Le Savon Populaire

bath & body products

This small Montreal-based company was founded by Alysia Melnychuk in 2003. The soaps at Le Savon Populaire are mostly vegan, and made with renewable, natural ingredients that don't take a heavy toll on the environment and are always bought from fairly-traded merchants. The homemade soaps made by Alysia are great for people with skin problems such as eczema since by using them there's no need to buy unnecessary products to counteract the drying effects of commercial soaps. Le Savon Populaire believes in keeping packaging to a minimum, never testing on animals, supporting local communities, and offering quality products at a fair price.

The Le Savon Populaire's website explains cold-process soap making (below is an excerpt from the Le Savon Populaire website). For greater detail on the Le Savon Populaire company or methods, we encourage you to visit the Le Savon Populaire website at www.savonpopulaire.ca:

Making soap by hand is a lot like cooking, but with a twist of science mixed in for good balance. It's both extremely fun to make and rewarding to use something on your skin that you made yourself.

As anyone who makes soap will tell you, it's not an activity that can be done without a good measure of caution. Making soap from scratch (one technical term is cold-process soapmaking), which requires the use of lye, or sodium hydroxide, which is highly caustic (i.e. corrosive) and can cause blindness if exposed to the cornea of the eye.

For a very detailed explanation, and step by step process of how to make soap, keep reading. For other resources on how to vary the outcome of your soap, check out our links page for references.

Introduction

Soap has been made by hand for centuries. Traditionally soap was made from kitchen scraps and wood ashes. The fats used were usually animal fats and the accuracy of measurements and ingredients varied. Soaps were often “cooked”, or were put through a “hot process”. Today many soaps are mainly made from vegetable oils such as palm, coconut, and olive. This handout will cover how to make cold-processed soap from vegetable oils.

This booklet will cover:

• Safety instructions,
• The Basic Chemistry of Soap,
• Do and don’ts,
• Necessary Tools
• Step by Step Instructions,
• Recipes
• Tips,
• Troubleshooting,
• Resources.

****Disclaimer****

While this booklet offers a variety of information on soapmaking as well as step-by-step instructions, it is assumed that you have made soap before, and are familiar with the risks of, and safety protocols for working with sodium hydroxide. I assume that you will proceed with caution and common sense and I cannot be held responsibility for any harm or damage sustained from information contained in this booklet. This may seem obvious, but it’s important to note clearly that sodium hydroxide (lye) is extremely caustic and can cause death if consumed, permanent blindness, as well as severe burns on unprotected skin. Please see the Safety Instructions for information on how to properly handle lye.

That said, people have been safely making soap for centuries. There is also plenty of room for creativity and having fun when making soap as long as caution when working is applied.

Safety instructions

Everybody who explains how to make soap will tell you to do the following things, but not everybody who makes soap does. It is up to you to gauge the risks for yourself and to use your best judgment.

• Always wear protective eyewear (corrective eyewear is not sufficient). Lye can cause permanent blindness if it comes into contact with your eyes.
• Always wear gloves, and long sleeved clothing. Leave as little unprotected skin as possible. Chemical burns from caustic substances (such as a burn from lye) are “slow” burns, meaning that by the time you feel the burn, sufficient damage has already occurred. They tend to feel itchy or irritating as opposed to heat burns, which demand an immediate reaction.
• Always mix the Sodium Hydroxide INTO the WATER, never the other way around. To do so can cause a volcanic reaction. Always mix the LYE solution INTO the OIL. The other way around will form lye-heavy chunks of soap (which can burn the skin when used).
• Always mix the lye in a safe space with adequate ventilation – fumes are emitted when the sodium hydroxide is mixed into the water. These fumes will make you cough violently if inhaled. A safe space might be a sink (which is ideal for spills), but may not be for reasons of ventilation. A basin by a window or under a stove range hood with the fan on is ideal. If by a window, note which way the wind is blowing and place yourself out of the breeze.
• Always move carefully when walking with lye, especially if you are mixing your lye away from your work area. Keep your floor space clear to avoid tripping at inopportune moments.
• Don’t leave your lye unmarked and unattended – I know of a case where a new soap maker’s husband drank her lye thinking it was water and had to be rushed to the hospital. He sustained major damage to his esophagus and stomach.
• Be careful when measuring the sodium hydroxide crystals and make sure to clean up all spills promptly. Vinegar will help to neutralize spills or burns quickly. Sodium hydroxide crystals can cause burns when they come into contact with the skin because it will react with the skin’s natural moisture.
• Always use your best judgment and have fun!

