A hot processed soap for the holidays 🎄
I wanted to make one more batch of soap before the end of this year, and at this late stage, hot process is the way to go!
I am often asked about how soon hot processed soap can be used after making. There is a common belief among soap makers that HP soap can be used right away, with virtually no cure period. And while this may be close to the truth for some HP soap recipes, there’s more to the story.
The video below provides a lovely, simple hot process soap recipe along with all the things I know about hot process soap making and the factors that influence HP soap cure time.
The recipe, in basic form, is written out below the video. Please watch the video first for all the details, demonstration and discussion about the intricacies of HP soap making and curing!
Please also note that if you make this soap recipe, it’s important to use the same oils and fats that I used, in the quantities given. You can directly substitute palm oil for tallow or lard, if you prefer, but otherwise it's very important to correctly calculate any new oil combination you might want to use in a soap calculator. I'm currently writing a book on this topic, but in the meantime, you can learn how to calculate a soap recipe in this video. You’ll find a more in-depth discussion and explanation of water amounts for soap recipes in this video. This page has a list of some of the most commonly used soap calculators you can use.
If you are brand new to soap making, please ensure that you read this page and watch this safety video before you make any soap recipe.
Soap making is a serious craft. Don’t rush it! Make sure you fully understand what’s required, and feel confident and calm about it before you make any soap recipe.
Recipe specifications
1000g oil batch (base soaping oils)
2.5 : 1 water to lye ratio (try less water for a faster cure time, or more water for a more fluid HP soap - more discussion on that in the video).
5% superfat
I used this box as a mould for my recipe, but you could use two smaller moulds, or one lager one. Your mould/s need to have at least 1.5 litre/quart total capacity for this soap recipe. This is the method I use to line my timber soap moulds.
Ingredients
353g water (I use filtered tap water or filtered rain water, half ice to keep the lye fumes down)
141g sodium hydroxide/caustic soda
(please follow these important safety precautions for handling lye!)
400g palm oil (40% of base soap oils)
300g canola oil (30% of base soap oils)
250g coconut oil (25% of base soap oils)
50g castor oil (5% of base soap oils)
Essential oils (optional):
10g peppermint and 15g each of lavender and tea tree
Colourant (optional):
I used French green clay and green mica, mixed together with water before adding to half of soap batch. I don’t weigh or otherwise measure the colours and clays in my soap recipes. I add them in small amounts until I achieve the desired result.
Method
See the video for detailed demonstration.
Weigh soap base oils into a small crock pot or stainless steel saucepan and melt them together. This soap can be made with very low/intermittent heat on the stovetop if you don’t have a crock pot or slow cooker. Do not overheat the oils, just melted is the goal.
Prepare soap mould/s. Line your timber mould with baking paper, if required. Silicone loaf pans or other soap making moulds can be used.
Weigh essential oils, if using, into a small glass jar or container with a lid and set aside.
When ready, make the lye solution by carefully and thoroughly dissolving the correct amount of sodium hydroxide into the water (ensuring you have correct safety gear/eye goggles on at all times). Use half ice for the water portion to reduce lye fumes.
Once the oils/fats are melted, carefully pour the lye solution into the pot and blend until a thick trace is achieved.
Cover the soap pot and cook the batter on low heat until it starts to bubble around the edges. Stay close to the pot and check it often. Stir the soap once or twice through the cooking period.
More water can be added to the soap batter at any stage to make it more fluid, however be aware that the more water you add to the pot, the longer the cure time! Too much water can also cause shrinkage of the soap once it has fully dried out. It’s a fine balance, add just enough water to keep your soap from becoming thick and flakey.
Once the soap has passed through the ‘fluffy’ mashed potato stage and has become more glossy and translucent (a bit like vaseline), it is close to being done. Test the pH if desired.
Before moulding the soap batter, if using essential oils, turn off the heat and cool the soap to below 80°C/175°F. Once cooled, stir the essential oils through thoroughly.
Split the batch and add colourants according to your preference.
Without delay, spoon the soap into the mould and bang it down on the benchtop frequently to remove air pockets.
Place the soap at room temperature to cool off and harden. If you’d like to delay the hardening (eg. to cut the next day), place the soap somewhere warm or insulated to cool it down more slowly. The soap gets harder as it cools.
Cut the soap with a knife or wire cutter and cure for at least a few weeks, depending on how much water you added to your recipe. The cure time also depends on humidity of the curing environment. Keep your soap bars somewhere cool and dry for a faster cure.
Test soap with pH strips, or the zap test, to ensure its safety before use.
Enjoy your lovely handmade soap!
Thanks for reading and watching my videos, I hope you find this useful and you have fun making your ‘holiday soap’.
If you would like to support my work making these free resources, you can ‘buy me a coffee’ here (big thanks to all of you who have 🌼).
See you next time,
Elly
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