10 Things I've Learned about Making Cold Process Soap

Call me crazy, but amidst a new job and moving, I've taken up a new hobby. After years of lusting after homemade soap, the lovely Donna from Sossima kindly took me under her wing and gave me a cold process soap making lesson.

After that one lesson, I was hooked.

I had some prepaid VISA's kicking around that were begging to be spent, so I bought some equipment and ordered some supplies. The internet is chock full of soap making how-to's and I'm by no means an expert, but over the last month or so, I've learned a few things about making soap.

10 Things I've Learned About Making Cold Process Soap

1. Research First - If you're fortunate enough to get a hands-on lesson, jump on that opportunity. Otherwise don't just read JUST one beginners guide or watch JUST one video on youtube, watch many and watch closely, until you can anticipate what's going to happen next. Soapmaking is SCIENCE first and foremost and therefore requires precision and accuracy. Respect Science.
2. Fear the Lye - Just like on a construction site Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is not optional. Lye is caustic stuff and you need to wear gloves, eye protection and ideally an apron.  Keep vinegar on hand to neutralize the acid should you accidentally spill, keep the area well ventilated and ensure your kids and pets are at a safe distance. And just like you learned in 8th grade science, ALWAYS ADD ACID; add the lye to the water if you want to avoid an explosive, corrosive mess.
   
3. You need dedicated soap making equipment - If you make soap with it, don't use it for food. Soap has lye and as per number 2, you should have hearty dose of fear with respect to lye. You will NEED a digital scale, a thermometer, a stick blender (I got mine for $10 at Superstore), a large mixing container (mine is a Pyrex 2L measuring cup), a heat proof container and stirring stick for the lye (I use a canning jar and a bamboo skewer) and a mold. Your mold doesn't have to be fancy, you can use a small loaf pan lined with parchment or freezer paper, or you can use a milk carton with the top or side cut off.
   
4. Start Simple - I made a half batch of the Soap Queen's tried and true 'Lots of Lather' recipe and although it doesn't have pretty colours or fancy smells, I was successful on my first try. This recipe also uses only a few ingredients and won't set you back a fortune to get started. Plus, it really is a nice bar of soap.
   
5. Make friends with a Lye Calculator - unless you are following a recipe EXACTLY how you found it, you need to use a Lye Calculator. Although you can cut all the oils in half successfully, the lye is calculated based on its reaction with each of the fats, so recalculating is not optional (unless you're a fan of the explosive, corrosive mess). If you're willing to invest a few bucks, you can use the Brambleberry Soap app.
   
6. Trace is important - Trace is what happens when the lye and the soap blend together in a way that will create soap. Trace varies from light trace, which is kind of like whipped cream, before you whip it, to medium trace, which kind of looks like pudding and then there's heavy trace, which just looks like a big old gloppy mess. Different levels of trace are better for different types of pretty designs, and just to keep things exciting, adding scents or colours can accelerate trace and turn your pudding into glop that MUST be dropped into the mold immediately.
7. Keep your soap cozy - Once in the mold, cover your soap with a piece of cardboard then wrap it in towels for 24 hours; during the saponification (when it turns into soap) you want a nice stable temperature. You don't however, need to put it somewhere really hot (like on my Mom's heated tile floors) or you may have some cracking on the top of your soap.
8. Experiment with what you have - After I successfully made a half batch of the 'Lots of Lather' Soap, I substituted half the water with coconut milk, added some ground up oatmeal and used some cocoa powder for a pretty brown stripe. I tried a variation using coffee grounds for an exfoliating stripe, I'm also hoping it will deodorize stinky onion fingers. Scour the internet, be inspired and experiment.
9. Experiment with Oils - just using oils you can buy at the grocery store you can change your soap. Some oils make big bubbles or small bubbles or lots of lather. So far I've enjoyed partially substituting olive oil with grapeseed or rice bran oils and I can't wait to try out a little bit of mango butter for extra moisturizing goodness.
10. Be patient - perhaps the hardest part for me is the waiting. After 24 hours you can unmold and cut your soap, it will be soft and cut easily. Then, the real waiting occurs. The recommended curing time is 4-6 weeks; during this time keep your soap spaced our and rotate them occasionally, so that the water evaporates and the soap hardens. During this time the pH will also drop making an extremely gentle bar of soap. You can test out a little sliver to see how it lathers up after about a week, but truly, you need to wait before you start using your soap regularly.

And last but not least, don't forget to have fun!

