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Make Your Own Soap the Easy WayYour Complete Guide to the Art of Soap Making

Kelly Kohn

PUBLISHED BY:Kelly Kohn

Copyright 2012

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means,electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of thisbook.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of theauthor's imagination or used fictitiously.

Table of ContentIntroduction

Chapter 1 - The squeaky clean truth about soaps

A brief history of soapWhat is soap?The soap making procedure

Chapter 2 - Every soap maker should have this Equipment used in making soap

Chapter 3 - What goes into soap? Ingredients, ingredients, ingredients

Fats and oilsLyeMoisturizersThickeners and hardenersWater alternativesBubbles, Bubbles, BubblesBotanicalsFragranceColor

Chapter 4 - Basic Techniques in making your soap bar or liquid soap

The Cold ProcessThe Hot ProcessMelt and PourRe-batchingLiquid SoapWhipped soapCleaning upStoring soap

Chapter 5 - Adding your dyes, botanicals, essences and fragrances, cutting those shapes

ScentsColorYellow/OrangeBrown/BlackGreenRed/PinkPurple/BlueBotanicalsDesigns

Chapter 6 - Easy and simple soap recipes

Basic Oil SoapGrocery Store SoapVanilla Kitchen SoapOatmeal Melt and Pour SoapMoisturizing soapSoap for acne- prone skinVegetarian SoapMelt and pour loofah soapRosemary Mint Handmade SoapMango and Shea Butter soapLavender SoapApple Spice SoapAloe Soap BallsGood Morning Scrub BarTea Tree and Kelp SoapDog SoapOrange Julius SoapBerry Mint Foot SoapMint Refresher Liquid Soap

Chapter 7 - The Dos and Donts of soap making

DosDonts

Chapter 8 - Trouble shooting in soap making

My soap will not trace!My solid soap has turned to liquid!My soap has separated in the pot!My liquid soap has separated!My soap has seized!My soap is too thickMy soap is oily soapMy soap is sweatingMy soap has orange spots in it!My soap has water pockets!My soap has oil pockets!My soap is dry and brittle!My soap is soft and mushy!My soap is coated in powder!My soap is lighter around the edges!

My fragrance has disappeared!When is it necessary to give up and throw away a batch of soap?

Chapter 9 - Selling your beautiful handmade soaps

ConclusionReferences

Introduction

Welcome to learning the art of soap making. If you preparing to read this article then you areprobably a crafty person looking to dive into something new. Once the process is learned, soapmaking can be an easy, fun, and productive hobby. People choose to make soap for a variety ofreasons including for personal use, gift giving, or as a product to sell in a home-basedbusiness. Once you become a soap maker, you will no longer have to waste time shopping fora soap that will not irritate your sensitive skin or make a last minute run to the mall for a birthdaygift. Many people enjoy soap making because they can produce unique and useful items. Thescientific nature of this craft can appeal to those of us who like to have a guideline to followwhile learning, but then be able to work within some general parameters to create one-of-a-kindproducts.

There are several advantages to making your own soap. First, its fun! Once you understandthe process, the creative possibilities are endless. Elements of color, texture, shape, scent, anddesign all come into play when making soap. The process does not require a great timecommitment so just by having an afternoon free you can make a batch of soap. Of course, it willneed to harden after that afternoon, but that process does not require you to be actively doinganything other than flipping it over occasionally.

Secondly, homemade soaps are much healthier for you and the environment. By the time atypical person finishes his or her morning routine, he or she has likely already come intocontact with over one hundred chemicals and about sixty percent of what we put on our skin isabsorbed into our body. By making your own soap, you have complete control over the qualityand naturalness of the ingredients. This is especially great for people with allergies or sensitiveskin. You will know that the soap you make does not contain artificial dyes or additives, unlessof course you want them in there. When making your own soap you can choose the fragranceand how strong it is. You can decide if you want liquid soap, hard soap or soft soap when youare finished. You can also decide how you want it to function. Do you want it to exfoliate?Condition? Moisturize? Cleanse? A combination of the above? When you make your ownsoap that can happen! As an added bonus, homemade soaps usually contain a large amount ofglycerin which makes them much better at moisturizing than commercial soaps. Making soapis also better for the environment as it conserves energy and the process of creating it does notinvolve the use of harsh synthetic chemicals that can harm our waters and other naturalresources.

Let us end this introduction with some fun facts about soap to hit home the idea thatsoap making can be fun, interesting, profitable, and easy.

Soap has been made in some form for at least the last 2,000 years. Early soaps were not used for bathing but for cleaning clothes and animal hides. June weddings were made popular because back in the early 1500s, people

typically only bathed with soap once yearly and most often in late May. This allowedbrides to be fresh for their upcoming nuptials. The first soaps were made from animal fat and ashes from wood fires. Soap can be made in liquid, bar, powder, cream, foam, and gel forms. Soap not only stings yours eyes because it contains lye, it is also chemically reactingwith the fat molecules in your eyeball. The first known literary reference to soap used for cleansing purposes was by Galen,a Greek physician, in 1700 A.D. Early 7th century Arabic chemists created the first soap using only vegetable oil. Prior to this it is thought that all soaps had some amount of animal fat in it. The English government imposed a tax on soaps for many years until 1835, making1 million pounds a year. 10,000,000,000 pounds of soap are produced per year world-wide 1/3 of all soaps are produced in the United States In the United States, 25 pounds of soap are used per person, per year. The worldaverage is 6.6 pounds. 85% of the soap used in the United States is used in cleaning laundry and 12% isused for bathing. Most of the soap purchased at a store is not soap but bars of synthetic detergent. By 1890, five major soap companies were in business; Colgate, Morse, Pears,Bailey, and Albert. The Palmolive Company is named after its most popular soap which was made withpalm and olive oils. Elephants are frequently washed with Murphys Oil Soap. Ivory soap was never meant to float. The company was over mixing the soap whichcreated air bubbles causing the bar to float. Since it was so well received by customers,the company continued over mixing their soap. Liquid hand soaps were first created and sold in the 1970s

No matter how far and how much of an expert you want to become on soap making, thisreport will give you a great start towards understanding soap, its history, the soap makingprocesses, and also some ideas on how to start a soap selling business.

Chapter 1 - The squeaky clean truth about soapsA brief history of soap

Soap has quite the past. For a very, very long time people have known that combining fatswith ash from a fire would make a substance that could be used to clean things. There is awidely told story that the word soap came from the ancient Romans however, the truth of it iswidely debated. According to the story, Romans sacrificed animals on Mount Sapo and then itrained, all of the fat from the animals and the ashes from the sacrificial fires, were washed downthe mountain and into the Tiber River. This created clay in the river that made washing easier. Those that discount this story as fantasy have the belief that the word soap derives from theLatin word, sapo and was borrowed from the Celts who created a substance from animal fatand plant ash that they called saipo.

Historians have several ideas about where and when soap making first began. Manybelieve that soap was invented by the Babylonians. This is because a stone tablet wasdiscovered during an excavation of ancient Babylonia indicating that around 2800 B.C.,

Babylonians were making soap. Another clue that soap has been around since ancient timesis the Ebers papyrus which contains a recipe for soap made by salt mixed with animal fats

indicating that early Egyptians used soap for textiles and medicinal purposes. Early Romansmade soap in the 1st century A.D. by combining goat fat with wood ashes and salt. In fact, a saltfactory was discovered among the ruins of Pompeii, a city which was destroyed by a volcanic

eruption in 79 A.D.In the 2nd century A.D., Galen, the famous Greek doctor, publicly recommended washing with

soap to prevent disease. Prior to this, soap was used primarily to treat diseases or for textiles. This proclamation resulted in more people using soap for bathing however, for a long time still;soap was used mostly for non-bathing purposes.

Moving into Europe, ancient Germans created soap from ash and animal fat. It was usedprimarily for styling hair. In 1200 A.D., Marseilles, France and Savona, Italy were soap makinghubs. In the 8th century, there is evidence that people in Italy and Spain were using goat fat andbeech tree ash to make soap. At the same time, the French began using olive oil in their soap. Soap came to Bristol, England in the 12th century and could be found in London in the 13thcentury. Beginning in the 16th century, finer, more luxurious soaps that were vegetable based,most using olive oil, were more widely available in Europe. In England, soap makers had topay tax on the soap that they made until 1853. This was enforced to the point of equippingsoap pots with locks so that soap makers would not be able to produce soap without beingobserved. When the tax was alleviated, inexpensive soap was created and became widelyavailable throughout England by 1880.

In 1791, a Frenchman by the name of Nicolas LeBlanc discovered a way to make sodiumcarbonate or soda ash from common salt which allowed soap makers to create soap veryinexpensively. Prior to this, soap was expensive and in very high demand. In 1811, anotherFrenchman named Michel Eugene Chevreul identified the relationship between glycerin andfatty acids. These two discoveries marked the beginning of modern day soap making.

