.

The next step is to carefully combine the lye solution with the fats. To try to prevent extra lye from remaining in the soap, cold-process soap makers add up to 10% extra oil. Then, in 30 days, the lye will have completely combined with the oils and the result will be good quality homemade soap.

In a finished soap, all the oils are saponified and no longer contain any lye, only soap and glycerin. Instead of simply using distilled water to dissolve the lye, milk, fruit and vegetable juices, or herbal infusions can be used. This offers a great alternative and makes for some great soaps.

A great way to create unique, decorative bars of soap that you can sell or use as gifts. Coconut oil and palm oil are both very commonly used to make soap. Any vegetable oil will do, yet olive, almond, canola, and sesame oils are the best. White castile soap is officially recognized and is made from olive oil.

Why use natural soap? How does natural handmade soap differ from commercially made soap? A bar of handcrafted soap is kind to skin, natural, and versatile, you can even wash your hair with it. If your soap is handmade it tends to be fresh and contain more natural elements. Adding natural herbs is neat, as well as other goodies. Natural bar soap retains glycerin which forms during saponification in cold process soap.

A natural glycerin is formed from the cold process method that is much less drying to the skin. Use soap that is hand made with all natural ingredients and natural oils and your skin will thank you. The cold process method of making soap is often avoided by budding soap makers because of the potential dangers of handling lye, but if the proper precautions are taken there is little risk and the resulting soap that is created is unique and delightful and can be offered for sale or can be used as gifts."

Copyright 2007 Gary Everson

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Everson http://EzineArticles.com/?All-About-Soap-Making:-Cold-Process&id=431608

Understanding Lye/Water Calculation in Soap Recipes

In a recent blog post Ruth Esteves, teacher at The Nova Studio, wrote about a very important subject - Understanding Lye/Water Calculation in Soap Recipes says when it comes to cold process soapmaking, some things are absolutely necessary and rigid, like how much sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is needed for a given amount of oils. It's a property of the oils and can't be changed without affecting the outcome of the soap, sometimes in really bad ways.  In this article, Ruth explains in very simple terms how any why it is important to figure out the lye/water calucations for your cold process soap recipes.

2 Color Side by Side Swirl Soap

Are you wondering how to make this different looking layered soap? There are many different places where you can find how to do it but Lovin' Soap has kindly shared on her site on how to create her beautiful two color side by side swirl soap. Now you do not have to use the colors Lovin' Soap used, you can use your favorite colors or to match the decor of your own bathroom. Give these instructions a try and let use know how your soaps came out.

Funnel Swirl/Coat Hanger Swirl Soap Tutorial

If you love the look of the Funnel Swirl Soap, Lovin' Soap has provided a wonderful step by step tutorial on how to make a Funnel/Coat Hanger Swirl Soap of your very own. If you have made funnel swirl soap in the past, you may want to try this technique for size.

Soap Making Oils for Cold Process Soap Making

Do you love making cold process soap but you are having troubles selecting the right oils? By using a variety of soap making oils, you can tailor a soap to meet the needs of any skin type. Want to learn more? Soap-Making-Essentials has a great page on their website devoted to information on Soap Oils for Cold Process Soap. This page is devoted to a list of oils that you can find more information on, formulating a recipe, and ideas for formulating certain soaps (Bring on the Bubbles, Condition Me, The Anomaly, Love That Creamy Lather). If you cannot still decide what oils to use then you should check out their homemade soap recipes page.

How to Develop Cold Process Soap Recipes

Are you a cold process soap maker who is getting bored with sticking to same old recipes and want to venture out on your own?  Are you timidated with the thought of creating your own cold process soap recipes?  Then you may want to read this article by Ehow contributor Heidi A. Reeves on How to Develop Cold Process Soap Recipes.  I believe if you read her article and follow her tips to the tea, then you will concoquer your fears and will be creating your own recipes immediately.

