Homemade Soap - tallow

Method

• NOTE: The combination of lye and water is caustic.
• It will burn the skin and may cause blindness if it enters the eye.
• Safety goggles and protective gloves are recommended for all and are wholeheartedly encouraged for the novice soapmaker.
• Please do not allow children or handicapped adults into your work area.
• Lye into water can often bubble up; do not look into the pan when adding lye to the water.
• Read the safety precautions on the lye container prior to starting on your soap making.
• Allow two hours for the process and make sure that you have time if it takes a little longer.
• Prepare your soap mold(s) by coating them with an oil or baking spray.
• I like to use small, plastic, individual serving size containers so that I don't have to cut the soap.
• Look at your containers and hold them to see if your soap will be the right size.
• This recipe will make enough soap to fill about 10 eight ounce containers.
• The containers don't need lids.
• Pour the water into a stainless steel or speckle ware pan.
• Do not use aluminum or glass as the lye can pit your pan and ruin your soap.
• Standing back from the pan, add the lye to the water.
• This should cause a chemical reaction whereby the water heats.
• Let this cool to about 100F.
• In another (the deeper) stainless or speckle pan combine the lard, tallow and oil.
• Warm them on low until they are at about 100F.
• When both pans are at 100F-110F, slowly pour the lye water into the fat, stirring constantly.
• Use a wood spoon or stainless steel spoon for stirring.
• As you stir, you will see the mixture go from a dark color to a light color.
• This is the visual proof that the oil and water are mixing.
• After you've mixed it by hand for a few minutes, you may use your electric mixer to continue mixing.
• Wear your safety goggles and gloves as the soap is very caustic and will burn skin.
• If your pan isn't that deep, you might need to cover it with plastic wrap and put a hole in the center for your mixer to prevent splatter.
• Every now and again, run your spatula along the edge of the pan to incorporate all of the soap into the mixture.
• Again, keep children out of the area.
• You are now watching for 'trace'.
• Trace is when you can see your path in the pot.
• More specifically, it is when you take a spoonful of soap and pour it on top of the soap, it sits there for a few seconds before blending into the mixture.
• This can take from 30 to 90 minutes to achieve, sometimes a bit longer.
• At trace you may add (10-20 drops of) essential oils for fragrance, if you wish, but blend it in quickly.
• As soon as you are at trace, and after the optional oils are added, pour the soap into your molds.
• Work quickly.
• Make sure that the soap is level in the molds as it has a tendency to puddle up in the middle.
• Put all of your molds into a wood crate or sturdy cardboard box.
• (If you plan on making several batches over the next few weeks, put a note in the box stating the date that you made the soap.).
• Wrap a blanket or two around the box to keep the heat inside.
• Put the box in an out of the way place where children and pets can't get into it.
• An electric oven or a gas oven with an electronic ignition is a good place.
• (Will a pilot light melt your plastic containers?
• If so, crack the oven door open.
• ).
• After 2-4 days you may unmold your soap.
• If, after a week, they present a challenge to unmold, put them in the freezer for a few hours.
• Return them to the box, leaving room so that air may circulate around them.
• Make certain that children and pets won't disturb them as they are still caustic.
• Wash your hands after handling the soap so that you don't transfer any lye.
• Your soap is still considered 'green' or uncured.
• Let the soap cure for at least four weeks prior to use.
• The harder the soap feels, the more it has cured.
• After four weeks it is safe to use.
• It will just dissolve quicker than a soap that has cured longer.
• A NOTE ABOUT OILS: I've used fragrance oils in soap.
• Fragrance oils are artificial.
• The label must state that they are safe for use on the body.
• Not all candle scents are safe to use in soap, so read your labels.
• Fragrance oils, because they are artificial, often will change the appearance of your soap, causing you to lose control over the look of the finished product.
• Because of that, I highly recommend that, if you want a scent, you use essential oils.
• Yes, they are expensive.
• Different oils from different companies will hold up differently in each batch of soap.
• It will take experimentation for you to really perfect the scent in your soaps, but your family and friends will love to receive your experiments as gifts.
• A NOTE ABOUT COLOR: Do not try food coloring or clothing dye to tint your soap.
• At trace, you may pull out a portion of soap and add some cocoa powder to it for a tint.
• You may purchase soap tint at your local craft or hobby store.
• Your water could be tinted from fresh fruits or vegetables and strained prior to the soap making.
• You may experiment in a number of ways to see what you prefer and what you don't at all like.
• A NOTE ABOUT EXPERIMENTATION: Keep notes on everything that you do.
• I'd seriously recommend sending yourself an email with your recipe and notes for each batch of soap since I've gone through the heartbreak of a waterlogged notebook and a virus-laden computer containing my soap notes.
• You can print and compile your emails if you like, and if your book gets ruined, do it again!
• Happy soapmaking!