Soap Making Picture Tutorial - Dragon's Blood Fragrance - Red Color

Melt solid oils on low heat - Remove from heat and add liquid oils. 

List of Oils : Coconut, Palm, Palm Kernel, Olive and Canola.

Other oils can be used, but you will need a combination of several

different oils for a good balanced soap which is high in bubbles, cleansing,

creaminess, conditioning and hardness.  Some oils may be good for

 cleansing, but produces no bubbles.  Some will be good for bubbles and

cleansing, but produces no conditioning.  So you see, it is very important to

study the properties of oils.  Go Here.  Google oil properties for soap making. 

The oils and lye are ready to combine.  Each has cooled to about

100 - 110 degrees.  Some soap makers want to get the degree

precise with a thermometer.  I have not found that to be necessary. 

If you are not sure nor comfortable with that, use a thermometer.

Pouring in the oils on the back of a spoon to keep

from creating air tiny air bubbles in the finished soap.

In this photo, the oils and lye water are not blended.  The mixture has

a watery consistency.  It would take a lot of stirring with a spoon to get

a blended mix, but it can be done and trace can be reached.  A stick

blender or most any mixer will bring the oils to trace in a very short time,

even just a very few minutes, all depending upon the type oils you are using.

Oils and lye water are blended, will not separate when not

being mixed.Remember to hold the mixer beneath the soap at

all times, so as not to make air bubbles.

Light trace has been reached.  It is good not to go to a really heavy

trace.  If so, air pockets will be created in your soap as you pour into the

mold.   You will not have as smooth a pour, however your soap will still

be nice and a pleasure to use :) 

Stop right here if you do not want to use additives, such as fragrance and color.

Plain Jane natural homemade soap in all of it's glycerin glory is so very nice.

Pour the soap into your mold.  Your soap will become warm.  Cover with something like a couple of towels or a small blanket.  This is for insulating so your soap will stay warm long enough to reach a full gel.  Leave covered overnight.  The next morning you will have soap ready to cut.  Place on a rack to dry for about six weeks.   

If you would like to use fragrance and/or color, read on.

Getting Fragrance Oil Ready - How much per pound

of soap depends upon the type fragrance and your preference.

Add your fragrance at the earliest trace point or as soon as you are

certain you have your oils blended really well, no separation of oils and

water.  The importance of adding fragrance at earliest time is because

some fragrance oil speeds up reaching trace, especially floral fragrances. 

By adding fragrance at early trace, you should have plenty of time.

Add your color at early trace.  It is easy to simply add color to the

whole pot and blend well, resulting in a solid color.  Pour into your mold.

In the pictures I am showing you a sort of swirl technique.

I added my color to a little bit of soap, about 3/4 cup.

I am pouring in about one fourth of the scented soap. 

(you can see that after I added the fragrance oil, the soap is darker. 

Some fragrancesdiscolors, some do not.  Your fragrance suppliers 

usually has this information.) 

I am streaming in about one fourth of the red color.

I am using a skewer to lightly swirl the colors. 

 I repeated these last three steps four times.

Cover and wait for the saponification process to complete.

I uncovered and took a quick peek.  It has reached complete

gel stage and still warm.  See how the color has changed?  I wonder

what color it will be when it cools and complete saponification has occured?

This is what it looked like the next morning.  The soap is firm,

ready to be removed from the mold.  I cut the block into two 

pieces with a knife and now it is ready to be cut into bars. 

This is Dragon's Blood Soap

(scented with dragon's blood fragrance oil)