Shea Butter Soap Cupcakes - Cold Process soap

If you are looking for something cute to make at your next birthday party, bridal or baby shower, then why not create these cute Shea Butter Soap Cupcakes?  Erin from Naiad Soap Arts, generously offered to help out   Amber on this tutorial to appear on Anne-Marie's (aka The Soap Queen)blog, Soap and and the Finer Things.

To make these adorable cupcakes (without the calories) you will need to get the following ingredients for 6 cupcakes:

7.5 oz. Coconut oil 76 degree
7.5 oz. Palm Oil
6.25 oz. Olive Oil Pomace
2.5 oz. Castor Oil
1.25 oz. Shea Butter
7 oz. of distilled water
3.5 oz. of Sodium Hydroxide
1 oz. Cream Cheese Frosting Fragrance Oil
1 oz. Strawberry Fragrance Oil

There is a little extra soap incase you want to add more frosting than I did! If not, have a small plastic container ready for extra soap!

The equipment you will need to make these soap will be the following:

• Round Cupcake Silicone Mold
• 6 paper cupcake liners
• Flamingo Pink High PH Lab Color
• Iridescent Glitter
• Disposable Cake Decorating bag
• Plastic Star Cake Decorating Tip or stainless steel decorating tip
• Stick Blender
• scale
• safety goggles
• gloves
• plastic spoon
• stainless steel whisk (for thorough stirring)
• one, 2 cup microwave safe glass measuring cup
• one, 4 cup microwave safe glass measuring cup
• one, 8 cup microwave safe glass measuring cup
• one, 2 cup plastic or glass cup for measuring sodium hydroxide. (I have one measuring cup I use for sodium hydroxide and nothing else and I suggest you designate a sturdy measuring cup for this task)
• thermometer(s) that reads up to 200 degrees
• box large enough to fit the mold, and at least 6 inches deep.

For full instructions (including pictures), check out the tutorial on The Soap Queen's Blog at http://soap-queen.blogspot.com/2010/01/shea-butter-soap-cupcakes-cold-process.html.

Have fun!

Fragrance Test Results from Symphony Scents

If you have purchased fragrance oils from Symphony Scents and would like to know the results of how they work in Cold Process Soapmaking, here is a helpful chart that can answer all of your questions.

http://symphonyscents.com/cpsoap.html

If you are a melt and pour soapmaker, here are the fragrance results for your method.

http://symphonyscents.com/mpsoap.html

Measurements vs. Percentages in CP Soap Recipes

From David Fisher,Your Guide to Candle & Soap Making.

A Soap-Making Way to Look at Recipes

You are probably familiar with recipes that call for one cup of this, two tablespoons of that. You mix it up and pour it into a standard pan and cook it. You may double or halve the recipe at some point, but they're otherwise pretty standard.

However, in soap making, it’s best to use percentages for a couple of reasons:

It allows you to easily adjust the recipe to any size mold.

It allows you to easily adjust the proportions of the various oils in your recipe to affect the quality of the soap.

For example, let’s say you have a recipe that makes two pounds of soap. In it you might have 1/2 cup of coconut oil. You try the recipe and the lather isn't as good as you'd like, so you'd like to increase the proportion of coconut oil. With measurements, this is hard, with percentages, it’s easy.

So, let’s convert a recipe from measurements to percentages. We’ll start with a simple recipe-(Remember we're weighing everything, not using liquid measures.)

12 oz. Olive Oil
10 oz. Palm Oil
9 oz. Coconut Oil
8 oz. Canola Oil
2.5 oz. Castor Oil
2.5 oz. Cocoa Butter

This will make about a 4 pound batch of soap. But what are the ratios of each oil? Is this a well balanced recipe? And what if you want to make 7 pounds of soap? Here’s what we do:

- Total up the total number of ounces of oils. In this case, it’s 44. Divide each individual weight by 44 to get the percentage of that oil in the recipe.

