Hot Process Soap Making- Oven Method

When I first made soap, I was terrified. Lye was some magical and deadly substance that I feared more than being dirty. But I gathered my courage and my supplies, researched all I could find on the subject, and jumped in. After my first batch, I wondered what all the fuss was about. I hadn't died. I hadn't been disemboweled. My family wasn't a bunch of mutants blinded by the lye. And I can still pick my nose with all ten fingers, though the thumbs still give me fits. 

All kidding aside, lye should be respected as a chemical that can cause severe burns,etc. But when first making soap, relax and enjoy the experience. Follow whatever instructions you've found to use with care, but not fear.  You can do this. It's not difficult.

For those of you who have never made soap, there are two main types of soap making- cold process and hot process. The difference is this. In cold process, the lye mixture and fats/oils must be of similar temperature when combined. Then they are poured into the mold and left to cure for several weeks. If you use the "soap" during this time it will burn your skin as the lye has not turned the fats/oils into soap (saponification) and so is still very caustic. This process makes very creamy bars but takes weeks until it can be used. I like instant gratification.

So...

I use the hot process method. This method cooks the lye/oils/fats together until the fats saponify. Once this is accomplished the soap is done and ready to use. I have tried several methods for this- crock pot and oven.  The oven, for me, is the easiest and quickest with the most consistent results.

Gather your equipment and ingredients. At the end of this tutorial, I will give you a basic recipe using basic ingredients, so you can give this a try without going into debt. Of course, feel free to go into debt buying all the cool fats and oils, scents and colorants. But it's not necessary to make a nice soap.

Things you'll need:

1. ingredients

2.scale 
3. a mold of some sort
4. glass measuring cups
5. wooden spoons
6. goggles and gloves
7. a stick blender
8.dishes to measure your ingredients into

Now let's begin. 

Measure out your fats (oils, butters).
 

Mix your measured lye into your water. Don't add the water to your lye or you will see your very own molten volcano. Stir until the lye is dissolved. Watch out for the fumes. I just reach my arm over to stir that way my face is not above the liquid.
 

Add the lye solution to the melted fats.
 

Use your stick blender to mix until it reaches trace.
 

Trace is when you lift your spoon or mixer up and the drops drip down and remain on the surface. It's hard to see in this photo, but the drips are staying on top.
 

Make sure your pot is only half full or transfer to a larger pot. This is because the stuff will expand and overflow if you don't have enough room.
 

Stick in a pre-heated oven at the lowest temp. Mine is 170 degrees. Set your timer for 30 minutes. Stir at 30 minutes. Set for another 15 minutes. Stir and check. Keep doing this until your mixture looks like applesauce.
 

Remove from the oven and stir to cool a bit. It should now look like mashed potatoes.
 

Now is the time to add your scents, colorants, and any other items--exfoliants, herbs, etc.
 

After everything is thoroughly mixed in, pour it into your mold. Smooth the top and roughly tap your mold onto the counter to settle everything in. Now leave it to cool overnight or until solid.

When it's dry, unmold your soap loaf.
 

Now it's time to cut your bars.
 

If you're doing this for personal use, make your bars any size you like. I sell mine, so I cut them to be around 4oz.
 

And here they are. I made the larger two on the right for our use. I'm lazy and hate running downstairs to get another bar, so I like mine big.
 

I also cut a bar or two into four smaller bars so I can give them away as samples. They are also a nice size for taking on vacation. Once you use such a luxurious soap, you may never go back to using the shore-bought stuff. Especially in the winter!
 

Soap making is a fun project. It may not be cheaper than store-bought unless you figure in the amount of money spent on lotions and moisturizers in addition to your soap.

In the above tutorial I was actually making our shampoo bars. Below is the simple recipe I promised for soap.

15.2oz/431grms      water
5.6oz/159grms           lye  
16oz/455grms          crisco 
10oz/283grms         olive oil 
14oz/397grms    palm kernel oil 

There are loads of recipes on the internet. Pick a simple one and give it a try.