Made a batch

Of cookies?  Nope.  Of soap?  Yup.  However, my kitchen does smell like dessert.  I wanted to try a new fragrance oil I bought -- caramel butterscotch bourbon.  Yes, it does smell as good as it sounds.

There are hundreds of videos and tutorials on how to make soap on the intranet, so I won't bore you with the gritty details.  (That's a first!)  But I will post a few photos of today's batch, and summarize the process.

I do like my graph paper.

First thing I do is make a recipe.  Most soapmakers use internet-based software such as SoapCalc or Soapee.  I learned to make soap before the internet became a household item, so I prefer to keep it old-school and write my recipes out.

Next I gather all the stuff I'll need.  Pots, utensils, scale, molds, oils, lye, water, additives, etc.  I prep the colors, scents and additives if I'm using any.  I line my molds if I need to.  

Shout out to Smude's  -  MN sunflower oil!

Then I begin the process.  Measure ingredients, mix things together in the appropriate manner and amount and temperature.  Working with lye means using strict safety precautions.  In the past I've had drops of lye land on my arm, and I can tell you it doesn't feel good.

I love the smell of raw soap batter.  When I started making soap we didn't have immersion blenders, and I had to stir everything by hand.  Stirring for an hour til the batter was ready (at trace) was not unheard of.  With an immersion blender, the stirring process is finished in a matter of minutes. 

Later I'll do another batch and fill these molds in.

This particular batch didn't work out the way I had planned.  That's pretty normal when I'm trying something new.  I wanted to put some of my white soap batter into my bas relief molds, before using it in my main molds.  I spent too much time trying to get all of the bas relief filled in.  The longer you let the soap batter sit, the thicker it gets.  So, what started out as a plan for a delicate thin swirl design ended up being a thick chunky swirl/plop.

Photo cropped to remove evidence of my dirty oven

I wanted the soap to gel, so I put it in a warm oven.  Gelling changes the color a little, usually making them more intense.  You need warmth for a good gel, so into the oven it went.

Tomorrow I'll take the soap out of the molds and cut the bars.  Then the soap will go onto racks to dry, and then into a box to cure.  The 'cure' completes the chemical process (saponification), where the lye reacts with the oils and turns it all into soap.  In about four weeks the soap will be ready to use.

The worst part of the process is the clean-up.  Fortunately I have a hubby who helps out with that part.  It's always good to have a partner who supports you and your crazy hobbies.