How to Make Soap

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How to Ma

o Make Soap:

ke Soap: W

Weight Vs. Vo

eight Vs. Volume

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Measurement

Measurement

About 20 years ago, I came up with a unique metho o ma"ing soap that has bee scrutini#e by soap ma"ers all o$er the worl% I use $olume measurements instea o weighing ingreients to ma"e my soap%

The question is, can it be one so that you ha$e the proper amounts o oils, lye, an water&

Weighing Vs. Volume Measuring in Soap Making

The short answer is – no! All soap ingreients must be weighe in orer to get the right amount o lye an water that will combine with a certain amount o oil to ma"e it combine into soap% I weighe amounts are o, your soap can turn out lye'hea$y an be harsh an rying, or it can be oil'hea$y an turn out greasy an sot%

So how did I come up with my recipe I weighe all o the ingreients as I measure them out% I i this more than 100 times to be sure there woul be no $ariations% The only thing I oun was that on certain ays, when there was more humiity, the lye woul pic" up moisture rom the air an weigh ierently ( but this can happen with both weighed AND volume measured amounts%

Ater oing this se$eral times, an then chec"ing it once a month or so )yes, I really o ma"e that much soap!*, there has still been no $ariation in amounts o$er the past 20 years%I can assure you that my recipes using olume measurements will work in soap making" #ecause they were originally weighed amounts.

The $riginal Soap %ecipe &sing Weight

• 4%+ ounces oli$e oil • 4%+ ounces coconut oil • 4%+ ounces soybean oil • 2% ounces lye beas-• %+ ounces water 

All o the ingreients are then blene an mae into soap using the stanar soap ma"ing  practice, which you can see here. /ow to a"e Soap%

-)eep in min that I use lye beas, not la"es, in this original recipe% Flakes measure differently than beads.*

The Measured %ecipe &sing Volume

•  cup oli$e oil •  cup coconut oil •  cup soybean oil • 3 cup water  •  cup lye

Another thing to "eep in min is that in weighing, it oesn5t matter i you ha$e soli or liqui oils, they will weigh the same% But in volume soap making, the oils must always be liquid to measure correctly. Soli oils will not measure the same as liqui oils% This recipe is mae using the same practice as abo$e%

What can go wrong in olume soap making

Se$eral things can go wrong using this metho% /ere is an iea o some things that create  problems.

&sing Water 'rom the Tap

This is by ar the biggest cause o problems% Always use istille, iltere, or re$erse osmosis water% istille an iltere water contains no minerals% 7ye will attac" the minerals in tap or well water, an there may not be enough remaining lye to react with the oils% This will result in a sot bar since the oil8lye ratio was thrown o% 9ain water will wor" i it hasn5t been in contact with minerals on the way to being collecte%

&sing a (i))erent Type o) *ye

y $olume recipes call or lye beas, not la"es% 7ye la"es will measure ierently than lye  beas an can throw o your recipe% )I will be e:perimenting with lye la"es soon, an will post

the results in an upcoming article%* +ot Measuring ,orrectly

;e sure measuring cups are on a lat surace while measuring% The prouct you are measuring must be le$el in your measuring cups%

Always wor" quic"ly with lye so it oesn5t clump an throw o the measurement% <hen measuring lye, ill the cup, but o not heap or lea$e gaps on the sies o your measuring cup% This is $ery common in beginners because they are arai o spilling the lye%

&sing Solid $ils Instead o) *i-uid

Always melt your oils beore measuring% Soli oils oten contain air an  will measure ierently when using the $olume metho%

Su#stituting $ils In the %ecipe

any oils can be use interchangeably with soybean oil, but some cannot% It ta"es a certain amount o lye to con$ert oils into soap% All oils ha$e what is calle a SA= $alue, which is this amount bro"en own into numbers% >in a chart o SA= $alues or most oils here% ?ou shoul stay within 10 points o the original SA= o soybean oil when substituting another oil% This is about %1@ or soium hyro:ie% The numbers will be ierent or potassium hyro:ie, which is use to ma"e liqui soap%

