Adventures With The Sage

Saponification
This is the process in which an oil when combined with a strong alkali, turns to soap. Most people use sodium hydroxide as the alkali.

Raw Soap
Raw soap is a mixture, often very liquid, that has not had the saponification process complete. This is what you are pouring into the soap molds.

Exothermic Reaction
This is a reaction that creates heat. When you combine sodium hydroxide and water this creates a great deal of heat, temperatures of 200 degrees Fahrenheit are common. When lye solutions are combined with fats the reaction can take cool mixtures (100 to 125°F) and push them upwards of 180°F.
See the Soap Therapy with Pictures post in our Recipes section.

Gel Phase
This is a phase of the soap making process where you can actually see the result of an exothermic reaction. The soap will have a somewhat translucent appearance that starts in the center and grows outward. This is the heat working to help saponify the oils and fats in an exothermic reaction. (Look at me! I am using big words!)

Madea commented on yesterday’s blog that one of the batches of soap was going through gel phase, but the others had not yet started. This photo shows all the batches and the soap that shows gel phase is the first one I made that day.

Trace
This is a word that I hear our technical support using to help people on the phone and I really had no idea what this meant before jumping into soapmaking. It is a general term that refers to the point when you have mixed the lye and fats together sufficiently to pour into the mold and leave it to complete the process unattended. When the lye solution and fats first being mixed there is a shallow layer of fats floating on top, this layer is transparent and appears darker than the rest of the mixture. It takes time and patience to mix oils and lye solution together. When the mixing is complete enough to leave the soap alone there is a solid color throughout, nearly opaque, and this is when trace has been reached. Some people describe the mixture as being pudding like, or soft serve ice cream like, I can assure you that when I pour into the mold the soap solution is very fluid. It reminds me more of Jello that is still warm and being put into the refrigerator to chill. The mixture is not viscous, nor is it a thickened liquid, but there is some resistance on the spoon when compared to stirring pure water.

Have you noticed the color differences in each of the batches? These color variations are because of the fats being used. Sometimes olive oil has a more yellow color than other times. Many fats and oils have changes in color from lot to lot. I have two more batches to go and I will have made my first 20 lbs of fat into soap. WOW! On Friday I will show you a Cure Card we use here to help us monitor when the soap is ready for packaging.

I have an update on the soap I made on Monday, October 22nd. One of the 4 bars of soap that seemed to turn out well looks a little questionable. When I cut the loaves this morning there was a lot of moisture on the bottom of the bar and it looked extremely splotchy. This comes from an incomplete mixture of the lye and soap. Oops. Patience is key here! I got a little impatient mixing the soap on my first round and this is what happened!

I am keeping notes on the loaves of soap I am making so that I know when they are done curing. I am weighing the leader bar (first in the row) of soap from each loaf everyday. When the bar stops losing weight I know that it will be done curing. Since this is my first time making soap I want to know exactly how many days it takes to cure the soap. This is kind of like how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. There is only one way to find out!

Recipe:

Instructions:
Safety first! Use proper safety equipment (gloves, goggles, mask if desired). Measure the oils into a microwave-safe container. Heat until just melted. The temperature should be around 125 degrees Farenheit. Fill another container with water sufficient to dissolve lye. Pour lye particles into the water and stir well until all lye is dissolved. Pour dissolved lye into the oil container. Mix well with immersion blender (1-2 minutes at least). Pour soap into molds.

Notes: Did you notice that I used a thermometer today? Hurray! Today I felt a lot more prepared. I used a plate lined with a paper towel to set my immersion blender on between batches, I had a paper towel to set the spoon that was used to dissolve the lye in water, and I laid out all of my Saran Wrap properly in the molds. I like to be prepared and set myself up for success. All of my oils and lye were measured out, waiting to be used. I carefully inspected the soap as I was mixing it to make sure that the oils were mixed properly.

I remember when I was making my first few batches of lotion it felt really foreign to me. It was a new process and I was unsure of myself. I bought some materials, took them home, and made a whole lot of batches of lotion to get comfortable with it. My family and friends are very grateful for this, as they are the recipients of many, many jars of lotion.

