Al's thin, stainless steel soap pot acquired at a garage sale for $2.00.

Step 2: Get all your equipment together.
I collect my big stainless steel pot, a scale, a couple of Pyrex bowls, a plastic spoon, the SAP table and my fats and lye.

Step 3: Weigh out your different fats.

Recipes... My recipe is in my head and every time I make soap it's a little different. If I was selling my soap and needed my soap to be consistent every time, then yes, I'd also use a recipe.           Today, I'm making a smaller batch than I usually make using only 4 lbs of fat. I make most of my soap with lard. The only reason I make so much lard soap is because I have a 50 lb box of it in the food storage room. If I had a box of something else I'd be using that.           What you see to the left are really cheap food scales. If you are going to do much soap making I'd strongly suggest you invest in a much better scale. More on this later.           Generally, I don't even determine beforehand exactly how much of this or that fat I'm going to use. I just keep plopping the fat on the scale until it looks about right then I tap the table next to the scale to unload it's gears giving me a more accurate reading. This time... 48 ounces of lard. You must be as accurate as possible about reading the scale. Now I write "48 oz lard" down on a paper.

Using a spatula, I empty the lard into my big stainless steel pot. Next I weigh out my coconut oil. Even though coconut oil is a bit harsh on the skin I use it each and every time I make soap because the kids won't use it if it doesn't lather like mad. As coconut oil carries this quality I add about 25-33% coconut oil to the batch. I add the coconut oil to my measuring bowl until the scale reads what I want. Tapping the table, I read 16 oz and write on my paper, "16 oz Coconut oil," then add this fat to my big stainless steel pot.

Water needed.

First I add the weight of my fats...
48 oz lard + 16 oz coconut oil=64 oz total fats.

Then using the figure on the bottom of the the SAP
table I compute my water requirement...
64 oz total fats X 0.38=24.3 oz water


Lye needed... (using the 5% superfat column)

                 (Sap Value)
       48 oz lard X 0.138 = 6.336 oz lye
16 oz coconut oil X 0.175 = 2.800 oz lye
          Total Lye Needed: 9.136 oz lye

Compared to the fat, a batch of soap doesn't take much lye, hence the need for a really good scale. A cheap little food scale like this one just can't measure accurately enough to get the lye amount exact. This is especially true with small batches where a very small amount of lye must be measured. This is the primary reason I make large batches of soap. The more lye I need, the more accurate the scale will measure it. My batches generally take at least a pound of lye. My scales will measure this somewhat accurately, but it sure won't adequately measure an ounce. Do this outside.

There's not too much to say about measuring the water. Get as pure of water as you can find. Rain water is good as is distilled water.

Be sure to do this outside in case of spills and because of the fumes created. Always pour the lye into the water, never the other way around. The colder the water the better. Stir it with a nonmetallic spoon. In just a minute or two the lye-water mixture should be clear and ready for the next step.

Step 8: Stir the lye water into the fat.
As you do this, stir the soap in only one direction and very slowly pour the lye water into the oil as you stir it.

Step 9: Blend with a stick blender until it traces.

A stick blender - just in case you're wondering what one looks like.

For the first ten minutes or so, your soap batch will have the consistency of the melted fat. This photo looks down into my big stainless steel pot. Occasionally the soap separates which looks a bit like clabbered milk. Ninty-nine percent of the time a little water added as you mix will cure this.

This photo shows what I get after 15-20 minutes of blending - in this case a thick trace. I generally take it beyond a light trace but I got carried away here - this is just a little thick if you're planning on adding things.

Now I add my colorings, scents and other ingredients which gives the soap it's distinctive qualities. If I'm planning on making several different kinds of soap using the same starter stock, I'll often seperate this into two or at the most three smaller portions. You have to work quickly as the soap is now hardening rapidly. From a normal trace with soap just above the fat's melting point, you have perhaps 15-30 minutes before the soap gets so thick you can't work with it any longer. The hotter the soap, the faster it will move from a nice trace to unworkable soap. Soap at 180 degrees F will move through this stage in only 2-3 minutes, so be careful with the temperature!

Step 11: Pour the soap into molds. I lay a single layer of cellophane on the bottom of my tray which helps in removal of the soap later. Using a large spoon and spatula, pour or spoon the soap into your setting tray. I'm using an old margarine tub here. Smooth it out and lay cellophane over the top. I then get a large book and press it down on the soap lightly to flatten out the top.

Step 12: Cut your soap. Do this step 1 to 24 hours after you have put your soap into the mold. Using a thin knife, cut your soap into bar sized chunks. With this particular batch I poured the soap about 2 1/2 inches deep so I'm cutting the bars as if they are laying on edge. If the soap was thinner, I'd cut it as if the face of the bar was on top. Do not cover your tray with celophane after this. Leave it open to dry.

Step 13: Remove soap from mold and let it cure.
Use judgement in determining when to remove the bars from the mold. This time could be three days to a week or longer after you've cut it. The bars should be hard to the point they maintain their shape. Sit them on edge in a warm, dry place where they can be undisturbed. Then forget about them for two or more weeks. (This is hard to do if it's your first batch!) My special place for drying/curing soap is the top of the kitchen cupboards.

Step 14: Check pH and store your soap.

Actually, I rarely check my soap's pH now that I have the process down. If you're new to this it's probably a good idea to check your soap so you know for certain what it's pH is. Your soap should have a pH of 10 or less and will be unless you made a mistake on calculating the amount of lye needed. The closer your soap is to a PH of 7 the better but expect a pH of around 9. Many people taste their soap to check for pH. And you can do this too. However, I think pH strips are still handy to have around. To the beginning soap maker who has never experienced the 'bite' of the soap, how does one know when it's right?           The bottom bar in the photo shows how you can round off the bar's sharp edges with a potato peeler. Sometimes I'll do this if I'm giving soap away as a gift. The soap peelings go into a plastic bag for later rebatching.           After curing, place your soap into a plastic bag and store it until ready for use. Unless you've added antioxidants at trace, you should try to use it up within 12 months. If not, don't throw it out. It might not have a really clean, fresh smell any longer but it's still good soap.

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This information may be used by you freely for noncommercial use with my name and E-mail address attached.

Revised: 10 Jul 00