Cold Process Soap: A Recipe & Walk Through

This post is waaaay overdue, I know. However, to my defense, I have been exhausting all efforts to keep this weekend's Virgilina Summerfest event thing running smoothly for Earth N Moon. Look, I'm talking about it like it's my child. Well, it sort of is :)

Okay, so on to the soap making!

Before we get started, let's talk about safety precautions and lye (Sodium Hydroxide).

Lye in the container from Essential Depot.
Photo taken by: Kristine with Earth N Moon

To the left, is the lye that I purchase from Essential Depot. Essential Depot is the best place to go for lye at affordable prices. They also have regular sales and discounts. So, check them out.

Lye crystals or microbeads out of the container during the measuring stage.
Photo taken by:Kristine with Earth N Moon

Now, before you get into using lye, you need to know that this is caustic meaning it will cause severe burns to skin and blindness should you get it in your eyes. Even if it is fresh soap (meaning all of the oils have been mixed with the lye solution), it can still cause burns until the soap cures.

So, please use absolute caution and safety when working with and around lye. What is the safe way to work with lye?

1. ALWAYS use google and nitrile gloves.
2. ALWAYS work in a ventilated area. You do not want to breathe lye fumes as it can irritate the lining of your nose, throat and lungs.
3. Wear long sleeves, full-length pants, and close-toed shoes. Aprons are also a good idea to wear on top of your clothes.
4. Make sure your lye is stored out of reach of children and pets. When I say out of reach, I mean up high in a cabinet and somewhere you know they can never get to. If you have to, use cabinet locks or the child proofing locks.
5. When soaping, remove all children and pets from your work area.
6. Remove all debris from the work area so as to minimize accidents, falls, and spills.
7. NEVER leave your lye and lye solution unattended. Always keep an eye on your lye solution even if it is only you in the area.
8. I know I shouldn't have to say this but NEVER touch the lye crystals or lye solution even with gloved hands. If you do accidentally get a little on your glove, immediately rinse your gloves off in the sink and/or completely change your gloves immediately.
9. I also feel this goes without saying--avoid getting lye in your mouth and drinking lye solution. If you are going to pre make your lye solution, make sure you do so in a heat-resistant, nonreactive container that is clearly marked LYE SOLUTION. DO NOT DRINK. I wouldn't even advise to pre make lye solution to minimize the risk of someone mistaking it for a beverage. However, I do know some people who pre make it to save time. Please use absolute caution!
10. Keep a small container of distilled vinegar (white vinegar) to the side in case of any spills. A lot of soapers do this as the vinegar helps to neutralize the lye. Also, working in an area with a sink is very helpful.
11. For disposal, it is safe to rinse the bottle with gloved hands and dispose in the recycling. However, if you do that, make sure that you rinse it thoroughly and completely (top, mouth, and outside included). You can also call your local waste management center for disposal.
12. Treat lye as it is--a chemical. Make sure to pay attention and minimize distractions such as cell phones, computers, and other devices.

I hope I covered the lye topic pretty well. If I missed anything, please comment below so I can address it. I can not stress enough the importance of paying attention and suiting up before using lye. Lye burns are extremely painful and can cause massive scarring. It can potentially cause a lot of damage, so again, please make sure you fully do your research and have taken the necessary precaution to avoid accidents.

If you follow safety guidelines, working with lye isn't so bad and scary, but just know the dangers and work carefully regardless. I don't want to scare you, but you need to know the dangers! Better safe than sorry!

Even if precautions are followed, sometimes accidents and mistakes happen. Here is the link below to guide you in the event of accidents involving lye:

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002487.htm

Now that I think I've covered the lye precautions, let's move on to the recipe and what you'll need.

Recipe

10.8 oz. Coconut Oil

10.8 oz. Lard

16.2 oz. Olive Oil

2 oz. Grapeseed Oil

1 oz. Castor Oil

13.5 oz. Goat Milk

5.7 oz. Lye (Sodium Hydroxide)

Equipment Needed

1 pair nitrile gloves

1 pair safety goggles (preferably with side shields)

1 heat-resistant, nonreactive container for lye solution (I use plastic)

1 large heat-resistant measuring cup

1 heat resistant, nonreactive container for measuring lye

1 large heat-resistant container for mixing lye solution and oils (I use a stainless steel pot)

1 silicone spatula

1 stainless steel food thermometer

1 stainless steel mixing utensil (stainless steel spoon will work)

1 stainless steel stick blender (you can buy at walmart, amazon, and soap supply outlets)

1 digital scale (you can buy at walmart, amazon, and soap supply outlets)

1 4lb. mold (wood or sturdy silicone)

Freezer paper (if you are using a wood mold without a silicone liner)

Scissors (for cutting freezer paper)

Ice cube tray
Mini spray bottle filled with Isopropal Alcohol

Before we start, the measurements in the recipe are in weight, not volume. So, when measuring, make sure your digital scale is NOT set on fl. oz. mode but the lb/oz mode.

