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Stitching & Crafting Room:  soapmaking question  |
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sdleah
True Blue Farmgirl
93 Posts
Leah
Pittsburg
TX
USA
93 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 21 2008 : 09:14:25 AM
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Okay, I'm getting ready to make soap for the first time and I'm sooo excited. I'm using a recipe from Mullers Lane Farm that calls for olive oil, coconut oil and lard. My question is...if the recipe calls for, say, 16 oz. of olive oil, can I go by the ounces on the bottle or do I need to weigh it myself?
Also, could I substitute another oil ounce for ounce or would I need a recipe that specifically calls for the other kind of oil? Like if I wanted to use olive oil in place of the coconut...would that work?
One more thing...Cyndi, at Mullers Lane, recommends using a stick blender for mixing because she says that otherwise you may end up stirring for hours. I really don't have the $$ for a stick blender at the moment. Do I have to stir it non-stop or can I take a break from time to time? The hours don't bother me if I can stop to have a snack and rest my arms.
Any other advice for a newbie is greatly appreciated!
www.narrowgatemorgans.com
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Bonne
True Blue Farmgirl
3003 Posts
Bonne
Littleton
CO
USA
3003 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2008 : 10:23:38 AM
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If you don't already belong, join this forum http://www.craftserver.com/forums/index.php
eveything you need to know about soapmaking is in past and
current discussions. Always use weight measures. You need a scale to weigh everything~water, lye, oils, FO, etc (digital that weighs AT LEAST to 1/10 of an ounce)
 http://bonne1313.blogspot.com/ BLOG
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Georgia Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
212 Posts
Denise
Atlanta
GA
USA
212 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2008 : 2:05:37 PM
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No, you can't swap oils for oils. There is a BIG difference. I like thesoapdish.com. There is tons of info there. Yes, you do stir a lot. Look at the thrift store for stick blenders. Try the crock pot method, seems the easiest and quickest to me.
~Denise~
Proud Farmgirl Sister #113
http://mybigcityfarm.blogspot.com/ |
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Bonne
True Blue Farmgirl
3003 Posts
Bonne
Littleton
CO
USA
3003 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2008 : 3:45:39 PM
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Although, if you go on "soapdish" forum, do searches first for your questions to see if they've been asked repeatedly. People are a tad more testy there than at the old Candletech forum (now Craftserver). Good Luck
http://bonne1313.blogspot.com/ BLOG
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Edited by - Bonne on Jun 21 2008 3:47:12 PM |
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chessie
True Blue Farmgirl
403 Posts
Karen
Vista
CA
USA
403 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2008 : 4:21:48 PM
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Leah, you can change the oil if, big IF, you recalculate the amount of (lye) sodium hydroxide called for in the recipe to find out what is needed to saponify the oil you change to. Every oil and fat has a saponification value, it is a number. There are charts...you have to do a bit of math and then you know how much sodium hydroxide to use to turn your new recipe into soap.
Since I'm not a math genius, I use an online lye calculator and double check everything questionable by having my Best friend's brainiac son check my calculations. I use Majestic Mountain Sage's lye calc. http://www.thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php
The reason 3 oils &/or fats are used in most recipes is because some are emmolient, some lather well -with big bubbles, and some make the soap hard. if you take an oil away you may be taking away an important element of the finished product. The artistry of handcrafting soap comes into play by understanding the ingredients & knowing that substituting one oil for another works best if you substitute a "lathering" oil for another "lathering" oil, and emmolient oil for another, etc... Best of luck! Karen
PS. I got my stick blender at a garage sale for cheap(!) and it saves me hours and hours of work... it is wonderful but not essential.
www.edgehillherbfarm.com "where the name is bigger than the farm, but no one seems to mind"
blog http://edgehillherbfarmer.spaces.live.com/default.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0
happy farmgirl #89 |
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sdleah
True Blue Farmgirl
93 Posts
Leah
Pittsburg
TX
USA
93 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2008 : 5:17:28 PM
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Thanks, everyone!
I think that for now, I will stick to a tried and true recipe rather than trying to switch oils...once I get a little experience under my belt, I'll venture into other things.
