The Real Soapmaking Process

As mentioned in my previous blog, soap is formed by a simple chemical reaction known as saponification. Saponification occurs when a fat reacts with the alkaline solution, "sodium hydroxide" or lye. Lye is a caustic ingredient that can burn your skin "I'm sure many haves seen the fight club scene", however, no lye remains in the finished product. Think of lye as a necessary ingredient to make soap but not a final ingredient in soap. When properly made and measured, the fats or oils in your recipe completely neutralize the lye.

If your anything like me, all this chemistry jargon can be confusing. I hated chemistry class but I love soap making. So don't worry about it, all you really need to know is that soap is a simple chemical reaction. I will break down the basic process in a few simple steps with visuals. 

1. The first step to soap is melting your recipe of fats or oils together. Nearly all recipes will consist of both hard oils such as coconut and palm oil and liquid oils such as olive oil. If you're starting out, I recommend you use a recipe from a creditable book before developing your own recipe. The book I started with and highly recommend is Smart Soapmaking by Anne L. Watson.


2. The next step will be to measure your lye. Remember lye turns the oils or fat into soap through saponification. Accurately measuring your lye and oils is very important. Use a lye calculator such as the one from www.soapcalc.net. 

1. Melt Your Hard and Liquid Oils Together

2. Measure The Lye Needed 

3. Once the lye is measured it must be mixed with water. Always add your lye to water and never the other way around. The amount needed will be stated in your lye calculator from www.soapcalc.net or from a recipe you are using. Add the lye slowly and stir with a stainless steel utensil. The solution will get hot and give off fumes so be cautious. Always wear protective equipment on your eyes and a fume mask to avoid inhaling fumes.

3. Add Your Lye To Water Slowly

4. Once the lye has been completely dissolved you must wait for the solution to cool. Lye water can reach a scorching 180 degrees! Check the temperature of both the lye solution and water. A common temperature range is to have both temperatures between 130 degrees although there is much variation among soap makers.

4. Check Temperature of oils and lye solution


5. Once both solutions are both between the desired temperature range they will be ready to mix. To do this, you will need an immersion or stick blender. Blend the mixture until you reach what is known to soap makers as "trace" or when the mixture is completely combined. At this point any additives such as scents or colors will also be added.

6. Once your soap batter has reached the proper pudding texture it is ready to be poured into the mold. If you're a beginner, a small silicone mold works great. Leave the soap for at-least 24 hours before removing from the mold. Once the soap is removed from the mold you can cut it into bars! At this point you have soap! I hope you have enjoyed this simplified breakdown of real soap making.