Soap Making Lessons - How To Make Soap

this is my 5th time making soap. i add distilled water to lye, melt the fat, let them both cool to around 95 degrees, mix them, quickly throw in coloring or scent, and pour.

my problem is the scenting - i have used both essential oil and synthetic fragrance. when the soap dries it doesn't keep the smell, and there is an oily residue which i assume is from the oil.

Not sure what your measurements are for you're oils, lye and water mixture - might not hurt to check your recipe using a lye calculator - here's a link to one -http://www.the-sage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php
It could be your fragrance oils make sure they are soap safe and for use in cp soapmaking.

I would would mix the oils and lye mixture between 100 - 115 degrees and would use a stick blender not an electric hand mixer (two beaters- doesn't work as well) - Using a stick blender will also help you reach trace faster too…I usually add my lye mixture to oils and blend for a couple minutes and then add my color and fragrance before trace and this seems to work for me. I sell my soaps at craft fairs after they've cured for 4 to 8 weeks and the sent seems to last fine.

hope you get it figured out - and enjoy your soaps -
Depending on your completed recipe size - I would use at least 2 oz's of sent for no more than 8 pounds of soap
I wouldn't put the soap in zip lock bags till after 4 weeks of cure time has elapsed as the soap may still sweat and make the soap slimy. I store my soaps in cardboard boxes till ready to sell/use.

Kathy Miller has a page devoted to trouble shooting these occurrences - http://www.millersoap.com/trouble.html

Soap Making Equipment: The beauty of handcrafted soaps with the speed, precision and efficiency of manufacturing. Make your soap faster than ever with our heated soap making systems. Pours oils, glycerin, waxes, and butters into containers, jars, molds and more.

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I hope you get lots of treats!
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Dr. Bronner’s BABY-MILD Pure-Castile Soap is formulated to be a mild smooth soap for use on newborns (but still make sure to keep it out of the eyes). Because the Baby-Mild contains no essential oils, imaginative grown-up babies can add their own favorites to craft personally unique bathing spaces (the Rosemary Extract is effective as an anti-oxidant in our soap at 0.005%, so contributes absolutely no scent).1. Always dilute for Shave-Shampoo-Massage-Dental-Soap Bath!2. The mildest plain pure Baby Castile Soap made!3. 1% & 99% hot water = breath freshening pure soap.4. A dash in glass water = breath freshening pure soap.5. For massage, dilute 1 part in 10 parts hot water! Not oil!6. Supermild soap like a lotion for the most delicate skin.7. Dilute with hot water to clean & freshen from head to toe!8. Supermild soap for Dispensers- Uniforms- Baby -Beach!9. 3 dashes in water rinse most Sprays OFF fruits and vegetables.10. Synthetics make suds good, but 100% natural soap is better!Recommendations: To simplify & enjoy life more, dilute 1/2 oz. or 2 squirts of this pure castile soap with 2 gallons or sinkful hot water, then towel massage a facial pack, then wring towel out & fingertip massage your hair & scalp. Enjoy the creamy emollient lather on baby, bath, beach, body, dentures, mint deodorant, shaving, mouthwash, silk, wool, pets, diapers, car, hand & foot soap.Text From The Bottle/Container:New for the Newly Improved Castille Soaps:Hemp Oil: Dr. Bronner’s has added saponified hemp oil in their liquid soap in place of jojoba for a creamier, milder lather. Hemp has a remarkable number of beneficial uses for the whole Earth, and its rich fatty acids make our soap better than ever.Rosemary Extract: Dr. Bronner’s is now using Rosemary Extract as a natural antioxidant to protect freshness. It gives a slight color to the soap as well.Potassium Solution: Dr. Bronner used to list the ingredients as they exist before the saponification reaction turns the vegetable oils into

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What is the hightest percentage of shea butter I can use in cold process soap?

The highest I've seen is 70%, but generally, somewhere around 30-50% seems to be the norm.

Everything’s going wrong

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What a week! Work has been busy on two fronts as my customers prepare for their busy Christmas season. I’m still working on that big international order, too. Tomorrow, I’ll take a short break to go pick up two Mendlesham Blue hens. Yay!

According to the breeder, one lays brown eggs and the other lays blue. I can’t even express how much I’m looking forward to collecting them. Introducing them to my two current divas is another story.
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Yeast Rescue Soap Soother from Well-In-Hand “Intimate Comfort for Men and Women” Yeast Rescue? is an intimately soothing, instant-acting botanical and aromatherapy blend of organic and wildcrafted botanicals and pure essential oils with Vitamin E. As so many of us know all too well, vaginal and penile yeast infections are ferociously irritating. The intense itching, redness, sores, burning and cheesy discharge make for a very long day. Yeast infections (Candida) are not just a feminine issue. Women may experience a cheesy white vaginal discharge intense itching, redness, and sores on the vulva. Men with yeast infections may notice a white discharge, redness and irritation of the penis and scrotum although they may asymptomatic. What causes this overgrowth of yeast? Antibiotics, diabetes and intimate contact with an infected person can cause yeast infections. Antibiotics, diabetes and Partners transfer the yeast-like condition back and forth which can create a never ending cycle of irritation. If you start itching, share your bottle of Yeast Rescue!? with your partner! Super soothing Yeast Rescue!? is an instant-acting herbal and aromatherapy complex blend of organic and wildcrafted botanicals and quieting pure essential oils with a pleasant aroma and specifically designed to stop the intimate itching and burning within minutes of the first application. Whether you apply it at the very first hint of infection or if you have been already battling it for what would seem like forever, Yeast Rescue!? is designed to stop the itching, burning and soreness with the first application! For vaginal and penile yeast conditions. Relieve redness, intenseitching and burning. Kill the overgrowth of Candida fast! Eliminating the white cheesy discharge. End the cycle of yeast infections by restoring proper balance to genital area. Ingredients: castile gel (saponified olive oil, coconut and palm oils), organic jatoba, calendula, echinacea extracts, alkanet, hemp seed

