http://hospice.xtn.net//soap/soapblen.htm
(PLEASE READ the notes from other members at the end of the post before attempting!)
I make soap whenever I have a good excuse, like Christmas, because most recipes make a lot at a time. But I have one recipe that I love because it makes a very small amount in next to no time at all with no fuss. My husband's doctor told him to avoid soaps with fragrance, so this doesn't have any added, but I suppose you could.
1-1/4 cups cold milk
1/4 cup Red Devil lye (4 tbsp if it's easier to measure that way!)
1 cup Palm Oil (available as Vegetable Ghee at middle eastern markets)
1 cup olive oil
CAREFULLY measure the lye and add to the cold milk. It will get hot.
(Editor's note: ALWAYS add lye to the liquid, not the other way around.)
Put oils in blender jar, carefully add the milk/lye mixture. Put the lid on the blender and MAKE SURE IT IS ON TIGHT. Double-check. Hold the lid on while you turn on the blender to make sure it doesn't send lye flying in all directions.
Blend for 30 seconds or more, up to 10 minutes, until it seems to trace, which means it leaves marks in the soap mixture when you run a spatula or whatever through it. It usually takes a minute or so for mine. It will be a brownish color and will smell like caramel eventually (you may not notice it now).
Pour into a greased mold (I use a rubbermaid loaf shaped container), cover, and leave it alone for a couple of days until it's hard. Then you can cut it into bars and let it age a month or more, and it is ready to use. I make this twice a year or whenever we run out.
Katie in Bakersfield
(6/21/01)
(Editor's Note: Always run any soap recipe through a soap calculator before using. They are online and free to use. Also- wear goggles and long sleeves while mixing. And shoes/foot coverings. Vinegar will ease lye burns immediately if you get a small splash. Use common sense. See a soapmaker's comments at the end. Soapmaking is fun, if you allow it to be.)
Katie,
Does the cold milk keep the lye from getting so very hot?
Do you wait for the lye to cool and heat the oil up so they are about the same temp or just not worry about it?
Jola Gayle
The cold milk keeps the lye from getting really hot, it just gets nice and warm. I have the other ingredients at room temp and it all works fine, if your room is cold you might want to warm the oils slightly.
katie
I'm about 2 days behind on my reading, so I just now read the SOAP IN A BLENDER recipe. Perhaps some other soapmaker has commented, if so forgive my repeat.
Please, please, newcomers to soap making, please don't use that recipe before you read a few soapmaking do's and dont's and/or visit a few soapmaking web sites.
Burns are a very real (and not uncommon) result of the soapmaking process. Lye mixed with liquid is not only caustic, but it gets HOT. Putting that stuff in a blender should be done only after you understand what you are about.
Basically, you are putting hot acid in the blender and turning it on. It is the heat, chemical reaction, and stirring that turns the hot acid into soap.
That is a wonderful recipe, I have a milk and honey recipe that is very similar. It is the only soap I make, and I make it in quantities to last a year.
Goggles, rubber gloves, and lots of vinegar nearby are important safety equipment. I know lots of people don't worry about those things. But I HAVE heard people who have been burned by lye say they will never again make soap without protective clothing and a quart of vinegar handy.
Betty in northern lower Michigan
0 comments:
Post a Comment