In the late 18th century, industrially manufactured soap became available however, up untilaround the turn into the 19th century, Europeans continued to use soap primarily for purposesother than bathing. This changed when German chemist Justus Von Liebig announced that theamount of soap used by a nation was a great indicator of the countrys wealth and level ofcivility.

When the first settlers came to America, they brought a large supply of soap with them. Thiscan be verified by viewing the records of ships that came over from England. In 1630, JohnWinthrop, before he became the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, wrote to hiswife asking her to bring soap when she traveled over to America. After establishing themselvesin America and surviving their first harsh winter, the colonists discovered that they had a largesupply of ash and animal fat as a result of their daily routines of hunting and cooking food. They came to the realization that they could make soap from those products. When they begandoing this, soap was no longer an expensive product that was in high demand. It could bemade for virtually no money and was generally made annually or semiannually. For thecolonists, making their own soap had the added benefit of allowing them to be increasinglymore independent of England.

In 1916, the soap making process changed significantly when German chemists discoveredand began creating synthetic detergents. Commercially made soap as we know it todaybecame available during World War I. At that time, factories were using the batch kettle boilingmethod for making soap. This process had some significant drawbacks. Not only did it takefour to eleven days to complete a batch, the quality of the produced soap was inconsistent anddependent on which oils were used in a particular batch. Shortly after 1930, the Proctor andGamble Company developed the continuous soap making process. This change resulted inthe production of a consistent quality of soap that was made in a shorter amount of time. Thisprocess is still used by commercial companies today and allows a batch of soap to becompleted in about six hours.

What is soap?

Before delving into the art of soap making, we must first understand exactly what soap is. Some people have a tendency to skip chapters such as this and dive right into the directiongiving portion of things. Be cautioned- skipping ahead to read about what you need to gather inorder to make your first batch will be detrimental. In order to create something it is essential thatone understands the fundamentals in order to be successful. Since soap making is soscientifically based, once you understand the principles and theories about how soap is formedand why it formed, you will be able to apply your learning not only to following a recipe butcreating your own unique and clever work of art. You are one step ahead of the game if youever took a chemistry class, so put on your lab coat and read on.

In its most basic form, soap is simply the salt of a fatty acid. No, not the kind of salt that wekeep on our tables to sprinkle on French fries. A salt is anything that is the product of an acidand an alkali reacting. The type of salt that is formed from this reaction is dependent on thestrength of the acid and alkali that is combining.

Recall from chemistry, the pH or potential Hydrogen scale. On this scale water is neutral at a7. Anything less than 7 is an acid. Anything above 7 is an alkali. Then scale allows alkalisand acids to be described as strong or weak substances. Stronger acids have a tendency toburn whereas stronger alkalis have a tendency to corrode. The pH scale also gives us a pointof reference to test substances in order to assure that they are safe to be touched or ingested.

When it comes to soap, the acid that is used generally comes in the form of fatty acidsderived from animals and plants. Each fatty acid has one hydrogen, two oxygen and onecarbon atom and also has a carboxylic acid group hanging out at the end. This carboxylic acidgroup is made up of hydrogen and carbon atoms. Now, when fatty acids come together, theyattach themselves into groups of three and form what are called triglyceride molecules. Thetriglyceride molecule is also attached to one molecule of glycerin. Hang onto that informationwhile we shift gears a bit.

An alkali is a base that will neutralize an acid and also dissolve in water. When an alkali andan acid mix, the neutralization of the two occurs through the production of hydrogen and oxygenatoms during the reaction process. When soap first started being made, ashes of plants servedas the alkali that was used to cause a reaction with the fatty acids. In these modern times,alkalis are made commercially. The alkali that is used, almost exclusively, in soap making islye. Lye can be purchased at a hardware store. It is also known as sodium hydroxide orcaustic soda. Lye is referred to as caustic because of its tendency to be very corrosive.

So now we know that soap is a salt that is created when a fatty acid is combined with analkali. We know what fatty acids and alkalis are. Now here comes the most important soap-making term you will ever learn. Commit it to memory. S-A-P-O-N-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-N. Saponification is the chemical process of making soap. Here is what happens in basic terms. The alkali works to split the fatty acids into two parts, fatty acids and glycerin. Then the alkalibinds with the fatty acid. So once saponification has occurred, we are left with a tablet of saltand glycerin.

You may now be wondering, so if we are left with salt and glycerin, how exactly does thatclean things? Well thats more chemistry. When soap is combined with water, it acts as asurfactant. A surfactant molecule has oil soluble and water soluble parts. Because of this,these molecules can surround grease or dirt particles and bring them into the water so they canbe washed away.

OK. Now that you have all of that background information stored in your brain you are readyto learn about how soaps are made. There are generally four processes that can be used tomake handmade soap. You can choose to use the cold process, the hot process, the melt andpour method, or the re-batching method. Each of these methods will be explained in detail asyou read on. They all have something in common however, and that is the saponificationprocess that has to occur sometime, somehow to create soap. So you will always need an oilor fat and an alkaline (almost always lye) to make a traditional soap.

The soap making procedure

There are several different methods that can be used to make soap these days. We willdiscuss these methods in much greater detail in later chapters but the process is worth anoverview at this point. The soap making ritual begins with blending two separate concoctions. The first is a blend of lye and water. The second is a blend of fats and oils. These twosolutions are mixed together until a point called trace is reached. Trace is the point at whichenough saponification has occurred that the mixture has started to thicken. In general, oncetrace occurs the soap is poured into a mold of some sort. Depending on the method of soapmaking being used, the soap will then go through a gel phase where it becomes more opaquein color. A gel phase does not always occur and does not necessarily have to occur. When aloaf or log mold is used, the gel phase tends to occur because the mixture retains its heat welland will liquefy while in the mold. Soaps that are poured into individual molds do not tend tohold their heat as well and therefore are not as likely to go through the gel phase. If a soapdoes go through a gel phase, saponification tends to be faster. Whether it goes through a gelphase or not, after the soap has hardened in the mold, it is taken out and placed on racks tocure. The curing process takes about 3-6 weeks to complete and allows the soap to hardenand age. After curing is complete the soap is ready to use.

You may recall from earlier that the kettle batch process is one way that companies used tomake very large amounts of soap. This is a four-step process which is outlined next.

1. Boiling In this first step, the fats and the alkali are melted into a very large steel kettle. A largecompany may have a kettle that is three stories tall and can hold several thousand poundsof ingredients. Heat coils within the kettle heat the mixture up to boiling. Saponificationbegins as the fats and alkali mix, producing soap and glycerin.2. Salting In order to separate the glycerin and soap, salt is added to the mixture. When the salt isadded, the soap rises to the top of the kettle and glycerin settles to the bottom. Theglycerin is removed through the bottom of the kettle.3. Strong change A caustic solution is then added to the kettle during what is referred to as the strongchange phase in order to remove any fats that have not saponified. This is important toachieving a soap that is smooth and free of impurities. The mixture is boiled again and thefat turns to soap. Salting can be repeated at this point if necessary.4. Pitching In this last step, water is added to the kettle and the soap is brought to yet anotherboil. The mixture will separate into two layers after time. The top layer, containing about70% soap and 30% water, is referred to as neat soap. The bottom later contains theremaining water, dirt, and other impurities. This layer is called nigre. The soap ismolded, cooled, and cured before it is wrapped and a ready for purchase.

The most modern procedure used to mass produce soap is the Continuous Process. It workslike this:

1. Splitting This first step splits the fat being used to make the soap into fatty acids and glycerin. Theprocess takes place in a very tall stainless steel column called a hydrolizer. Fat is pumpedinto one end of the column and very hot water is pumped into the other end. The column isthen highly pressurized. As the splitting process occurs, the fatty acids and the glycerinare pumped out of the column while at the same time more fat and water are added to thecolumn. The removed fatty acids are then purified through a distillation process to ensurethat they are smooth and free of impurities.2. Mixing An alkali is now mixed with the purified fatty acids to produce soap. Additives such ascolor, fragrance, and exfoliators are put into the mixture during this step.3. Cooling and Finishing The soap is poured into molds and hardens into a large slab. Freezers are sometimesused to speed up this process. Bars of soap are then cut from the slab and wrapped.

Now that you have a nice background of what soap is and its history as well as a basicunderstanding of how it is made, it is time to delve in deeper and get started learning how tomake your own soap.

Chapter 2 - Every soap maker should have this Equipment used in making soapSo you were so inspired by the first chapter that you want to run right out and purchase all of

the materials you need right? Well, this chapter and the next will help you to create yourshopping list and also let you know where you may want to go to pick up the items you need. Compared to many other crafts, you do not need much equipment to make soap and much ofwhat you do need is inexpensive. In fact, you may already have much of what you need in yourkitchen.