Some good eamples o substitutes woul be sweet almon oil )SA=%1@B*, grapesee oil )SA=%1@*, lar )SA=%1@C*, or sunlower oil )SA=%1@6*% Somepoor eamples woul be canola oil )%12@* an DoDoba oil )%066*% Eastor oil )%12B* is on the borer an woul require Dust a  bit less lye, maybe a teaspoon%

&sing $ld *ye

As lye ages, it can become less potent an not wor" as well% ;e sure to always use resh lye, an "eep it well seale to "eep moisture out%

,an I make my own recipe

a"ing up your own $olume measure recipe is simple! >ollow these steps. 1% >igure out the ingreients you want to use%

2% 9un the list o ingreients through a lye calculator )li"e the one oun here*% Fnter the oils you want to use an a lye calculator will calculate the amount o lye an water

neee% It will usually suggest a range% ?ou can choose the higher or lower, but I usually go right own the mile%

@% Ater you ha$e your recipe set, weigh out the ingreients, then transer each one to measuring cups an recor the amount o $olume% This will be your new recipe% ?ou might want to o the same thing, weigh an then measure, se$eral times to be sure there is no $ariation in $olume% I you change an oil, then recalculate, weigh, an then measure% I "eep trac" o $ery recipe to be sure I ha$e the right amount e$ery time%

I you want to stic" with the original recipe an a some aitional oil or e:tra moisture, this can be one at trace% >or this recipe, because it is a small amount, a Dust a teaspoon or so, maybe as much as a tablespoon% ore ree oil that has not been use by the lye can cause ranciity% This is a goo way to use castor oil or DoDoba oil, which as base oils, nee to be recalculate%

I hope I cleared up any con)usion as to the weight s. measurement de#ate. Hae any -uestions /sk #elow!

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'' =rint this Article or Sa$e it as => ''

/#out (e#ra Maslowski

(e#ra is a master garener, a certiie herbalist, a natural li$ing instructor an more% She taught att an ;etsy how to ma"e soap so they ecie to bring her on as a sta writer! ebra

recently starte an organic herb arm in the mountains o <estern Gorth Earolina% Eonnect with ebra aslows"i on H%

=AI FGJ9SFFGT ISE7JSK9F. In orer or us to support our website acti$ities, we may recei$e monetary compensation or other types o remuneration or our enorsement, recommenation, testimonial an8or lin" to any proucts or ser$ices rom this website%

ISE7AIF9. Inormation on I? GaturalL is not re$iewe or enorse by the >A an is  GJT intene to be substitute or the a$ice o your health care proessional% I you rely solely

upon this a$ice you o so at your own ris"% 9ea ull isclaimer M isclosure statements here% /ome N /ealth N /ow to a"e Soap. <eight Os% Oolume easurement

%eader Interactions

1% ar 

Jctober 12, 2016 at B.4 am

I ma"e my soaps using this metho because I was taught that way, I thought it was the only way! Toay I learne something new%

Than"s or sharing your recipe, I5ll try%

 btw, I use the soap calculator% The correct lin" is. http.88soapcalc%net8calc8soapcalcwp%asp

o ebra aslows"i

Jctober 16, 2016 at 10.06 am

Than"s ar! I wish I ha learne to o it this way in the beginning% It woul ha$e sa$e me so much time an eort% I o use it all the time now an ha$e ha a lot o success with it%

2% yolana

Jctober 1+, 2016 at 2.0@ pm

we on5t use soybean oil% can that amount be i$ie an ae to the coconut an oli$e oils%

@%  Gora

Jctober 20, 2016 at 11.@2 am

<e recently came across this blog or soap ma"ing tips, an we ha$e oun answers here we coul not in anywhere% <e ha$e learne the har way that it is always best to use actual weight, an not $olume