Basic DIY Soap Making Information

December

2024

Basic DIY Soap Making Information

Ready to ditch the store-bought soaps filled with harsh chemicals and synthetic fragrances? Making your own soap is a fantastic way to take control of what touches your skin.

You can create gentle, nourishing soaps using all-natural ingredients like olive oil, coconut oil, and shea butter. This allows you to avoid potentially irritating chemicals and customize the soap's properties to suit your specific skin needs.

Plus, DIY soapmaking is a surprisingly affordable hobby. Once you have the basic supplies, you can create a large batch of soap for a fraction of the cost of store-bought options.

There are lots of other resources available, many of them free like this one. We encourage you to make use of them. And, don’t forget to engage with your friends already making soap. They are a wealth of information

Setting Up Your Soap Making Space

A well-organized workspace is essential for safe and efficient soap making. Here are some key considerations:

Ventilation: Ensure good ventilation to prevent the inhalation of lye fumes. Open windows or use a fan.
Protective Gear: Wear gloves, goggles, and long sleeves to protect your skin and eyes.
Work Surface: A sturdy, heat-resistant surface like a countertop or cutting board is ideal.
Equipment: Gather the following common kitchen tools:
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Glass or stainless steel bowls
- Immersion blender
- Thermometer
- Mold (silicone or wooden)
- Spatula

Essential Tools and Equipment

While the above list includes common kitchen items, you might also consider investing in the following:

Lye: Available at hardware stores or online retailers.
Shea butter: A natural, moisturizing ingredient.
Olive oil: A versatile oil often used in soap making.
Coconut oil: Adds hardness and lather.
Palm oil: Provides a creamy lather and hard bar.
Kombo Butter: Rich Moisturizer,natural lather, hardening properties,
Cocoa Butter; Hardening properties, nutritious moisturizer, natural fragrance
Essential oils (optional): For fragrance.
Colorants (optional): For customization.

Key Points for Successful Soap Making

Safety first: Always handle lye with caution and follow safety guidelines.
Precision is key: Accurate measurements of oils and lye are essential.
Patience is a virtue: Curing is a necessary process for quality soap.
Experiment and have fun: Soap making is a creative process. Don't be afraid to try new things.

Curing and Finishing Soap

Curing is a crucial step in soap making. It allows the soap to harden, the lye to be neutralized, and the glycerin to be released. Here's a breakdown:

Time: Typically, soap needs to cure for 4-6 weeks. However, this can vary depending on factors like the type of oils used, the weather, and the size of the soap.
Temperature and Humidity: A cool, dry environment is ideal for curing. Avoid placing your soap in direct sunlight or near heat sources.
Mold: During the curing process, it's common for mold to appear on the surface of the soap. This is usually harmless and can be scraped off before use.

Finishing refers to the steps taken to prepare the soap for use after curing:

Cutting: Once the soap is cured, it can be cut into desired shapes and sizes.
Stamping: If you want to add a decorative element, you can stamp the soap with a design.
Packaging: Packaging your soap not only makes it look appealing but also protects it from moisture and other elements.

Additional Soap-Making Techniques:

Cold Process: This is the most common method, where the lye solution is added to the oils and butters at a lower temperature.
Hot Process: In this method, the soap is heated to a higher temperature, which accelerates the saponification process.
Melt and Pour: This involves melting pre-made soap bases and adding colorants, fragrances, or other ingredients.

Using a Soap Calculator for Lye Calculations

A soap calculator is a valuable tool for determining the correct amount of lye (sodium hydroxide) needed for your soap recipe.

Each recipe in this book includes precise lye calculations to guide your learning process. But we understand your curiosity and ambition to develop your own soap recipes. To support this, we've included a guide on how to use a Soap Calculator and recommendations for popular options.

Here's a general guide on how to use one:

1. Input Your Oils:

Total Oil Weight: Enter the total weight of all the oils and butters you're using in grams.
Individual Oils: If you want more specific calculations, you can input the weight of each oil separately. Some calculators allow you to search for oils and their saponification values.

2. Choose Your Lye:

Type of Lye: Select the type of lye you're using (usually sodium hydroxide).
Lye Concentration: Some calculators allow you to adjust the lye concentration. A common starting point is 30-33%.

3. Select Your Water:

Water Type: Usually, distilled water is recommended for soap making.
Water Amount: The calculator will calculate the appropriate amount of water based on your oil weight and lye concentration.

4. Calculate:

Lye Amount: The calculator will provide the exact amount of lye needed for your recipe in grams.
Water Amount: It will also give you the amount of water required.

5. Additional Features:

Superfat: Some calculators allow you to adjust the superfat percentage, which is the amount of extra oil added to ensure the soap is fully saponified.
Scent and Color: You can input the amount of fragrance and colorants you plan to use.