Important safety note- it is crucial that once you use a tool for soap making you do not use itfor cooking or any other activity. Some of the chemicals used in soap making are poisonous ifingested and can burn the skin. Make sure you store your soap making utensils separately fromyour kitchen-use utensils.

When choosing your tools it is important to choose equipment that is not made of aluminum,brass, or bronze when making soap. These metals react negatively to lye and will pose safetyhazards and will not produce very good end results for your soap. Stainless steel, glass, andenamel are good choices.

First here is a list of the basics that do not require too much explanation:

Freezer paper or plastic wrap (not wax paper) to cover your work surface and line themold if needed 6-8 inch steel knife for cutting soap if you are not using a mold Drying rack to allow your soap to cure Droppers or pipettes to add color and fragrance Rubber spatula to stir Stainless steel spoons to stir Stainless steel whisk to mix Bowls 4-cup glass measure to ensure you are adding the right amount of each ingredient Waterproof digital thermometer preferably made from stainless steel and at least 5inches long Rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle Crockpot (optional) Double boiler (optional) Microwave (optional)

There are a couple other pieces of equipment you will need which require a bit morediscussion in order for you to be able to make an educated choice at the store. The first ofthese things is a mixer. You may decide that hand mixing works for you, particularly if you wantto combine soap making with your daily workout. However, for many stirring soap for close toan hour in order for it to fully start the saponification process will not lead to personalenjoyment. If you are one of those people, you have a couple options to consider. An electrichand mixer can be used but has its drawbacks. Using this method there is a tendency for a lotof air to get added into the mixture. This can cause some significant problems with the batch ofsoap including have air pockets throughout the finished product. The use of a stick orimmersion blender is highly recommended. Look for one that has a simple design with bladesthat connect to the blender and a solid part behind the blades. You want to look for a low, shortend on your blender (around the blade area). Also, find a blender that has a smooth bottomrim. Avoid choosing one with grooves or ridges. Do not worry about having several speedsettings; it will not matter as you will be pulsing it or using it in the off position. By using a stickblender you can cut down the time it takes to reach a trace significantly. We are talking from 45minutes down to 5. Significant. Some soap recipes have a tendency to separate and the risk ofthis happening is much less when using a stick blender. So now that the joys of the stickblender have been shared, there is a caveat. You may want to stir by hand or use a regularelectric hand mixer when making your first couple of batches. This will allow you to clearly seethe stages your soap is going through and, in particular, identify when you have reached thetrace stage. It is very easy to get a false trace when using a stick blender

Another important piece of equipment is a scale. When measuring ingredients for a soaprecipe the measurements, particularly lye and water, must be exact. More exact thanmeasuring cups would be for sure. Measuring with a scale will make it more likely that thesoap making process will be glitch free. It is also safer as the chemicals used will react in thepredictable way that you have planned for. When you are purchasing a scale you want to lookfor several things. Firstly, you want it to be digital so you get very exact readings. It will also bebeneficial if it can tell you weights in Metric and English measurements. This will save theprocess of converting measurements from recipes written in metric units into English terms andvice versa. Size is another consideration. You want your scale to have a useable surface of atleast six inches square. The scales unit of graduation is crucial. Soap making requiresmeasuring some very small amounts so look for a scale that measures in 1 gram and .1 ounceincrements.

Since we are working with acids and bases that can be harmful when they come in contacton the skin if not neutralized, it is beneficial to test the pH of your soap at some point. On a pHscale, numbers less than 7 signify acids and numbers above 7 signify an alkali. It is desirablefor soap to have a pH of between 7 and 10. Unless you buy really expensive lab-quality pHtesting equipment, you are left with a couple of options to test pH, none of which give us anextremely accurate reading but some information is better than no information. The first, andmost traditional test, is to place a drop of soap on your tongue. If it zaps like an electric shock,you know that the lye has not been neutralized and you need to keep mixing or cooking in orderto bring the pH down and make the soap safe. The hand test can also be used. When thesoap is finished, wash your hands with it. If it provides little lather and causes skin irritation, thepH is likely not within the safe range. If these ideas are not appealing to you, take a trip to thepharmacy where you can purchase pH strips. To use these, place a drop of water on your soapand then put the test strip on the water. Because this tests the pH of the water and not thesolidified (or semi-solidified) soap, it is not completely accurate but you do get a better idea ofwhere the soap is at. Another tool that can be used is phenolphthalein. This is a liquid thatyou drop in very small amounts onto the soap. If the liquid is clear or light pink you are all set. If it is a darker color, you need to continue the saponification process to make it safe. Phenolphthalein is most easily found at a store that sells pool supplies as it is also used to testthe safety of swimming water.

Soap molds are probably the most fun and interesting pieces of equipment you will shop for. Soap molds come in all shapes and sizes. Some are very inexpensive and some aredownright pricey. There are a couple general routes you can take to choose a mold. You coulddecide to purchase individual molds to pour the soap directly into. Although those work verywell for the melt and pour technique, it does not work out quite as well with the cold process asthey are more difficult to insulate. You could also purchase a wooden mold called a soap loafor line a loaf pan with plastic wrap and use that (remember not to use it for cooking after). Oncethe soap as hardened, the soap can be removed from the mold and sliced. There are a varietyof tool options for soap slicing. These include:

Smooth blade cutters Krinkle blade cutter Single bar cutting box Soap edgerIt also easy to make your own soap cutting box using a mitre box. Here is how:

1. Gather materials Handsaw Ten 1-inch screws Screwdriver inch by 4-inch poplar wood strips. Buy enough length so you have the length of yourmiter box times two plus eight inches 1x2 inch wood strips. Buy enough so you have the length of your mitre box times two

plus eight inches. Wooden mitre box Electric drill2. Cut two lengths of the poplar wood to the same length as the mitre box.3. Cut two lengths of the 1x2 woods strips to the same length as the mitre box.4. Drill three evenly spaced pilot holes through the 1x2 strips.5. Drill holes in the same places partially through the poplar strips.6. Screw the 1x2 and poplar strips together7. Place the two side strips in the mitre box8 . Measure the opening between the two sides. This must be exact as your end piecesneed fit snuggly. This prevents soap from leaking out of the mold.9. Cut the poplar and 1x2 strips to the measurement taken in the last step10. Drill pilot holes and attach the 1x2 wood strips to the poplar strips using screws.11. Put the pieces into the mitre box. 12. Notice that you can change the size of your mold by moving the end pieces further apartor closer together.Your last mold option is to get creative and go crazy. Here are some out of the box ideas:

PVC pipe Pringles can Cocoa can Silicone cake molds Candy molds Tupperware Shallow pan (you can cut out individual shapes with cookie cutters) Mini loaf pan

Tin can Box Yogurt containers Fluted ice cream dishes Muffin pan Margarine containers Mail tubes Toilet paper rolls Paper towel rolls

When in doubt about whether an object can be used as a soap mold or not, check thecontainer to see if it is dishwasher and/or microwave safe. If it is, this is a good indicator than itcan be used. Keep in mind also that a mold with one end larger than the other will release thesoap more easily after it is hardened.

If you are using a non-traditional container, it can be challenging to figure out just how muchsoap to make in order to fill it. Thankfully, there is a relatively easy way to find out this

information. 1. Begin by filling a mold with water and dumping the water into a liquid measure.2 . Measure the amount of water in ounces that the container held and multiply that by 1.8(the number of cubic inches in an ounce of water).3 . Multiply this number by .40 to determine how much soap oil you will need to put in therecipe in order to fill the container. 4. Multiply that by the number of containers you have. 5 . Multiply the amount of soap oils in ounces into the percentages of oil in your recipe. Forexample, if you need 38 ounces of soap oils and your recipe calls for 35% olive oil, you willuse 13.3 ounces of olive oil in your recipe (38 x .35).

Since you will be using chemicals, lye in particular, the use of safety equipment is crucial toprevent serious injury. The following safety tools are highly recommended:

Safety goggles when using lye Rubber gloves when using lye Apron Vinegar and milk to neutralize lye spills Table covering, preferably one that can be thrown away after each use (newspaper,plastic trash bag, dollar store table cloth)

Most of the materials mentioned in this chapter can be found by going to your local grocerystore, hardware store, cooking store, or big box store. If you want to get fancy with your molds,a trip to a craft store such as Ben Franklins, A.C. Moore, or Michaels would get you what youneed. If you want to save yourself from the hassle of driving to several places, you canpurchase what you want very easily from the Internet. Most websites will not only sellequipment but will also sell herbs, oils, spices, fragrances, and packaging. If you are lookingto make large amounts of soap, there are websites where you can purchase equipment andingredients in bulk allowing you to save a considerable amount of money. Here is a short listof some websites where soap making supplies can be obtained for reasonable prices:

cranberrylane.com brambleberry.com elementsbathandbody.com soapmaking.com

Chapter 3 - What goes into soap? Ingredients, ingredients, ingredientsAs you already know, the major ingredients that you will need in order to make soap are fats,

oils, and lye. If you want to take your soap up a notch you can add fragrance, color, and/orherbs to make a very luxurious bar.