12 oz. Olive Oil – divided by 44 = 27% (I’m rounding.)
10 oz. Palm Oil – divided by 44 = 23%
9 oz. Coconut Oil – divided by 44 = 20%
8 oz. Canola Oil – divided by 44 = 18%2.
5 oz. Castor Oil – divided by 44 = 6%
2.5 oz. Cocoa Butter – divided by 44 = 6%

So your recipe is:

27% Olive Oil
23% Palm Oil
20% Coconut Oil
18% Canola Oil
6% Castor Oil
6% Cocoa Butter

A pretty well-balanced recipe.

So let’s say you want to make a 7 pound (112 ounces) batch of soap. (Remember, that’s just the measurement of your oils. Leave room for the lye and water.)

Multiply the percentage by the desired amount.
27 % Olive Oil x 112 oz. = 30.2 oz.
23% Palm Oil x 112 oz. = 25.8 oz.
20% Coconut Oil x 112 = 22.4 oz
18% Canola Oil x 112 = 20.2 oz.
And so on.

Now, whether you’re creating a recipe from scratch, or have found one online, you can both understand the proportions of the oils, and scale it to any size you like.

Happy Soaping!

Source: http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/coldprocesssoapmaking/a/measvspercent.htm

Cold Process Soap and Types of Oils

August 8th, 2007 by Ambriel Maji

During the process of making soap you can either make a basic recipe of you can dabble a little into the more luxury butters to add to your recipes. Understanding the different types of butters and the effects they will have on your soap recipes can greatly help you understand what you need to do when re-batching a bad batch of cold process soap also.

For a harder, longer lasting more stable bar of soap you would want to use oils like palm oil, beef tallow and/or lard. You can mix and match the amounts of oils you use or use only one type in you recipes.

For a bar that is full of soft creamy lather the best way to go is coconut oil. Your next runners up would be castor oil and palm kernel oil. Coconut being one of the cheapest of the three oils is what the majority of soap maker’s use while making cold process soap.

Now if you’re looking for a great moisturizing or conditioning soap you have even more choices between olive oil, canola oil, sunflower oil and soybean oil. These oils will create a great moisturizing bar of soap and are also assets to making shampoo bars of soap. Just make sure if you are making shampoo bars you do not use a lot of these oils or the persons hair will come out a tad greasy.

Now lets look at those oils that all we women love to have incorporated into our bars of soap. These oils are all top luxury type oils that will create some of the most intense moisturizing benefits in a bar of soap. The oils you will want to use for this effect will be Cocoa butter, Shea butter, almond oil, hemp oil and jojoba oil. I love a mixture of jojoba oil and Shea butter I have found that these two butter together generate one of the most luxurious bars of soap anyone could ask for.

source: http://www.waxandbubbles.com/cold-process-soap-and-types-of-oils/

Room Temperature Cold Process Soap Making

By Shelley Fluegge

When I first started researching soap making I found there were three ways of making soap. The easiest and least labor intense was melt and pour, this soap comes as a solid and is just heated up and becomes a liquid, you add in whatever you want to the soap, pour it in a mold and let it set up. Pretty simple but not what I was looking for.

The other two methods were the actual process of creating soap from oils, water and sodium hydroxide. Hot process did not appeal to me, I didn't think standing over a stove cooking soap sounded like an enjoyable time so I began to focus on cold process soapmaking. Cold process soapmaking does not require any external heat as the name suggests. I read instructions that detailed the oil had to be 110F and the lye had to be 100, but the next bit of information I found stated each had to be 100, or 95, or one had to be 95 and the other 100 and others stated ‘warm to the touch’ Im not about to touch hot lye water or oil to see if its cooled enough. It was making me crazy! But I settled on one and gave it a shot.

