Before I Begin

[Tokoo]

So after seeing some of the soaps on here, I figured i would research it a little, to see what I needed to make it. To my surprise, I actually have 90% of the basics, I use a lot of different oils, and wines to cook with, so only thing I need is Lye. However so far I am still confused on a few things. 

 

Rubbing Alcohol - I've seen this used on soap/bath bombs. I wouldn't think this wouldn't be safe to use, but I am thinking maybe its evaporating, or maybe a chemical change is happening. 

 

Curing Soap - Not sure exactly how, I know the soap needs to air out but I also know they don't mean leave it on the counter for a snack later.  I would think with lye you wouldn't want to put it on cardboard, or wood. I have a little one, so I would have to put it up somewhere she couldn't reach, which is almost no were. 

Cure time I have seen some people say 4-6 weeks, 6-8 weeks, 4-6 months, up to a year.

 

Lard - I see a lot of soaps that have this, but can you make CP soap with Lard instead of Lye. Not sure if it hold fragrance, and colors the same as lye. 

 

Sorry for all the questions, but I kinda have to plan a lot before I can do anything. My kids, are hanging off me when I work on bath bombs/candles so I could imagine something toxin with them, I have to find a time when they are gone for most of the day. 

 

[Candybee]

What oils do you have? I would start off with an easy beginners recipe using only 1-3 oils.

 

Re rubbing alcohol, I've only used this with making layers with M&P. Never used it with CP.  In M&P its used to help layers stay together kind of like an adhesive.

 

Lard makes a great soap but is not a sub for lye. Lard would be a fat in your recipe. You need 3 things to make soap: liquid, fat, lye. Fats are your oils like olive, coconut, castor, palm, safflower, lard, sunflower, etc. Liquid can be distilled water, aloe juice, milk. Lots of possiblities for liquids. You can also combine liquids but use only the amount needed for your recipe. For now I would buy my lye at your local hardware store. Just make sure its 100% lye. Later on if you decide you want to go into soap production you can buy your lye in bulk.

 

Curing depends on the type of soap. Basic bath soaps with combinations of oils can take anywhere from 4-8 weeks. Some cure longer than others. Castile soaps (olive oil soap) is best cured for a year or longer.

 

Once you made your soap and it hardens, you can cut it into bars and stack the bars on a shelf somewhere where they won't be disturbed. If unsure of the surface, line it with wax paper or freezer wrap.

 

If you tell us what oils you have, want to use, we can help you decide on a recipe.

[Tokoo]

3 hours ago, Candybee said:

What oils do you have? I would start off with an easy beginners recipe using only 1-3 oils.

 

Re rubbing alcohol, I've only used this with making layers with M&P. Never used it with CP.  In M&P its used to help layers stay together kind of like an adhesive.

 

Lard makes a great soap but is not a sub for lye. Lard would be a fat in your recipe. You need 3 things to make soap: liquid, fat, lye. Fats are your oils like olive, coconut, castor, palm, safflower, lard, sunflower, etc. Liquid can be distilled water, aloe juice, milk. Lots of possiblities for liquids. You can also combine liquids but use only the amount needed for your recipe. For now I would buy my lye at your local hardware store. Just make sure its 100% lye. Later on if you decide you want to go into soap production you can buy your lye in bulk.

 

Curing depends on the type of soap. Basic bath soaps with combinations of oils can take anywhere from 4-8 weeks. Some cure longer than others. Castile soaps (olive oil soap) is best cured for a year or longer.

 

Once you made your soap and it hardens, you can cut it into bars and stack the bars on a shelf somewhere where they won't be disturbed. If unsure of the surface, line it with wax paper or freezer wrap.

 

If you tell us what oils you have, want to use, we can help you decide on a recipe.

I have a ton of different oils, I use Olive oil/Vegetable oils the most to cook with so I have close to 128 fl oz at all times. But I also have Coconut/Sunflower/Peanut/Sesame/Lard and Canola Oil.

 

I don't really know to much about which oil does what, but I was thinking maybe Sunflower/Coconut and sesame - not sure if they go together though. 

[Sponiebr]

Tokoo, WELCOME!

Just reading over your initial questions here I think maybe holding off on jumping right into Cold Process is possibly a safer option for now. 

Rubbing alcohol in CP soap... No... Alcohols in CP soap is a BAD idea, they accelerate trace and cause soap on a stick... 

