Great video! I love making my own soap. One other thing that I would mention is to keep plain white vinegar open and nearby. Vinegar will stop lye from burning, just in case it gets splashed on your skin. I also use it to clean my utensils and such up with after, as it neutralizes the lye and makes it safer for my hands to be around. Love it! : )
I've seen 15 videos here today regarding the making of soap process and yous is BY FAR, THE BEST !!! pluses are: well coordinated images and titles, specially temperature readings, materials, easy explanation and basic wording of the main process, even your tone of voice and rhythm of speech are very well timed. You oughta go pro Girl!!. thank you!!
Glad I could help. I was scared at first too... I had my husband do the first batch for me and then I saw it was easy just required some safety steps. No biggie!
Thanks. It's actually very moisturizing. Depending on the oil combinations you use they are a lot milder than the "soap" you buy in stores so they are less drying and even moisturizing on the skin.
I'm new to the soap making, definitely doing my homework on it. Also I've read that the lye and water are suppose to be done outside. I live in an apartment so how does that work?
For a self-proclaimed amateur...The Crafty Gemini does a very comprehensive job here. She is very articulate. I look forward to watching her other videos...all things copacetic.
Be carful mixing your lye water in glass Pyrex. It can heat up so much sometimes it can shatter the glass container. Plastic is better. Sometimes we learn these things the hard way. LOL
Unless your pyrex is old and brittle, heating lye should not heat it up to that point and it was needing to be replaced anyway. If you can shatter Pyrex, you would be melting the plastic. Now if you are using an off brand glassware not approved for use in the freezer, oven, dishwasher or microwave, you might have that issue.
Plastic will cause potentially negative chemical reactions, as will metal. Pyrex is made sturdier than other glassware, which is why she’s using pyrex.
I wouldn't use homemade soap on a newborn baby until you had tested the batch and were confident in your soap making skills. I would check the pH first to make sure it is a mild soap and not harsh of drying. After a while of making my own soaps and perfecting my skills, now that is all we use in my house and I use them on both my young kids.
Vanessa, I came across your video one day as I was researching the soap making process out of curiosity. I didn't intend on making soap myself, but you inspired me to try! It's a lot of fun! Thank you for your videos!
Ahhh You're so awesome!!! you talk loud enough and clear, and whatever you do, there's no way we could get it wrong, because you explain it so well!!! keep up the good work!!
I have heard of this technique just haven't tried it yet. It is supposed to work great when using milks instead of water since they tend to overheat and can burn. Thanks for the tip!
I cannot thank you enough for the most basic recipe using oils that I can get easily (olive oil & canola). I have been looking everywhere for just a basic recipe to begin with. Then I can experiment with other oils & butters etc. THANKYOU SOOO MUCH! MCC;)
Actually, our grandparents and such made soap via Hot Processing and fermentation and not cold process. The soap was cooked and then let stand in the pot and allowed to ferment for several days .. depending on the size of the batch and the ingredients it could be as much as 10 days before it was poured out to stand in a mold/form and then it was cut and set to cure from 9-12 months. See traditional Castile and Aleppo soaps. Lard soaps were usually made during the fall harvest season and allowed to cure over the winter.
Now this I can do! Thank you so much for making it look so easy. I also appreciated the emphasis on safety - and I do love the way your whole channel gives everyone ways to go back to the basics of homemaking. Thanks for that!
Great tutorial! I love handmade soap! My mom used to make soap like this when I was little...I have yet to find any soap better then her handmade oatmeal honey soap :)
What if you're not one of those folks that doesn't homeschool their children, can you still teach them this lesson or will it not work for them? Just asking for a "friend".
Thanks. Yes, I agree. I've since expanded my soapmaking skills and techniques. I use a ton of different oils in my soaps now including clay and natural colorants and additives. This was just an intro video that I thought I'd put together to help people get the hang of the process in a simple way. I'm working on posting more tutorials that are more along the lines of what you've mentioned here. Thanks. :o)
when I was coming up we always used homemade soap and used magazines for toilet paper but when toilet paper came around it was a joy but with the stuff going on today I think im going back to using soaps from the pass I want to go natural as possible and show my son how it done thanks for that video with my little income I will be saving a lot
Hi! Thanks for watching. Sometimes if the soap isn't insulated with the towels it won't go through a hot gel phase and the result is sometimes a softer soap that can't me unmolded easily for a while. If you managed to get it out and cut it then it will still be soap but I would lay some paper towels over the metal rack anyway so it's not directly on it- if the soap is soft you'll get rack marks too.
This is a very good video. I learned a lot from it and hope to show my daughter later how to do it with safety tips involved. You really did a good job doing this video, I hope to see more.
I am so proud of you 🙏. Am glad I watched it to the end . I noticed that you are so real , transparent, wonderful, charming, not secretive as others. God bless you 🙏and your family.God bless everyone that add more good ideas to what you have done ✅ Now, I am going to try it. Once again thanks 🙏 Stay safe🙏🙏🙏
Thanks so much! Yes, @1centrefold is right. It's a quicker way to get the temps closer to each other. That being said, since making this video I have played around with a variety of techniques including mixing at totally different temperatures and at low temps by letting the lye water cool down to around 90º. I haven't had any problems either way so it's more about personal preference, I think.
