Soapmaking Day!!!!!

My friend Lottie (see Lotties blog), on the Potting Shed has encouraged me to have a go at 'soapmaking', not the melt and poor stuff, the real mad scientist rubber gloves and eye protection type!!!! We had planned to both make a batch today and then post the details on our blogs. After yesterdays events I wasn't sure I wanted to, but gave myself a very firm talking too and decided it would help take my mind off things!!!!!!

We are both following recipies from 'the handmade soap book' by melinda coss!

So I gathered all ingredients

protected myself with rubber gloves, apron and goggles! Took a very deep breath and began measuring very acurately.....

Measured all the base oils and put them in a pan to melt, in this recipe I used coconut oil, sweet almond oil and olive oil!

In the top picture on the left you can see the peppermint teabags steeping in the water in the jug. As usual I can't stick to a recipe, I didn't have any cammomile teabags but I did have peppermint so I swopped them! Once this has cooled you remove the teabags and add the lye making sure you have your apron, gloves and eye protection on!


It was quite fascinating to watch, it went all cloudy and changed shades of a colour a few times! But you stir until its all dissolved. Now comes some of the waiting time! The oils and this lye mixture sit with a thermometer in each, until both reach an equal temperature. Here they are without the thermometers in!!!

Then once they are equal temps you pour the Lye into the oils.

Now we wait again until trace is reached which can be anything from 10 mins to 2.5 hours!!!!!! Stirring occasionally. This is what I'm not good at the waiting!!! Fortunately, I'm lucky enough not to have any children around and at this time of the day the cats are always asleep! So I have washed up, stirred, made a coffee, stirred, drank it, stirred, typed up this blog, stirring each time I load a picture and still not at trace! MMMmmmmm!!! What else can I do! Oh yes I know! Stir!!!!

My moulds are ready

My sister will laugh at this bit, she knows I can never do as I'm told... the book says use a shallow square or oblong mould!!! Can you see one? The round thing on the left is what you cook an omlette in a microwave in. I thought I could cut the soap into cake wedge shapes from this! There is a beaker at the top, I could just slice these, so they would be a type of burger shape. The green one is for anything thats left!!!!!!
Stirred again, it is thickening...... slightly! It is quite a nice oatmeal colour now, it was totally disgusting colour earlier!

ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!! Stir!!!

Just think bloggers this is a fast forward way for you to see how soap is made!!! Stir!!

Stir! Its getting there! I think!!!

2 hours 20 mins now and you can definately see its getting there....

Well there was a very, very long wait until it traced, bearing in mind I started about 9 - 9.30 am it didn't get into the moulds until 14.50.

Here its traced and I'm adding the peppermint leaves and essential oils.....

and then into the moulds..............

now it is wrapped up and in the cupboard under Kathryns bed!!!!!! Take it out of the moulds tomorrow and cut it (I will post pics then).

So did I enjoy it? Yes, a bit hair raising at times, but it was fun. Another lady from the Potting Shed Forum said, 'Melinda Coss's book, tracing times, need to be doubled' and that appears true with this recipe.

Would I do it again? Most definately. I have been totally absorbed all day, obviously doing other bits in between stirring.

I have plenty of Coconut and Sweet almond oil left so will be looking to see what else I can do very, very soon!!