This is a basic goat's milk recipe. So, you'll need to prep the goat milk in advance. In this recipe, it calls for 13.5 oz. of goat milk. The day before you get ready to make your soap, measure out 13.5 oz. of goat milk, fill your ice cube tray with the goat milk, and stick the filled tray in the freezer over night.

Freezer paper cut and lined in a 4lb wood mold.
Photo taken by:Kristine with Earth N Moon

If you'd like, to save time, you can use this time to also line your 4lb. wood mold with freezer paper that has been cut to fit. If you are using a sturdy silicone mold or other mold that does not require freezer paper, you may skip this step and wait until tomorrow.

If you prefer to use a different mold instead of a loaf mold, you can certainly use other molds that will use up 4lbs of soap. However, I would suggest silicone molds for an easier release.

Fast forward to the next day!

By now, your goat milk should be completely frozen and ready to be released from the tray and into the heat-resistant container.

So, do just that, release from the tray and put all of the cubes of milk into the heat-resistant container you will be using for your lye solution (pictured right).

Once you have your goat milk ready, you will then want to suit up with your goggles and safety gear before you measure out your lye on the digital scale in a heat-resistant, nonreactive container (pictured left).

Make sure that you are in a ventilated area when working with lye.

Add your lye crystals to your milk cubes a little at a time, stirring with your stainless steel spoon as you go.

*ALWAYS add the lye to the liquid and NEVER the liquid to the lye.*

Once you have started adding the lye to the milk cubes, it will start to look like this:

and then this:

You want to take the temperature of your solution with a stainless steel food thermometer. Temperatures for milk/lye solution should be between 60 F and 70 F to avoid scorching the milk.

Oils melted and combined together.
Photo taken by: Kristine with Earth N Moon

After you have gotten the milk and the lye completely mixed, now melt your coconut oil and lard to

measure them out. Then, add them to the mixing container as well as the remaining oils in the recipe. Make sure to keep the oils separate from the lye until ready to be mixed. You'll also want to take the temperature of the oils and have them below 100 F (preferably around 70 F to 80 F) before mixing the lye solution with the oils.

Now, slowly pour your lye/milk solution into your oils down the shaft of the blender and pulse the blender on low. Use only short quick pulses to just incorporate the solution at first.

Incorporating the lye solution and oils.
Photo taken by:Kristine with Earth N Moon

Trace
Photo taken by: Kristine with Earth N Moon

Then, Once you have the lye solution incorporated, blend on low until the soap mixture has reached a pudding-like consistency. This is known as "trace" (pictured right).

Now that your soap batter has reached trace, pour your batter into the mold and allow to set undisturbed for 24-48 hours. You can cover it and wrap it or you can just leave the it open. You may want to spray the top liberally with Isopropal alcohol to reduce soda ash on the top as it cures.

Pouring the soap into the mold.
Photo taken by: Kristine with Earth N Moon

After the soap has set up for a few minutes, you can then add some texture on the top with a spoon or other stainless steel utensil. The possibilities are endless. You can add swirls, stripes, waves, divets, indentions, lines, whatever you'd like.

Textured soap
Photo taken by:Kristine with Earth N Moon

For this one, I've done a zig-zag texture by moving my spoon back and forth across the top of the soap.
Mom says it looks like snake scales!

After you have let the soap set for 24-48 hours, remove from the mold and cut into bars for curing. The bars will need to cure for at least 4 weeks so, I recommend storing the bars on a pie rack for ventilation. I also recommend storing the soap to be cured in a cool, dry location away from moisture and damp. If you live in a humid or damp location, you may want to invest in a dehumidifier to help draw excess moisture out of the air for better soap curing. I have a big dehumidifier and it helps a ton especially during the spring and summer months of North Carolina where humidity is almost suffocating at times.

Now that you've got a recipe and walk through on how to make soap safely, there's nothing left but to do it! Let me see your creations and ask away if you have any questions!


Cheers!
Kristine

Kristine and Earth N Moon are not responsible or liable for injuries caused by misuse of ingredients. As stated before, please use absolute caution, safety, and care when working with lye and any other ingredients.