Then after many batches I read about room temperature soaping and gave it a try. I was very happy with the ease and efficiency I have while soaping at room temperature. This is my method: Measure several batches of oil at one time. I simpley line up all of my buckets and measure my oils out in assembly line fashion, cover and put away until its time to soap. Measure out two batches of my water-half in ice form and half in liquid form, add my 2 batches worth of lye and let cool. I place it in a cool locked room. Sometimes it sits overnight or for a few days. I prefer to leave it in an extra bathroom inside the bathtub just incase of a spill.

On the day I am going to soap I prepare my mold by lining it with freezer paper, measure out whatever I may be adding into my soap such as clays, dyes, essential or fragrance oils and grab one batch of oil. Since I use some hard oils in my recipe I take my stick blender to the oil mixture and make sure there are no solid pieces remaining and now its time to create soap by adding in the lye slowly and stirring until trace. Trace is the name for the stage where the soap looks like a thin custard, its ready to pour into the mold now unless you plan on scenting, layering, swirling or adding in exfoliants.

Once the soap is poured its time to put it to bed. I place mine in my oven, but many people prefer to put their soap in a box covered in blankets. The soap will become hot and go through another stage called gelling.You can cut your soap in a day or two but industry standard is 3 weeks of waiting before use or sale.

I chose room temperature cold process soap because of its efficiency. I dont have to wait for my oil or lye water to cool, I just grab and soap. Prior to this method I did the 100-110F method and it took a very long time from start to finish and each time I had a huge mess of oils all over and only one little batch of soap to show for it. Now I have one messy oily day and 6-8 batches of oil waiting to be soaped to show for it! My soaping sessions went from an hour or longer to no more than 20 minutes.

Shelley Fluegge is the owner of Bella Sapone a soap, bath and body business.

Source: http://www.italianhandmadesoap.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shelley_Fluegge http://EzineArticles.com/?Room-Temperature-Cold-Processing-Soap-Making-Method&id=535441

How to Line your Mold for Cold Process Soap Making

If you are having problems lining your wooden molds for your cold process soaps, you may find this clip from You Tube helpful.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VPm_-H2Yg_Q

I am always looking for new clips to post on my blog so check back frequently to see what is new or check out YouTube.com for more clips on cold process soapmaking.

Choosing a Good Wooden Soap Mold

A good wooden mold will last for years; a great wooden mold will last for decades. Over the years, wooden molds have gotten more affordable and there are more choices available. Now, instead of just a rectangular or square box, there are molds that are fitted with rigid plastic liners, with cutting lines, with pieces that come apart, and with parts that are reputed to be safe for oven applications.

My first wooden soap mold was made from ½” thick plywood purchased at a neighborhood lumberyard in Chelsea, Manhattan. At the time, I was attending a building trade school. My carpentry teacher allowed me to use the table saw and tools to make my soapbox. It was just an open rectangular box, nothing fancy, comprised of four butt joints secured with 1½” nails. Though only made of plywood it endured constant use for 6 years. Some time ago it started showing signs of wear and tear—a bit of loosening of the bond that holds the veneer layers together and loosening of the nails and joints.

Since then I have researched and found out that plywood may pose unknown health dangers to soap makers because of the phenol formaldehyde glue used to hold the pressed veneers together. Phenol formaldehyde is a known carcinogen and when used in combination with other chemicals (lye), who knows what the end result will be. To that end, I have discarded all my soap molds with pressed wood. While this may not be a choice some people would make, I felt that it was necessary to protect the integrity of my products and to assuage my conscience.

With that said--there are many fine solid wooden molds available from suppliers and woodcrafters. Here are some things to look for when buying a wooden soap mold. The most important qualities of a good soap mold are the durability of materials and the strength of the joints that hold the pieces together. The best joints are dovetail joints. They are also the most labor intensive to make and the skill level to construct dovetail joints is high! Dovetail joints predates written history. Before there was mechanical gadgetry, carpenters glue, nails and screws, dovetail joints held the world’s wooden products together. Though time consuming to make, a soap mold made with dovetail joints and solid wood will last a long time, and is destined to become a family heirloom.