This was the most helpful beginners instructional video I've seen. I was a little concerned because you talk really fast but I was actually able to keep up without pausing and restarting. :). Thank you so much Crafty Gemini
@Jeannette84 It won't be like melt & pour soap.. instead if you grated it and melted it down its called "hand milling" or "milling" soap. But you won't be able to just melt it down in the microwave like M&P soap. It's a process of using a double boiler, etc. If you are just wanting to add color to it, you can do it when the mixture reaches trace. Colors is a whole 'nother world-- make sure you read up on what colorants are safe to use in cold process soap. Have fun!
NEVER use pyrex to mix the lye into the water. The temperature increase is immediate (to 210 F). Pyrex can explode. Use the plastic paint mixer containers from Lowe's.
From my understanding, they use the same materials to make their glass products,, and not the material from older days. Either can be shocked as well as other materials. The key is not to overshock it.
Heat resistant glass may be used as long as the soap making is very sporadic and the lye is added to the water slowly, making sure the temperature doesn't spike. It has been used for years, until it was found that lye can also corrode any kind of glass over time, making it more breakable. That would happen of course, over a long period of time and after many uses for soap making. Otherwise, a plastic or stainless steel container is recommended. You can check my video on Olive Oil Soap making for more tips, hope it helps!
Thank you so much for this tutorial. Very plain & simple to understand. It has been for nearly months now that I bought books re soapmaking, but couldn't get myself to start! Lol. Will try next time I'm off work.
This is bad ass and an actual tutorial for how to make soap, the first 5 videos I watched should have been titled "how to melt soap into a shape and add fragrances"
thank you that was so genuine and so informative...You were so inspirational, as a beginner in this game, I learned heaps...thank you and God Bless xx Katherine
Do you know how many videos I've watched that think we are psychic??!! They start the video with ("Ok, so I have my oils and lye ready...and I'm going to mix them together") and I'm like WTF? How do we get to THIS point??!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! Especially for explaining the process, and the reason for the temperatures, mixing, etc... WE LOVE YOU!!!!
@mwshelle Also, make sure you are using a digital scale that measures to 0.1 ounces and you need a stick blender for this recipe. If when you were mixing you could still see the oil separate from the lye mixture it was not ready.. you need to mix until you reach a medium trace.
I made YOUR cold process soap today. Worked great! - thanks. I suggest useing the 3M 8511 charcoal vapour mask only (eBay) and not a regular dust mask.
This soap making video is the best I've seen so far. An excellent teacher and covered the process step-by-step leaving me without questions. I will check out the links provided. I Sincerely Thank you🤗
just to let you know, when working with lye you should wear a heavy duty respirator, something charcoal activated. The one worn in this video is more for things like spray glue or silica based items like plaster or dry clay. You are still breathing in chemicals when wearing this kind of respirator. Trust me, I'm an unhealthy artist!
+cbgb14 I agree. You need a proper mask especially for chemicals. They come with replacement charcoal filters. The one shown here is just a dust mask which is not suitable and will not stop chemical fumes from burning your throat and lungs. It is good she is wearing long gloves and long sleeves.
The mask is fine, but I'd like to add that even better would be to work in a well ventilated area, such as outside, near a window with a fan blowing OUT, and/or under the stove hood. If you don't have good ventilation, just generally, when you make soap, the fumes from the soap making can linger and cause eye/mucous membrane irritation. Ask me how I know. The only other thing that I've learned over the last 3 years of making soap on a monthly basis, is that a thermometer isn't essential, unlike a digital scale or a stick blender. I realized after my first 3 batches or so, that you can also work with all your substances at room temp! Yes, you read that right: definitely melt any solid fats and combine them with the liquid ones, but then let your lye and those combined oils/fats come to YOUR room temp. It may take longer for some of the soap batters to come to trace, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Otherwise, this is a very good intro to making your own soap. To find out more, check out Soaping101.com's TH-cam videos, and for ANY questions, try soapmakingforum.com. Happy soaping journey! 😊
thank you finally someone explained "trace" in soap making! This is so informative, but I'm really thinking about making glycerin soap myself, the ingredients seem easier to get a hold of where I am.
There are much more quality oils than Canola. I encourage to use virgin oils like coconut oil. Coconut oil is antibacterial ( Main ingredient in my homemade toothpaste as well!) Even extra virgin olive oil, hemp oil, but please don't use canola oil! It is pure garbage of the oils. It is the "Natty Lite" of oils LOL!
I agree with you. I do think that this is a great beginner video with cheap oils that will be good practice for someone that is just starting out. It hurts way less to lose a batch of soap when you are using cheap oils than when you have moved on to more quality (and expensive) oils.
I did lose my 1st batch of soap. But canola oil of is full of GMO's. Even if I made my 1st batch with canola oil, because it was cheap I wouldn't use it. For me the whole reason I make my own soap is to have quality ingredients & know what I'm putting on my skin. In America all most all corn & soy are GMO (genetically modified with animal, virus or bacteria DNA) no thanks. I want my food & food products the way God intended. Blessings!
if my soap was meant for laundry, wouldn't canola be OK? if I wanted a multi use,both skin grade and laundry like we do in Uganda, what would be the recommended ingredient?