Cooking oils bought from grocery stores are not always the best... Sesame seed oil makes VILE soap, so does peanut oil.  Canola is, meh "ok" in very small amounts, but I've had problems with the soap going rancid... Obtaining the oils from your personal pantry is, I think, unwise...  Soap making and food making must REALLY be TOTALLY separated...  

You can make a good first time batch of soap really cheap and with nothing more than Walmart Great Value Shortening (NOT the all Vegetable shortening... The OTHER Shortening...) It really does make a fine soap and it's not gonna surprise you while making it... But! 

Baby steps... 

You (I can not stress this enough) really, REALLY need to spend time learning all about the soap making process. I completely agree that Cold Process is what you need to start with so you can learn HOW soap behaves in it's various parts of it's transformation. 

I'm not gonna pull any punches here, because I really do NOT want you to get injured, and because I really DO want to see you succeed in making soap, but you MUST completely understand the basics of what is going on BEFORE you go mixing lye with cooking oils. Soap making is actually a dangerous operation in which REAL injury can occur.

There are some cardinal rules you CAN'T BREAK:  

You MUST have safety equipment.
You MUST WEAR your safety equipment. 
You MUST have and use an ACCURATE scale.
NO PETS OR CHILDREN AROUND WHILE MAKING SOAP. 
Only add lye to water... 
Soap cold... 
ALWAYS USE A LYE CALCULATOR
Etc...

There's A LOT to learn, and while you don't have to learn all of the fats and their properties to get in and try soap making to see if you like it, you DO need to know enough to keep you from hurting yourself or others. 

Honestly, (and I truly mean this with gentle kindness), a question like "can you make CP soap with Lard instead of Lye." tells me that you are definitely not prepared to make soap just yet. 

I would suggest reading and downloading this free Beginner's guide and really dig around on SoapQueen's website to learn more about cold process soap making.

https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/free-beginners-guide-to-soapmaking-cold-process/

That's a GREAT  place to start. We'll be here to assist and guide you but YOU have to learn the fundamentals. That tutorial will give you a solid start.  

Have fun and best of luck! 

Sponiebr
The Executor of Bad Ideas and Sundry Services. 

[Crafty1_AJ]

When you are ready, I have posted a simple beginner's soap recipe here in the forum.  But it does assume you have some basic soapmaking research/understanding under your belt, and that you know how to use a lye calculator.  

[Tokoo]

3 hours ago, Sponiebr said:

 

Thanks, and I understand. I have actually been reading through some of the stuff on soap queen. I been watching her 4 step video about the process, mostly safety. I plenty of safety stuff so that not an issue. The reason I asked about lard, is see a lot of recipes with lard, and lye, but I always heard old timer in my area making plan lard soap, never understood how they did it. 

 

I heard Sesame oil causes some funky smells, and Peanut I wouldn't use that.  

[Tokoo]

2 hours ago, Crafty1_AJ said:

When you are ready, I have posted a simple beginner's soap recipe here in the forum.  But it does assume you have some basic soapmaking research/understanding under your belt, and that you know how to use a lye calculator.  

Thanks, I will take a look at it. I looked at the calculator on BB, didn't fully get it thou, however I am in no rush, still lots of stuff I want to research. 

[Candybee]

3 hours ago, Tokoo said:

Thanks, and I understand. I have actually been reading through some of the stuff on soap queen. I been watching her 4 step video about the process, mostly safety. I plenty of safety stuff so that not an issue. The reason I asked about lard, is see a lot of recipes with lard, and lye, but I always heard old timer in my area making plan lard soap, never understood how they did it. 

 

I heard Sesame oil causes some funky smells, and Peanut I wouldn't use that.  

 

Its an old fashioned name for soap made with lard as the only fat. I still get the occasional request for a "lard soap".

[GoldieMN]

When we were kids, my Mom would strain and save all our used lard for a neighbor who made soap from it.  Ha!  Another memory. lol

GoldieMN

[Tokoo]

2 hours ago, Candybee said:

 

Its an old fashioned name for soap made with lard as the only fat. I still get the occasional request for a "lard soap".

That makes sense then. 

[Tokoo]

1 hour ago, GoldieMN said:

When we were kids, my Mom would strain and save all our used lard for a neighbor who made soap from it.  Ha!  Another memory. lol

GoldieMN

I grew up as a farmer, so we butcher our own meats, and all the old timers use to ask us for the lard. We didn't use it so we would give it to them. I never seen how they made the soap, just knew they would process the lard. We haven't had any request since I was about 12, doubt anyone does it in my area anymore to be honest.