However, given a second choice, I would choose a simple butt joint made of solid wood and attached with screws or nails, with wood that is knot free. Although more difficult to find, the mold that has pieces that are collapsible and held to together with hinges makes it easy to unmold especially very large soap blocks. Molds that have rigid plastic liners and pieces that interlock to make individual bars are pricey but worth their weight in gold. After unmolding the plastic separators pop out easily thus reducing the time and labor associated with manually cutting the soap bars.

For more information about wooden joints, see Wikipedia(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodworking_joints)

Here are some of the best of the best wooden soap molds. For those vendors who wish to be added to this list please email me with a description of the wooden molds you carry:

1. Bramble Berry (http://www.brambleberry.com/premium.html) has one of the best wooden molds and customer service. Their wooden mold is made from sturdy Baltic Pine that comes with rigid intersecting dividers that make substantial individual bars of soap.

2. Creekside Soaps (http://creeksidesoaps.com/supplies/soap-mold.htm) molds are made from 1” thick solid wood and lids that have ample grips. They come pre-lined with freezer paper so that one will have an idea how to properly line the soap mold.

3. Candles and Wood Crafts (http://www.candlesandwoodcrafts.com/index.html) have some of the best customizable molds ever. Sturdy solid wooden molds, with either hinged, pegged or butt joints and available in a variety of different stains and sizes. They will also custom make to your specifications any wooden mold you need. I love their different wooden bath and body display stands and soap crates!

Note: Blog Author also recommends adding Mission Peak Soap (http://www.missionpeaksoap.com/) in Fremont, Ca to this list.


Source: Permission to reprint by Winsome Tapper, Soapmaking Editor, www.bellaonline.com/site/soapmaking.

Ebook: HOW TO MAKE SOAP....

...a manual on natural handmade cold process soap making with herbs and essential oils by Joan Morais.

Publication Instant Download or Printed Version. This is a great publication to get you started making soap. It is easy to understand and the manual is not overloaded with information. That way you can use the basics to get you started making excellent bars of soap successfully. By the time you master this soap you will be ready for my next publication on advanced soap making; swirling and milk soaps.

Included in this how to manual...

- 1 basic and easy full proof recipe to learn how to make soap
- 1 basic and easy recipe for an extra moisturizing soap that you can use on your face
- Oils to to make soap with
- Natural Colorants
- Natural Scents: Essential Oils and Botanical Extracts
- Additives for your soap; clays, coffee grinds, oatmeal, honey, beeswax
- Superfatting your soap
- How to make an Herbal Infusion with Herbs and Oils
- Clear steps to making your own successful Soap
- How to Identify trace
- How to make soap balls
- Soap molds available and which work best
- How to formulate your own recipes with a free online lye calculator
- How to package your soaps
- An excellent resource list: where to buy your ingredients, packaging, labels

THREE WAYS TO ORDER

1. ORDER BY CREDIT CARD OR PAYPAL AND DOWNLOAD INSTANTLY. Download How to Make Soap to your computer in minutes in a PDF file, easy to read & print, 34 pages for only $16.95. Click link to go directly to ordering process- http://www.joanmorais.com/joansbooks/howtomakesoap.html.

2. ORDER BY CREDIT CARD OR PAYPAL AND RECEIVE IT BY MAIL. This manual is printed, enclosed in a folder & mailed to you (for United States only, email us for shipping costs outside of United States) include your shipping address on your order. Click link to go directly to ordering process- http://www.joanmorais.com/joansbooks/howtomakesoap.html.

3. ORDER BY CHECK AND RECEIVE IT BY MAIL. This manual is printed, enclosed in a folder & mailed to you. Send a check for $22.95 (for United States only, email us for shipping cost outside of United States) include your shipping address on your order and send to: Joan Morais, PO Box 3250, Fairfield, CA 94533


Source: http://www.joanmorais.com/joansbooks/howtomakesoap.html