AWESOME VIDEO...VERY GOOD EDUCATION ABOUT SOAP MAKING..I HAVE WATCHED SEVERAL VIDEOS AND MOST OF THEM ALWAYS LEAVE SOMETHING OUT..I REALLY LEARNED FEW THINGS THIS EVENING..GREAT INSTRUCTOR.
A very good tutorial; nothing in there that doesn't need to be, simple to follow...generally very good advice all round, and nice and safety-conscious, which I like to see! The only change I make is I have a whole set of stuff (i.e. the whisking arms, bowls, spoons and a candy thermometer) that I use exclusively for soap-making; I encourage any parents to do the same, as traces of lye left behind after washing can still be toxic to tiny tummies.
@Monica Madison: I agree w/ Amanda + Ryan. They've given you good tips. I've been making soaps since '08 myself, & personally prefer the hot process method. This allows you to use your soap right away actually, if you've processed it correctly, cuz the lye is cooked out completely. Also, you don't really need a whole bunch of equipment if you are new to this. Some of the most important things are a good scale, safety equipment, being safe w/the lye &/or melt & pour, reading up as much as you can on it, PATIENCE, & an online soap calculator, cuz manual can be tedious! I still shop @ my local Dollar Tree for basics whenever I need them. The best way to build experience is to do it. Your creativity cells will blossom!
I don't think anyone should publish a tutorial after making soap only 2 weeks. Please soap curious people: buy a book. This is a rough harsh recipe which makes a very soft bar and it uses too much lye per the soap calculator.
I just ran her recipe through soapcalc and if you adjust your water ratio from the default 38% to 33.3% the water is 4.99 ounces and lye is 1.91 ounces. If you change the superfat to 0% the lye amount changes to 2.01 ounces. So the 5 ounces of water and 2 ounces of water is fine. Yes, because of the 50% olive oil, it will start out as a soft bar and takes a bit longer to cure, but olive oil actually cures to a hard bar. Despite popular myth.. super fatting your soap is not required. The To be honest, this is the best soaping tutorial I have seen. Aside from the fact that I personally would not use as much canola oil.. it was well executed, presented the information in an easy to understand, well planned and thought out format. Unlike many soaping videos where people tell you to follow the safety rules and ignore the fact that I am not following them... she followed all of them and why they were necessary. Because Canola can go rancid more quickly than the Olive Oil, it might be a good reason to reduce your superfat amount, also because this can start out as a soft bar,reducing the superfat amount will increase the hardness. Since this recipe only has a hardness of 12-14. Reducing the superfat to the 0-2% range will help increase this soap's hardness. The MMS calculator says that it at a 2% superfat with the 2.00 ounces of lye. Just because someone new to the craft comes along and has a solid understanding of what they are doing prior to actually making the video.. that doesn't mean mixing and pouring.. but they stated they spent time reading books before even thinking of starting to make soap . This is someone I would love to see be encouraged rather than trampled over because you are afraid they might just take away your viewers.
What a lovely, easy to understand beginner's video on soap making. I will be starting to play around with soap making very soon. I love that you only played the music when there was no dialogue. A mistake that so many people make these days on you-tube as well as television is having the music so loud that the dialogue is completely drowned out. Most annoying. I am an aromatherapy student and will be infusing my soaps with essential oils for their therapeutic benefits. Many thanks for your informative video.
Making you own soap gives you the feel of accomplishment; do you feel that when you buy a bar of soap at the grocery store? Plus you know exactly what's in it.
Plus, if you don't believe in making your own stuff, why are you on this site? Sorry, but you make me mad! Watching us while judging us?. Go away and let us alone!
No problem. I did that specifically to help people get started with the process. Keep in mind that olive oil and canola oil are not going to make the perfect soap that will be your go-to recipe. But you're right, it's an okay place to start. Then you can move up to other oils and butters. Be sure to research the safety issues thoroughly and look to see what different oils/butters contribute to soap bars. It's so much fun! Happy soaping!
It has to do with letting the temperature of the lye cool down some before combining it with the oils. Hot process soap is often made in a crock pot and the mixture is heated, etc.
@mwshelle Either your measurements were off or you didn't blend it until it reached trace. As far as fixing it, you could try putting it in a crock pot and and cooking it up until all the lye is cooked out of it ( a few hours) and make hot processed soap instead. Once the lye is cooked out you can just scoop it into a mold to cool. Otherwise, I would toss it out. If the soap is soft chances are the lye is active and the measurements were off. Hope that helps.
Thank you so much for making this look easier...I have been watching many videos and it was seeming to get me more confused and discouraged to proceed with learning of soap making. I am pretty sure I can do this now. Thanks
@ancamg I add mine at trace.. but you need to know what you are working with because some fragrances can accelerate trace so you need to pour the batter quickly into the molds before it gets too thick on you. You can buy it online too. Check ACE hardware stores if you live in the US.