[Sponiebr]

7 hours ago, Tokoo said:

Thanks, I will take a look at it. I looked at the calculator on BB, didn't fully get it thou, however I am in no rush, still lots of stuff I want to research. 

My personal favorite calculator is soapcalc.net  but it's probably because I learned on that one and I'm most comfortable with it. 

[Tokoo]

2 hours ago, Sponiebr said:

My personal favorite calculator is soapcalc.net  but it's probably because I learned on that one and I'm most comfortable with it. 

Ya, after playing with them a little I agree. BB is to simple, I like how the soapcal is more detailed.

[Candybee]

17 hours ago, Tokoo said:

I grew up as a farmer, so we butcher our own meats, and all the old timers use to ask us for the lard. We didn't use it so we would give it to them. I never seen how they made the soap, just knew they would process the lard. We haven't had any request since I was about 12, doubt anyone does it in my area anymore to be honest.

 

This is exactly what the ole timers are referring to re old fashioned lard soap. It goes back generations to early pioneers and colonial times. Fats like lard would be collected from butchering, then the fats were rendered and made into soap. They even made their own potash for lye. Many had family recipes and made soap themselves or had the local 'soapmaker' make it for them. The tradition was carried on into modern times but with our use of soap calculators and availability of numerous fats and oils already for use you rarely see or hear about the traditional soaps of bygone days.

 

Wanted to add there are still soapmakers that render their own fat. At one time I wanted to purchase lard from the farmer's market or the local butcher and render it myself. There are still places you can get it cheap if you are willing to do the rendering. I ended up not doing it as I remembered that the smell of the fat rendering in my kitchen would make me nauseated. Plus, it turned out I can buy lard at the grocery store for just a few pennies more than what the farmer's market wanted and wouldn't really be saving money.

Edited April 8, 2018 by Candybee

[Tokoo]

24 minutes ago, Candybee said:

Wanted to add there are still soapmakers that render their own fat. 

I was thinking of doing that, plus it's a good way to make my girlfriend cuss at me until she got use to the smell lol. She's a city girl anyway.

[Candybee]

40 minutes ago, Tokoo said:

I was thinking of doing that, plus it's a good way to make my girlfriend cuss at me until she got use to the smell lol. She's a city girl anyway.

 

LOL You may want to think twice about grossing your girlfriend out. That can get you into trouble especially if she considers the kitchen her domain.

[Tokoo]

2 hours ago, Candybee said:

 

LOL You may want to think twice about grossing your girlfriend out. That can get you into trouble especially if she considers the kitchen her domain.

Nah, Im the cook lol. she hates it when I make Jerky, I can imagine the reaction to processing lard.

[Barbara AL]

A simple recipe I really like is 50% Lard 20% coconut, 25% olive oil and 5% Castor.

just thought I would share I superfat at 7%

[TallTayl]

That is a nice recipe @Barbara AL. 

 

after making too many complex, multi oil recipes, I learned that single oil recipes teach an awful lot about soap making and save a ton of $ in the long run. 

 

For instance, make a small 1 lb batch of:

lard oil only soap.

Later, make an olive oil only soap.

Later, make an olive only (for instance) subbing all or part of the water with goat milk. You will see many differences. 

Make a shortening soap. Note the ingredients and brand so you choose the right SAP value in the calculator. Shortening is often hydrogenated palm oil. Compare this soap to lard and see how close lard and palm oil perform. 

 

of course run them all through a lye calculator. Some oils trace like lightening. Some take their sweet time (pure olive and lard only). 

 

To see what they are like together, shave off bits of each, smush together into a small bar and use. 

 

Watch the various bars over time. Do they change color. Do they develop spots? Do they begin to smell rancid? You will learn a lot bout your oils and the quality. Retail Olive oil, for one, is often adulterated with canola. You can tell just by how the finished soap feels, and if it develops oxidation spots  or a slime.  

 

The only way way to master soap making is to make soap. It takes thousands of hours to truly master a craft. The only way to get there is to start. 

[Shari]

I agree with what the others have suggested.   I highly recommend starting out simple.  You can make great soap with just a few oils & lye.   Get the hang of it and then expand if you so choose.    I do use alcohol when making soap.  I spray the tops before insulating them and have found that it helps prevent getting some ash on the tops.  Otherwise, no, don't add rubbing alcohol to soap. 

 

Also, start with small batches, 1-2 pounds most.  It can be an expensive hobby otherwise when something goes wrong.

