Cindy's
Soap Making
Temperatures are measured in the above steps to be sure the correct final reaction temperature range is obtained. This method of soap making is called 'cold process' since the reaction occurs at about body temperature or less. Other soap making methods may require temperatures twice the 'cold process' temps.
After the lye is added, the stirring begins. I use a stainless steel, stick blender to aid my stirring. Soap making is actually a chemical reaction called saponification. The purpose of the stirring is to increase contact of the reacting oil and lye molecules. The water in the very alkaline media hydrolyzes the oils, chemically speaking triglycerides, into their component fatty acids and releases glycerol. The fatty acids react with the dissolved, ionic Na (sodium) to produce a sodium salt of the fatty acid or soap. When the soap begins to trace (a dribbled drop or line of drops remain on the surface of the liquid), I add additives such as oatmeal or herbs and the essential oils for scenting. After a good mix, the still liquid soap is poured into a mold. Molds are covered and remain undisturbed for 24 hours.
Finally, the soap batch is removed from the mold and cut. The soap cures in a rack for 3 or more days before being transferred to boxes where it will finish curing. The curing process takes about 3 weeks during which time the chemical reaction of soap making is reaching its final equilibrium and the soap is drying to form a hard bar.
Want to know how soap is made? This page is for you. At Cindy's Simply Natural Soap, I start with a recipe. I create my recipes myself with the help of soap making softwear that does all of the calculations for me. Since making soap involves a chemical reaction, there are lots of calculations to be performed. To get the soap to turn out right, the amounts of the reactants - oil and lye (NaOH and water) need to be calculated exactly.
After I have the recipe, I make the lye. Making lye is accomplished by precisely weighing the distilled water and sodium hydroxide. Sodium hydroxide is added to the water under an exhaust hood and carefully mixed. This makes the liquid lye that becomes very hot almost boiling; the fumes and liquid lye are very caustic. Technically, adding NaOH to H2O creates an exothermic reaction (a chemical reaction that produces heat) of ionization and solution. The hot lye needs to cool to room temperature, so I usually make it a day ahead.
Also, a day ahead, I weigh out my essential oils, herbs, oatmeal and other great ingredients that I add to the soap. Sometimes I grind the oatmeal or herbs to make a powder to add. I also need to weigh out my hard oils such as cocoa butter, coconut oil, palm oil and shea butter and put it in my stainless steel, water-jacketed, oil heater. I need to get my soap molds ready - assembled and lined.
On soap making day, I begin by melting the hard vegetable oils (fats) in the oil heater. This usually takes about an hour. When the hard oils are melted, I weigh the correct amount for the batch into my stainless steel, soap making pot. Next, I weigh the oils that are liquid at room temperature such as Olive Oil or Avocado Oil into the soap making pot. The final step is to add my cooled lye to the oils.
Magnolia Blossoms - Our April Garden --Cindy