You mentioned Brambleberry's free online soap calculator. I prefer to use Soapcalc, because it's the only one I could find that includes laurel berry oil. I just typed in your recipe on Soapcalc. 1. I chose sodium hydroxide as the lye. 2. I typed 15 oz. as the weight of oils. 3. For water, I chose the water:lye ratio option at 2.5:1. This made the water as percent of oils 30.83% (significantly lower than what I understand the bare minimum of 33% to be) and the lye concentration 28.571%, something I find a little high. 4. I don't know what your superfat is; I chose 8%. 5. Soap qualities and fatty acids. I don't think one actually types anything in here. 6. recipe oil list- 7.5 oz. canola oil, 7.5 oz olive oil. 7.calculate recipe. According to the soap bar qualities and their standard ranges, what you've made here is an extremely soft bar with a sat:unsat ratio of 12:88 that absolutely will not clean you, will not make suds and isn't creamy. This bar's only redeeming quality is conditioning, and a lot of it. There could be others I'm not aware of, but I know the secret to making a bar that will clean you is to make coconut oil at least 25% of your fats/oils.
Thank you for your video and to be so lovely :) I make my own soap as well, I would advise you to wear gloves when you cut the soap after 24/48h because it can be still caustic, and that's also why it's so important to leave the soap at least 4/6 weeks to seasoning. Someone say that olive oil soap it's better after at least 2 months of seasoning. It's a really nice video and you are so sweet! Cheers, Luana
Thanks. I got that one from an online shop called ES Premium Products. Google it and you should find it. The mold is the "Loaf Guest Size 1502" and holds 11 ounces of soap. Hope that helps.
Good Job!! It is so good for you to share. And, this is another step for self sufficiency. It is easy, is something you can customize to your liking and it is very exiting to be able to do. You can use it for self, sell it or use it for gift giving. Thank you for the video.
i remember i made this long time ago with my gramma and we added coffee beans to the soap pars and it made it smell so nice plus it works great as a body exfoliator :D
No problem. My best guess is the recipe measurements were off and/or the oils you used required a different amount of lye to saponify them. Did you use the lye crystals I show in the video, 100% sodium hydroxide and not the drain cleaner stuff? Were any of the oils you used a blend of several oils? i.e.- some olive & canola oils will have other oils listed in the ingredient section of the bottle. I wouldn't risk using a failed batch but you can do some research online for ways to save it.
Both NaOH and KOH are used in soap making. NaOH is used to make solid soap while KOH is used to make liquid soap. Soaps made of KOH are softer and can more easily be dissolved in water than NaOH soaps. When soap making, sodium hydroxide cannot be substituted with potassium hydroxide and vice versa because soap making recipes will have different quantity requirements for these two chemicals depending on the kind of soap being manufactured.
Great video! I love making my own soap. One other thing that I would mention is to keep plain white vinegar open and nearby. Vinegar will stop lye from burning, just in case it gets splashed on your skin. I also use it to clean my utensils and such up with after, as it neutralizes the lye and makes it safer for my hands to be around. Love it! : )
Thanks for the information
Learned that from Fight Club
@@tommyv5435same lol 😭
Thank you for all the information on how to!
I'm trying this, I hope it turns out right!
If so.... Christmas Gifts!
I've seen 15 videos here today regarding the making of soap process and yous is BY FAR, THE BEST !!! pluses are: well coordinated images and titles, specially temperature readings, materials, easy explanation and basic wording of the main process, even your tone of voice and rhythm of speech are very well timed. You oughta go pro Girl!!. thank you!!
Glad I could help. I was scared at first too... I had my husband do the first batch for me and then I saw it was easy just required some safety steps. No biggie!
Crafty gemini
Thanks. It's actually very moisturizing. Depending on the oil combinations you use they are a lot milder than the "soap" you buy in stores so they are less drying and even moisturizing on the skin.
I'm new to the soap making, definitely doing my homework on it. Also I've read that the lye and water are suppose to be done outside. I live in an apartment so how does that work?
Every other tutorial has been so hard to follow but yours has been by far the easiest beginner friendly tutorial!! Thank you so much
For a self-proclaimed amateur...The Crafty Gemini does a very comprehensive job here. She is very articulate. I look forward to watching her other videos...all things copacetic.
Be carful mixing your lye water in glass Pyrex. It can heat up so much sometimes it can shatter the glass container. Plastic is better. Sometimes we learn these things the hard way. LOL
Unless your pyrex is old and brittle, heating lye should not heat it up to that point and it was needing to be replaced anyway. If you can shatter Pyrex, you would be melting the plastic. Now if you are using an off brand glassware not approved for use in the freezer, oven, dishwasher or microwave, you might have that issue.
Maple Flagg i got flashbacks of my ten year old self pouring hot water into a pyrex cup 😔
Plastic will cause potentially negative chemical reactions, as will metal. Pyrex is made sturdier than other glassware, which is why she’s using pyrex.
Pyrex is a borosilicate, literally what they use in chemistry labs, it’s the best option for mixing lye over conventional glassware
I wouldn't use homemade soap on a newborn baby until you had tested the batch and were confident in your soap making skills. I would check the pH first to make sure it is a mild soap and not harsh of drying. After a while of making my own soaps and perfecting my skills, now that is all we use in my house and I use them on both my young kids.
Vanessa, I came across your video one day as I was researching the soap making process out of curiosity. I didn't intend on making soap myself, but you inspired me to try! It's a lot of fun! Thank you for your videos!
I have to say, out of all the videos, this was the most instructive and easiest to understand!! Thank you.
