Soapmaking at the Cottage

Today, I thought I would finally make my own soap. I am using the recipe from the 'Down to Earth' blog: Soap Making

Olive oil, rice bran oil &
coconut oil (Copha) melting together

I have had the ingredients for ages, but I have been quite terrified of using caustic soda. Today I faced my fear! My husband helped me with the caustic soda: I asked him to pour the caustic soda into the water and the caustic mixture into the oils. LOL! I don't know what I was afraid of besides a foamy, hissy cloud of dangerous chemicals that was going to shorten my life by being near the stuff. Well, that didn't happen, thank goodness. The only mishap that happened was I didn't have enough molds! I do have a proper soap mold that makes 8 bars, but also had on stand-by a deli container that holds six cupcakes. Needless to say, the deli container did not work. LOL! The soap mixture was too hot for it! It was slowly melting and I had no other molds to transfer the mixture to quickly. So, I found an empty and clean margarine container and luckily, it all fit into that.

In the molds. What a mess!

One question I do have: is the soap mixture suppose to be rising in the molds, like a cake baking? I did not read about that happening anywhere and I am getting a bit frightened. LOL!

Left is the soap in the molds. The mixture has quit rising and this is what it looks like now. It doesn't look pretty! I will be able to take the soap out of the molds after 15 hours. Fingers crossed that it all stays together. Did I mention this is my first time making soap? LOL!

Posted in: soap making