None of this is news to people in the soap business. If the soap is made properly, the lye is used up in the saponification process to turn oil into soap. Jul 06, 2017 however, if you dont want to bother with using lye at first, while you make sure making soap is something you really want to do, then using a method called melt and pour soap is a great beginning option that still allows you to customize and create your own soap with additives like herbs, clays, seeds, and essential oils. At the soap kitchen we favour what is known as the cold process method for our soap making, which is often mistakenly known as cold pressed. The sap value of a chosen oil allows you to calculate the correct amount of lye sodium hydroxide naoh needed to fully saponify it when making homemade soap using cold. Read on to learn how to make soap without lye by mixing ingredients in proper amounts. Youll probably need to repeat the process at least two more times, or more. This gives you more time to work with your soap before it begins hardening up. It is used nationwide in various applications and is a. As we know, the higher the amount of water, the slower the trace but also the longer the temperature phase during saponification. How to make soap with or without lye wellness mama. When i started making soap at 16 years old, i rendered my own fat and started my foray into allthingssoap with cold process soap.
Using expired lye in cold process soapmaking soap queen. How to make soap using lard and lye, home made soap recipe. First, you can use additives, like sodium lactate or. After one pass, the lye water is likely not strong enough for soap making. Hot process soap method rememberthere are 2 different methods for soapmaking hot and cold process this is the hot process method. I like making soap outdoors, and actually havent tried it indoors yet. Making soap saponification experiment chemistry libretexts. There are several different methods for making soap, some of which involve using the chemical lye, which can be expensive and dangerous. Lye can be used safely if certain rules are followed.
Man has been making soap making for at least 4000 years. What is the shelf life of lye archives natures garden fragrance oils. However the flaked lye i am useing seemed like so much when i weighed it out. And trust me when i say, making a batch of homemade lye soap does not have to be complicated.
A good rule for soap making is that once a tool has touched lye, it should not be used again for food. There are a few things that you can change to make your homemade soap last even longer. However, it is very caustic and can burn living tissue such as skin in its raw form. Compared to a soap made with a 25% lye solution, soap batches made with a 40% lye solution can cure in about half the time. The following information, chart of saponification values for making soap, and cold process soap recipe have been provided by pallas athene soap. With the empty bucket under the lye making container, slowly and carefully very carefully. How to make soap with easy substitutions diy natural. Jul 22, 2014 i like making soap outdoors, and actually havent tried it indoors yet. While making lye soap will give you more choices for soap style and opacity, you can still make soap with nearly endless colors, scents, and additives all using one of these simple soap making methods. But i learned a long time ago that some substitutions cant be done without a lot of calculating. Saponification is the reaction that takes place to make your soap.
How to make lye from scratch natural soap making the. A chemical reaction called saponification occurs, which produces glycerin and soap. When troubleshooting a cold process soap recipe, there are several factors to look at. Where to buy lye for soap making the spruce crafts. Below is a very basic one that is easy to use for any beginner. How to extend the shelf life of base oils for soapmaking modern. Learn what ingredients you will need to make your own soap in this free video on homemade soap making. There is no evidence as to whether babylon used the recipe for washing people or their supplies, but 500 years later, it was frequently. Build a soap curing rack home made soap, diy soap, soap shop. After one pass, the lyewater is likely not strong enough for soapmaking. Apr 02, 2020 lye is an alkaline solution thats often used for washing, making soaps, and curing certain foods.
There are numerous ways you can produce soap without lye. There is no lye present in the finished bars of soap or shampoo. Oct 02, 2007 learn what ingredients you will need to make your own soap in this free video on homemade soap making. It only ceases to be caustic when it is no longer lye. Theres quite a lot of water in beginner soap recipes since it helps to slow trace down. A strong water discount is typically referred to as a 40% lye solution. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. The lye is blended with a fat such as coconut oil or palm oil. Homemade soap recipes, soap making supplies, lye, process and more. To ensure the lye works properly, we recommend using it within one year of purchasing.