Will a regular candy thermometer work to check the temperature of the lye and water?
www.narrowgatemorgans.com
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JudyBlueEyes
True Blue Farmgirl
657 Posts
Judith
Spokane
Washington
USA
657 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2008 : 2:07:06 PM
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Leah, you can use any thermometer that registers in the 100 F range...as some folk recommend 95F and some up to 120F...if I recollect correctly, a candy thermometer is calibrated higher than that, but yours might work. As for stirring by hand, this is what I did before I got a stick blender: pop a movie in that you want to watch and sit down with your soap pot and stir while watching the movie. It should only take about an hour to get to trace, but of course, it is all dependent on the stars being in alignment, and the variable heat and humidity, etc. so you never really know. But when I was stirring by hand, an hour more or less usually did the trick. And yes, you can take a break without ruining your soap. But best to get it to trace and then into your molds...I wouldn't leave it for too long. Good luck!
We come from the earth, we go back to the earth, and in between, we garden! |
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CherryPie
True Blue Farmgirl
935 Posts
Kimberly Ann
Puyallup
WA
USA
935 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2008 : 11:37:26 PM
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I'd love to make soap but I don't want to use lye. I suppose there isn't a way to do it without the lye, is there?
Kimberly Ann
Farmgirl Sister #225
http://nostalgichomemaking.blogspot.com |
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Bonne
True Blue Farmgirl
3003 Posts
Bonne
Littleton
CO
USA
3003 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2008 : 08:44:11 AM
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Lye is just caustic soda. Saponification is the chemical reaction between fats and oils and caustic soda that creates soap. So ,No, it wouldn't truly be "soap". There's no lye after the reaction as the chemical composition changes.
http://bonne1313.blogspot.com/ BLOG
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2008 : 10:45:14 AM
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I always weigh everything..and I have always used a wooden spoon (the same one always..it is my old soap spoon and looks it!!) for stirring...I don't have a stick blender. It works...does take awhile..but not THAT long.
Kimberly...I agree with Bonne..if you don't use lye..basically you don't get soap. All soap has lye to be made into soap...not just homemade soap.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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sdleah
True Blue Farmgirl
93 Posts
Leah
Pittsburg
TX
USA
93 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2008 : 2:51:04 PM
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As soon as I can get to the store and get the ingredients and a pan, I'm going to go for it. I can hardly wait!
www.narrowgatemorgans.com
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Sarahpauline
True Blue Farmgirl
672 Posts
sarah
Ringgold
GA
USA
672 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2008 : 4:55:59 PM
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Im not a soap expert, but I make soap a few times per year for my family and for gifts, I have done so for years. I never use animal products in mine, though many people do. I just wanted to say, there is a lot of satisfaction that comes from being able to provide your family with wholesome bath products that meet their needs (oily teenagers, dry skin, sensitive skin) utilizing herbs that grow in your back yard. Its a lot like how I feel when Ive just canned two dozen jars of strawberry jam. It just feels good. :) So good luck and have fun!
Not all those who wander are lost...
www.SarahPauline.com
www.AbraxasBaroque.com |
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StitchinWitch
True Blue Farmgirl
2137 Posts
Judith
Galt
CA
USA
2137 Posts |
Posted - Jun 24 2008 : 3:39:13 PM
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Homemade soap is the best! I don't have half the problems with dry skin since I've been making soap. Mine is all vegetable oil soap but Mom and Dad used to make soap with beef tallow whenever one was butchered; it was fine for doing laundry... Get thee a stick blender! Mine cost a whole $12 and is worth every penny and more. I got it after the first two batches I made that took about five hours of stirring before it was ready to pour into the mold.
Happiness is Homemade |
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Brew Crew
True Blue Farmgirl
676 Posts
Molly
Arizona
676 Posts |
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Bonne
True Blue Farmgirl
3003 Posts
Bonne
Littleton
CO
USA
3003 Posts |
Posted - Jun 25 2008 : 07:01:59 AM
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Molly, Love your website, and especially your "ugly stick" LOL
I used to do "ugly soap swaps" with my uglies whenever they were hosted.
;) It was just a hoot to see what others considered "ugly".
http://bonne1313.blogspot.com/ BLOG
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Brew Crew
True Blue Farmgirl
676 Posts
Molly
Arizona
676 Posts |
Posted - Jun 25 2008 : 10:27:57 AM
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Thanks, Bonne! Dh LOVES 'The Ugly Stick', and all the guy friends love 'em because they smell good, but don't look too 'girly'! ;) I really love the idea of a swap, though. Good use for the stacks of wierd colored surprises. :)
The Biz www.tvalahandmade.com
The Blog: http://blog.tvalahandmade.com/
The Bits www.happydalehobby.blogspot.com/
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Edited by - Brew Crew on Jun 25 2008 10:38:29 AM |
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Stitching & Crafting Room: soapmaking question |
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soapmaking question
