Newbie Soapmaker – Day 1 Making Oil Kits 1

When I was preparing to make my first batch of cold process soap, Tina told me to make 20 lye kits and 20 oil kits. This would allow me to melt my oils, add my lye to water and I would be ready to go. I first measured out all of my oils. I weighed 6 oz of Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, 6 oz of Palm Kernel Oil and 4 oz of Sunflower Oil into 20 containers.

It was warm enough in the kitchen I used a plastic putty knife to remove the Hydrogenated Soy from its bucket. It was very soft and malleable and the hardest of my oils to weigh. I put it in my container first so I would not have to worry about contamination if I put too much in the container.

Next, I added my Palm Kernel Oil. Even in the heat, I had to chip it out of the bucket using a knife. It was much easier to weigh because it was so brittle. It made it very easy to add small amounts at a time.

Last, I added my Sunflower Oil. It was the easiest to weigh. I could add the oil more slowly as I got closer to my goal weight. I never had to worry about adding too much Sunflower Oil.

The more oil kits I made, the easy and faster it was to make each kit. Later, when I was making the soap, I was very glad I did not have to stop and weigh out my oils for each batch. It made the soap making process much faster.