Sisters, thank you for trusting my wisdom here..I can only teach you what I know and what works and what is safe :-) in soapmaking. You must have separate utensils and pots, measure containers, pitcher, scale, etc. This is because you are working with an active and very dangerous chemical, lye, sodium hydroxide, which will burn, it unclogs drains, so be careful.
Soapmaking is not difficult, if it were there would be a lot fewer folks making it right? So here is my personal list of must have's...for soaping.
1. Stainless Steel pot, (dollar general even sells these) but make sure it is free from any cracks and problems, get a big enough one to make a whopper batch of soap..mine will hold quite a lot of soap mixture..
2. Stir utensils, I use stainless steel as well, I purchased mine from a kitchen supply type store, Gordon Food Service type..but you can find the LONG handled ones about anywhere, I have a sthingy that has holes in it, so the soap squishes through the holes as I stir..I mainly use that to incorporate the fragrace and colorant, IF I choose to color the soap.
3. Scale, I use a digital one, but you can get good results with a $10 one, you can find some with bowls that sit on top, they run about $5.00 or so..just remember, you must "tare" off the weight of the bowl, then add the oils.
4. Stick blender, yes, a $10 one works fine, I am real big on saving money...but you can find em at a garage sale, grab them up and growl..these not only save your arm muscles, (some castille soaps take forever to trace) but it truly brings the soap to "trace" a lot faster.
5. Molds, well,
www.chestnuthillsfarms.com has directions to make a wooden mold, or you can fashion your own..I can post my mold dimensions, it's about a 4 lb mold, but then I have the biggie that holds about 8 lbs of soap...You can use rubbermaid drawer liners, the white ones, just be sure and coat the mold with nonstick spray first or use a plastic bag to line it..some soapers just use pyrex cake pans, again, I like to use the plastic trash bag as my liner, rather than a greased pan..Cardboard boxes work, the kind you see soda in the 2 case packs, the 2 inch cut down box bottoms...or cut down your own box..if you use a traditional cardboard box..make sure you smooth out the bottom with some newspapers to cover the fold and make a smoother surface, and you line it with the trash bags.
6. Thermometer, one that you find at the dollar store is fine, this is totally optional, I just use my own judgement, if I can touch the outside of my stainless steel pot without it burning..the oils are ready for the lye and water mix.
7. Pitcher, for the lye water, again, mine's a dollar store one..with lid, and LABELED IN BIG LETTERS, LYE ONLY.
8. Long rubber spatula, this helps with scraping out the last remains of soap from the pot..I use one from the kitchen supply store..You will find that if you use the better quality ones, they last you pretty much a long time..years.
9. Protective gear, long sleeved old clothing, apron, goggles. You literally suit up before soaping. ( Even though I have been doing this a LONG time, I still get the lye splashes and trust me they hurt) I always keep a bottle of white vinegar out and open on the counter and it helps defuse the sting of a lye splash, and truly you don't want to splash this stuff in your eyes or on your face..so always pour the lye water slowly and carefully, same for the soap mixture as it contains active lye, still burns.
10. Before you begin, I recommend you have at least 2 hours of time without a lot of distraction, keep your little ones out of the room, soapmaking doesn't take that long, but you can judge the time once you get skilled at it..
11. I like to have plenty of rags on the counter, and a sink with soapy water in it..I use dawn detergent, as dish soap is not soap, it's detergent..I have none of my daily dishes around, and it's strictly a soap area..all food, and spices, etc should be put up and out of the way.
12. Ventilation, you can have a window cracked, just don't breathe in any of the lye fumes, they are quite nasty...a little fan helps...or you can do the lye and water outside...then your problem of dealing with the fumes is solved.
13. Countertop protection, some use newspaper, but I just keep the old towels on the counters, soap did not hurt mine, some of the slop over actually brightened up the dingy spots...but I don't recommend it :-)
That is lesson #1 on Soap Must Have's...I will post next on the oils and where to get them, amounts of use, and a basic recipe.
I wish I could teach you all personally to make soap..as it is so rewarding, I learned via snail mail letters and a phone call from my friend Lynne...She taught me a basic soap recipe, using lard, lye and water, that soap was my first, it was not so pretty as the soap I make now, but it was great for washing clothes, diapers, and bodies...we didn't lose any skin either...how about that? I do love making soap and teaching others..so please ask me any questions you may have...
God bless,
Sister Penny