You have much confidence when speaking & demonstrating your process. You make a very good teacher
Thank you for a very straightforward soap making tutorial! I've watched dozens so far and only gotten more confused until now! Thanks again!
Ahhh You're so awesome!!!
you talk loud enough and clear, and whatever you do, there's no way we could get it wrong, because you explain it so well!!! keep up the good work!!
You convinced me to try making my own soap. This is the easiest, clearest tutorial I've come across (thus far). Thank you.
Holy crap, I had no idea it was such a complicated process.
But you explained it incredibly well and even included great tips. Thank you!
I have heard of this technique just haven't tried it yet. It is supposed to work great when using milks instead of water since they tend to overheat and can burn. Thanks for the tip!
I cannot thank you enough for the most basic recipe using oils that I can get easily (olive oil & canola). I have been looking everywhere for just a basic recipe to begin with. Then I can experiment with other oils & butters etc. THANKYOU SOOO MUCH!
MCC;)
Actually, our grandparents and such made soap via Hot Processing and fermentation and not cold process. The soap was cooked and then let stand in the pot and allowed to ferment for several days .. depending on the size of the batch and the ingredients it could be as much as 10 days before it was poured out to stand in a mold/form and then it was cut and set to cure from 9-12 months. See traditional Castile and Aleppo soaps. Lard soaps were usually made during the fall harvest season and allowed to cure over the winter.
Now this I can do! Thank you so much for making it look so easy. I also appreciated the emphasis on safety - and I do love the way your whole channel gives everyone ways to go back to the basics of homemaking. Thanks for that!
She is a natural, great job Gemini! Love your video!
Great tutorial! I love handmade soap! My mom used to make soap like this when I was little...I have yet to find any soap better then her handmade oatmeal honey soap :)
i realize it's kind of off topic but does anyone know a good website to stream newly released tv shows online?
No problem. Glad to help! Have fun!
If you're one those folks who homeschools their children, soap making is a great science lesson for your 6th, 7th or 8th grader ^_^.
What if you're not one of those folks that doesn't homeschool their children, can you still teach them this lesson or will it not work for them? Just asking for a "friend".
@@aroidaddiction I don't see why not :P.
But please be very careful especially with LYE!
@@abigailvincent4909 What lye are you referring to? I try to be honest with everyone.
I came here after Tyler durden
I really like that you explained everything that was going on chemically during each step, thank you for a very well made video.
Thanks. Yes, I agree. I've since expanded my soapmaking skills and techniques. I use a ton of different oils in my soaps now including clay and natural colorants and additives. This was just an intro video that I thought I'd put together to help people get the hang of the process in a simple way. I'm working on posting more tutorials that are more along the lines of what you've mentioned here. Thanks. :o)
when I was coming up we always used homemade soap and used magazines for toilet paper but when toilet paper came around it was a joy but with the stuff going on today I think im going back to using soaps from the pass I want to go natural as possible and show my son how it done thanks for that video with my little income I will be saving a lot
Hi! Thanks for watching. Sometimes if the soap isn't insulated with the towels it won't go through a hot gel phase and the result is sometimes a softer soap that can't me unmolded easily for a while. If you managed to get it out and cut it then it will still be soap but I would lay some paper towels over the metal rack anyway so it's not directly on it- if the soap is soft you'll get rack marks too.
I had no idea it was basically as simple as this. Thank you!
I have being making soaps for a while . Anytime anyone ask me how to make soap. I am sending them this video ! Great job !
This is a very good video. I learned a lot from it and hope to show my daughter later how to do it with safety tips involved. You really did a good job doing this video, I hope to see more.
I am so proud of you 🙏. Am glad I watched it to the end . I noticed that you are so real , transparent, wonderful, charming, not secretive as others. God bless you 🙏and your family.God bless everyone that add more good ideas to what you have done ✅ Now, I am going to try it. Once again thanks 🙏 Stay safe🙏🙏🙏
Go girl! You have excellent teaching abilities! You made it sound fun and easy.
Thanks so much! Yes, @1centrefold is right. It's a quicker way to get the temps closer to each other. That being said, since making this video I have played around with a variety of techniques including mixing at totally different temperatures and at low temps by letting the lye water cool down to around 90º. I haven't had any problems either way so it's more about personal preference, I think.
Thank you for being concise in this video. I appreciate the recipe and an overview of the process.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. Be sure to follow the safety precautions and do more research... Have fun!
I love your energy and you make it look so easy! I'm pumped. I'm going to bookmark this vid so I can replay it for motivation. Great job.
I just love the way you introduced yourself, your project and took precautions. Great video, cool, instructive, entertaining too. Thank you.
I love all your scientific facts you added in here! Great explanation! 🤗
This was the most helpful beginners instructional video I've seen. I was a little concerned because you talk really fast but I was actually able to keep up without pausing and restarting. :). Thank you so much Crafty Gemini
best soap tutorial ever.
Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, lye is also called sodium hydroxide or caustic soda. Have fun and be safe!
Thank you very much. So it’s also known as caustic soda 😂
This is by far the best intro cold process soap video for someone interested in learning about soap making!
@Jeannette84 It won't be like melt & pour soap.. instead if you grated it and melted it down its called "hand milling" or "milling" soap. But you won't be able to just melt it down in the microwave like M&P soap. It's a process of using a double boiler, etc. If you are just wanting to add color to it, you can do it when the mixture reaches trace. Colors is a whole 'nother world-- make sure you read up on what colorants are safe to use in cold process soap. Have fun!
