Cold Soap Making does not require hot temperatures, as the name suggests.
1. The first step of cold soap making is safety. You want to make sure you have taken the necessary precautions. Put on goggles and heavy duty rubber gloves. Make sure you have some vinegar on hand. Lye, one of the main ingredients in cold soap making, causes burns if it comes into contact with the skin. If the lye comes into contact with the skin, rinse the affected area with a water and vinegar solution.
2. Your cold soap making recipe should tell you how much lye to mix with how much water. On average, you should be using around three times as much water as the lye. This is the most important step. Make sure to add the lye into the water. Let me say this again. Pour the lye into the glass cup of water. The lye and water will now react, creating fumes and heating up the water to incredibly high temperatures, all on its own!
3. Now it is time to add the oils. The recipe should tell you how much you need. Melt the oils to a temperature of about 95 degrees. Make sure to stir frequently. You can use a kettle to melt the oil to liquid.
4. Next make sure the lye and water solution has cooled to 95 degrees. This might take some time. When the lye and water is at 95 degrees (same temperature as the oils!), you can now mix the two together. Pour the lye solution in the oil mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon or whisk. After ten minutes, you will notice that your mixture has changed. Tracing has occurred. This is the main part of the cold soap making process called saponification. To see if you mixture has started tracing, drip your mixture from the spoon on the surface. If you notice droplets of soap, tracing has started to take place.
5. Keep on the lookout for tracing. At the first signs of tracing, it is time to add the fragrance oils. This is what gives the soap its aromatic odors.
6. Stir well for a bit longer. When you feel the mixture start to thicken, pour the mixture into your mold. Cover the mixture with towels. Try to keep the heat in the mixture.
7. Now the hard part is done. Keep the soap covered for 18 hours. Then uncover the soap for 12 hours.
8. Finally, take the soap out of the mold. Cut the soap into bars and let it sit and cool 4 weeks before using!
