Title: Step-by-Step Soapmaking Instructions 1
Categories: Soap *
Yield: 1 Batch

SOAP ESSENTIALS BAR II
201	g	Sodium hydroxide
1	lb	3 oz distilled water
1	lb	5 oz olive oil
1	lb	Coconut oil
14	oz	Palm oil
12	g	Grapefruit seed extract, an optional preservative
7	ts	Pure essential oil or fragrance oil, optional

(The following basic recipe for Soap Essentials Bar II includes all of the steps needed to make any of the other recipes in this book. Please read these instructions carefully and completely before you proceed with any of the recipes.)

1. Before beginning, set up your work area and required equipment.

2. Line a mold - a wooden tray or heavy cardboard box - with heavy-duty waxed freezer paper. Be sure to miter the corners and flatten the paper against the sides of the mold. Use masking tape to secure the paper to the mold without waves or wrinkles.

3. Measure out the essential oil, preservative and extra nutrients, if desired, and set them aside in tightly sealed containers.

4. Put on your goggles and gloves. Weigh the sodium hydroxide and set it aside.

5. Set the glass container on the scale and add the distilled water; remove from the scale. Carefully add the sodium hydroxide to the water while stirring briskly with a rubber spatula. The fumes may overwhelm you after about 10 seconds, so hold your breath while stirring as quickly as possible, then leave the room for fresh air. Return after 2 to 3 minutes to dissolve any remaining sodium hydroxide by stirring briskly. Do not wait longer or the beads will clump into a solid mass at the bottom of the bowl and resist dissolving. The reaction will heat the lye solution to over 200øF, so set the bowl aside in a saft place to cool down to 80øF-100øF (or your desired soapmaking temperature). If you plan to cool the lye overnight, cover the container tightly to avoid weakening the solution.

6. While the lye is cooling, you can begin mixing the oils. Set the soapmaking pan (if hand-stirring) or the mixing bowl (if using a mixer) on the scale and add the desired weight of olive oil (or any other liquid oils, if you're using other soapmaking formulas). Then set the 3 quart saucepan on the scale and add the correct weights of coconut oil and palm oil (or any other solid fats or beeswax when you're using other soapmaking formulas). Place the pan with the coconut and palm oils over medium heat until most of the solid pieces have melted. The few remaining chunks will melt from the heat of the pan. Pour the melted fats into the olive oil. Should you choose to use a natural preservative, add the grapefruit seed extract to the warm fats and oils, incorporating thoroughly. Let this cool to 80øF-100øF (or your desired soapmaking temperature).

7. You are ready to make soap when the fats and oils and the lye solution have both cooled to the desired temperatures. If you have cooled the lye overnight and the temperature has dropped below this point, heat it up by setting the container in a sinkful of hot water. Oils can be heated over low heat on the stove for a short time, if necessary. Remove the pan from the stove once the oils reach 4øF below your desired temperature; the heat in the pan will raise the temperature naturally.

8. Wearing goggles and gloves, slowly drizzle the lye into the oils, stirring as quickly as possible by hand. A freestanding mixer should be set at it's lowest speed at this point in the soapmaking process. Continue to stir briskly, keeping as much of the mixture as possible in constant motion. When stirring by hand, stir briskly and forecefully throughout the entire soapmaking process, scraping the sides often to avoid a buildup of residue and to keep all of the ingredients in solution. A wire whisk works best for small batches. When using a mixer, keep the setting on the lowest speed until the mixture thickens; increase to setting 2 as it thickens even further. When the lye is first added to the oils, the mixture is too thin an watery for an all-out beating, but stir as briskly as possible without splashing. About 5 minutes of continuous quick stirring produces a thicker, more uniform mixture that can gradually tolerate faster and stronger strokes. From this point until the soap is ready to be poured, the stir should be continuous, forceful, and brisk, and should reach all corners of the soapmaking pan. Once a small amount of soap drizzled across the solution's surface leaves a faint patter (called tracing) before sinking back into the mass, the soap is redy for the essential oils and nutrients, if desired. The soap should reach a trace within 10 to 25 minutes, when stirring by hand, and 10 to 15 minutes when using the electric mixer, if the stir is brisk enough. Do not wait until the soap is thick enough for a pattern to remain on the surface (except when making layered soap) or the soap will harden too quickly once you add the essential oils; yet, be sure that all of the oils on the surface have been incorporated, leaving a uniform mixture.

9. Incorporate any desired nutrients, then immediately drizzle in the essential oils to scent the soap, stirring swiftly and thoroughly with a spatula. Stir for 20 to 30 more seconds, or for as little time as needed to fully incorporate the essential oils. Too much stirring causes streaking and seizing (a quick setup that makes it hard, if not impossible, to pour the soap into the mold). Pure essential oils are usually cooperative; synthetic fragrance oils are more likely to streak and seize.

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