Yes. Stick to a heavy plastic or glass... aluminum will react with the lye.
I never wanted to work with lye to make soap till I watched your vid. What an excellent job you did teaching!
Very nice basic soap making tutorial, it does make me want to research more about it :). Well done!
Thanks so much! I really appreciate your comment. :o)
NEVER use pyrex to mix the lye into the water. The temperature increase is immediate (to 210 F). Pyrex can explode. Use the plastic paint mixer containers from Lowe's.
From my understanding, they use the same materials to make their glass products,, and not the material from older days. Either can be shocked as well as other materials. The key is not to overshock it.
Heat resistant glass may be used as long as the soap making is very sporadic and the lye is added to the water slowly, making sure the temperature doesn't spike. It has been used for years, until it was found that lye can also corrode any kind of glass over time, making it more breakable. That would happen of course, over a long period of time and after many uses for soap making. Otherwise, a plastic or stainless steel container is recommended. You can check my video on Olive Oil Soap making for more tips, hope it helps!
Over time the lye etches into the glass, causing it to shatter at some point. Plastic pitchers don't get etched by the lye.
1 tutorial showed to use only Pyrex now I'm confused
I used plastic and, it melted it, so now thanks to you I have a mess to clean up
Thank you so much for this tutorial. Very plain & simple to understand. It has been for nearly months now that I bought books re soapmaking, but couldn't get myself to start! Lol. Will try next time I'm off work.
This has a hella Bill Nye the Science guy vibe.
As it should! Beauty is chemistry, and chemistry is beauty. 😉
What the hell is the name of that first funky song?
@@dominiquedoeslife SCIENCE RULES!!
This is bad ass and an actual tutorial for how to make soap, the first 5 videos I watched should have been titled "how to melt soap into a shape and add fragrances"
What an absolutely charming person - and a great tutorial, thanks!
I totally agree! Thanks for stopping by. :o)
thank you that was so genuine and so informative...You were so inspirational, as a beginner in this game, I learned heaps...thank you and God Bless xx Katherine
Do you know how many videos I've watched that think we are psychic??!! They start the video with ("Ok, so I have my oils and lye ready...and I'm going to mix them together") and I'm like WTF? How do we get to THIS point??!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! Especially for explaining the process, and the reason for the temperatures, mixing, etc... WE LOVE YOU!!!!
No, you can't. Each oil requires a specific amount of lye to convert it to soap so, different oils will require a totally different recipe.
really?.
Can I use only one oil?
@@MaadjoaGoldyr questions though 😢
@mwshelle Also, make sure you are using a digital scale that measures to 0.1 ounces and you need a stick blender for this recipe. If when you were mixing you could still see the oil separate from the lye mixture it was not ready.. you need to mix until you reach a medium trace.
Yeah, canola is wonderful. I love making soap and I saved a bunch of money. I think people who never tried it are crazy
Thanks so much! It's really not that bad once you try it once. Have fun!
I wore the mask to protect any splatter from hitting my face. But thanks!
I made YOUR cold process soap today. Worked great! - thanks. I suggest useing the 3M 8511 charcoal vapour mask only (eBay) and not a regular dust mask.
The mask you use isnt effective for chemicals but mostly used for dust
I used it to keep from splashing the mixture on my face. I was outside in a well ventilated area to protect from the fumes. thanks.
+TheCraftyGemini no worries, just sayin
hi I was wondering if u could make a soap out if honey and tumeric
Yes, you can add honey and tumeric to your soap.
This soap making video is the best I've seen so far. An excellent teacher and covered the process step-by-step leaving me without questions. I will check out the links provided. I Sincerely Thank you🤗
just to let you know, when working with lye you should wear a heavy duty respirator, something charcoal activated. The one worn in this video is more for things like spray glue or silica based items like plaster or dry clay. You are still breathing in chemicals when wearing this kind of respirator. Trust me, I'm an unhealthy artist!
+cbgb14 I agree. You need a proper mask especially for chemicals. They come with replacement charcoal filters. The one shown here is just a dust mask which is not suitable and will not stop chemical fumes from burning your throat and lungs. It is good she is wearing long gloves and long sleeves.
Does a full-faced military grade gas mask work
The Nuthouse This works best in vacuum environment with a spacesuit on, yes.
She wasn't using it to avoid the fumes. She was outside. She used it to keep from possibly splashing her face.
The mask is fine, but I'd like to add that even better would be to work in a well ventilated area, such as outside, near a window with a fan blowing OUT, and/or under the stove hood. If you don't have good ventilation, just generally, when you make soap, the fumes from the soap making can linger and cause eye/mucous membrane irritation. Ask me how I know.
The only other thing that I've learned over the last 3 years of making soap on a monthly basis, is that a thermometer isn't essential, unlike a digital scale or a stick blender. I realized after my first 3 batches or so, that you can also work with all your substances at room temp! Yes, you read that right: definitely melt any solid fats and combine them with the liquid ones, but then let your lye and those combined oils/fats come to YOUR room temp. It may take longer for some of the soap batters to come to trace, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Otherwise, this is a very good intro to making your own soap.