Popular Soap Calculators:

- SoapCalc.net: A widely used online calculator with a user-friendly interface. SoapCalc: http://www.soapcalc.net/

Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetics Guild (HSCG) Calculator https://www.soapguild.org/tools-and-resources/product-price-calculators/lye

Lye Calculator: Another popular option with a simple design. https://www.lyecalc.com/
Soap Recipe Calculator: Offers additional features like fragrance and color calculations. http://thesoapcalculator.com/

There are also many YouTube Videos on how to calculate this.

Remember: Always handle lye with extreme caution. It is a strong chemical and can cause severe burns. Ensure you're following safety guidelines when working with it.

Additional Resources:

Soap Making Forum: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/
The Soap Making Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4lJJQaFweg6MFpSFVPgtXg
Modern Soapmaking: https://www.modernsoapmaking.com/blog?tag=soap+recipes+and+tutorials
Lye Calculator: https://www.the-sage.com/lyecalc/
Soap Making Tips: https://thesoapcoach.co.uk/blogs/on-my-soap-box/15-soap-making-hints-tips-and-hacks

Your Basic Shea Butter Soap

Introduction

Creating your own soap at home is a rewarding and creative process, and using shea butter as a key ingredient adds a luxurious, moisturizing touch to your bars. Shea butter is rich in vitamins and fatty acids, making it perfect for nourishing and protecting your skin. In this DIY soap recipe, you'll learn how to incorporate shea butter into a simple, yet effective, soap base, resulting in a gentle, skin-loving product that you can enjoy or gift to others.

Benefits of DIY Shea Butter Soap:

Deep Moisturization: Shea butter hydrates and softens the skin.
Rich in Vitamins: Contains vitamins A and E, promoting healthy, glowing skin.
Soothes Irritation: Helps calm sensitive or irritated skin.
Anti-inflammatory: Reduces redness and inflammation.
Creamy Lather: Creates a rich, luxurious lather for a spa-like experience.
Natural Healing: Supports skin repair and reduces the appearance of scars.

Basic Tools You Will Need

Double boiler or microwave: For melting ingredients.
Silicone molds: To shape the soap.
Mixing bowl and utensils: For mixing ingredients.
Measuring cups and spoons: For accurate measurement.
Thermometer: To monitor temperature.
Protective gear: Gloves and goggles for safety.

Ingredients:

Shea butter: 1 cup
Coconut oil: 1 cup
Olive oil: 1 cup
Lye: 3 oz (use with caution)
Distilled water: 7 oz
Essential oils (optional): Lavender or tea tree oil

Steps:

Prepare Your Workstation Ensure your working area is clean and dry. Put on your gloves and protective goggles.
Melt the Shea Butter and Oils Using a double boiler, melt the shea butter, coconut oil, and olive oil together. Stir gently until the mixture is combined.
Mix the Lye and Water In a well-ventilated area, carefully add the lye to the distilled water (never the other way around) and stir until it's fully dissolved. Allow the mixture to cool down.
Combine Oils and Lye Mixture When both mixtures are at similar temperatures (around 95°F-105°F), slowly pour the lye mixture into the oils. Blend using a stick blender until "trace" is reached—this is when the mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency.
Add Essential Oils At this point, you can stir in your desired essential oils. Lavender or tea tree oil are popular choices.
Pour into Molds Carefully pour the soap batter into prepared molds, smoothing out the top.
Cure the Soap Cover the molds with a cardboard box or towel and let them sit for 24 to 48 hours to harden. Once set, remove from molds and let the soap cure for about 4 to 6 weeks, turning occasionally.

Variations and Add-Ins

Exfoliating Soap: Add ground oats or coffee for natural exfoliation.
Herbal Soap: Add dried flowers, like chamomile or calendula, for extra nourishment.

Lye and Water Calculations:

Using the following values from a Lye Calculator:

Shea butter: 0.128 oz NaOH/oz of oil

Coconut oil: 0.183 oz NaOH/oz of oil

Olive oil: 0.135 oz NaOH/oz of oil

Castor oil: 0.129 oz NaOH/oz of oil

Step-by-Step Calculations:

Shea butter (8 oz): 8 oz × 0.128 = 1.024 oz NaOH

Coconut oil (8 oz): 8 oz × 0.183 = 1.464 oz NaOH

Olive oil (8 oz): 8 oz × 0.135 = 1.08 oz NaOH

Total Lye Amount: 1.024 oz + 1.464 oz + 1.08 oz = 3.568 oz NaOH

Water Calculation: Assuming a water-to-lye ratio of 2:1 (a typical range for cold process soap): 3.568 oz NaOH × 2 = 7.136 oz water