Soap is an ancient and mystical process, which has uncertain origins. However, it seems that soap was already known in the first century after Christ, since the Roman writer Pliny the Elder, in his work Naturalis Historia, quotes a procedure by which from the ash combined with the fats it was possible to obtain detergents to be used for personal cleaning.
Yes, in fact detergents can be produced with ash, but they are a bit aggressive. Then can choose the use of these detergents for cleaning the laundry. But we will talk about ash and lye in the future.
Today I will tell you about soap for personal use, on the skin, and therefore the materials and processes used will be completely different.
There are several methods of making soap, all of which are designed to achieve different results:
Cold method: the most used at home, because it is simple and for the ease in achieving excellent results. Ideal for large, small forms, because it remains very liquid. Mature it for a minimum of 6-8 weeks before use.
Hot method: proceed as in the cold method, but in this case the soap is cooked. It is used to have a finished soap in a shorter time (4 weeks). Not suitable for small molds, because the cooked soap is more consistent and elastic and would not take the whole shape of the design.
Zero energy method: same as the cold method, with the only difference that the oils must not be heated, but it exploits the heat generated by the caustic soda. It can be used only in the absence of solid fats in the formula. It has the same maturation time as the cold method.
Chilly method: cold is used instead of the heat generated by saponification. This method is ideal when you want to use heat sensitive substances, such as milk or honey. It requires, however, much longer curing times (4 months).
After this brief summary of the methods that can be used to make soap, I will talk about the cold method. It was the first one I tried, I don't know, I felt more comfortable. And in fact, everything was simple enough.
A series of important indications: to make soap you have to work safely. Without caustic soda there is no soap and this substance is very dangerous if misused.
Caustic soda is a corrosive and very irritating substance: but after saponification it will have completely vanished, it will do nothing to your skin. On contact with water, this releases toxic fumes. And in fact one of the first basic steps of soap, is to pour caustic soda into water (never do the opposite!).
So, let's start with the process of making soap.
Tools needed:
A Pyrex jug for caustic soda (super necessary, because the soda arrives in seconds at high temperatures (up to 90°), and other utensils could crack and cause a disaster). Another valid alternative is polypropylene
A pan in 18/10 stainless steel for oils (in which you will throw caustic soda.) Stainless steel is necessary because soda reacts with many metals, but not with 18/10
Stainless steel or heat resistant plastic spoon
Drip pan
Various containers for weighing the ingredients (especially for soda)
Precision kitchen scale
Immersion blender
Kitchen thermometer (to measure the temperature of oils and soda)
Plaid (keep soaps warm in the first phase)
Silicone or recovery molds (you can let your imagination fly)
Face mask
Resistant gloves
Protective goggles
Ingredients:
600 g olive oil
150 g sweet almond oil
100 g coconut oil
50 g beeswax
50 g castor oil
50 g hemp oil (for trace)
300 ml distilled water (to make soap, water must not alter basicity in any way)
137.155 g caustic soda (in the calculation are included -6% discount soda and the addition of soda to make up for citric acid, or 8.565 g)
10 ml e.o. sweet orange
10 ml e.o. cinnamon
15 g citric acid (metals sequestering agent: it will make more foam, it will have a more pleasant smell, it will maintain a brighter tint and more intense fragrance, it will keep better and longer, less unsightly scum in the shower)
0.4 ml rosemary oleoresin (fights rancidity, natural preservative)
Method:
First, weigh everything. The oils, essential oils, soda, citric acid, ... everything. The essential oils can be mixed and then covered with plastic wrap. Also cover the caustic soda and the rosemary oleoresin.
At this point, you can pour all the oils into the 18/10 stainless steel pot and put it on a slow fire to heat the oils and melt waxes and butters COMPLETELY.
In the meantime, add the citric acid to the distilled water and mix well. Put on the gloves, the mask and the glasses (yes, we will look like little chemists) and pour the caustic soda into the water of the citric acid. For this step, place aluminum on the stove under the hood turned on to the maximum, the door closed and the window open for airing. The ideal would be the use of caustic soda in spheres, it dissolves immediately, if you find only the one in flakes, dissolve them a little at a time otherwise they will remain residual. Mix well, cover with plastic wrap.
At this point even the oils will have been melted, so turn off the stove and let it cool. At this juncture you will have to wait and continuously measure the temperature of the two liquids with the kitchen thermometer.
When the temperature of the oils and soda has dropped to 45 °, you can combine the two liquids. It doesn't matter if it is 45 ° accurate, the soda can be 44 ° and the oils 45 ° or soda 46 ° and the oils 45 °, the important thing is that they do not bring more than two degrees of difference.
Then pour the soda into the 18/10 steel pot with the oils and start mixing with the immersion blender. Alternate a few seconds with the engine running and mix with the engine off for a few more seconds and so on, until you have reached the trace.
The "trace" is the moment when the mixture "writes", a bit like when the custard is ready: by slamming the blender on the edge of the pan and dropping a bit of compound, this leaves a mark, or writes.
It's time to pour: essential oils, rosemary oleoresin, the oil that has been decided to leave for the trace. This will be a nourishing oil, and you insert it at the moment of the trace so it won't lose any properties. As you can see I have included hemp oil, which is excellent for billions of reasons.
Mix well, but not too long, otherwise the soap will harden too much and it will be difficult to pour it into the molds.
Beat the molds on the shelf to prevent air from remaining.
Level the mixture with a drip pan.
Cover with plastic wrap and wrap in plaid.
Now the soap will have to stay warm. In the first few hours, it will change state an infinite number of times and become very hot.
Leave for 48 hours in the molds, then unmold.
Lay it on a pitted shelf (like a drying rack) in a cool, non-humid room. Cover them with scottex to avoid the formation of dust.
After 30 days, place in punched boxes always covered with paper towels (so as not to disperse essential oils).
Wait another two weeks and you can start using soap!
Mine is of this wonderful color because I added the dye. But it was the first time with this particular food coloring, so I will soon post another recipe in which I will show you how to use it!
Clearly, the more the soap matures, the more optimal and delicate it will be. So it's better to wait a few more days, it will be worth it!
I recommend not to change absolutely any oil in this recipe, because the values of soda and many other things would also change. INS, SAP, and many other things should be explained, but it would be too long in this context. If you don't have this kind of knowledge, follow the recipe to the letter and you won't have any nasty surprises!
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See you soon for another recipe!
Ari 💚
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