My process is much the same with beginning lotion making. I am making a lot of batches this week to get the hang of it and practice, practice, practice. Today my mentor left me alone so I could think for myself instead of asking her, “Is it done? Does it look right?” I figured this out on my own today and tomorrow when I cut the soap I will know the official results. Stay tuned!

Jamie Greer asked: Is there a general rule of thumb to determine how much fragrance to use?

Answer: Our website has a really great tool called the Fragrance Calculator that you can use for soap or any type of recipe. Because we offer such a wide variety of Essential and Fragrance Oils, some vary in intensity. Use this tool to determine how much fragrance to use per ounce or pound (you choose!).

Pat asked: Is there a safe and easy way to make cold process soap in a small apartment with a rambunctious 3-year-old? My niece lives with us and is very allergic to soy and has eczema. I’d like to be able to make soap for her that will help resolve the eczema and not aggravate it.

Answer: Andee says: Nap time! If the child still takes a nap then use nap time as your time. If the child does not take naps then use bed time to make soap. Be sure to store your supplies and freshly-poured soap out of reach. As far as soap recipes, any recipe without soy will help!

Peter asked: OK, my question is about the amount of soap. When my soap calls for x amount of pounds of fat, is that the total amount of the final product? I am trying to get wooden molds, and I cannot decide which one to buy. Also, do most of the “experienced” soapmakers get one “universal” recipe and then just change the fragrance oils and additives?

Answer: Andee says: Figure about 20 to 22 ounces of finished soap for every pound of fat. If you cannot make your own wood mold then only buy what you desire for the final shape of your bars. Don’t look exclusively at the volume of the mold.

Production soapmakers generally have a few production recipes and then change up fragrance and additives. Household soapmakers tend to vary their recipes. Think of this in terms of efficiency. Restaurants have a set menu and household cooks handle all the requests.

My soaps range from 23.8 to 24.8 ounces. I’ll be watching them dry over the next few days.

Final Thoughts
My first day of soapmaking had mixed results. Two of my loaves of soap did not turn out to be a usable product. I did not mix the lye well and the product is a slippery mess. I even stuck my finger in it to show you what it looks like when the lye does not dissolve completely in the water. It is also important to note here that when using lye, please make sure that all fans are turned off and there is not a draft where you are mixing the lye. This can cause more steam with lye particles to disperse in the air.

My other 4 loaves turned out great. I mixed the lye well and paid more attention to detail. One thing to note, I did not completely cover the bottom of one of the trays with Saran Wrap and the soap leaked through. Whoops! I also allowed the Saran Wrap to fall into the poured soap while it was setting. When I pulled the Saran Wrap off after the soap set it pulled out some of the soap and the bar was not as pretty.

I hope that these have helped those that are just beginning to make soap. I recommend using a tried and true recipe before venturing out on your own and creating your own recipes. Our blog is a wealth of knowledge and dates back a couple of years so you can find a variety of recipes that have already been tested in our very own blog kitchen. As always, we are more than willing to help with recipes. We have a great technical support staff here at MMS that are happy to help answer questions.

If you have more questions, comment on this blog. I will answer them during this week and we can all pass the Beginners Soap Class together!

When Julie Andrews played Maria in The Sound of Music she taught the children to sing and got right down to the basics. She sang, “Let’s start at the very beginning. A very good place to start.” I had this song running through my head as I was preparing to make the soap.

Today I am just covering how to make a basic batch of soap. How do you mix the lye? How do you know when you are done mixing the soap and it is ready to pour? What precautions do you need to take? These are all part of the basics of how to get started making your own first batch of soap.

Recipe:

Instructions
Weigh out the fats in a microwave-safe container. I was ordered to make 20 fat kits. 20! All of these jars were set aside with a label showing what oils were in each jar. I also made 20 lye kits. Since this recipe is the same all across each of the batches I knew how much lye was needed (I used the Lye Calculator) and that it would be the same for each jar of fats. Today I used the microwave on 3 jars at a time, just until fats were melted, stir well. In a separate container that can handle the heat of mixing lye, I measured distilled water. Carefully pour lye crystals into measured water. Do not pour water on top of lye! This will cause an extreme overheating of the water! Always pour the lye into the water. Stir well, making sure to dissolve all of the lye crystals. A little extra stirring will also help to release the extra heat and help cool the water a little. When lye is mixed with water it heats up, A LOT!!

