« SAP R/3 And Implementation – SAP Modules | Home | Florida Arts and Crafts: How Your Hobby Can Earn You Money »
December 2, 2008
Soap Making – Using The Cold Process
An alternate method to making soap without using an external heat source would be the cold process. This process involves making the soap from scratch using distilled water, fats, and lye and is considered to be the most basic and purest form of soap. Adding extra fragrances and conditioners by formulating the soap to hold essential oils, also known as superfatting, is easily done using this method.
When dealing with either the hot or cold process, one commonly used requirement by soap makers is of course a good quality oil. Usually this was in the form of animal fats, such as lard or tallow, both of which make a very good soap, but more recently, with the trend towards vegetarianism and non animal based products, the use of vegetable oils has become increasingly popular, the favorite oils among soap makers being Olive, Palm and Coconut oil. Below is a list with more soap making oils you can use.
Another vital requirement for Cold Process Soap Making is a lye calculator. This will enable you to determine the precise quantity of lye required for a given amount of each type of fat used. Just remember to read the instructions and warnings listed on the lye container, in the wrong hands lye can be a very dangerous chemical.
If the lye becomes too hot to handle you can do one of the following:
1. Use chilled water instead of luke warm water
2. Mix the lye solution and let it settle overnight
If you decide to use option 2, just keep in mind that the lye and fat needs to be a similar temperature about 100 F, so you may then need to re-heat the lye solution. The next step is to carefully combine the lye solution with the fats.
Is water the only option you have to dissolve the lye? No it’s not! You do have other alternatives. If you wanted to be more creative with your soap making here is a small list of what you can use to dissolve the lye:
1. Soy or Goats Milk
2. Infused Herbs
3. Vegetable based juice
4. Fruit Juice
Adding an additional 10% of oil to the solution can prevent from any extra lye remaining in the soap. After about a month, the lye will have already combined with the oils and the final result would be a great quality batch of homemade soap. With the soap at this finished state, the soap no longer will contain lye since the oils have already been saponified.
The list below are the most widely used oils for soap making. They are considered to be the best oils to use with the first two being the most common:
1. Coconut Oils
2. Palm
3. Olive Oil
4. Almond Oils
5. Canola
6. All Sesame Oils
So….Why use natural soap? How does natural handmade soap differ from commercially made soap? A bar of handcrafted soap is good for the skin, natural, and versatile. If your soap is handmade it tends to be fresh and contain more natural elements.
Adding natural herbs with a combination of natural fruit juices and vegatable juices really gives your soaps a uniqueness. A natural glycerin is formed from the cold process method that is much less drying to the skin. Use soap that is hand made with all natural ingredients and natural oils and your skin will thank you for it.
The dangers of handling lye is what has caused most soap makers to frown upon the cold process method. Now its is true that lye can be an extremely dangerous chemical, but taken the right precautions minimize the risk and resulting in unique and decorative soaps that you can be proud of.
Topics: Crafts | No Comments »