To find out more, check out Soaping101.com's TH-cam videos, and for ANY questions, try soapmakingforum.com.
Happy soaping journey! 😊
Very informative!! I'm going to give it a try and if I'm successful I'll show my wife. Great video keep'em coming
His name is Robert Paulson, his name is Robert Paulson
thank you finally someone explained "trace" in soap making! This is so informative, but I'm really thinking about making glycerin soap myself, the ingredients seem easier to get a hold of where I am.
There are much more quality oils than Canola. I encourage to use virgin oils like coconut oil. Coconut oil is antibacterial ( Main ingredient in my homemade toothpaste as well!) Even extra virgin olive oil, hemp oil, but please don't use canola oil! It is pure garbage of the oils. It is the "Natty Lite" of oils LOL!
I agree with you. I do think that this is a great beginner video with cheap oils that will be good practice for someone that is just starting out. It hurts way less to lose a batch of soap when you are using cheap oils than when you have moved on to more quality (and expensive) oils.
I did lose my 1st batch of soap. But canola oil of is full of GMO's. Even if I made my 1st batch with canola oil, because it was cheap I wouldn't use it. For me the whole reason I make my own soap is to have quality ingredients & know what I'm putting on my skin. In America all most all corn & soy are GMO (genetically modified with animal, virus or bacteria DNA) no thanks. I want my food & food products the way God intended. Blessings!
Exactly it's poison honey! God bless you.
Natty Lite of oils....so you're saying it's the best?
if my soap was meant for laundry, wouldn't canola be OK? if I wanted a multi use,both skin grade and laundry like we do in Uganda, what would be the recommended ingredient?
No problem. Have fun and be safe!
was anyone here because of fight club?
I am here because of fight club
Oh I totally forgot thanks for reminding me man
Me
My girlfriends and I are starting a business so we can get some money for college. This is a pretty cool process to watch!
AWESOME VIDEO...VERY GOOD EDUCATION ABOUT SOAP MAKING..I HAVE WATCHED SEVERAL VIDEOS AND MOST OF THEM ALWAYS LEAVE SOMETHING OUT..I REALLY LEARNED FEW THINGS THIS EVENING..GREAT INSTRUCTOR.
First rule of fight club is you do not talk about fight club...
Second rule of fight club is THAT YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB
No problem! Have fun!
Tyler Durden, Fight Club.
Melvin Yewdall, As Good As It Gets.
A very good tutorial; nothing in there that doesn't need to be, simple to follow...generally very good advice all round, and nice and safety-conscious, which I like to see! The only change I make is I have a whole set of stuff (i.e. the whisking arms, bowls, spoons and a candy thermometer) that I use exclusively for soap-making; I encourage any parents to do the same, as traces of lye left behind after washing can still be toxic to tiny tummies.
awesome tutorial...love the 60's porn music at the end. i thought i heard ron jeremy
@Monica Madison: I agree w/ Amanda + Ryan. They've given you good tips. I've been making soaps since '08 myself, & personally prefer the hot process method. This allows you to use your soap right away actually, if you've processed it correctly, cuz the lye is cooked out completely. Also, you don't really need a whole bunch of equipment if you are new to this. Some of the most important things are a good scale, safety equipment, being safe w/the lye &/or melt & pour, reading up as much as you can on it, PATIENCE, & an online soap calculator, cuz manual can be tedious! I still shop @ my local Dollar Tree for basics whenever I need them. The best way to build experience is to do it. Your creativity cells will blossom!
I don't think anyone should publish a tutorial after making soap only 2 weeks. Please soap curious people: buy a book. This is a rough harsh recipe which makes a very soft bar and it uses too much lye per the soap calculator.
I just ran her recipe through soapcalc and if you adjust your water ratio from the default 38% to 33.3% the water is 4.99 ounces and lye is 1.91 ounces. If you change the superfat to 0% the lye amount changes to 2.01 ounces. So the 5 ounces of water and 2 ounces of water is fine. Yes, because of the 50% olive oil, it will start out as a soft bar and takes a bit longer to cure, but olive oil actually cures to a hard bar. Despite popular myth.. super fatting your soap is not required. The
To be honest, this is the best soaping tutorial I have seen. Aside from the fact that I personally would not use as much canola oil.. it was well executed, presented the information in an easy to understand, well planned and thought out format. Unlike many soaping videos where people tell you to follow the safety rules and ignore the fact that I am not following them... she followed all of them and why they were necessary. Because Canola can go rancid more quickly than the Olive Oil, it might be a good reason to reduce your superfat amount, also because this can start out as a soft bar,reducing the superfat amount will increase the hardness. Since this recipe only has a hardness of 12-14. Reducing the superfat to the 0-2% range will help increase this soap's hardness. The MMS calculator says that it at a 2% superfat with the 2.00 ounces of lye.
Just because someone new to the craft comes along and has a solid understanding of what they are doing prior to actually making the video.. that doesn't mean mixing and pouring.. but they stated they spent time reading books before even thinking of starting to make soap . This is someone I would love to see be encouraged rather than trampled over because you are afraid they might just take away your viewers.