Pour lye solution into the melted fats. Start mixing with the immersion blender. The lye and fats need to be mixed well. High speed is not necessary, but consistent mixing is important. I have heard there are times when the blenders were turned on HIGH and the liquid splashed from the container. Low speed is what I used on my immersion blender. When I stopped mixing to get an idea if my soap was ready to pour into the mold I was told to watch for a layer of slightly darker liquid on top. This is the unmixed fat. Tipping the immersion blend slightly will cause the whole mixture to go through the blades and make more efficient mixing. Be patient and keep mixing until the dark layer of fat disappears. Pour into mold. The soap mixture is very fluid at this point! Some of the items I have read indicate the mixture is thick. This was not a thickened or pudding-like mixture! I used a Rubbermaid Draw Organizer lined with Saran Wrap (this will help pull the soap out later).

Leave the soap to set for 24 hours. Remove the soap from the mold and cut into bars and allow to cure.

Notes: An extra precaution you can take while mixing the lye is to wear a mask over your nose and mouth, or to mix outside. Breathing in the lye steam will make you cough and I find this unpleasant. It is also important to note that the lye solution will leave a mark on your counter. Always set your spoons, immersion blender, and anything that has touched the lye or raw soap mixture on something which will protect the counter. If lye does come into contact with your counter top, wipe it up immediately.

Recipe: Yields 100 grams or 3.53 ounces.

Instructions
Weigh all ingredients carefully in a microwave-safe container except for the Sugar Kisses and Lip Balm Color. Stir well between short microwave bursts. Add a small amount of White Lip Balm Color. Stir well. Add the Sugar Kisses and stir well. Put into lip balm tubes and let cool. Cap.

This formulation worked well for me. I achieved the desired firm lip balm without fractionation. I also discovered the root of my problem with fractionation. There were 2 things working against me. One, I have not used soy wax before in lip balm. Soy wax comes in small flakes and needs to be melted thoroughly and stirred well. The smaller pieces give you a false sense of security. You may notice that I have not used a thermometer in my recipes. This needs to change so that I can make more accurate products. We can all look forward to that in the future! The second issue is that once you add color to a lip balm solution it is extremely difficult to tell when your balm is melted thoroughly. Enter the modern marvel we call the thermometer.

This lip balm feels rich and tacky on the lips. You may have noticed that today I used black lip balm tubes instead of clear. I decided to focus on just the lip balm formulation and not trying to do 2 colors at once, this helped me tackle the solution to the problem. I chose black tubes with purple and orange caps because it seemed appropriate for Halloween. I hope that this blog has been educational for the newbies out there like me. Happy Halloween!

Recipe: 200 grams or 7.05 ounces.

Instructions
Carefully weigh all ingredients in a microwave-safe container into 2 separate 100 gram batches except for the Sugar Kisses Flavor Oil and the Lip Balm Colors. One batch will be colored orange and one batch will be colored white. Stir between short bursts in the microwave. To make orange lip balm add small amounts of Coral Lip Balm Color and Yellow Lip Balm Color until the desired color is achieved. Stir well. To make white lip balm add a small amount of White Lip Balm Color into the melted 100 gram batch. Stir well. Add the Sugar Kisses Flavor Oil into each batch. Stir well. Pour the white lip balm mixture into lip tubes first, being careful to fill only half of the lip balm tube. Fill the other half of the lip tubes with the orange lip balm mixture. Cap with a yellow cap.

This formulation is an improvement but it is still too soft. You may have noticed that I used Coral and Yellow Lip Balm Color today and this gave a more vibrant, brilliant orange color. Using Ruby and Yellow Lip Balm Color creates a softer orange. Who would have thought? I was careful to heat the mixture thoroughly and this time I did not get fractionation. Tomorrow I will tweak the formula again to get a firmer balm that is appropriate for lip tubes.

