anyone use the crock pot method?

[Ida]

I have been researching techniques for making soap and I think I feel the most comfortable trying the crock pot method at first. I was hoping to connect with fellow crock pot people! I have always felt lye phobia but have found clear instructions and am ready! I have tons of questions here are a few....thank you in advance for your help!

Lye is no longer available at local hardware stores in SW Ohio...and I am sure lots of other places too....is there a reliable source online that I can start with. Would rather not buy in super big bulk...any help is great!!

I think I have done enough reading and am ready to give it a shot....I've been looking at various recipes and have a couple questions....

The online instructions I have found all say it will look like vaseline when its ready to be tested...does this mean that it will be opaque when cured?

Can I substitute all goats milk for the distilled water to make it a "white" bar without adding color? And the goats milk needs to be frozen right? So when the lye is added the temp doesn't go too high...is this right?

All additives including honey and ground oatmeal is added after the soap is tested and found cooked....is this correct?

There are tons of recipes out there .....can I use any recipe for HP soap that I find in the crock pot without altering it?

And finally...lol....I want to eventually buy a wooden slab mold...I was wondering if anyone had success using anything else that I already have to use as a slab mold with my first test batch.....I have read that quart milk cartons and shoe boxes can be used, however, won't the soap be too hot to put into a cardboard type mold?

Thanks for your patience with this lye phobic newbie!!!!

Thank you!

Ida

[CareBear]

Lye is no longer available at local hardware stores in SW Ohio...and I am sure lots of other places too....is there a reliable source online that I can start with. Would rather not buy in super big bulk...any help is great!!

Try Lowes. They sell Roebic brand. You can go to Lowes.com to see if your local store carries it.

I think I have done enough reading and am ready to give it a shot....I've been looking at various recipes and have a couple questions....

The online instructions I have found all say it will look like vaseline when its ready to be tested...does this mean that it will be opaque when cured?

The translucency generally disappears. Some recipes still have a slightly translucent quality, though.

Can I substitute all goats milk for the distilled water to make it a "white" bar without adding color? And the goats milk needs to be frozen right? So when the lye is added the temp doesn't go too high...is this right?

If you use goats milk you will have difficulty getting a white bar - you will likely end up with tan or even darker. Most folks seem to freeze it and then add the lye SLOWLY to the broken up/cubes of frozen GM stirring constantly to try to keep the temp low. I've never had much luck with GM.

All additives including honey and ground oatmeal is added after the soap is tested and found cooked....is this correct?

You can do as you like, but generally yes. You need to see what works for you.

There are tons of recipes out there .....can I use any recipe for HP soap that I find in the crock pot without altering it?

Yep

And finally...lol....I want to eventually buy a wooden slab mold...I was wondering if anyone had success using anything else that I already have to use as a slab mold with my first test batch.....I have read that quart milk cartons and shoe boxes can be used, however, won't the soap be too hot to put into a cardboard type mold?

Cardboard boxes and shoe boxes work GREAT. For HP though you might want to start with a log-type mold (it can be hard to smooth out the HP soap across a big surface area). And you can use other things too like silicone bakeware, GladWare containers, etc. Almost anything will do.

Thanks for your patience with this lye phobic newbie!!!!

I didn't read any sign of lye-phobia. Lye is no big deal as long as you are reasonably careful.

[jes432]

First off if you haven't made soap before cold process is a lot easier to make, but of course the cure time is no fun. My best advice would be to keep a close watch on it while in the crockpot.

As mentioned Lowe's is a great source for Lye if you have one around. If you want to order online http://store.aaa-chemicals.com/ has it for 10.99/4lbs.

I'd suggest trying it first without milks or additives and keeping the recipe simple, until you have a good handle on the process. Certain things you add can cause some seriously strange reactions.

I think what you're reading about it looking like vaseline is on a tutorial for making liquid soap not regular bar soap. The tutorial on here is a good one to follow for hot process and has pics: http://www.candletech.com/hpsoap/

Have fun and good luck!

[heirloomoriginals]

I started out with Crockpot method (2 batches) and have been doing CP ever since. It does give you almost immediate results, and lets you see the stages, sort of. I would choose an easy recipe from the recipe section, with ingredients you can find locally and start with an unscented/uncolored batch, just to get the feel of it.

Good luck and post your creations when you get a chance!

steph

[CareBear]

I started with HP, but soon switched to CP cause I was unable to make what I considered beautiful soaps. HP is a lot of fun and very educational -

[gloworm]

My CPHP has looked like vaseline at a certain stage-gets to a sticky mashed potato consistancy and is rather translucent. You are brave to try GM on the first try. I still stay away from liquid milks. I prefer the powders. Also I have noticed some GM soaps have an odor that interferes with the FO scents. JMHO,

Glo

[Ida]

Thank you guys for all your advice! I am a little impatient so that is why I thought HP would be the best way to go at first! With limited supplies (slab molds) I thought I would give it a shot and see how it goes without spending tons of money outright. I make soy candles, bath teas and milk baths now and buying FO are addictive <grin>.

gloworm: I have made GM melt and pour with oatmeal milk and honey FO and ground oatmeal before and have a friend who is local that has milk goats. But brave I am not! So, I will look for a very basic first try....I am planning on selling at a local farmers market this year so maybe a "gardeners soap". What do you suggest?

heirloomoriginals: Thanks for your comments! what did you use as your mold for you CP test batches? Can you suggest an "easy" basic recipe?

jes432: Thank you! Yes I have read that different additives can cause strange reactions.....basic basic basic! Thanks for the links I will check them out!