Sep 03, 2015 man has been making soap making for at least 4000 years. Sheryl andrews is an enthusiastic advocate of the home arts. It started a fight with my husband over the expensive homemade soap rather than buying the premade store stuff. What is commonly known as cold process soap making yields a glycerinrich soap, which used to be referred to as lye soap. How to make old fashioned lye soap frugally sustainable. No one exactly knows who made the grand discovery, but it was the babylonians who first came up with a recipe for lye soap and carved it into a tablet. Reducing the water amount in your lye solution will help the soap get out of the mold quicker and cure faster.
Aug 24, 20 i love this idea for storing soaplotion making supplies. Make sure to store your lye in a cool, dry place to extend the shelf life. Melt coconut oil and shea butter in a small pan on the stove until just melted and set aside. How to make lye from scratch natural soap making the easy way. Sep 21, 2019 soap making in the woods can be almost automatic. Before making lye soap, be sure to wear gloves, long sleeves and goggles to prevent burns from the lye if you should accidentally spill or splash it on yourself. When making soap you dissolve the powdered sodium hydroxide lye. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. I use locallysourced, handrendered arizona tallow for my basic lye soap and my recipe looks like this. Lye soap calculator with formulation guide programmed to quickly calculate the necessary lye sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide in order to produce a batch of soap.
Lye has been used by homemakers for centuries because of its cleaning properties, cheap cost and lasting qualities. Learn tips for storing soapmaking supplies in small spaces. If youre going to do it indoors, you should know that ventilation is important. The ancient roman tradition called for mixing rain water, potash and animal tallow rendered form of beef or mutton fat. What you need to know about safe soap making with lye aura. For soap, the crystal form of pure sodium hydroxide is used this is important. Sodium hydroxide is actually the dry form and it becomes lye once you mix it with water. The sap value of a chosen oil allows you to calculate the correct amount of lye sodium hydroxide naoh needed to fully saponify it when making homemade soap using cold process. Add a bucket of rain water and some leftover cooking fat and you can easily brew up enough. Making a batch of homemade lye soap doesnt have to be complicated. People often think of lye soap as a soap that is unpleasant to use because too much lye was used in the soap formula and lye sodium hydroxide remained in the bar of soap to irritate and burn the skin. Lye soap making instructions once you have get hold of the lye, either by buying it from the store or making it on your own, the next thing that you have to know is the process of making lye soap. Its super important to purchase your base oils from reputable suppliers. What you need to know about safe soap making with lye you cant turn water and vegetable oils into a bar of soap without lye, a caustic salt.
Although the process of soap making can easily be simple and safe, its important to follow a few guidelines and safety precautions during the parts of the process that involve handling lye. I love this idea for storing soaplotion making supplies. Pick up one of those cheap pine buildityourself shelving units from walmart, zellers. The basic things you might need include the melt and pour soap base, some soap making dye, a few fragrance oils and possibly a couple of mp soap molds. Stir slowly for 5 minutes till well mixed and thick, like honey. Make sure pets and small children are not in the room and always wear goggles and waterproof gloves.
Once the lye and the oil are mixed they combine in a chemical reaction called saponification which results in a new product soap. The key to diminish the use of lye is adding glycerin. Making your own soap can be a fun and rewarding hobby. I like making a simple lardbased soap to keep on hand. Using full water will give you the maximum amount of time at a workable consistency, but will also ensure a fully gelled soap in most cases which may not be ideal. How to make lye soap the old fashioned way frugally. Sodium hydroxide for soapmaking, soapmaking supplies. How to make lye free soap homemade soaps and recipes tutorials. The lye in the soapmaking process will release vapors that you shouldnt inhale in great quantities. Hardwood ashes are some of the best producers of lye.
This has enabled essential depot to offer the better quality product at a lower price than its competitors. The objective of this laboratory is to make lye soap via the saponification reaction. However, if you dont want to bother with using lye at first, while you make sure making soap is something you really want to do, then using a method called melt and pour soap is a great beginning option that still allows you to customize and create your own soap with additives like herbs, clays, seeds, and essential oils. Soap making has remained unchanged over the centuries. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading soap making.