I should warn you that this blog has truly been a trial for me. What was supposed to be easy and fun quickly turned into a mistake here and a mistake there. What was initially supposed to be a 1-day blog has turned into a 3-day blog. Arrgghh!

Recipe: 200 grams or 7.05 ounces.

Instructions
Carefully weigh all ingredients in a microwave-safe container in 2 separate 100 gram batches (one batch will be colored orange and one batch will be colored white) except for the Sugar Kisses Flavor Oil and the Lip Balm Colors. Stir between short bursts in the microwave. To make orange lip balm, mix small amounts of Ruby Lip Balm Color and Yellow Lip Balm Color until the desired color is achieved. Stir well. To make white lip balm, mix a small amount of White Lip Balm Color into the melted 100 gram batch. Stir well. Add the Sugar Kisses Flavor Oil into each batch. Stir well. Pour the white lip balm mixture into lip tubes first, being careful to fill only half of the lip balm tube. Fill the other half of the lip tubes with the orange lip balm mixture. Cap with a yellow cap.

Note: If you want to know how your color will turn out, do the plate test. This is achieved by using a glass or stoneware plate and pipetting a few drops of lip balm on the plate. Wait for it to solidify and then decide if this is the color that you want. You can also test the consistency of your lip balm by doing the plate test.

I also recommend melting and filling the lip tube with the white portion first before beginning to melt the 2nd 100 gram batch. By the time I finished filling each lip tube half way with the white solution, the orange solution had started to solidify in the melting container! It is best to do one color at a time.

This lip balm formula is too soft to be used in tubes and felt grainy on the lips, although it did melt after a few seconds of rubbing my lips together. This can happen when the lip balm is not melted completely. I did the plate test but I did not notice any problems with fractionation. I had already put color in the melted balm when I did the plate test. This is a good reminder to slow down and not test too many things at one time. I am new at using Lip Balm colors, particularly this intense, and I was in a hurry to get this project done. Whoops!

I ended up making a second batch of lip balm and poured it into jars instead. This worked better for the soft lip balm, but it was still fractionated and grainy. I really want to put the Candy Corn Lip Balm in a tube with a yellow cap because it looks better that way rather than in a jar. Tomorrow I am going to try to firm up the balm and fix the issue with the fractionation.

Recipe: This recipe yields 1 loaf of bread.

Instructions
Measure your dry ingredients and mix together well. We recommend using a flat pastry whisk. Pour in the buttermilk and whisk the ingredients. When the dough becomes too thick to use the whisk, finish mixing with your hands. Put the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Shape into a circle. Cut a half-inch deep “x” into the top of the dough with a knife, being careful not to cut all the way through.

Separate the egg white from the yolk in a separate bowl. Whisk the egg white until just frothy. Brush half of the egg white over the top of the dough. At this point you can discard the egg white or use the other half for a second loaf of bread. You will not use the egg yolk for this recipe. Bake bread at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Cut, serve, and enjoy hot out of the oven!

OK, I don’t have a photo of this item as a finished product because it was already cut when I returned with the knife! So… please send in your photos! The blog team will give you credit, my blog will be saved and everyone can see what a gorgeous loaf this recipe produces.

Recipe: 100 grams or 3.53 ounces.

Instructions
Carefully weigh ingredients in a microwave-safe container. Do not add any color yet. Microwave in short bursts, stirring in between. Be careful not to overheat. Add 1 small toothpick amount of the Black Lip Balm Color. This amount and is not exact. The amount used in this recipe did not tint the lips. Using the 1.5 cc Scoop, add 4 scoops of Silver Mica. Again, this can vary depending on the desired amount of shimmer. Stir well. Pour into jars or tubes. Cap when cooled and solidified. This recipe will fill approximately 37 Baby Lip Balm Jars.

This recipe was very popular among the staff. It has a very creamy feeling on the lips but is tacky enough to keep the shimmer from the Silver Mica on the lips. I used a light amount of Silver Mica, but you may add up to 2 teaspoons in a 100 gram batch. Make sure you plate test in gradual amounts before adding in the entire 2 teaspoons to find the right amount of shimmer for you. Have fun trying out this recipe!