Soap Making Picture Story ~ Cold Process

This is a picture play in the steps of making soap, so you will see that it is easy to do.  The first picture shows my lye and water that I mixed earlier outside in the open air.  Always pour the lye crystals into the water, don't spill and you should have no problem. The lye  heats the water when first mixed and you will see some fumes, but soon the fumes are gone.  You will leave it for a while (out of reach of animals and children) and it begans to cool down.  Please see more details and recipes on soap making in my previous post.

Now I have my lye water ready, it has cooled down to about 110 degrees (the temperature is not crutial but your oils and lye water do need to be about the same temperature).  This is the container I keep reserved for only this purpose.  I never use it for other things, as the lye water can absorb into the plastic.

All oils prepared in a stainless steel sauce pan, temperature cooled to about 110 degrees.  

 

Pouring in the lye and water mix.  I am pouring slowly on the back of my spoon.  I believe this helps to keep down air bubbles.

Use you stick blender or mixing beaters and you will began to see the oils getting creamy almost instantly.  Keep your beater under the soap to avoid tiny air bubbles that you can see in your finished soap.   

If you look closely, you can see light trace.  You may add color and/or fragrance at this point if desired (don't wait for heavy trace to add it so you will have time to blend more after adding your additives).  It is perfectly fine to pour into your mould at the beginning of trace.  Your soap will set up just as quickly.  You will not get as smooth a top at pour if your soap is more heavily traced and you will be more likely to have air pockets in your block.

I really like natural soap, without color or fragrance, but you can see that I did add color here.  I wanted a marbled pink color.  I added the color in the pot in four equal spots, then I swirled it in one circle around the pot with my stir spoon.  Just one circle around will do it.  Then when you pour into your mould, you get more marbling as you pour. 

You will need to cover your mould, cardboard will do it, then cover with a small blanket  to keep the heat in so sponification will be complete.  Open the next day and admire your soap.  Remove from mould and cut into bars as desired.

Note: In answer to a question - In making hot process soap, in a crock pot or pot on the stove, you do not wait until your lye water and oils cool down.  You simple start heating your oils, mix your lye water and combine.  Cook on low until trace, but you will need to read or study for more details for hot process soap making.  The good thing about hot process soap is that you don't need to wait so long for the curing out period.  I have used it in a day or two.