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Basic Castile Soap
Equipment
• good quality plastic gloves
• protective goggles and apron
• food thermometer
• tough plastic bin liners to protect your work surfaces
• measuring jug
• long-handled wooden spoon
• old stainless steel pan, at least 2 litres/1¾ pints capacity
• large glass or stainless steel bowl, at least 2 litres/1¾ pints capacity
• metal whisk
• smaller bowls for mixing separate fragrances
• stainless steel flat dishes, trays or
moulds at least 5 cm/2 in deep, pre-greased with olive oil
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Basic castile soap
Makes about 12 bars. To fragrance your soap, look at the essential oils.
These will need to be added before the soap has set and while it is still
in the bulk liquid state.
Remember to wear good quality plastic gloves and goggles.
565 ml/1 pint olive oil (the cheapest you can find)
376 ml/13 fl oz coconut oil
250 ml/9 fl oz cooled boiled or distilled water
125 g/4½ oz caustic soda (lye crystals)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Measure out the oils and put them in the pan over a low heat.
Heat the mixture until the temperature reaches 60°C (HOT).
To make the lye mixture, pour the water into the glass or stainless steel bowl.
Using the wooden spoon, mix the caustic soda in the water until the crystals have dissolved.
Always add the caustic soda to the water and not the other way around. Leave to cool.
Dissolving caustic soda in water gives off heat. In the quantities given here,
this should not be a problem, but on very rare occasions the liquid may froth up
and out of the container. For this reason, it is best to put the bowl of water into
a sink before you add the caustic soda.
Add the cooled lye mixture to the hot oil and stir with the wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed.
Beat the mixture for approximately 20 seconds with the metal whisk.
The consistency should now be similar to that of thick custard so that if a line is drawn on the surface it will remain.
To fragrance the soap base, divide the base mixture into the required quantities.
For example, if two varieties of soap are wanted, separate the mixture into two different bowls
and add the other ingredients as required. Then pour or spoon the mixture into the
pre-greased flat moulds or dishes, cover with a cloth and leave to set for 24 hours.
While the soap is still soft enough to cut, use a knife to divide it into the size of bars you want.
Wearing plastic gloves, remove the partially hardened soap from the moulds and separate
into bars using a cheese wire or knife. Arrange on trays and leave to dry out and harden fully.
This will take several weeks. During this time, the pH value of the soap will drop,
becoming more neutral and hence milder. You may find that a whitish residue appears on
the surface of the soap. This can easily be scraped off if desired.
The soap will continue to dry out for several months, depending on the weather,
but the reduction of the pH value will slow down and remain stable after a few weeks.
.
Equipment
• good quality plastic gloves
• protective goggles and apron
• food thermometer
• tough plastic bin liners to protect your work surfaces
• measuring jug
• long-handled wooden spoon
• old stainless steel pan, at least 2 litres/1¾ pints capacity
• large glass or stainless steel bowl, at least 2 litres/1¾ pints capacity
• metal whisk
• smaller bowls for mixing separate fragrances
• stainless steel flat dishes, trays or
moulds at least 5 cm/2 in deep, pre-greased with olive oil
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Basic castile soap
Makes about 12 bars. To fragrance your soap, look at the essential oils.
These will need to be added before the soap has set and while it is still
in the bulk liquid state.
Remember to wear good quality plastic gloves and goggles.
565 ml/1 pint olive oil (the cheapest you can find)
376 ml/13 fl oz coconut oil
250 ml/9 fl oz cooled boiled or distilled water
125 g/4½ oz caustic soda (lye crystals)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Measure out the oils and put them in the pan over a low heat.
Heat the mixture until the temperature reaches 60°C (HOT).
To make the lye mixture, pour the water into the glass or stainless steel bowl.
Using the wooden spoon, mix the caustic soda in the water until the crystals have dissolved.
Always add the caustic soda to the water and not the other way around. Leave to cool.
Dissolving caustic soda in water gives off heat. In the quantities given here,
this should not be a problem, but on very rare occasions the liquid may froth up
and out of the container. For this reason, it is best to put the bowl of water into
a sink before you add the caustic soda.
Add the cooled lye mixture to the hot oil and stir with the wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed.
Beat the mixture for approximately 20 seconds with the metal whisk.
The consistency should now be similar to that of thick custard so that if a line is drawn on the surface it will remain.
To fragrance the soap base, divide the base mixture into the required quantities.
For example, if two varieties of soap are wanted, separate the mixture into two different bowls
and add the other ingredients as required. Then pour or spoon the mixture into the
pre-greased flat moulds or dishes, cover with a cloth and leave to set for 24 hours.
While the soap is still soft enough to cut, use a knife to divide it into the size of bars you want.
Wearing plastic gloves, remove the partially hardened soap from the moulds and separate
into bars using a cheese wire or knife. Arrange on trays and leave to dry out and harden fully.
This will take several weeks. During this time, the pH value of the soap will drop,
becoming more neutral and hence milder. You may find that a whitish residue appears on
the surface of the soap. This can easily be scraped off if desired.
The soap will continue to dry out for several months, depending on the weather,
but the reduction of the pH value will slow down and remain stable after a few weeks.
.
