General Notes On Soapmaking
(Page 2 of 5)
January/February 1972
By the Mother Earth News editors
If, after 24 hours in the mold, the soap has a film of grease on its top, leave the new soap for 48 hours (or until the grease disappears) before cutting it. If liquid appears in the bottom of the mold, cut the soap into small squares and let it stand until the liquid is absorbed.
RELATED CONTENT
Recipes for low-fat, part-skim ricotta cheese and tangy yogurt cheese; including herbed ricotta spr...
Washing well with oil-busting dish soap, immediately after exposure, will remove the poison ivy oil...
BLOW MORNING GLORY SOAP BUBBLES July/August 1981 by Ananda Hartzell Here's a seven-year-old reader'...
Liquid soap helps screws penetrate wood smoothly....
Place newly cut soap so that air (but not drafts or cold) can reach it . . . and never, never let the soap freeze during its first two weeks. Fresh soap may never lather well if exposed to drafts and—if excessively chilled—may become hard and flinty. Your homemade cleanser will be ready for use in 10 to 14 days and will improve with aging.
TEMPERATURE CHART
Correct temperatures are extremely important for making the finest soap, so follow these guidelines closely (use a dairy or floating thermometer):
In hot weather or in a hot room, the soap mixture may remain greasy. If so, set the mix in a pan of cold water and continue stirring until it thickens and becomes ready to pour.
If temperatures are too low, lumps of soap will form and separation will occur. In that case, set the mixture in a pan of warm water and stir gently until it is of the right consistency and all the lye is incorporated.
In any case, avoid hardening of the mixture on the sides and of the a can the bottom of the pan.
SEPARATION
If too cold or too hot a temperature is maintained or if tile soap is too vigorously or not thoroughly mixed, a separation may occur (greasy soap forming at the top while the liquids settle to the bottom). Separation may also result from using fat which is exceedingly rancid or rancid on which contains salt.
RECLAIMING SOAP
When separation does occur, reclaim as follows: cut or shave the soap into a kettle, add the lye that has separated out (never throw it away) and add about five pints of water.
Re-melt the soap over gentle heat, stirring occasionally, and then gently boil the mixture . . . it should become thick and syrupy. If it doesn't, add more water one pint at a time (don't be afraid of adding too much because it can be boiled off), and continue boiling the solution until it becomes ropy and hairy when dropped from the spoon. Pour the soap into a mold and cover.
VARIATIONS IN SOAPMAKING
In addition to the pure all-purpose kind, many other varieties of attractive and useful soap can be made and the thrifty housewife may actually eliminate all soap and cleanser purchases while enjoying all the luxury and efficiency of dozens of types of cleanser.
Almost any soap can be made to float. When the mixture is thick enough, just fold air into it the same way you fold eggs into a cake batter.
The following six oils are recommended for perfuming soap: sassafras (four teaspoons), lavender (two teaspoons), citronella (two teaspoons), lemon (one teaspoon), cloves (one teaspoon), almond (one teaspoon) or rose geranium (one-half teaspoon).
Page:
<< Previous 1 | 2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Next >>