+bearanike There needs to be more reasonable and POSITIVE people like you in the world. I agree with your statement
What a lovely, easy to understand beginner's video on soap making. I will be starting to play around with soap making very soon. I love that you only played the music when there was no dialogue. A mistake that so many people make these days on you-tube as well as television is having the music so loud that the dialogue is completely drowned out. Most annoying. I am an aromatherapy student and will be infusing my soaps with essential oils for their therapeutic benefits. Many thanks for your informative video.
What's the point of not buying soap and making your own if you have to buy all this crap.
Making you own soap gives you the feel of accomplishment; do you feel that when you buy a bar of soap at the grocery store? Plus you know exactly what's in it.
Plus, if you don't believe in making your own stuff, why are you on this site? Sorry, but you make me mad! Watching us while judging us?. Go away and let us alone!
saves alot of money when buying bulk ingredients
I guess you'll start to make savings in the long run
And I can also see that a lot of the basic ingredients can be used for other stuff.
No problem. I did that specifically to help people get started with the process. Keep in mind that olive oil and canola oil are not going to make the perfect soap that will be your go-to recipe. But you're right, it's an okay place to start. Then you can move up to other oils and butters. Be sure to research the safety issues thoroughly and look to see what different oils/butters contribute to soap bars. It's so much fun! Happy soaping!
No problem! Thanks for watching. :o)
No problem. Thanks for watching.
It has to do with letting the temperature of the lye cool down some before combining it with the oils. Hot process soap is often made in a crock pot and the mixture is heated, etc.
@mwshelle Either your measurements were off or you didn't blend it until it reached trace. As far as fixing it, you could try putting it in a crock pot and and cooking it up until all the lye is cooked out of it ( a few hours) and make hot processed soap instead. Once the lye is cooked out you can just scoop it into a mold to cool. Otherwise, I would toss it out. If the soap is soft chances are the lye is active and the measurements were off. Hope that helps.
Thank you so much for making this look easier...I have been watching many videos and it was seeming to get me more confused and discouraged to proceed with learning of soap making. I am pretty sure I can do this now. Thanks
@ancamg I add mine at trace.. but you need to know what you are working with because some fragrances can accelerate trace so you need to pour the batter quickly into the molds before it gets too thick on you. You can buy it online too. Check ACE hardware stores if you live in the US.
Yay! Have fun!
You mentioned Brambleberry's free online soap calculator. I prefer to use Soapcalc, because it's the only one I could find that includes laurel berry oil. I just typed in your recipe on Soapcalc. 1. I chose sodium hydroxide as the lye. 2. I typed 15 oz. as the weight of oils. 3. For water, I chose the water:lye ratio option at 2.5:1. This made the water as percent of oils 30.83% (significantly lower than what I understand the bare minimum of 33% to be) and the lye concentration 28.571%, something I find a little high. 4. I don't know what your superfat is; I chose 8%. 5. Soap qualities and fatty acids. I don't think one actually types anything in here. 6. recipe oil list- 7.5 oz. canola oil, 7.5 oz olive oil. 7.calculate recipe. According to the soap bar qualities and their standard ranges, what you've made here is an extremely soft bar with a sat:unsat ratio of 12:88 that absolutely will not clean you, will not make suds and isn't creamy. This bar's only redeeming quality is conditioning, and a lot of it. There could be others I'm not aware of, but I know the secret to making a bar that will clean you is to make coconut oil at least 25% of your fats/oils.
Thank you for your video and to be so lovely :)
I make my own soap as well, I would advise you to wear gloves when you cut the soap after 24/48h because it can be still caustic, and that's also why it's so important to leave the soap at least 4/6 weeks to seasoning. Someone say that olive oil soap it's better after at least 2 months of seasoning. It's a really nice video and you are so sweet! Cheers, Luana
No problem. Thanks for watching!
This is the best video that takes you step by step. Thank you so much! ❤
Thanks. I got that one from an online shop called ES Premium Products. Google it and you should find it. The mold is the "Loaf Guest Size 1502" and holds 11 ounces of soap. Hope that helps.
Good Job!! It is so good for you to share. And, this is another step for self sufficiency. It is easy, is something you can customize to your liking and it is very exiting to be able to do. You can use it for self, sell it or use it for gift giving. Thank you for the video.
Definitely the most thorough video I have watched yet! thank you!
i remember i made this long time ago with my gramma and we added coffee beans to the soap pars and it made it smell so nice plus it works great as a body exfoliator :D
No problem. My best guess is the recipe measurements were off and/or the oils you used required a different amount of lye to saponify them. Did you use the lye crystals I show in the video, 100% sodium hydroxide and not the drain cleaner stuff? Were any of the oils you used a blend of several oils? i.e.- some olive & canola oils will have other oils listed in the ingredient section of the bottle. I wouldn't risk using a failed batch but you can do some research online for ways to save it.
excellent information, in the uk lye is sold as caustic soda and is £1 -2 per 500grms
Thanks, you made the recipe very easy to understand and follow! will give it a try.
Both NaOH and KOH are used in soap making. NaOH is used to make solid soap while KOH is used to make liquid soap. Soaps made of KOH are softer and can more easily be dissolved in water than NaOH soaps.
When soap making, sodium hydroxide cannot be substituted with potassium hydroxide and vice versa because soap making recipes will have different quantity requirements for these two chemicals depending on the kind of soap being manufactured.