It can eat holes in fabric and skin and cause severe reactions with other chemicals. For instance, if your batch accelerated or riced, it may be the fragrance oil. A 25% lye solution is made of 25% lye and 75% water. I havent been soaping for long but hubby made me this curing shelf that fits perfect behind the. The most important element when making lye soap is the sap value saponification values of your oil. A lso known as caustic soda, lye is a product that is used in the creation of soap, detergent, paper, textiles and drinking water. You can use a bookshelf, metal racks, cardboard boxes, stacked milk. As a result even though all soap is made with lye, there is no lye remaining in a properly made bar of soap. Lye is an alkaline solution thats often used for washing, making soaps, and curing certain foods. Saponification is the chemical process of making soap that involves an exothermic reaction between lye sodium hydroxide and a fat usually oils. The chemical reaction of making soap, called saponification, is complete, the lye and oil molecules have combined and chemically changed into soap and glycerin. May 09, 2020 the most important element when making lye soap is the sap value saponification values of your oil. Homemade soap is reliably rich and full of natural glycerin that is. Lye is sometimes called caustic soda because it has a ph of about, which means its extremely alkaline and can burn and corrode skin, organic tissue, certain plastics, and other materials.
When making soap you use water to dissolve the powdered sodium hydroxide lye into. As a result even though all soap is made with lye, there is no lye remaining in a properly made bar of. Handmade soap making is a craft and chemistry at the same time and it offers. If the batch is taking longer than usual to trace, it may be a high amount of soft oils, like olive oil, in the recipe. In the soap making process you need a certain amount of lye solution and a certain amount of oil in order to make soap. How to better understand lye solution when you make soap. You need to have just the right amount of oil to react with just the right amount of lye mixed with water. Stir evenly and constantly till somewhat thickened.
Get together with other soap makers in your area and go together and buy a large bag of lye from a local chemical supply house. Sep 21, 2016 afraid of using sodium hydroxide lye to make soap. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. Cold process soap is made by combining oils and sodium hydroxide lye. What you need to know about safe soap making with lye.
Melt and pour soap has already gone through that process learn more about it in the beginners guide to melt and pour. A quick soap making book, including homemade soap recipes, soap making supplies, lye, process and more. Most large cities have a solvent or chemical company that will sell sodium hydroxide in 35 or 50pound bags. Making soap is fun, and should be anything but dangerous. Lye is essential in making soap for it reacts with the other ingredients in the soap to produce the final bar.
If thats the case, you may end up with lye heavy soap or an extra superfat, as the saponification values are not properly calculated. Theres also a huge difference between made with lye and containing lye. Mar 14, 2016 sodium hydroxide lye is used to make solid soap, and potassium hydroxide lye is used to make liquid soap. However, most soap making processes that you can do on your own at home require the inclusion of a little ingredient known as lye. Homemade or handmade soap is a great way to be in control of what is going on your familys skin and thus, into their bodies. Before using lye for cleaning or for lye soap making, it is important to know how to safely handle it and the dangers involved with its use. That causes a chemical reaction called saponification. Lye, also referred to as sodium hydroxide, is a necessary ingredient for making cold processed soap. Essential depot has filled over 100,000 orders from soap makers with its highquality u. Included with the kit is a custom ponderosa pine wooden soap mold with gloves, sodium hydroxide and the soap shops exclusive, premeasured allvegetable based oils of coconut, palm and olive oil, one full. Experimenting with different colors and scents allows you to be creative, while making something you can sell or give as a gift. Although it sounds harmless, lye is a caustic soda that is highly corrosive and can cause burning if it comes in. This method uses lye to chemically react with oils to make soap and as such the soap made in this method is often referred to as lye soap.
The kit includes an instructional dvd to help you with the creation and enjoyment of making your own personal soap for friends and family. We are one of the nations largest manufacturers and suppliers of pure lye sodium hydroxide. See more ideas about soap, home made soap and soap recipes. Dont waste your money on base oils found in grocery stores usually, its much cheaper to purchase oils from a soapmaking supplier rather than the grocery store anyways. Making soap at home using traditional ingredients is much easier than you might expect. Build a soap curing rack soap making recipes, homemade. One of the first questions i ask soapmakers when they have issues with their soaps developing dos dreaded orange spots or not turning out right is, where did you buy your base oils. It needs to be sealed tightly and stored in a dry place.