How to Make Soap - Cold Process for the Beginner

Here's how I make soap. This is a very basic video, 'cause I'm not that experienced myself. This soap uses Brambleberry.com's Basic Quick Mix which is a mix of fats for soapmaking that includes Olive oil, Coconut, Palm, Canola and Vitamin E. You may also make your own blend of oils. One of my favorite blends is olive oil and beef tallow in a 4:1 ratio. Use a decent Lye Calculator if you make your own recipe, because each oil will require a slightly different amount of lye to convert it to soap. In this video, I also show how I put my soap through a gel phase to make my soap have a slightly translucent appearance. This step is not necessary, but I like the look of it and it's easy - even for a beginner. Just place the soap in a warm place (about 120 Degrees F) for the first 10 minutes or so. Not too much longer though, or the water in the mixture will boil and make a real mess, pushing your soap up and overflowing your mold. My "oven" is a big wicker basket lined with a small electric blanket. I preheat this enclosure while I'm mixing. Here, I time lapse about 10 minutes of the end of the gel phase so you can see it progress. This recipe doesn't use my homemade lye or my own rendered beef fat... That will be the subject of forthcoming videos. Stay tuned and thanks for watching!