Soap Making 101

[Farmfresh]

Remember ... as the soap drys the bars get even smaller!

That is why my favorite cold process mold is still a length of 3" diameter PVC pipe with a removable cap on one end.

 

[grannyB]

I have a question. I have been following this thread since it started but waited to make my own soap until I had other projects finished.

I bought several bars of homemade soap from a local soapmaker to see if I would like it. One of the bars she calls "olive oil and aloe." I love that soap!!!!

Does anyone use aloe? What form of aloe would you add? And would you add it after it traces? I need to do my own research but haven't noticed anyone mentioning aloe.

BTW, when we returned from Kansas City last Monday, my chin was all red, itchy, and raw feeling. I stopped using all the commercial face "stuff" and have just been using the homemade soap and a vitamin E cream for moisturizer. It cleared up in 3 days.

I had to get after DH this morning for using my soap. He is sooo cheap, I told him he would have to buy the next bars at $5 each. He about had a cow!!!

He is definitely supporting my plan to make my own. He likes the soap, too.

 

[Bettacreek]

I have a question. I have been following this thread since it started but waited to make my own soap until I had other projects finished.

I bought several bars of homemade soap from a local soapmaker to see if I would like it. One of the bars she calls "olive oil and aloe." I love that soap!!!!

Does anyone use aloe? What form of aloe would you add? And would you add it after it traces? I need to do my own research but haven't noticed anyone mentioning aloe.

BTW, when we returned from Kansas City last Monday, my chin was all red, itchy, and raw feeling. I stopped using all the commercial face "stuff" and have just been using the homemade soap and a vitamin E cream for moisturizer. It cleared up in 3 days.

I had to get after DH this morning for using my soap. He is sooo cheap, I told him he would have to buy the next bars at $5 each. He about had a cow!!!

He is definitely supporting my plan to make my own. He likes the soap, too.

I'm not sure if this is what your soaper made, however, in fancy food shops (or in the pharmacy section of some Wal-marts), there is aloe juice in 1g jugs. I forget what it's called, but it's $6-$8 if I remember correctly. Anyways, when the recipe calls for water, use the aloe juice instead. Just make sure that you get original and not a flavored variety.

 

[Carolyn]

yes they are individual silverware trays-but we just discovered that Walmart no longer has them, so we will have to go another route. EO's are for fragrance.

 

[valmom]

I just splurged! I bought (online) silicone soap molds for oval and rectangular bars. Nothing fancy, but the soap should pop right out and they sound sturdier than the plastic molds.

 

[savingdogs]

I've only made soap twice, first time I used one of those plastic molds and I think I took it out too soon when it was still too soft. However we love the soap even if it isn't as pretty as it should have been.

Second batch I left it in the mold longer but still had alot of imperfections in the eventual molded product. I think it might have had to do with my recipe.

The second time I used a pringles can and those came out excellent plain round even bars, I think I will use those again.

Are those loaf molds more user-friendly? I see so many beautiful molds online that I'd like to buy but if they aren't going to come out well I'd rather make nice plain bars.

I don't know if it was my soap technique or if those plastic tray molds are just fussy.

 

[valmom]

I have a tray of those plastic molds that make 3 bars with nice imprints- I like how they came out. But, to insulate the soap when it is first made, I pre-heated my oven to 100 and put them in there. I turned it on again to re-warm the oven about an hour later, and the heating unit melted the plastic. :/ Tip- don't melt your plastic molds!. One of the reasons I am going to try the silicone ones. Not as fancy, but they won't melt.

Of 4 batches, the one that reallly didn't mold well was my second that started setting up in the pan and I sort of quickly scraped out of the pot into the mold. It is sort of lumpy and bumpy, but I'm hoping it is still soap. It is aging now, but it still zings the tongue, so I'm not sure how well it actually turned out.

If I let it age longer, does the zing go away?

Unfortunately, I don't like Pringles Sounds like a good mold, though.

 

[savingdogs]

Yeah, we don't like Pringles either but luckily I have teenagers, who eventually will consume anything considered junk food, given long enough.

 

[grannyB]

I have a question. I have been following this thread since it started but waited to make my own soap until I had other projects finished.

I bought several bars of homemade soap from a local soapmaker to see if I would like it. One of the bars she calls "olive oil and aloe." I love that soap!!!!

Does anyone use aloe? What form of aloe would you add? And would you add it after it traces? I need to do my own research but haven't noticed anyone mentioning aloe.

BTW, when we returned from Kansas City last Monday, my chin was all red, itchy, and raw feeling. I stopped using all the commercial face "stuff" and have just been using the homemade soap and a vitamin E cream for moisturizer. It cleared up in 3 days.

I had to get after DH this morning for using my soap. He is sooo cheap, I told him he would have to buy the next bars at $5 each. He about had a cow!!!

He is definitely supporting my plan to make my own. He likes the soap, too.

I'm not sure if this is what your soaper made, however, in fancy food shops (or in the pharmacy section of some Wal-marts), there is aloe juice in 1g jugs. I forget what it's called, but it's $6-$8 if I remember correctly. Anyways, when the recipe calls for water, use the aloe juice instead. Just make sure that you get original and not a flavored variety.

Thanks, Betta. I was in the "big city" today and checked the health food store. They had both the juice and the gel and I did not know which to get. So I will get the juice. After I posted it occured to me that it could replace the water. This soap is absolutely clear and is just beautiful.

Another exciting project!

 

[okiegirl1]

they also have it at WM in the pharmacy