Fats and oils

Lets chew the fat first. The fats and oils used in soap are also known as the soap base. Thefirst option is to buy fat from a butcher and render it yourself at home. Rendering is the processof melting the fat and removing any muscle tissue or other impurities so you are left with asmooth material that will not spoil. The rendered fat from swine is called lard. This is a soft,smooth white substance. The rendered fat from sheep or cows is called tallow and is a hard,coarse solid. If you want to render your own fat you will need:

3-5 pounds of fat that is chopped (small) or ground Large pot Water Salt Sieve or Colander Large bowl Large spoons Potato masher

Once you have all of your ingredients, set them out in a well-ventilated area as rendering fatis a really smelly process. If you have a side burner on your grill, do this outside. The family willthank you. When you are ready to start, follow these steps:

1. Put the small pieces of fat into a big pot and add just enough water to cover it.2. Add 1 tablespoon of salt for every pound of fat to the pot. 3. Turn the heat on and bring the mixture up to a low boil. 4. Simmer the fat on a low heat for 20-30 minutes.5 . Use the potato masher to press down the fat and speed up the process a little bysqueezing more oil out. 6 . When you are left with mostly browned meat and gristle in the pot you can turn off theheat. 7 . Caution- you need to be very careful when doing this next step. Take the pot off thestove and pour the contents of the pan through a colander or sieve and into a large bowl. This is best done in the sink. 8. You will be left with all the solids in your colander and all the liquid in the bowl. 9. Set the solids aside. 10. Peer into the bowl and you will see a layer of water on the bottom and the melted fat onthe top. 1 1 . Cool the liquid to room temperature and then move it into the refrigerator to stayovernight. 12. In the morning, take the bowl out. You will see the lard or tallow has formed a white discon top of the water. 13. Using a knife or fork, remove this disc and put the pieces into a bowl. 1 4 . Dispose of the rest of the liquid. Keep in mind that it may clog your sink so dumping itinto the compost pile or the backyard is a good idea. 1 5 . If you made tallow, wipe off as much of the loose fat particles on it as you can. Run it

under cool water to make sure it is completely clean. 16. Store the lard or tallow in the freezer until it is soap making time.

If using animal fat does not sound appealing, it is perfectly acceptable to use a vegetablebase. This is very common and a variety of vegetable oils and shortenings can be found at thelocal grocery or natural food store. Commonly used soap bases are olive oil, shea butter,cocoa butter, and coconut oil. Olive oil is known for being gentle and is probably the mostpopular base. Shea butter is very gentle and ultra moisturizing making it a good choice forsoap that will be used by someone with dry skin. Using cocoa butter will add firmness to yoursoap. Coconut oil will produce a hard soap with lots of bubbles in the lather when it is used. Other, less common, fats and oils are jojba, palm, sunflower, sweet almond, castor, chocolate,avocado, and cottonseed oil.

There is one last thing to be aware of with regard to fats and oils. When you start delving intorecipes, you will notice that some will refer to superfattened or supperfattening soap. Thisrefers to adding additional carrier oil into your mixture. No more than two additionaltablespoons are typically added.

LyeThe next ingredient that is needed is an alkali. Lye is an alkaline substance also known as

caustic soda or sodium hydroxide. It is used for many purposes including oven cleansing, foodcuring and drain opening. Be careful when working with lye. It is a caustic substance verycapable of burning, corroding, or destroying living tissue.

Lye can be purchased at a hardware store. Be sure that what you purchase is 100% sodiumhydroxide or caustic soda. You may find it with oven cleaners or drain openers. It comes inseveral forms including flakes, pellets, microbeads and coarse powder. Any of these can beused in the soap making process however; the safest form is thought to be flakes. If you havehard water at your home, you may want to consider using distilled water when mixing your lyefor better results. Use care when using and storing lye as it is poisonous and corrosive.

Important safety note: Lye should be stored in ceramic, stoneware, glass, or heat-resistantplastic containers.

Moisturizers

If you are looking to make a really moisturizing soap, there are several ingredients you canadd to accomplish this. You may choose to add extra glycerin. Glycerin is a thick liquid that iscolorless and odorless. It is naturally produced during the saponification of fats so you willhave already created some glycerin in your soap by combining fat and lye. Glycerin is ahumectant meaning that it sucks in and absorbs water from the air. This makes it great forkeeping the skin moisturized. It is water-soluble and has a low toxicity level.

Shea butter, coconut oil, almond oil, or honey can also be added for extra moisturization.When shopping for shea butter, you will notice that there are two types available- refined andunrefined. Refined shea butter has been processed at high heat with chemicals. During thatprocess, many of the benefits of shea butter are lost. By using an unrefined shea butter, youwill be reaping the full benefits from the product. If you choose to use honey, add 1 tablespoonper pound of oil and make sure it is fully mixed in before the trace gets too thick.

Thickeners and hardenersDepending on the type of soap you are making and the design elements you are going to use

to achieve your desired look, you may choose to add a material to thicken your soap or make itharder. There are several choices the first of which is beeswax. This can be purchased at craftstores or stores that sell candle making supplies. Beeswax helps the oils in the soap blendtogether and become increasingly thick. By creating a thicker base, the soap will stabilize andbecome harder.

Adding salt will also increase the soaps hardness, at first. Take note that salt does notincrease the hardness of the finished bar, but it does make the bar get harder faster. Thisallows the soap to be unmolded sooner. Salt should be dissolved in water before you add thelye to it. Use about a teaspoon per pound of oil or fat.

Water alternativesAlthough it is most common to mix lye with water when making soap, it is certainly possible

to use other liquids. Milk is sometimes used in soap making to make very creamy soap. Cowsmilk, goats milk, coconut milk, and even buttermilk can be used. It is used instead of water inthe lye solution. A note of caution- Milk reacts differently than water when mixed with lye due tothe sugars that are in it. There is a tendency for the milk to scorch as the lye heats up and thiscould turn the mixture brown and odorous (not in a good way). In order to prevent this fromhappening, the mixing process can be modified a bit. This procedure can also be followed tosubstitute tea, coffee, or beer for the water in the soap. It is very important to wear safetygoggles and gloves to do this.

1. Start with 1/3rd of the milk in liquid form and the other 2/3rd of the milk in a slushy or frozenstate. 2. Prepare an ice bath in your sink. 3. Add the liquid 1/3rd of the milk to a tall pitcher or bowl. 4. Place the bowl in the icy sink water.5 . Combine the lye with the milk, adding cold water to the sink to keep the temperaturesdown as needed6 . Slowly add lye to the milk and stir gently. Remember that it is starting to heat up at thispoint. 7. Go very, very slowly allowing the mixture to cool down a bit before adding more lye. 8 . Start adding the slushy or frozen milk to the mixture. Be very careful when doing this soit does not splash. 9 . Keep adding, mixing, and stirring until all the milk and lye has been combined. Do notbe alarmed if the mixture turns a golden amber color. It is going to happen and you willhave to incorporate that into your overall soap design when using milk.

Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles Part of the fun of soap is working up a great lather with tons of bubbles. Two

materials, borax and sugar, will help you to accomplish the goal of making very sudsy soap.Borax will not only help the soap make really great suds, it also works as a disinfectant. You

can find borax in stores, usually in the laundry soap section. Generally, one tablespoon ofborax is used for each pound of soap base.

Sugar will also increase the amount of lather and bubbles. One way to add sugar to soap isto thoroughly dissolve it in water before adding the lye. Another way to do it is to take a bit ofthe water you have weighed for use in your lye solution and add to one teaspoon of sugarper pound of oil or fat. Completely dissolve the sugar, using warm water may help with this. Add the solution when your soap is at the trace stage before you add your fragrance. The lastmethod for adding sugar is to make a syrup by combining two cups of sugar with one cup ofwater and slowly heating the mixture. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Add 1/2 to oneteaspoon of this simple syrup to your soap at trace, before adding fragrance. Be aware thatadding sugar can increase the temperature of the soap during the gel process so be extracareful when handling.

BotanicalsHerbs and other botanicals are commonly added to soap mixtures in order to give the soap

healing properties, color, and/or fragrance. Several of these herbs can be grown in a gardenand dried. This is an inexpensive way to get these ingredients and is a great selling point if youare planning on selling the soap that you make. If you have a garden, plant a little section ofsoap botanicals or create a mini indoor garden if you prefer. The following botanicals areeasy to grow and are great for using in soap making:

Calendula Comfrey Lavender Mint Basil Rosemary Peppermint Spearmint Lemon grass Chamomile Sage Thyme

When they are ready, pick the botanicals and dry them prior to using in soap. If growingherbs is too much, head over to the grocery store or better yet a natural food store and purchaseherbs there. We will talk in more detail about botanicals later on in this book.