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I have never tried it, but would love to!

okay if you want to make soap purely from scratch;

Put on your rubber gloves and goggles.
Weigh out 12 ounces of lye (sodium hydroxide) into the two-cup measuring cup.
Weigh 32 ounces (2 pounds) of cold water in glass container.
Slowly add lye to water (best done outside) stirring gently. **It is very important to add the Lye to the water and not the other way round!!! Otherwise the reaction is too quick and it is dangerous!!** The lye will heat the water and release fumes. The fumes dissipate quickly, but turn your face away so as not to inhale the fumes.
Set aside and allow the lye to cool.
Weigh out 24 ounces of coconut oil and 38 ounces of vegetable shortening into the metal kettle. Melt these oils over low heat and stir frequently. Remove from heat after the oils have melted and add the 24 ounces of olive oil.
When your lye has reached a range of 95-98 degrees Fahrenheit (35-36 degrees Celsius) and your oils are at the same temperature, add the lye in a slow steady stream to the oils. Use the metal whisk to stir the mixture. After about ten minutes you will notice a change in your mixture. This is called saponification.
The mixture will appear like thin cream. This is called tracing. Tracing occurs when droplets of soap will stand up on the surface. When this happens, add your fragrance and stir well. Be ready to pour natural soap in your mold.
Cover your shoe box with the two towels and set aside undisturbed for eighteen hours. The soap will go through a gel stage and a heat process. At the end of this period uncover the soap and allow to sit for another 12 hours.
If you measured accurately and followed the directions, there should be no problems. But if your soap has a deep oily film on top the natural soap cannot be used because it has separated. It is disappointing if this happens. This will occur if your measurements were not accurate.
Unmold your natural soap. Turn the box over and allow the soap to fall on a towel or clean surface. Cut your soap into bars. Allow the natural soap to cure in a cool dry place for approximately four to six weeks before using.

If you want to remake soap:

How To Make Hand Milled Soaps

If you like the look, feel and texture of processed soaps but don’t want to have make them from scratch then hand milled soaps, also known as rebatched soaps, might work for you. The essential instructions are actually fairly easy to follow and with a little practice you can make some gorgeous soaps. This method can also be used for leftover scrap pieces of soap too.

Q: What is hand milled soap?

A: Milling is a standard term in the soapmaking industry meaning grated or ground, so hand milled soaps are hand grated soaps that are re-formed into new bars.

The most important thing you can do to make this process go smoothly is to gather all of your supplies before you begin. Having everything you need at your fingertips makes it a lot easier because later in the process you have to move fairly quickly as the soap begins to thicken up.

Once you have all of your supplies it’s time to begin:

Step 1: Grate your soap. A food processor can be used in addition to hand grating the soap in order to achieve a finer texture.

Choosing your base soap: A soap that is made with lye and cold processed works best for hand milling. Castile soaps also work great for hand milling as well. Choose soaps that do not have added fragrances, scents or dyes.

Step 2: Place all of your grated soap into a pan, bowl or large measuring glass that will be placed in a larger pan with water in it. Be sure to leave enough space in the pan to gently stir your soap.

Step 3: Add any oils and then water, called for in the hand milled recipe. Add about 2” of water to the larger pan and place on a medium to medium-high heat. Sit the smaller pan with the grated soap, oils and/or water into the larger pan and begin stirring while the water heats. When the water begins to boil, turn down the heat so that it will stay at a simmering boil. Continue stirring through the melting process.

Tips for the melting process: At first the soap will clump together. Use your spoon to break up the clumps and continue stirring until the oils and/or water are completely mixed in. It will begin to look sort of like a watery cottage cheese mixture, continue stirring. The soap will eventually become smoother. The final phase of the melting process is when the soap looks ‘stringy’. The soap must reach the string phase of the melting process in order for it to set up correctly later.

Step 4: The soap will begin to thicken very quickly at this point. Remove your soap from the hot water and work quickly to add any dyes or fragrances the recipe calls for. Once the dyes and scents are added, add any herbs, botanicals or additional ingredients your recipe calls for. Stir these additives in until they are thoroughly combined.

Step 5: Once the additives are completely mixed through the soap, spoon the melted soap into the mold. In order to eliminate any potential air bubbles, gently tap the mold on the counter. If you prefer soap balls to molded soaps, as soon as the soap is cool enough to handle, begin working into balls with your hands.

Step 6: Your molded soap should be ready to be removed from the mold within four to twelve hours. Once the soap is hard enough, remove it from the mold and set it out to cure for up to three weeks. In the first few days it’s imperative that you flip and/or rotate your soap so that it doesn’t become mis-shaped or warped.

Tips for the molding/curing process: If you having difficulty getting your hardened soap out of the mold, pop it into the freezer for a about 30 minutes or so and then try removing it again. If you don’t want to wait the four to twelve hours for your soap to harden, you can also freeze it.

Be sure to allow adequate curing time or the soap will dissolve very quickly when it’s used.

If you shape your soap into balls, as they cure they may shrink or even collapse. If this happens simply reshape them by hand into balls again.

If your soap doesn’t get good and hard after about three days or so, it most likely didn’t reach the proper stringy temperature all the way through the soap during the melting process. You can either re-melt and re-mold it, or try shaping it into soap balls.

Layered hand milled soaps can be created by scooping in the first layer and letting it set up to a soft but solid form, then scooping in the next layer and repeating the process.

They are mixing the lie with water here waiting for it dissolve before they can mix it with the oil. Here Augusta provides an overall explanation of the soap making process.

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