Soap Making

Christmas Crafts: Hand-made Soap

I am sorry to be the one to break the bad news...but (I'll say it quietly) Christmas is only 2 months away. However the good news is you don't have to brave the Christmas consumerist chaos. There is another way! If you start now, you can make some beautiful, personal presents for your loved ones.

Many people, and I include my mother and mother-in-law in this, love hand-made soap. For Mother's Day this year, I put a selection of hand-made soaps, wrapped in different coloured tissue paper, in a gift bag. The cost was pence but both women were in tears (of joy, I might add) on receiving it.

One tiny word of warning though. Not everyone appreciates a hand-made gift. Imagine the look on my teenogres' faces when, hoping for a Wii, they have a pair of hand-knitted socks...so let's be realistic.

Now is a good time to start making soap. The soap takes at least 4 weeks to cure, so make it now and it will be well and truly ready for Christmas. It is also ideal to take to people's houses over the festive period. Better than yet another box of chocolates.

This is adapted from JellyB's Soapmaking Ideas Sheet, available from the Resources section on the BGI website.

Introduction

Making soap is simple though the actual chemical reaction is complex. Basically an acid, the fats and oils, react with a caustic alkali, a solution of water and sodium hydroxide (commonly known as caustic soda or lye) to produce soap and glycerine. This process is called saponification. Once this has happened the alkali begins to become neutralised and after curing the soap for at least 4 weeks is no longer evident. Therefore, soap is made with sodium hydroxide but does not contain it.

Although soapmaking at home is fairly straightforward there are some golden rules concerning safety that are paramount as the sodium hydroxide (lye) can cause severe burns if it comes into contact with the skin. NEVER leave your ingredients unattended especially if you have children or pets around. Your oils may also become quite hot whilst melting and could also cause burns if not handled carefully.

The golden rules of soapmaking at home are:

1. Store sodium hydroxide (caustic soda/lye) in an airtight container clearly labelled and out of the reach of children.

2. Always wear rubber gloves when handling sodium hydroxide, mixing soap and un-moulding and handling fresh soap.

3. Wear eye goggles or large glasses when handling or mixing sodium hydroxide solution and when mixing with fats.

4. Do not touch the sodium hydroxide with rubber gloves and then rub the eyes or touch the mouth or skin!

5. When mixing the sodium hydroxide with water, fumes may be given off. Do not inhale the fumes and work in a well ventilated area. These fumes only last for a few minutes.

6. Do not leave the sodium hydroxide solution or soap mixtures unattended at any time.

7. When making soap, keep a bottle of vinegar next to the area. If accidental splashes occur with the lye solution immediately wash the area with the vinegar and rinse with water. Splashes in the eye need prompt medical treatment. As an immediate remedy, douse continuously with cold water.

8. When cleaning your soapmaking pot, let the mixture harden and then scrape the remains into a plastic bag, which should then be sealed and put into the rubbish. Add vinegar to the washing up water and wash as normal (wearing rubber gloves) with washing up liquid.

9. Do not be tempted to use your soap before the 4-week curing deadline is up.

10. Do not use aluminium utensils as these will corrode.

Basic soapmaking equipment should include:

Eye protection (plastic goggles from a DIY store), rubber gloves, kitchen scales, large cooking pot or bowl (not iron or aluminium), measuring jugs, plastic or rubber spatulas, measuring spoons and a jam/sugar thermometer (preferably 2). Sodium hydroxide can be bought in a hardware shop or chemist. You will also need some old towels or blankets, a chopping board, sharp knife and a variety of containers to be used as moulds. Specialist moulds can be bought but lots of things around the house can be used instead. These may need to be lined with cling film or well greased with a non-stick cooking spray. Ordinary kitchen utensils can be used safely provided everything is washed thoroughly before and after use for soapmaking.

The success of your soapmaking relies on the correct proportions of the ingredients. If you wish to alter ingredients then consult a good soapmaking book for recipes and instructions. All quantities, including water, are weighed either in ounces or grams (do not mix measurements), therefore 5oz of distilled water is weighed, not fluid, ounces. To weigh the water, place a container on the scales and adjust to zero, then add the water to the correct weight.

Basic White Soap Recipe (suitable for vegans)

To make a basic white, unscented soap you will need:

16oz (454 g) vegetable fat
2oz (59g) sodium hydroxide (caustic soda)
6oz (173g) distilled or spring water
1 tbs essential oils (optional)

1. Grease a mould or line with cling film. An alternative mould is a juice carton - cut off the top and rinse well.

2. Weigh out the vegetable fat and place into a stainless steel or enamel pan over a low heat until melted. Turn off heat and leave until it reaches approximately 130°F (54.4°C).

3. Meanwhile, weigh out water and sodium hydroxide, wearing rubber gloves and eye protection.

4. Add the sodium hydroxide granules carefully to the water and stir until dissolved. This solution will get hot. Take care not to inhale the fumes or splash the solution. Leave until it reaches 130°F (54.4°C).

5. When the fats and sodium hydroxide solution reach the same temperature, carefully add the sodium hydroxide solution to the melted fat and stir carefully but thoroughly, taking care not to splash any mixture.

6. Stir intermittently until the solution reaches what is known as ‘trace'. This is where the mixture thickens so that if you trickle some off the back of the spatula it will leave a trace line on the surface.

7. If using essential oils, add and stir in now.

8. Carefully pour the soap mixture into the prepared mould, cover with a blanket or towel and leave in a safe place for at least 24 hours until set.

9. Clean equipment thoroughly wearing rubber gloves and disposing of any leftover soap as advised above.

10. When the soap is set, it can be un-moulded and cut into bars (wear rubber gloves to do this). Cover the bars with a blanket or old towel and leave in a warm place (e.g. airing cupboard) for at least 4 weeks before use, turning once or twice during that time.

Do not use the soap before this stage as it may still be caustic.

Part of the fun of making your own soap is concocting different scent combinations. Add essential oils at stage 7. Some of our particular favourites are:

Rose: add 10-15ml rose essence (essential oils are best but the rose one is very expensive)
Lavender and Patchouli: 5mls of each essential oil
Lemon: 10mls lemon essential oil, with grated lemon zest for added oomph!
Rosehip: Add a tablespoon of dried rosehips. An excellent exfoliating soap.
Festive: 5mls orange essential oil, a sprinkling of cinnamon spice. I also added a piece of dried orange to the base of each mould.
Tea tree: 10mls of tea tree essential oil. Ideal for kitchens.

Basically, pick your favourite scent and experiment!!

You can also get creative with the moulds. Tetra packs make great moulds for rectangular soaps, whiskey bottle tubes (or similar) make round soaps. Or you can recycle plastic drinks bottle bottoms, for a decorative pattern. I once used the plastic bases that two avocados came in.

Adding extras to the soap make them individual and even more perfect presents. Judy gave me a beautiful round rose soap with three dried rosebuds in the middle. It was stunning. Wrap them up in different coloured tissue paper; Salena gave me some lemon soap wrapped in yellow tissue paper in a round wooden camembert box.

The only limits are your imagination!

Basic soap recipe adapted from The Handmade Soap Book by Melinda Cross.

Please note that there are many legalities surrounding making soap for sale to the public. This article is just a suggestion for making soap for yourself and family.

Christmas Crafts: Hand-made Soap

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