The Basic Chemistry of Soap

Before getting to the chemistry of soap, it is worth noting that there is a big difference between handmade soap and commercially made soap – anyone who has used handmade soap will be able to attest to this, but there is also a big difference in how they are made.

The very basic idea of soap is that oil + lye = soap. For clarification, lye is a liquid solution of sodium hydroxide (or potassium hydroxide, used for making liquid soap), and water. Oil is alkaline and lye is basic. The oil, sodium hydroxide and water create a chemical reaction, which produce “soap”, glycerin and water. It’s this glycerin in the finished product of handmade soap (about 25%) that distinguishes it from commercially made soap. Pure soap (remember Ivory’s 99.44 pure ad campaign?) is drying and harsh. Glycerin is very gentle, which reduces the harshness of the soap. It is also a humectant, meaning it draws moisture from the air to your skin, which helps keep your skin hydrated, even after you’ve showered.

On to the chemistry: The common alkalis used in soapmaking are sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for solid soaps, also called caustic soda; and potassium hydroxide (KOH) for liquid soap, also called caustic potash. For our purpose, we will only be using sodium hydroxide (NaOH).

The process of soapmaking that I’ll be covering is saponification, specifically cold-process saponification. The word “cold” is a bit of a misnomer, as the oils used need to be heated to a specific temperature to encourage proper saponification. As well, heat is produced through the chemical reaction (an exothermic reaction) that occurs when mixing oil and lye. Cold process refers to the fact that no heat is added during the saponification process, as is done with hot process soapmaking.

Saponification involves heating fats and oils and reacting them with a liquid alkali to produce soap and water (neat soap) plus glycerin. There is a very exact amount of sodium hydroxide to be used for each type of oil, referred to as a SAP value. A lye calculator (available online at http://www.the-sage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php) is recommended for calculating how much lye is necessary to properly saponify the oils you’ve chosen (see the recipes near the end for pre-calculated amounts).

When making a recipe, it’s common practice to “super-fat” a soap, or include a “lye discount”. This is to make the soap milder, as it will leave unsaponified oils in your finished bar of soap. It also helps to ensure that all the sodium hydroxide is properly saponified and none is left in your finished soap. A super-fat (or lye discount) of 5% is standard, and 9% is the recommended maximum. Less may cause your recipe to become lye-heavy in the case of a miss-measurement, and more will make your soap soft and prone to rancidity if left unused for a year or more.

NOTE: When made properly, there is no lye or sodium hydroxide left in a finished bar of soap. The process of saponification changes the lye and oil into soap and glycerin, with a pH of approx 8.5 to 10 when fully cured (about 4-6 weeks depending on who you talk to). The troubleshooting section will explain possible variations on soapy mess-ups and what they look like.

Do and Don’ts

• Do use only stainless steel or enamel utensils. Chipped enamel pots or any other metal alloy will be eaten by the lye, leaving the metal residue in your soap and a hole in your pot! Hard plastic utensils or wooden spoons are best.
• Do weigh all your ingredients if possible. It is possible to use volume measurements, but your results are not guaranteed. Your soap may either be “lye-heavy” or “oil-heavy”, especially in the case of small batches (less than 2 kg of soap or about 15 bars) where the margin of error is very small.
• Do resist the temptation to use your soap the same day you cut it! Allow your soap to cure at least 4-6 weeks as saponification continues to occur for the duration of this period. Your soap may burn or irritate your skin if used before the curing period is done. It will also last longer if you wait as it will dry and harden while it cures. Some people say a minimum of 6 weeks is necessary to fully cure soap.
• Don’t reuse wooden spoons or any other porous dishes for food.
• Don’t use plastic measuring cups or bowls with essential oils if you want to use the bowl later for food. It will take a long time (if ever) to get the smell out.
• Do dedicate soap making dishes if you plan to make soap frequently.

