Soap Making 101 Part 1 of 3

The first of a three part series on making a basic soap with lard,lye and water. Soapers use other methods and I don't claim to know all there is to know on soap making, but this is my method and it works for me.

As mention in the video, there are several items you need in order to be successful in soap making as well as adding a little personality to your soaps.

The shopping list:
1) lard
2) lye (sodium hydroxide)
3) distilled water (tap water will work but I don't recommend it since you want you soap free of impurities)
4) a digital scale (preferably with grams)
5) wooden spoons
6) a spatula (silicone preferred, stay aware from any aluminum based utensils since they are reactive with lye)
7) safety gloves (dish washing gloves will work)
8) safety goggles (I wear specs and that seems to work fine for me)
9) mixing bowls and measuring cups (I use Pyrex type glassware for mixing and measuring, plastic bowls will work but it's a little harder to clean; stainless steel will also work fine; stay away from any aluminum)
10) a candy thermometer (I use 2, one for my oils and another for the lye/water mixture)
11) a mold for your soap (a silicone loaf mold holds 2 lbs and works fine for test batches)
12) a stick blender (a whisk will work but are you physically fit to stir, stir and keep stirring?..get a stick blender)
13) 1 oz of any essential oil of your liking (optional - head to Whole Foods, Mother Market or check online for an essential oil of your choosing. I use 0.5 - 0.7oz for every pound of oil.)
14) colorant (check your local Michael's for soap colorant or check online for natural mineral or oxide colorants; likewise you can use a powder like cocoa powder, annatto seed powder or turmeric to give it a slight shade of your liking)

http://www.MaestroSoap.com

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• soap
• soap making
• lard
• lye
• MaestroSoap

[Texasred63]

wow you lost me after just 3 mintues, to slow

[jojojo7344]

why don't you soap maker tell the qtys .

[naturalsoapzone]

I'm not very fond of using lard, but otherwise an excellent instructional video on the basics of soap making.

[liaty77]

silicone molds are cheap on ebay.com

[PhloxyFlowers]

where are the other two??

[pugcurles]

i made a batch of hot process soap with castor cocoa butter jojoba in a crock pot in about 8 min i had a hard vasaline looking stuff i wonder if that's normal

[SpeakTheTruth777]

This is the best soap making video I have seen yet. I can't wait to see the other videos. Thank you for taking the time to make this.

[bpereztab]

Great video! Looking forward to the others. Thks for stressing the importance of safety. Happy soapin'