Hot Process Soap Tutorial
Fast Soap
I'm sure you've had those times where you need soap and you need it NOW! Here¡¦s a quick and easy tutorial on how to make hot process soap.
Hot Process Soap
Hot process is pretty easy. Mix your measured lye and water together. Remember lye into water and not the other way around! Next, start heating your measured oils.
When your oils are melted, take them off the heat. Temperatures are not vital at this point, but you do not want your oils too hot or they will likely volcano in the oven. Usually, when I can rest my hand on the side of my soap pot without pain, I know the oils are ready. Add the lye water to your oils.
When you¡¦ve reached trace, put the lid on the pot and place it in a 175-200 degree oven, with the rack in the bottom slot. Don¡¦t go higher than 200 or you¡¦ll get a volcano.
Check your soap every 15 minutes and stir. Depending on the size batch you make, it can take between 45 and 90 minutes to cook. At 15 minutes, your soap will look like it¡¦s a solid block, when you stir; you¡¦ll se that the bottom is starting to cook. At 30 minutes, some of the soap is starting to gel. At 45, all of the soap has reached the gel stage and look very much like applesauce. Once you reach the gel stage, you¡¦re half way there!
A good rule of thumb is to cook your soap after gel for the same amount of time it took to get to gel. So, if it takes 45 minutes to gel, cook it another 45 minutes after that. This ensures that a good amount of the water is cooked out before you mold it.
After cooking, take the soap out and let it cool for a bit. Not too much or it¡¦ll dry out, about 5 minutes or so. At this point, you can add your botanicals, fragrances, (being careful of flash points, or you may lose all your fragrance) and colorants.
Spoon your soap into the mold, after every few spoonfuls, bang the mold on the table or counter a few times to work out any air bubbles. Once your mold is full, cover the top with plastic wrap; smooth the top out and let sit till cooled.
When the soap is cooled, it¡¦s ready to use, however, like all soaps; it will become harder in time, so it¡¦s probably best to not use it for a week or so.
Happy Soaping!!
I'm sure you've had those times where you need soap and you need it NOW! Here¡¦s a quick and easy tutorial on how to make hot process soap.
Hot Process Soap
Hot process is pretty easy. Mix your measured lye and water together. Remember lye into water and not the other way around! Next, start heating your measured oils.
When your oils are melted, take them off the heat. Temperatures are not vital at this point, but you do not want your oils too hot or they will likely volcano in the oven. Usually, when I can rest my hand on the side of my soap pot without pain, I know the oils are ready. Add the lye water to your oils.
When you¡¦ve reached trace, put the lid on the pot and place it in a 175-200 degree oven, with the rack in the bottom slot. Don¡¦t go higher than 200 or you¡¦ll get a volcano.
Check your soap every 15 minutes and stir. Depending on the size batch you make, it can take between 45 and 90 minutes to cook. At 15 minutes, your soap will look like it¡¦s a solid block, when you stir; you¡¦ll se that the bottom is starting to cook. At 30 minutes, some of the soap is starting to gel. At 45, all of the soap has reached the gel stage and look very much like applesauce. Once you reach the gel stage, you¡¦re half way there!
A good rule of thumb is to cook your soap after gel for the same amount of time it took to get to gel. So, if it takes 45 minutes to gel, cook it another 45 minutes after that. This ensures that a good amount of the water is cooked out before you mold it.
After cooking, take the soap out and let it cool for a bit. Not too much or it¡¦ll dry out, about 5 minutes or so. At this point, you can add your botanicals, fragrances, (being careful of flash points, or you may lose all your fragrance) and colorants.
Spoon your soap into the mold, after every few spoonfuls, bang the mold on the table or counter a few times to work out any air bubbles. Once your mold is full, cover the top with plastic wrap; smooth the top out and let sit till cooled.
When the soap is cooled, it¡¦s ready to use, however, like all soaps; it will become harder in time, so it¡¦s probably best to not use it for a week or so.
Happy Soaping!!
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