Necessary Tools (gather these before you begin)

• Soap Mould (can be a box lined with plastic, empty tetra pack or juice carton, plastic lined baking dish, etc.),
• Mixing bowl large enough for total recipe size (heat-safe, heavy duty plastic or stainless steel),
• Metal pot for melting oils if using plastic mixing bowl,
• Mixing spoon,
• Plastic or metal measuring cups,
• Scale accurate to 1 gram (highly recommended if your ingredients are not pre-weighed),
• Rubber or silicone spatula,
• Heat safe measuring cup for lye (a pyrex measuring cup or bowl works well),
• Thermometer - glass or stainless steel which ranges at least between 100°F-150°F or 35°C-60°C,
• Stick blender or immersion blender (optional – see notes on page 7)
• Protective eye wear,
• Rubber gloves,
• Stove element or hot plate.

Step by Step Instructions for Making Soap by Hand

Coupled with the rest of the information in this handout, this section will guide you step by step through the process of making soap. Be sure to read this section once through before you begin.

1. Get dressed! Put on old clothes that cover your arms, put on your goggles and rubber gloves. Cover your feet – wear an old pair of shoes!

2. Prep your mould. If you leave this to last, you might find yourself with soap that needs to be poured and no mould (been there, done that). If your container is water tight, you don’t need to do anything other then make sure it’s clean. If it’s a pan or glass baking dish, lining it with wax paper or plastic will make it a lot easier to unmould. Juice cartons can be cut open making them an ideal one-time mould (and you can still recycle them afterwards).

3. Put on your eyewear (if you haven’t already) and weigh your sodium hydroxide (I don’t recommend measuring it as I have never had a batch turn out right with volume measurements – I offer pre-weighed amounts with recipes in kits or will custom weigh lye if you bring me your recipe – see last page).

4. Weigh or measure your water. Distilled, spring or filtered water is preferred, but straight tap water will also do.

5. In a well-ventilated area while wearing your gloves and eyewear, slowly pour the sodium hydroxide INTO the water (never the other way around), while stirring constantly with a spoon. Avoid standing directly above the lye as you mix and avoid breathing in the fumes. You will see the water cloud up and you may also be able to see the fumes as you mix. You can stop mixing after a minute or two when the water clears and the fumes dissipate. Be careful as the lye solution will reach upwards of 200°F and you could suffer both heat and chemical burns at this stage if not careful. Once the solution is clear, leave it in a safe place to cool down to between 110°F (45°C) to 125°F (52°C). Using the higher of the two temperatures is recommended when hand stirring – otherwise your mixture could get too cold before you get to trace.

6. Measure all your oils and fats into your mixing bowl or metal pot except the essential oils and set on low heat. The oils need to reach between 110°F (45°C) to 125°F (52°C) before mixing. You may want to remove your gloves while measuring the oils.

7. While your oils are warming up and your lye is cooling, measure your essential oils, clays, herbs and any other additives and set aside.

8. When your oils are warm remove them from the heat and transfer them to the bowl you will be mixing in if you’re using a different bowl. Make sure they are at least 110°F – warmer is better than cooler. If too cool (or too hot), your soap could separate. See the troubleshooting section if this happens.

9. Mix your additives into the oil. If using clays or other powders, use this opportunity to work any clumps out before you mix in the lye. You may also want to use an immersion blender to work them out. Please see the notes following this section on using an immersion blender for actually mixing the soap.

10. Make sure you are wearing your gloves and eye protection from here on in. When the lye has cooled to between 110°F (45°C) to 125°F (52°C), pour the lye slowly into the oils (not the other way around!) while stirring gently. You will see the oils go from transparent to translucent, and eventually turn opaque as you mix. When you are done pouring the lye, put the container in the sink and run with water or set aside in a safe place until clean up.

11. Stir, stir and stir some more. The chemical reaction or saponification will cause the two substances to thicken. This may take 5 minutes, or it might take an hour. You’ll know that your soap is beginning to “trace” when your spoon leaves a trace of its path in the soap as you stir.