CareBear: Thank you too!! I do have a fairly local Lowe's I will check with. Is the Roebic brand comparable to Red Devil? I assume the brand name doesn't matter much should I be reading the ingredients to make sure? I am personally partial to "white" bars....what would be the best ingredients to use to achieve this with the CPHP process? Ok.... GM is out for my first try!

Thanks again guys!

Ida

[CareBear]

"white" bars are a bit of a challenge - it seems the whiter the sopa the more drying it is. Do a search on "white" and you will find some threads on it.

[gloworm]

Ida you can get a very inexpensive log mold at Kmart. The "Martha Mold"-which is Martha Stewarts utensil tray. It has 3 compartments that each make about a 4 lb log (if I'm remembering correctly). Only cost 7-8 dollars. Also for small test batches I've used the crystal light containers (the plastic tubes). Cut the bottom off, tape the lid in place and there you are. With the CP (not HP, haven't used these in HP yet) I've poured I didn't even have to line or spray the crystal light containers. Martha Mold needs lined. CPHP is thick & goopy when you pour so you have to slam the mold on a counter to get the bubbles out and make it flow better into the mold. I saw a post on here just lately where a lady was using an old wooden drawer as her slab mold. Lots of things will work. Last year I made a gardeners soap in a cucumber scent with some corn meal in it for scrubbiness.

Roebic is comparable to red devil . When looking for the lye make sure it is 100% lye with no additives, I had read at one time that some drain cleaners have metal shavings in them..

Glo

[Ida]

Carebear: Ok...I will! Did you mean do a search here on the board or a web search? Thank you!

gloworm: That sounds great! I am assuming the "martha mold" is a kitchen utensil tray? Should I line it with freezer paper? Your gardeners soap was it just a basic recipe with cucumber fo and cornmeal? Thank you!

[CareBear]

Carebear: Ok...I will! Did you mean do a search here on the board or a web search? Thank you!

Here at CT.

Oh, and I THINK quiet girl's recipe posted in the recipe section is quite white if you use kokum. And if I recall correctly Darwin's Basic (recipe section) comes out quite white if you sub mango butter or olive oil for the grapeseed.

Adding milk or honey will likely send you in the tan-to-brown direction.

Also, FOs can shift the color a bit (or a lot) so be sure to pick one that doesn't discolor

[gloworm]

Yes a kitchen utensil tray & it needs lined with freezer paper or mylar or something similar.

Glo

[TexasBrat]

I have made cphp for 2 years now, it's a great method if you are one who likes instant gratification.

You can buy the multi loaf pan for cphp to give you nice sized bars. You can use metal with cphp b/c the lye is cooked out and it won't react with the metal. Just be sure it's nonstick. Also, look for silicone cake pan molds, those work great for small batches of soap. And, if you are like me and are lazy and don't like to make liners you can take a trash bag and lay it inside a mold and pour the soap in that.

[Ida]

texasbrat: then its for me! instant gratification....I think once I get a couple successful batches under my belt I will try CP. Thanks for the mold advice!

gloworm: thanks for the clarification and directions to recipes!

hope you all are having a great day!

ida

[Bonne]

Do a search on this board~your questions have been covered numerous times, so you should find copious info on most of them. TONS of threads to research and read~regular goldmine, as well as HP instructions under "Bath & Body" on the left side menu. Best of luck on your first batch!

[sudsy]

My first batch was CPHP and I have never made anything else. I love it! Fast, easy and can be used almost right away.

You have been given good advice. Start small, maybe a 2# batch with locally found oils. Once you get the basics down you can experiment and have a blast!

[Darwin]

I do HP in the crock pot. Try my recipie in the recipe section. Once you have that down, then you can start changing the ingeredients to test out other types of additives and such.

[CareBear]

Oh Darwin I'm glad you posted - (don't see you here much, miss you!) cause I want to practice my HP as I'm getting into EOs and am too cheap to have them evaporate out of CP!!!

Tell me, how much water do I need if I want to be able to get it into my mold smoooooothly?

[Darwin]

Well, I usually use the amount that the soap calc figures up for me, but you can add more if you want it to be more smooth, it will take a little longer to solidify than if you use the regular amount of water. I have no patience to wait for it though haha. I once used double water and I had to cook it about an 30 mins longer and had to let it "cure" aobut 24 hours, or abit longer, before it was hard enough to cut. I guess the added water had to evaporate or something. I don't know. I am not an expert so anyone else can chime in. I can only tell you what I know from my own trials and errors.

Also, I have been here reading, just not posting much. We have been busy putting up siding and rebuilding the outside of my house. Also, I have had a really bad migrane these past couple days. There have been alot of things going on with work and my crazy family too.

And I have been also busy collecting donations for a walk i am going on to raise money for The Make A Wish foundation. It is on June second and I did not even raise 30 bucks yet. ...anyone wanna donate??

ETA to add, if you sub RBO for grapeseed, as somone did in carebare's soap options swap, it will be a ivory colored, bar and it smells beautiful naked, no fo no additves.