 

I really like Soapee.com calculator.  Very easy to use.

[Candybee]

3 hours ago, Barbara AL said:

A simple recipe I really like is 50% Lard 20% coconut, 25% olive oil and 5% Castor.

just thought I would share I superfat at 7%

 

Nice! I love lard soaps! Makes the creamiest soap. I still make lard soaps for personal use.

[Barbara AL]

2 hours ago, TallTayl said:

That is a nice recipe @Barbara AL. 

 

after making too many complex, multi oil recipes, I learned that single oil recipes teach an awful lot about soap making and save a ton of $ in the long run. 

 

For instance, make a small 1 lb batch of:

lard oil only soap.

Later, make an olive oil only soap.

Later, make an olive only (for instance) subbing all or part of the water with goat milk. You will see many differences. 

Make a shortening soap. Note the ingredients and brand so you choose the right SAP value in the calculator. Shortening is often hydrogenated palm oil. Compare this soap to lard and see how close lard and palm oil perform. 

 

of course run them all through a lye calculator. Some oils trace like lightening. Some take their sweet time (pure olive and lard only). 

 

To see what they are like together, shave off bits of each, smush together into a small bar and use. 

 

Watch the various bars over time. Do they change color. Do they develop spots? Do they begin to smell rancid? You will learn a lot bout your oils and the quality. Retail Olive oil, for one, is often adulterated with canola. You can tell just by how the finished soap feels, and if it develops oxidation spots  or a slime.  

 

The only way way to master soap making is to make soap. It takes thousands of hours to truly master a craft. The only way to get there is to start. 

 

 

This is my all time favorite recipe just love it !

[Sponiebr]

10 hours ago, Barbara AL said:

A simple recipe I really like is 50% Lard 20% coconut, 25% olive oil and 5% Castor.

just thought I would share I superfat at 7%

100% Wonderful fat blend! It's a simple, stable, excellent soaping properties, good wearing (you don't use the bar up in a week), and inexpensive get-it-all-at-Walmart-in-one-trip, all-star winner of a soap!  

[Sponiebr]

@TokooTake this as canon. 

 

8 hours ago, TallTayl said:

That is a nice recipe @Barbara AL. 

 

after making too many complex, multi oil recipes, I learned that single oil recipes teach an awful lot about soap making and save a ton of $ in the long run. 

 

For instance, make a small 1 lb batch of:

lard oil only soap.

Later, make an olive oil only soap.

Later, make an olive only (for instance) subbing all or part of the water with goat milk. You will see many differences. 

Make a shortening soap. Note the ingredients and brand so you choose the right SAP value in the calculator. Shortening is often hydrogenated palm oil. Compare this soap to lard and see how close lard and palm oil perform. 

 

of course run them all through a lye calculator. Some oils trace like lightening. Some take their sweet time (pure olive and lard only). 

 

To see what they are like together, shave off bits of each, smush together into a small bar and use. 

 

Watch the various bars over time. Do they change color. Do they develop spots? Do they begin to smell rancid? You will learn a lot bout your oils and the quality. Retail Olive oil, for one, is often adulterated with canola. You can tell just by how the finished soap feels, and if it develops oxidation spots  or a slime.  

 

The only way way to master soap making is to make soap. It takes thousands of hours to truly master a craft. The only way to get there is to start. 

TT, I think this should be pinned. It's the succinct gospel truth. 

Slainte, 

Sponiebr

[Tokoo]

13 hours ago, Barbara AL said:

A simple recipe I really like is 50% Lard 20% coconut, 25% olive oil and 5% Castor.

just thought I would share I superfat at 7%

Thank you, I will give this one a try.

 

10 hours ago, TallTayl said:

For instance, make a small 1 lb batch of:

lard oil only soap.

Later, make an olive oil only soap.

Later, make an olive only (for instance) subbing all or part of the water with goat milk. You will see many differences. 

Make a shortening soap. Note the ingredients and brand so you choose the right SAP value in the calculator. Shortening is often hydrogenated palm oil. Compare this soap to lard and see how close lard and palm oil perform. 

Thank you TT, I know your very knowledgeable about this stuff, so I will take any of your wisdom to heart. 

 

10 hours ago, Shari said:

I do use alcohol when making soap.  I spray the tops before insulating them and have found that it helps prevent getting some ash on the tops.  Otherwise, no, don't add rubbing alcohol to soap. 

I guess this is what people are using it for, but most list it as ingredient, but not the amount or what for.