In this demonstration, I am making Chamomile Shave Soap.
The first thing is to get all the supplies needed: spoons, pan, thermometer, scales, pitchers, goggles, gloves etc. Then all the ingredients: olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, avocado oil, bentonite clay (to make the soap slick), lye, distilled water, dried & ground chamomile, and essential oils. For this soap I am using Roman Chamomile Essential Oil. All the ingredients will have to be weighed according to the recipe.
First I put the coconut, palm and avocado oils in the pot and turn the stove on low. The top picture shows the oils melting. I have added the dried chamomile to the oils. Chamomile is soothing to the skin.
While the oils are melting, I measure the lye and liquid which in this recipe is distilled water. (Milk or herb tea can also be used). Turn on the fan or open a window (the fumes from the lye mixture are pretty strong). I keep a jar of vinegar handy to pour on my skin just in case any lye water splashes on me. Next the lye is added to the water. This is important if you are making your own soap. Do not pour the water into the lye. The lye is poured slowly into the water while stirring. The picture below shows the pitcher of lye water with a small amount of water in the bottom of the sink. I give the lye water a "cold water bath" to bring the temperature down faster.
When the coconut, palm oil and avocado oils have melted, the olive oil is stirred in with the other oils. The temperature of the oils and the lye water will need to be between 100 and 120 degrees F. When the temperatures get to this point, the lye water is added to the oils. The third picture shows the oils and the lye water.
The heat produced by mixing the lye water and the oils starts a chemical reaction called saponification. This process is complete after the soap has "cured" for a period of time, usually 3 to 4 weeks.
After stirring the soap for a period of time, it will begin to get thick. When you can drizzle a small amount of soap from the spoon on top of the soap in the pot, and it retains its shape for a few seconds it has traced. Now is the time to add the essential oil, and the clay.
Once the essential oils have been stirred in, it is time to pour the soap into the mold. For this soap, I am using a short piece of pvc. This makes a great size for our shaving mugs. (soon to come) I have poured some melt & pour soap in the bottom of the mold and let it cool and get hard so the lye soap will not run out the bottom.
The mold has to be insulated so as not to lose heat to fast. I wrap towels around the pipe. The soap will be left in the mold for about 12 to 24 hours to set. If the soap does not release from the mold, it is placed in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Then I get my husband to help me remove the soap from the mold!
Now we have a nice glycerin soap that will be ready after it has cured for 3 to 4 weeks. Glycerin helps to moisturize the skin making it feel soft and smooth.
And that's how our cold process soaps are made.
One other note! Some of our soaps are made using the hot process method. (Examples: Peppermint, Patchouli, Rose Geranium). The difference? After the soap has traced, the soap pot is put in the oven on low for about 2 hours. This speeds up the saponification process. After 2 hours the soap is allowed to cool until the temperature gets down to around 150 degrees F. The essential oils are then added to the soap and the soap is poured into the molds. If using this method to make soap, it will only need to cure for a week or so.
Be sure to test the ph level on each batch of soap (hot or cold process) before using. The ph should be less than 10. If not, the soap will need to cure longer, then recheck.
