Test Bar of Soap Made Easy – 100 gram bar
- Coconut Oil 25 grams
- Palm Oil 25 grams
- Olive Oil 50 grams
- Water 38 grams
- Caustic Soda 14 grams
HOW TO MAKE SOAP BY GINA ROBERTS
1. Measure out your water by weight or volume.
2. Weigh out your caustic soda (lye) carefully (wipe us spills and beware of small children and pets).
3. Either outside or under an extractor fan slowly add the caustic to the water and stir (never the other way round). (Stand back and do not breathe in the fumes. Wear gloves and it is recommended that you wear goggles and face mask every time you make soap)
4. Allow to cool to between 30 and 40 degrees.
5. Warm your pre-prepared oils in a pyrex jug or stainless steel container and also have the temperature the same as the caustic.
6. Slowly pour in the caustic mixture into the oils stirring slowly. Once combined start wizz sticking.
7. Wizz stick until the mixture becomes like a light custard – this is called trace.
8. You may add your colour and scent now and mix well in or you may have liked to have mixed your colour thoroughly before hand to reduce lumps). Scent should be 1% to 3% of the weight of your oils.
9. Once soap has an acceptable trace you may pour into your mold and place in a warm place for at least 12 hours. Its best to wait a couple of days before unmolding but if you are really impatient you can unmold and cut after 24 hours.
10. Wrap and store in a dry place for 6 weeks. If you really cannot wait you could use a bar of soap after 2 weeks but it will never be at its best. There is currently some myths out there that say you can use your bar of soap as soon as it is made. Your soap will dissolve very quickly and leave your skin feeling dry.
The best mold is a silicone one especially designed for soap as they do not leech color into your soap. Or something as simple as a cardboard milk container empty and cleaned will suffice.