FragranceMany people like smelly soap. There are lots of options but above all else, make sure to

choose additives that are cosmetically safe, meaning that they will not harm skin. Theguidelines for skin safe fragrance are overseen by the Research Institute for FragranceMaterials and the International Fragrance Association. When choosing a fragrance for soap,you will need to decide if you are going to use fragrance oils or essential oils. Essential oils arethe natural essence of a plant. Essence can come from leaves, flowers, bark, berries, roots,needles, seeds, beans, peels, cones, wood, stalks or other parts of the plant. A plants essenceis obtained either by distilling or expressing it. One reason essential oils are so expensive isthat it can take hundreds of pounds of plant material to make just one pound of essential oil. Tomake a pound of essential rose oil it takes over 2,000 pounds of rose petals. Be aware thateven though essential oils are natural products, they do contain naturally occurring chemicalsthat are not necessarily safe for the skin. Fragrance oils are artificially created scents. Theycontain chemicals, some natural plant or animal products, and synthetic fragrance. Syntheticfragrance was invented in the late 1800s and has become very popular. Both types offragrance will last about 1 year when stored within a dark glass in a dark, cool room. We willtalk about fragrances again in a later chapter.

ColorColor is a very important aspect of making soap look appealing and desirable to use. There

are many types of clays, mineral pigments, micahs and spices that are approved by the Foodand Drug Administration for use in cosmetics. As with fragrance, you must choose coloring thatis skin safe and approved for cosmetics. Some people play around with using crayons andkool aid. Although these are successful in giving your soap color, they are not approved asbeing safe for your skin. Do not use food colorings, fabric dyes, candle dyes, paints, or crayonsas these have not been approved for cosmetic use. Synthetic colors were discovered in the 19thcentury. These colors were called Tar Colors and were used in food and cosmetics. Thesesynthetics were found to be harmful to humans and many of them were banned when the USCongress introduced the Food & Drug Act in 1906. In 1939, synthetic colorings were dividedinto 3 categories: FD&C colorants which can be used in food, drugs and cosmetics, D&Ccolorants which are dyes and pigments that are considered safe in drugs and cosmetics, andExternal D&C Colorants which are not used in food, because they are toxic, but allowed to beused on skin and in cosmetics. Keep in mind that although External D& C colorants areallowed in cosmetics, they may not truly be safe as the skin can absorb toxins from substancesapplied to it.

Chapter 4 - Basic Techniques in making your soap bar or liquid soapAlright, you now have all of your equipment and ingredients. It is now time to decide which

process of soap making you would like to use. In this chapter, you will learn how each processworks and the benefits and drawbacks of each. First, there are a couple things you shouldknow for all techniques.

It is very important that you start by finding a well ventilated area to work in. Once you find,that cover your workspace. You can use towels, a newspaper, or disposable tablecloth. Thepurpose of this is to protect the area and allow for safe, easy cleanup. Then you need to put onrubber gloves and safety goggles if you are going to be creating a soap that uses lye. You mustalso have all of your materials ready first. All of the ingredients should be exactly measuredand in their appropriate containers before starting to make the soap. Make sure all theingredients and equipment you will need in later stages is at the ready. If necessary, line yourmolds. It is also advisable to read your recipe thoroughly before you start. Make sure youunderstand the procedures you are going to be performing and the ingredients as well as theequipment you will be using.

The rest of this chapter will explain to you a series of processes that can be used tomake soap. The cold process, hot process, melt and pour, and re-batching techniques will becovered in-depth. Instructions for how to make liquid soap and whipped soap will also beprovided.

The Cold ProcessThe first commonly used way of making soap is using the cold process. The advantage of

the cold process is that there is a very short active creation time (about 1 hour). The soapcreated is typically more smooth and even in texture than that produced using otherprocedures. Due to the fact that less lye is used in this process compared with the hotprocesses, this type of soap tends to be gentler on the skin. The disadvantage is that coldprocessed soaps need to cure for four to six weeks before using so the chemical change cancomplete.

The first step is to create a water and lye mixture. When choosing your recipe, it will specifyhow much lye and how much water to combine. A good rule of thumb if your recipe does notindicate a specific amount is to use a 1-part lye, 3-part water ratio. It is very important tomeasure the lye by weight and preferably measure it into a container that you can close in caseyou need to pause or your work is interrupted.

Important safety note: When combining add the lye to the water and not water to the lye forsafety purposes. If the water is added to lye, there will be a chemical reaction much like puttingvinegar and baking soda together. A container that can withstand high temperatures must beused for mixing because the chemical reaction between the lye and the water will cause themixture to heat to about 200 degrees.

Once the lye has been added to the water, stir continuously until the lye is dissolved or theneeded reaction will not occur when you mix this combination with the oil or fat. Oncecombined, place a thermometer in the container and set it aside.

The second step is to prepare your acid. If you are using a solid fat, melt it to liquid form. Measure your fats or oils into your soap pan using a scale. Mix the ingredients together, put athermometer in, and set aside.

Now is the time to get both of your mixtures to a temperature of around 95 degrees. This ismost easily done by putting the lye container into cold water or an ice bath. You may alsochoose to warm your fat over the stove or in the microwave at small increments. When they areboth the required similar temperature, pour the lye mixture into the fat slowly while stirring. It isimportant that you dont stop stirring until you reach the trace phase. If you decide to hand mix,you should achieve trace in about 45 minutes. If you use a stick blender, you can reach trace inas little as 2 minutes. When using a stick mixer you do not want to turn it on and let it go totown. Instead, alternate pulses with stirring motions while the mixer is off. You know you havethe right consistency, or have reached trace, when you can use your spoon to drizzle some ofthe substance on top of the rest and it stays there for a bit before sinking. Keep in mind that thetime it takes to achieve trace can vary widely depending on temperature, stirring method, andtypes of fats used.

Once the trace phase has been reached then fragrance, color, and anything else you wantedto add can be mixed in. Combine additives completely and pour into molds. Cover the moldswith a lid and wrap in 6-8 towels. No heat should escape as it is needed for the saponificationprocess to complete. Leave them to cure and cool for 18-36 hours.

Next, remove the soap from the molds. This is the time to cut if you have decided to make

bar soaps. Place the soaps on a cooling rack. Flip them every 6-8 days. The soap should befully cured in 4-6 weeks. Surrounding the soap with open air and allowing it to harden and ageas the chemical reactions stop completes this curing process.

The Hot Process

Hot process soap is more reminiscent of earlier times and of how soap would likely havebeen originally made. There are several advantages and disadvantages to this technique. Thefirst advantage is that you add fragrance and color after the saponification process has occurredtherefore changing their properties very little. Hot processed soap is often a bit softer making iteasier to slice. On the other hand, hot processed soap is not all that easy to mold and getting asmooth top layer is difficult. Also, the process of cooking uses electricity and energy resourcesnot required by the cold process. It is possible to use a stove, double boiler, or Crockpot tocreate hot processed soap.

As with the cold process, you want to create your lye and water mixture in one container andyour liquidized oils and fats in another pot. You do not have to wait until they reach a certaintemperature to combine them when using this technique. What you want to see when mixingthem together is separation. You hope to see yellowish curds on the bottom, a thick layer of oilin the middle, and white foam on the top. Once you see these layers, put the pot over low heatand stir continuously (either by hand or with mixer). If you do not stir, the solution will boil overonto the stove or counter. This is dangerous and one of the reasons you are wearing safetygear and have materials to clean up lye nearby. Cook the soap until you get bubbles that areabout the size of the head of a pi. This should take about 15-25 minutes. Remove the soapfrom the heat and let it cool until you do not see any bubbles, about 10 minutes. Reheat on lowuntil bubbles return. Cool again till bubbles are gone. Repeat this until no layers are left andthe mixture you have is even and uniform. It should remind you of Vaseline. Add fragrance,color and any other desired additives. Pour into your molds. There is no need to insulate yourmolds as the saponification process has already occurred. Once the soap is cool you canremove it from molds. If needed now is the time to slice the soap. Hot processed soap cancure for as long as you feel necessary. There is discrepancy among soap makers as towhether hot process soap needs to be cured at all while some stand by curing for 4-6 weeks. Itis advisable to allow at least some curing time with the soap on cooling racks.

Melt and PourThe melt and pour technique is very popular with beginners. Using this technique is not

actually soap making in the true sense because there is no saponification process. Instead,glycerin is combined with surfactants to make a soap base that can be commerciallypurchased. Although this process does not require the scientific prowess that other processesdo, it allows the soap maker to concentrate on the aesthetics of the soap and the result cansmell great and be truly beautiful. One of the major benefits of this technique is being able toavoid the use or harsh chemicals such as lye. This is particularly desirous to soap makers withchildren or pets who frequently enter the soap making area. Using this technique is a greatway to get children involved in soap making. To make melt and pour soap, start by meltingyour purchased soap base. This can be done in a microwave, Crockpot, or double boiler. Then, add any additives, colors, or fragrances you wish. Now pour the soap into your mold andlet it harden. Once its hard, take it out of the mold and let it dry on cooling racks for a couple ofdays before using.

