When I got into the kitchen to get ready to make soap, I was a little nervous. Making lip balms, scrubs and lotions are nothing like making soap. I did not know what to think nor what to expect. (It is not like I watched a lot of people make soap.) 😉
I put on my apron and my goggles. (Safety first!) I melted my first oil kit in the microwave. As my oils were melting, I slowly poured my lye into 6 oz of water. I stirred my lye solution so it would completely dissolve into the water.
I removed my oils from the microwave and quickly stirred them together. I poured my oils into my mixing container. I then slowly poured my lye solution into my mixing container. The lye solution sank through the oil and formed separate layers.
I lowered my immersion blender into the mixture and turned on the immersion blender. The oil and the lye solution began to mix together. I noticed that while the blender was running there was a small amount of oil that stayed on top of the mixing solution.
I blended the mixture for about thirty seconds then I paused to determine if I had any oil on the top. I did and it meant I had not reached trace yet. Trace is when the lye solution and the oil have been thoroughly mixed and do not separate when the mixing is stopped. On my first several batches, it was very difficult to determine what I was looking for.
Once I had determined that the soap had reached trace, I poured my soap into my molds lined with plastic film. I let the soap go through gel phase while I cleaned up and got ready to do another batch.
My first batch through my 4th batch I had someone verbally walk me through the process. Then they left me and said “Keep going. Make each batch on your own.” My mouth dropped open! Could I do it? I really felt the pressure! I noted the temperatures of the oils and the lye solutions. They seemed to jump all over the place. I wrote on sticky notes and placed the paper on the end of each mold.
As each new batch was poured I reviewed the other batches that were already in the mold. My first batch volcanoed out of the mold! Some batches looked grainy when I poured, others looked smooth. I worried that none would turn out.
No batch was scented. All batches were water soaps. I worried that no soap would be usable. Want to see pictures?
Don’t miss tomorrow! I will be discussing the results of my batches.