I am going to tell you about the equipment and ingredients you will need to make good blender soap. Let me start by saying that I am not the inventor of blender soap. A very nice lady named Joyce Chance developed this technique in April, 1995. She has agreed for her technique to be shared with anyone who is interested in making homemade soap.
First, let's talk about lye and it's use, along with a few precautions you need to take when dealing with it. Remember that thousands of ordinary people make home made soap every day without mishap.
One common form of lye (and the one I use most often) is found in your local grocery where the drain cleaners are sold. You need to make sure you buy 100% lye (I use Red Devil brand). Never purchase any type of liquid drain cleaners or Drano because they contain metals. Chemical grade lye can be obtained from novelty soapmaking sites on the internet such as Rainbow Meadow. Other ingredients can be purchased here as well, if you REALLY GET INTO making your own soap products. A good grade and variety of fragrances that are formulated for use in soap making comes from SweetCakes. These are two places on the www that I get my supplies from, but there are many more.
Now back to lye!. Lye is usually listed by weight for accuracy. You need to remember that lye in granular form (drain cleaner) measures differently than lye in flake form (the form of lye from chemical suppliers).
Scales are a necessary part of successful soap making and will allow you to use any type of lye. Lye can be nasty if handled improperly. Lye (sodium hydroxide) is also known as caustic soda.
Always keep lye containers tightly capped. Lye absorbs water from the air which weakens the strength of the lye and causes it to form a solid lump. Lye also reacts with some metals such as aluminum, zinc, and tin. Safe containers include heat proof stoneware, glass, enamel, stainless steel and plastic (I try to stick with glass and plastic). Lye can remove paint. If lye, lye/water or freshly-made soap splatters onto a painted surface, wipe it off immediately. Wash the area with water and detergent; wash it with clear water, then wipe it dry. Use old rags, because the lye will weaken cloth fibers.
Lye, lye/water and freshly-made soap can burn or irritate skin. If you notice itching and then a burning, along with a "slippery" feeling immediately rinse the affected part with vinegar and then rinse with lots of cold water. Precautions should also be taken not to get lye or lye/water into eyes. Do not swallow, keep away from small children.
You will also need:
1. One 4-6 cup mixing container made of lye-resistant material (I use a large glass measuring cup).
2. One heat proof container that holds at least two cups (I use another glass measuring cup).
3. Stainless steel, plastic, wooden spoon or a rubber spatula (I use a spatula).
4. Rubber gloves.
5. Accurate scale to weigh the fats and lye (you can buy small ones at Wal-Mart).
6. Soap molds (I use flexible plastic containers such as children's plastic easter eggs. Play Dough containers, and small margarine tubs). I sort of use my imagination here since any heat resistant glass or plastic container will do. Just be sure you can get the soap out like you do ice trays. I have even used ice trays for sample soaps.
7. Pot holders or oven mitts.
8. Measuring spoons.
Tracing of the Soap:
Tracing is a term that describes the consistency (thickness) of soap when it is ready to pour into molds.
To test for Tracing:
1. Drip some soap onto the surface of the soap in the blender. It should leave a tract or small mound.
2. Draw a line in the soap with a spoon or rubber spatula. If a tract of the line remains for a few seconds, the soap has traced.
Tracing is easy to recognize and should not cause problems for even new soap makers. Don't be disappointed if it doesn't trace when you think it should. Rest assured, it will trace eventually.
As soon as the soap traces pour it into your molds and wait for it to harden. The recipes state the lengths of time as time in mold.
After you have waited the appropriate time, unmold your soap. Remember, soap is still harsh at this time so you might wish to wear rubber gloves (I don't). Remove the soap in the same manner that you would remove ice cubes from a tray. Sometimes the soap doesn't release easily from the mold. To remedy this problem, place the soap in a freezer for a few hours. Freezing soap causes it to contract slightly, become harder and release from the molds.
Now you are ready to cure or age your soap. Wait the time specified in the recipe for the soap to cure or age (usually three weeks). During the aging time the pH of the soap decreases (the soap becomes mild) and the bars harden. I place mine on a large baking rack so that air circulates on all sides. This causes more even curing. I also write on a calendar the date the aging process is over so that I will remember oto wrap it and label it properly.
One more thing before we get to the good part; as soap ages, a fine, white powder may appear on the surface. This is soda ash (sodium carbonate) formed by a reaction of lye with carbon dioxide in the air. This white powder is mostly on the surface exposed to air while the soap was in the molds. In order to prevent this you can immediately cover the soap molds with plastic wrap and press it onto the surface of the soap to prevent air contact. If this powder forms on your soap you can either cut it away or wash it away. If you wash it away (this is what I do), wait until the soap ages and hardens. Wash the powder away by rubbing the soap with your hands under running water or by rubbing the soap over a wet dishcloth. Set the soap aside and let dry.
The difference between blender soap (or other cold process soaps) and cooked soap (the kind you buy in the store) is simple. Cold process soap is (in my opinion) better for your skin because it still contains all of the natural glycerine that is produce by the soapmaking process. Hot Process soap, on the other hand has the natural glycerine leached out of it by the cooking process (this is why it is done this way since glycerine as a chemical or medicine is much more profitable than soap).
Use liquid fat at room temperature and heat solid fats only until melted.
Dissolve the lye in cold distilled water or milk and wait until the mixture turns clear (in the case of milk the mixture will turn reddish in color).
Place all of your ingredients (oils first, lye/water last) into the blender, the lye-water, fragrance - everything (this is why this soap is so fun and easy to make).
Lock the blender in position, secure the cover and process at the lowest speed.
Stop the blender often and check the soap for the thin-trace stage. When you stop your blender, wait a few seconds before removing the cover. Sometimes the soap burps when it stops.
At the thin trace stage, stop the blender. Stir the soap to check for tracing and allow the bubbles to escape. Pour the soap into individual molds. That's all there is to it!
Castile Soap