Re-batchingRe-batching, also called the hand milled technique, is the last process of making solid soap

that we will talk about. The benefits of this process are saving money and reducing waste fromnot-so-pretty batches of soap. It is also a way to revive old soap that has lost its scent. Since noraw chemicals are involved, children can help make this type of soap.

The first step in this technique involves making a plain soap using either the hot or coldprocess. Use soap to which no botanicals, dyes, or fragrances have been added. After thesoap is hardened, grate it with a knife or cheese grater reserved for the purpose. Place thegrated soap in a small heat proof container to microwave or put it into a mini Crockpot or adouble boiler. Add nine ounces of water per twelve ounces of soap and melt it gently andgradually. It is important when using this technique to work with small batches within smallcontainers so the soap does not burn. Do not allow the mixture to boil and be careful not to stirtoo much because suds and bubbles are likely to develop. Once the soap is melted, let it coolto around 150 degrees. At this point add your botanicals, fragrances, colors, etc. Now it isready to be poured into molds. Once it is cooled, remove it from the molds. Slice if necessaryand place on cooling racks for several days before storing.

Liquid Soap

Some people prefer to have liquid soap for washing hands rather than a solid bar. Liquidsoap also has the benefit of being ready to use in about 3 days instead of 3 weeks.

The first way to make liquid soap is to follow the recipe for a simple soap made with the coldprocess. Follow the instructions according to the recipe you want to use. Make sure it gets wellbeyond a trace before molding. Instead of curing your soap as directed, it will only sit for aboutthree days then follow these steps:

1. Remove the soap from the mold2 . Shave, chop, or grate it. Make sure you use gloves for this process as the soap is stillcaustic. 3. Mix 1 cup of the soap pieces with the chosen fragrances, dyes, etc. 4. Put the combination in a double boiler or crock pot with 3 cups of water. 5. Melt the soap gradually while stirring. 6 . Break up any clumps with a plastic whisk or fork. You may find that some pieces do notmelt. If this is the case you will need to strain the mixture later. 7 . Once the soap has melted to a point you think is appropriate, scoop some out and allowit to cool in a water bath. It should be runny when cooled. 8. If it is too thick, you can add more water. 9. If it is not thick enough, you can add extra soap pieces. 10. Reheat as needed to get the right texture. 11. Once you feel its ready, strain the soap into a container.

The other method of making liquid soap involves an oven. The process is similar to makinga hot process bar soap except it uses a different type of lye. Instead of using sodium hydroxide,liquid soap uses potassium hydroxide. To make hot process liquid soap, follow this procedure:

1 . Mix your lye-water solution and set it to cool (warning- potassium hydroxide will gethotter more quickly when mixed with water than sodium hydroxide).2. Mix your fats and oils.3 . Blend the lye solution with the oils in an oven-safe pot until it reaches trace. This couldtake awhile with liquid soap but you will notice that when trace starts, the soap thickensvery quickly4. Cover the pot with a cover that fits securely. 5. Put the pot in a 180 degree oven.6. Cook for 4-5 hours stirring every 20-30 minutes.

7. When the soap is fairly clear, remove it from the oven.8. The paste now needs to be diluted. Bring 40 oz. of distilled water to a boil.9. Add the water to the soap.10. Stir it in.11. Put the lid on the pot and wait about an hour.12. Stir.13. Put the lid on overnight and stir again in the morning.14. Add fragrance and color.15. Let rest.16. Store and enjoy.

Whipped soap

Whipped soap is a fun variation on the cold process of soap making. The result iswhimsical soap resembling meringues, clouds, and puffs of whipped cream. To make whippedsoap follow these steps:

1 . Find a recipe with a percentage of hard oils (a.k.a. coconut, palm, lard, tallow, palmkernel, shea butter, cocoa butter, shortening) that is greater than 80%. 2. Weigh out your hard oils and place in a glass mixing bowl.3. Whip all of the oils with a hand mixer until peaks form.4. Slowly add the liquid oils.5. Whip for several minutes to achieve peaks again.6 . Add the lye-water solution your recipe calls for to the oils a couple tablespoons at atime.7. Keep whipping8. And whip some more9. Add fragrance keeping in mind that this will decrease your peaks a bit.1 0 . Depending on the oils used, the soap will be done when it resembles thick yogurt, softserve ice cream, whipped butter, cream cheese, or whipped egg whites.11. Add color.1 2 . Mold. Whipped soap works best in sliceable molds. You can also use the soap tofrost or pipe designs onto other prepared soaps as you would a cake or cookie.13. Whipped soap will take at least 24, if not 36 hours to set.14. Let it cure for several weeks.

Cleaning upNow that your soap is made, it is time to clean up. Hopefully you worked in an organized

fashion and there were no spills making the cleanup process much easier. When cleaning,remember that lye is now in several places, 2 pots and any tools that you used for mixing. Itcould also be on your gloves, the thermometer and the scale. It is still unsafe and causticbecause it did not have to opportunity to react with a fat and saponify. Raw soap is caustic sobe careful while cleaning up. The first step is to deal with the leftover raw soap. Use a rubberspatula to scrape the soap out of your pot and into your molds, the less soap you have in yourpot the easier it will be to clean. Now rinse all of your containers and tools. Wipe your pot outwith paper towels and dispose of them immediately. It is also possible to use shop towels,just leave them out overnight before putting them in the wash so the saponification processfrom the leftover ingredients will complete and no chemical reactions will occur in the washingmachine. Alternatively, you can use a lot of hot water and real soap to wash the pot. Youcould also put all of your tools needing cleaning into the pot, cover it with a lid, and leave it overnight. By the next morning the oils and lye that had remained will be soap. Just clean it up inthe sink and dry. Do not wash your materials in your dishwasher; the reaction will cause waterto spill out onto your floor.

Storing soapAfter your soap has cured, an appropriate way to store it must be found. Keep in mind that

the shelf life of homemade soap is much less than commercially made soap and becomes evenshorter if it is not stored properly. Homemade soap can last about a year when kept in a cool,dry spot. Placing it in an airtight container that is placed in a dark, dry, cool spot is ideal. Onceyou begin to use your soap, it is important to keep it as dry is possible so that it lasts longer.

Chapter 5 - Adding your dyes, botanicals, essences and fragrances, cutting thoseshapes

Now that the basic soap mixture has been made, its time to get creative with color, fragrance,shapes, botanicals, and designs. The first part of this chapter will talk about fragrance options. We will then move onto coloring and then to botanicals. The chapter will end by outlining somedesign techniques to experiment with.

ScentsBeing able to have a great smelling soap is one of the reasons to make your own. The point

at which you add your fragrance varies depending on the method you used to make your soap. If the cold process was used, slowly add fragrance once the soap mixture is completelyblended, but before it begins to get too thick. You can play around with it but you generallywant to add between .5 and .7 ounces of fragrance per pound of fat/oil in the recipe. Thatsabout 1-4 drops. With the melt and pour technique, fragrance oil should be added to your soapafter the soap has been removed from the heat source and has had a chance to cool slightly. Use between .3 and .5 ounces of fragrance per pound of soap. If you add scent when themelted soap is too hot, it may "burn off." If you used the hot process, add the fragrance whenthe soap is the texture of mashed potatoes, right before it is poured into molds. As a side note,be aware that vanilla fragrances, or blends containing vanilla, are likely to turn your soap brownover time. This is fine but you may want to consider that when choosing colors as you maywant to add more browns, reds, or golds.

There are many options for fragrance. Choosing depends on several factors including theusers skin type, gender, skin sensitivity, and desired benefits. Many fragrances or materialsadded to provide fragrance have healing qualities and benefits beyond smelling good.Frequently, fragrance is achieved by adding herbs or plants. Essential oils, as they comedirectly from the plant, can also add their healing properties. Here are several common optionsand their benefits. Although color will be addressed later in this chapter, when appropriateeach description indicates the color that the addition of the botanical will cause the soap to be.