12. When you see the faint lines in the soap behind your spoon, pour in your essential oils. Make sure to keep mixing until they no longer sit on top of the mixture. From here the soap will gradually turn from a liquid to a solid mass (if you kept stirring). You want to stop stirring when you’ve reached a pudding state– your mixture should still be easy to pour, but should leave a clear dollop on top if pull out your spoon and drop soap into the batch. The soap that came off your spoon should sit entirely on top of the soap in the bowl, and not disappear back into the batch. It’s better to over stir than under stir.

13. Once your essential oils are mixed in and you’ve reached trace as described above, you’re ready to pour the soap into your mould.

14. Use a spatula to help completely empty your bowl.

15. Insulate your mould. Your soap will continue to heat up at it saponifies, and this heat needs to be maintained for 24 hours. Use towels or blankets to wrap up your soap. You might want to cover the top of your soap with plastic wrap to prevent your insulation from touching the soap.

16. Clean up! Take good care to clean all your utensils well in soapy water. Wipe down all surfaces with vinegar. If you plan to use dishes that came into contact with lye or raw soap again for food (not recommended), wash them well and submerse them in a vinegar rinse.

That’s it! Feel free to peek at your soap a couple of hours after you’ve poured it. This will help make sure that any excess heat that could cause your soap to separate will escape. Be careful though with small batches that you don’t let them get cold. You may see your soap go through what’s called a “gel phase”. The soap will become translucent again starting at the center. This phase is what makes handmade soap so smooth. If your soap doesn’t gel all the way to the edges of your mould, you may notice that the un-gelled areas have a harder, more brittle consistency. This is normal and safe to use – just not as nice. If it has gelled all the way to the edges and seems very hot, leave your towel or blanket off for a few minutes to allow it to cool and avoid separation. Remember to rewrap it afterwards and leave wrapped until you unmould it the next day.

After 24 hours you can unmould your soap and cut it into bars or shape it into balls. Wear gloves while doing this as your soap is still caustic and it will irritate and dry out your skin. When your soap is cut, make sure to leave it in a space where air can circulate around it for 4-6 weeks. Don’t leave it in an airtight container or it could begin to grow mold. A cardboard box with no lid is ideal.

Tips

1. Use a stick (immersion) blender to accelerate your trace time and cut down on sore stirring arm syndrome! Here’s how:

• Dedicate your blender for nothing but soap – lye bits or soap can get trapped in the blades or “barrel” and contaminate your food. You can buy cheap ones for $15-$20 at most stores. If you plan to make soap often, invest in a slightly more expensive one as my first cheap one fell apart in one year of moderate use.
• NEVER turn on the blender before you fully submerge it, and ALWAYS let the blades stop before bringing up above the surface of your soap. Otherwise, you may end up with caustic soap everywhere!
• ALWAYS wear your goggles when using a stick blender. It’s easy to splash with a stick blender and if you get raw soap in the eyes it could cause permanent blindness.
• ALWAYS wear gloves. Same reason as above– you’re more likely to be messy or sloppy with a stick blender as trace time shortens dramatically and you may find yourself suddenly at trace much before you were ready.
• NEVER run the blender without a break. Let it run for 15-20 seconds and then stop and use it to stir “by hand” for the same amount of time. This will help to make sure that you don’t burn out the motor.
• Pay close attention to your trace. When you mix with a stick blender, it’s easy to think you’ve hit trace, stop mixing, pour your soap, and find out the next day that it never gelled or set up properly. When you stop your blender to stir by hand, the signs of trace might disappear. This is because the blender may be tracing certain parts of your soap faster than others (i.e. the soap directly surrounding the blades), and the reaction speed of the soap farther from the blades isn’t the same. Hand stirring will help to mix those areas together and balance out the reaction.
• If you chose to use your stick blender only to help mix in botanicals or clay into your oils before you’ve added your oil, it is still safe to use for food. However, if your essentials oils are in the batch as well at that point (which they shouldn’t be), it may scent the plastic of your blender and your morning smoothies may forever taste like patchouli. Yuk.
• Read Kathy’s detailed instructions millersoap.com for plenty of stories of how soap can go wrong. If you’ve had a botched batch, you’ll probably find it here. You’ll be able to learn what went wrong, as well as how to possibly reclaim your soap.

(Resources: the above information was taken from the www.savonpopulaire.ca website)