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Author Topic: Homemade Soap!  (Read 51034 times)

Offline barliman

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Re: Homemade Soap!
« Reply #75 on: July 21, 2011, 09:19:03 pm »
Okay, you guys have talked me into it.  I'm going to give this soap thing a go.  I'll likely use a very simple recipe, or use Euge's recipe on the first page.  Since it's tough not to tinker with recipes, maybe an ounce or two of scent.  Won't have time until next week sometime though ::).

J
Primary: Wingfoot v.3.0 (Waimea/Pacifica), Chinook IPA
Bottled/Kegged: Best Bitter
On Deck: BVIP, Swiss Czechtoberfest

Offline euge

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Re: Homemade Soap!
« Reply #76 on: July 21, 2011, 11:35:36 pm »
Muahahah!

Another swayed over... Enjoy!
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

Laws are spider-webs, which catch the little flies, but cannot hold the big ones. -Anacharsis

Offline punatic

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Re: Homemade Soap!
« Reply #77 on: July 24, 2011, 03:19:29 pm »
In doing some research on potassium carbonate for mead pH control I came across this nugget of information which applies to using wood ash for making soap too.

The table listing potash content of various plants is very informative.

Potassium carbonate
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Offline theoman

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Re: Homemade Soap!
« Reply #78 on: August 07, 2011, 09:34:07 am »
Alright, I just finished mixing up my first batch of soap. Canola, olive and hemp oils, 50/50 water and soymilk and a few drops of bergamot essential oil. I think it went ok. It seemed to take forever to thicken, but maybe I overdid it. For one thing, it looks like I fried my mixer. We'll see what happens. I hope it works out and I'll want to try again. I have 4 freakin' kilos of lye.

Offline punatic

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Re: Homemade Soap!
« Reply #79 on: August 07, 2011, 10:27:02 am »
Sounds interestng.  Where did the recipe come from?

There is only one success: to be able to spend your life in your own way.


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Offline euge

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Re: Homemade Soap!
« Reply #80 on: August 07, 2011, 10:46:45 am »
Bergamot oil. I likes it in my tea- why not my soap? That's a decent-looking recipe. Let us know how the canola works out. Only 4 kilos of lye? That ought to last a good while. ;)

What do you mean by "overdid" the mixing?
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

Laws are spider-webs, which catch the little flies, but cannot hold the big ones. -Anacharsis

Offline theoman

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Re: Homemade Soap!
« Reply #81 on: August 07, 2011, 10:52:41 am »
Sounds interestng.  Where did the recipe come from?


I came up with the recipe similar to how I come up with beer recipes. It's based partially on what sounds good to me and what ingredients I have on hand.

Offline theoman

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Re: Homemade Soap!
« Reply #82 on: August 07, 2011, 10:56:24 am »
What do you mean by "overdid" the mixing?

I think I was expecting it to get thicker than it did. In the end it got pretty thick, but my mixer was fried by then. I won't be saving money if I go through a mixer every batch. ;-)

Do you do anything special to clean up after a batch?

Offline theoman

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Re: Homemade Soap!
« Reply #83 on: August 07, 2011, 01:24:44 pm »
Been doing a bit more reading - it seems the canola oil is the reason it took so long to trace. It also sounds like it's not going to be very good soap. Probably too soft.

Offline punatic

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Re: Homemade Soap!
« Reply #84 on: August 07, 2011, 05:42:03 pm »
Been doing a bit more reading - it seems the canola oil is the reason it took so long to trace. It also sounds like it's not going to be very good soap. Probably too soft.

I made a batch with Canola oil using this recipe (scaled down to 500 total grams of fat):

Coffee Soap

It turned out great, hardened up fine.  It doesn't smell much like coffee anymore, but it really works well for de-stinking stinky hands (gasoline, fish, garlic, onions)

That website has an abundance of good information and products.  I use their lye calculator for every batch.  I've ordered scents from them too.  Excellent prices on very good oils.
There is only one success: to be able to spend your life in your own way.


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Offline theoman

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Re: Homemade Soap!
« Reply #85 on: August 08, 2011, 04:45:08 am »
Cool, I'm gonna have to try the coffee soap recipe.

Did you still use the soy oil like in the recipe? I think my problem is that I used only unsaturated fats. It seems to be hardening up alright, but it might not last long.

When I was finished, to balance the minor disappointment, I cracked into my latest homebrew, which was a huge success.

Offline euge

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Re: Homemade Soap!
« Reply #86 on: August 08, 2011, 11:28:07 am »
You could mix a little pumice sand into the coffee soap and then you've made your own version of "Lava". ;)
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

Laws are spider-webs, which catch the little flies, but cannot hold the big ones. -Anacharsis

Offline punatic

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Re: Homemade Soap!
« Reply #87 on: August 08, 2011, 06:36:14 pm »
You could mix a little pumice sand into the coffee soap and then you've made your own version of "Lava". ;)

The coffee grounds provide nice abrasion. 

I used this recipe:
125 g canola oil
125 g coconut oil
125 g Crisco oil
125 g olive oil
90 g NaOH
190 mL triple strength coffee
1 tbs fresh coffee grounds
Note: let the coffee cool before adding the NaOH.  If you do not, the heat generated by adding the NaOH will cause the coffee to boil violently and spatter.   ::)

Crisco has hydrogenated soybean oil in it.  By bubbling hydrogen through the liquid soy oil, it becomes solid.  That helps make the soap more solid.

500 gram batches like this one fit nicely in a mold made of a  9" x 3" x 2" Rubbermaid drawer organizer plastic tray, lined with Reynolds freezer paper.
« Last Edit: August 08, 2011, 06:57:32 pm by punatic »
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Offline punatic

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Re: Homemade Soap!
« Reply #88 on: August 14, 2011, 09:22:27 pm »
Another excellent soap making website:
Soap Making Essentials
There is only one success: to be able to spend your life in your own way.


AHA Life Member #33907

Offline EHall

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Re: Homemade Soap!
« Reply #89 on: August 15, 2011, 09:11:37 am »
'By bubbling hydrogen through the liquid soy oil, it becomes solid.'

ok, how did you do that? You got a hydrogen tank?
Phoenix, AZ