Ginger has a warm, spicy scent. It has antibacterial, antioxidant, and antisepticproperties. Ginger is thought to be beneficial for improving memory, decreasing muscularpain, and sharpening the senses. Its essence will provide the soap with a pale yellowcolor. Ginger may cause sensitivity in some people. Anise has a strong, warm licorice scent. It has antiseptic and insect repelling properties. Anise is thought to be beneficial for relieving muscular aches and pains, coughs, andcolds. It will provide the soap with a pale yellow color. Fennel and a licorice scent. It is known to brighten dull skin, improve memory, andbalance oily skin. Its essence will provide the soap with a pale yellow color. Grapefruit has a fresh citrus scent. It is an antiseptic, antitoxic, and astringent. It is goodfor relieving acne, oily skin, depression, headaches, and also for toning skin. Its essencewill provide the soap with a pale yellow color. Lemon has a fresh citrus scent. It has antibiotic, antidepressant, antiseptic, astringent,and bug repelling properties. It is beneficial for treating acne, arthritis, colds, anddepression, healing cuts, improving oily skin, reducing wrinkles, and strengtheningfingernails. Lemon essence will provide the soap with a pale yellow color. Lemon essenceapplied to the skin may cause sensitivity to light. Sweet marjoram has a warm, spicy scent. It has antioxidant, antiseptic, antiviral, andantibacterial properties. Marjoram helps to relieve anxiety, headaches, bruising, colds,insomnia, and vertigo. Its essence will provide the soap with a pale yellow color. Oregano has a strong, spicy herbaceous scent. It has antiseptic, antitoxic, antiviral,bactericidal, fungicidal, and parasitical properties. It can be used to fight infections, relieveitch, and treat athletes foot. Peppermint has a strong minty scent. It antidepressant, antiseptic, astringent, andinsect repelling properties. Peppermint helps to treat acne, dermatitis, eczema,headaches, insect bites, migraines, and mental fatigue. Its essence provides the soap with

a pale yellow scent. This botanical may cause skin sensitivity. Basil has a light, fresh, sweet herbaceous scent. It has antidepressant, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. Basil can fight fatigue, depression, wasp andmosquito bites, and headaches. Its essence will provide the soap with a pale yellowcolor. Basil may cause skin sensitivity. Clary sage has an earthy scent. It has antiseptic, antidepressant, and aphrodisiacproperties. It is beneficial to the treatment of acne, dandruff, depression, excessiveperspiration, hair loss, inflamed skin, migraines, fatigue, anxiety, oily skin and varicoseveins. It also helps to promote sleep and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Sageessence provides the soap with a golden yellow color. Jasmine has a deep floral scent. It has antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, andaphrodisiac qualities. Jasmine helps relieve anxiety, depression, dry skin, andheadaches. Its essence will provide the soap with a clear to pale yellow color. Lemon grass has an earthy citrus scent. It has astringent, antiseptic, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, antiviral, fungicidal, bactericidal and insect repellingproperties. Lemon grass helps to treat oily skin, acne, headaches, athletes foot, andexcessive perspiration. Its essence provides the soap with a light yellow color. Myrrh has a rich, earthy scent. It has antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antiviral,astringent, and sedative properties. Myrrh helps to treat athletes foot, colds, cracked skin,and eczema. It can also sanitize cuts and decrease skin wrinkles. Its essence providesthe soap with a dark brown color. Rosemary has a deep herbaceous scent. It is helpful in cell renewal, reducing varicoseveins, and stimulating hair growth. It cleans oily hair well. Bergamot has a citrus scent with floral notes. It has antidepressant, antiseptic,deodorizing, and astringent properties. It is used to treat anxiety, depression, stress,fatigue, eczema, psoriasis, acne, insect bites, wounds, ulcers, and herpes. Bergamotessence will provide the soap with a greenish color. Clove has a warm, spicy scent. It has antibiotic, antifungal, antioxidant, antiseptic,parasitic, and aphrodisiac properties. Clove helps to treat acne, athletes foot, bruises,burns, infections, muscle pain, nausea and warts. It can also be used as an insectrepellant. Clove essence provides the soap with a golden color. Geranium has a floral scent. It has astringent, antiseptic, antidepressant, antibiotic, andinsecticidal properties. Geranium is helpful in treating eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, acne,athletes foot, bruises, burns, depression, lice, and pre-menstrual syndrome. Juniper berry has a fresh pine scent. It has antiseptic and astringent properties. It ishelpful in treating acne, clogged pores, eczema, psoriasis, and inflammations. It isfrequently used during meditation. Juniper berry essence will provide the soap with a clearto pale yellow color. Lime has a strong citrus scent. It has astringent, antiseptic, antiviral, bactericidal anddeodorizing properties. Lime is beneficial for treating acne, arthritis, colds, infections, skinirritations, oily skin, and insect bites. It is also known to help strengthen nails. Tea tree Black pepper has a sharp, spicy scent. It has antimicrobial, antitoxic, antiseptic,bactericidal, and aphrodisiac qualities. Black pepper is known to help improve memoryand reduce symptoms of colds, flu, and viruses. It can also help alleviate arthritis and othermuscle aches and pains. Its essence will provide the soap with a light green color. Eucalyptus has a strong herbaceous scent. It has antibiotic, antifungal, antiseptic, anti-parasitic, antiviral, decongestive, deodorizing, and stimulant properties. It is helpful in

soothing bug bites, blisters, burns, rashes, chickenpox, and measles. Eucalyptus words asan insect repellant. It can help relieve nasal congestion, mental exhaustion, and muscleaches. Lavender has a floral scent. It is used to relieve relieving depression, insomnia,headaches, nervous tension, and pain. Lavender has disinfecting properties and can helpacne, eczema and dandruff. Lavender essence will provide the soap with a light yellowcolor. Orange has a light citrus scent. It has antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant,fungicidal, and bactericidal properties. It is used to treat anxiety, oily skin, tension, andstress. Orange essence provides the soap with a light orange color. It can cause skinsensitivity in some. Patchouli has a warm earth scent. It has antibiotic, antidepressant, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antimicrobial, antiseptic, antiviral, aphrodisiac, astringent,bactericidal and deodorizing properties. Patchouli can help to treat acne, anxiety, athletesfoot, bacterial infections, cracked and chapped skin, dandruff, depression, dermatitis, dryskin, eczema, and fungal infections. Its essence provides the soap with a golden browncolor. Pine has a strong evergreen scent. It has antiseptic, antiviral, antibacterial, fungicidaland deodorizing properties. Pine is used to treat excessive perspiration, eczema,psoriasis, lice, fleas and mental fatigue. Its essence provides the soap with a pale yellowcolor. It can cause skin sensitivity for some people. Sandalwood has a sweet, woodsy scent. It has antibacterial, antidepressant, antiseptic,aphrodisiac, astringent, emollient, fungicidal, insecticidal and sedative properties.Sandalwood is beneficial for treating acne, anxiety, cracked and chapped skin,depression, dry skin, impotence, insomnia, nervous tension, scarring and stress. Itsessence provides the soap with an orange-brown color. Ylang ylang has an earthy, spicy scent. It used for treating acne, insect bites, insomnia,and depression. Ylang ylang essence provides the soap with a pale yellow to goldencolor. It can cause sensitivity for some people.

If you are having trouble deciding on a single scent to use, feel free to stop stressing andblend several scents together. You will want to select at least 3 scents; a top note, middle note,and base note. The top note will be that first light scent that you detect but quickly fades. Themiddle note forms the majority of the scent and is the strongest and longest lasting scent. Thebase note is rich and heavy, it will be the last scent detected but will linger. If this seems liketoo much for you, consider purchasing an already made fragrance blends. They are easilyfound and reasonably priced.

Color

Color is a very important aspect of making our soap look appealing and desirable to use. Synthetic colors have the advantage of providing very vibrant colors. FD & C colorants are verywidely used synthetically products. They come in a wide variety of colors, named by numbers,and can be purchased in powder and liquid forms. They have the advantage of beinginexpensive and are great for use in melt and pour soaps. FD and C colorings do not work aswell in cold process soaps as they tend to be unstable and bleed. Using dyes will give yoursoap a lighter, transparent color.

Another form of coloring to choose from is pigment. These have been manufactured inlaboratories since the 1970s. Although once created naturally, the vast majority of pigments onthe market today are synthetic because of guidelines the Federal Food and DrugAdministration placed on the safety of these materials. Pigments are inexpensive and workwell in all types of soap making processes. They work particularly well for creating swirls, asthey do not bleed. Mineral pigments include chromium compounds, ferrocyanides, iron oxides,manganese compounds, titanium dioxide, and ultramarines. Using pigments will give yoursoap a more intense, full color.

Mica colorants will give soap a shimmering effect. Not all micas are stable in cold and hotprocess soap making so test a small amount before coloring the entire batch. They come in awide variety of colors. Although mica itself is natural, coloring products usually have syntheticcolorants added to them to provide a strong color coating. They are a more expensive to useand require a larger amount per batch. One way to use small amounts of micah is to paintpowdered micah onto molded soap for some added texture and shimmer.

There are several types of natural colorants including herbs, spices, and clays. See below toget ideas on how to achieve your desired color using herbs and spices.

Yellow/Orange Turmeric Carrot Unrefined palm oil Cucumber Annatto seeds Calendula Tomato paste Powdered sun-dried tomato Paprika Rosehips and hawthorn Ginger essence Anise essence Fennel essence Grapefruit essence Lemon essence Marjoram essence Peppermint essence Juniper berry essence Lavender essence Orange essence Pine essence Ylang ylang essence Safflower powder Ground chamomile Curry powder Orange juice Pumpkin Saffron petals

Brown/Black Cocoa powder Coffee grounds Nutmeg Cinnamon Alkanet root Myrrh essence Rosehip seeds Vanilla essence Patchouli essence Sandalwood essence Dead sea mud Alkanet Coffee Black walnut hull Ground cloves All spice Elderberries Olive leaf powder Ground pumice

Green Bentonite clay Pandan leaves Avocado Olive leaf with safflower powder Green stevia with safflower powder Green stevia with hawthorn Rosemary Bergamot essence Black pepper essence Burdock leaf Comfrey leaf Dandelion leaf French green clays Alfalfa Chamomile essential oil Chlorophyll Cucumber Green tea powder Ground henna Kelp Spearmint Spinach Wheat grass juice Wood powder

Red/Pink Dried peppers Paprika Madder root Sandalwood powder Moroccan red clay Beet root Cochineal powder Tree

Purple/Blue Alkanet Azulene Blue cornmeal Indigo root Rattanjot

Clays can be added to soap not only for color but for the properties they add to the soap aswell. Kaolin is a while clay that adds a silky feel and creaminess to the soap. Rose clay willadd a rose color and add a silkiness and absorbency to the finished soap. Rhassoul is a lightbrown clay that will give you a soap great for absorbing oils and impurities from the users skin. A good rule of thumb is to add about 2 teaspoons of clay per pound of oil. Clays can be addedto soap in several ways. It can be dissolved in the lye-water mixture. Alternatively, it can beadded to the oil mixture. If you are looking to have the clay be swirled within the bar of soapyou can make a slurry out of oil and clay and add that to the mixture. This is accomplished byadding your lye-water mixture to your combined and melted oils. Do not mix too much beforeremoving a cup or 2 of the concoction. Add the clay to the removed lye-oil mixture. Stir theremainder of the lye and oil until it is almost ready to be poured into molds. At this point, addthe clay slurry back into the pot to make a swirl. You could also swirl while in the molddepending on your preference. In order to have the small and large mixtures reach trace at thesame time you are going to need to work quickly.

Once you choose your coloring agent, it is time to determine how much to add. A generalrule is to add one tablespoon of a botanical colorant per pound of oils but this can vary. If youare using a dye or pigment, start by adding an ounce of color per of a pound of fat. Somecolorings may need to be dissolved or incorporated into the liquid oil before being added to thelarger batch. The result of coloring achieved from a particular medium can vary widely fromrecipe to recip. Colorings are affected by which oils and fats are used, whether or not yoursoap goes through a gel process, how the dye reacts to lye, and also what fragrances areadded. Most colorants are added at trace before molding when using the cold process soapmaking procedure.

When choosing your colorants and preparing to store your colored soap, keep in mind thatmany colorants are not lightfast. This means that when exposed to light, even artificial light,they will fade. Mineral pigments and micahs tend to be the most lightfast. This is yet anotherreason to store your soaps in a dark place.

Botanicals Adding botanicals is a great way to increase the color, fragrance, and healing

properties of your soap. Botanicals can be added in fresh or dried form. It is important not toincorporate fruits and vegetables that have not be preserved or dehydrated as they will causeyour soap to spoil and go rancid very quickly. Herbs can be made into a tea and used as thewater in the lye mixture. Botanicals ground into a powder are added when the soap has reachtrace. An oil infusion can also be made with the herbs.

Fresh flower petals are very pretty in soap. They work best with melt and pour soap. If theyare added to cold process soap, they are likely to turn brown or black during the gel phase ofthe saponification process that occurs during curing. This does not mean you cannot use them;just do not expect them to look like the lovely petals you put in when the product is finished. There is one commonly available flower that will maintain its color after saponification and thatis the calendula or pot marigold.

If you have grown fresh herbs that you would like to use they need to be dried before beingadded to soap so the soap does not spoil. One way to accomplish drying is by microwaving. This is the fastest method however, can cause the herbs to lose some healing properties. If thisis the method you would like to try, use the following procedure:

1. Place herbs on a piece of paper towel in a single layer.2. Cover the herbs with two more paper towels.3. Place in the microwave.4. Microwave for one minute.5. Check them.6. If they are still damp, microwave another minute.7. You may need to change the paper towels if they are wet or starting to burn.8. Continue until the herbs are dry.Another way to dry herbs is by bundling. This is accomplished by:1. Gather the herbs in a small bunch.2 . Tie the stems with a piece of twine, string, or yarn keeping in mind not to tie so tightlythat air cannot circulate within the bundle.3. Hang the herb bundles flower side down near a shady window.4. The herbs should be dry in one to two weeks.5. Store dried herbs in airtight containers away from sunlight. The last common way of drying herbs is using the oven. Here is the procedure:1. Lay herbs on a cookie sheet in a single layer.2. Place on top of the stove.3. Heat your oven up to 200 degrees and turn it off.4 . Leave your herbs on the stove top, turning the oven on daily for about a week until theherbs are dry.

Teas are an attractive way to add fragrance and health benefits to soap. There are twomethods of incorporating tea into soap: steeping and bleeding. To steep tea, the tea bag issoaked in hot water for 2-5 minutes. This technique will lessen the amount of discoloration ofyour soap base when the tea is added. It is also used frequently when the herb or tealeavesare intended to add exfoliating properties. Not only can you add the solids, you can add a bit ofthe water the tea was steeped in as well. Bleeding is the method that is chosen when thebotanicals are being added for healing qualities or aroma therapy. In this method, the fresh ordried teas and herbs are added directly to the heated soap base. This brings out thebotanicals color, scent, and healing qualities.

If you want to include ingredients that will give the soap exfoliating powers consider adding: Coffee grounds Eucalyptus leaves Lavender buds Loofah Oatmeal Patchouli Poppy seeds Corn meal Ground almonds

It may be beneficial to add vitamin E to the soap when using any sort of dry additive. Thiswill add moisture and decrease the amount of browning or oxidation that occurs. Capsules ofvitamin E can be found with other vitamins at the pharmacy. Add 4-6 capsules per 4 ounces ofsoap.

Designs

There are several ways to get fancy with the look of your soap. One way to do this is to swirlcolors together in the mold. A very easy swirl can be achieved by following these steps:

1. Ladle -1 cup of soap into a measuring cup. 2. Add colorant to the removed soap and incorporate well.3. Holding the cup several inches above the pot, pour your soap into one corner.4. Using a rubber spatula, swirl the colored soap through the pot. 5 . Resist the urge to stir too much as you will lose the swirl effect and end up coloring theentire pot of soap.6. Mold and cure as usual.Another basic swirling method is the spoon swirl. This is achieved through this process:1. Create your soap using the cold method.2. Divide the soap up after reaching a light trace and color each division different colors. 3. Using a spoon, add the color into the soap mold alternating colors until the mold is filled.4. Let harden and cure as usual.Here is a more complex swirling procedure:1 . While your oils and lye mixtures are lying in wait, prepare your colorants. Use aseparate bowl or cup for each color. Put the pigment or micah into a container and add acouple tablespoons of oil or water depending on the instructions for the particular color youare using. 2. Mix well, no clumps. 3. Mix your lye and oils and combine. You are not looking to achieve a trace yet.4. Pour about 1 cup of soap into each colors container. 5. Mix each very well. 6. If you want a white background for your swirl you can add titanium dioxide to the mixtureremaining in the pan. If you do not do this your background will be more ivory. 7. Add fragrance to your non-pigmented soap. 8. Put some of the white or ivory (we will call it white from now on) soap into the mold.9. Add a bit of each one of the colors.10. Add more while. 1 1 . Alternate drizzling colors and white soap until you are left with about 1/3 of the whitesoap.12. Pour the remaining white soap into the mold and add the remaining colors. 1 3 . This can be left alone to achieve a layered swirl or you can swirl more using a smallrubber spatula or plastic (no metal with lye) knife. Use the tool in a circular or zig-zagmotion to pull the colors through the soap. Keep in mind that you do need to work quicklythrough this process because you want it done before your trace gets too thick.

Another swirl technique is the column swirl method. To make this you will need a slabmold, coloring, and a material to use as columns. Anything that will stand up in the mold andstay there while you pour soap will work. If your columns are round you will create circularswirls. Change the shape of swirls by changing the shape of your columns (star, rectangular,etc). You probably want to choose three or four colors to work with. Once you have yourmaterials, follow these steps:

1 . Make soap as you usually would. You need plenty of time to pour so try to resist theurge to use fragrances or essential oils that will speed up the trace. Mix your soap only toa very light trace. The thickness of your trace will determine how defined your swirls are. The lighter the trace, the more your colors will blend together. 2. Separate the soap into prepared cups of color and blend. 3 . Start by pour