Druide Baby Starter Kit and Pur & Pure Review

Druide is an an ECOcert certified Canadian company that creates personal care products that are natural, organic, biodegradable, scented without synthetic perfums and preservatives and all their products are paraben,sodium laurel sulfate and nut free.  In short Druide encompasses all of the things I look for in personal care products.  Druide has a very honest website, including a listing of the ingredients used and their benefits; a surprising rarity on personal care product websites.

I had the opportunity to test out the Baby Starter Kit, which includes four great products in a clear carrying case; a great present for the eco-momma's in your life.  We also had the chance to test out a few products from the Pur and Pure line, which contain no fragrance and are designed for hypersensitive people with sensitive skin.

My absolute favourite product was the Baby Protecting Balm, which is designed to rebuild and protect sensitive skin.  The balm is very soft and slick making it easy to apply to the boys diaper area whenever signs of redness appear.  The boy put up no protest when applying the baby protecting balm and I found that redness was drastically reduced, if not gone within a single diaper change. 

The Baby Shampoo utilizes hibiscus flower extract and natural fruit extracts to create a delicious smelling cleanser that eliminates unwanted bacteria and yeasts.  The shampoo suds' easily and left the boys hair smelling yummy and feeling squeaky clean.  Like all other shampoos we have tried, the boys scalp was still dry and a little flaky after use, but in truth this is an issue of the boys', not the product. 

The Calming Baby Soap utilizes mango butter, chamomile, vitamin E and aloe making it an anti-inflammatory and purifying blend.  Like the other products in the Baby Starter Kit, the calming baby soap smells delicious, it suds' beautifully and left my skin feeling soft and clean, but not slimy with mouisturizers like some soaps do.  The unique shape of the soap includes a divet on the top, so that you can mash the dregs of your previous bar right into it, a trait that I personally think is fabulous.  

Unfortunately, the boy was hypersensitive to the calming baby soap, but the Pur and Pure Soap which contains no fragrance at all, didn't cause the boy any irritation.  The Pur and Pure Shower Gel based on olive and rice proteins, was also provided for us to try as a soap alternative.  It's mild, scent-free cleansing abilities didn't irritate the boy's skin and was a great alternative for his hypersensitive skin.

The Baby Soothing Lotion is intended to repair young skin and soothe irritations including itchiness, rashes and sunburn.  It felt smooth and silky on my skin and was not greasy at all.  It was quickly absorbed, but left my skin smelling great.  Sadly, the boy also displayed hypersensitivity to the Baby Soothing Lotion.

Pur and Pure Face and Body Lotion was provided as an alternative to the baby soothing lotion for us to try.  It uses rice proteins and is specifically designed to be free of irritating agents.  I was happy to discover that for the boy, this lotion lived up to its claims and caused no irritation following use on multiple consecutive days. 

Overall, I was impressed with Druide products and would feel confident buying a Baby Starter Kit for any of my eco-momma friends, provided there was no history of skin conditions, eczema and hypersensitivity (which we have in my family), in that case, I would definitley steer towards Druide' Pur and Pure line.  Find out more about Druide on their Website, Facebook and Twitter.

Live Clean Baby Review & Giveaway

I am always on the lookout for new, environmentally-friendly products, but at the same time I am always cautious when new products appear in mainstream drugstores.  There are so many products out there labeled as "green", "natural" and "environmentally-friendly" and sadly these terms are not regulated.  Any company can make these claims without any back-up required.

When I first saw Live Clean Baby in my local London Drugs, I picked up the packages, read through them, sniffed the bottles and put them back on the shelf.  I wasn't particularly in need of any personal care products for the boy and I'm always hesitant to try new products before doing a little bit of research (which is likely how you landed here).

But when Live Clean Baby offered me a chance to try out their products for the purposes of this review, I was more than happy to take them up on the offer.  Live Clean Baby is a Canadian Company that "promises performance with natural, gentle ingredients - caring for baby's delicate skin using plant based formulations enriched with certified organic botanicals that are safe for baby and safe for the earth."  I had the chance to try out three products from the Live Clean Baby line: the Fragrance Free Bar Soap, Moisturizing Body Lotion and the Non-Petroleum Jelly.  

I personally hate shower gel, so I was super excited to try a bar soap out on the boy.  The newest addition to the line, Live Clean Baby Bar Soap left us both feeling squeaky clean; no slimy residue on the skin, the soap lathered easily and all without any skin redness, itchiness or irritation.  The boy loves playing with the bar of soap, chasing it all around his ducky bath.  He cried momentarily when he rubbed his soapy hands in his eyes, but I probably would have too.  In terms of the environment, Live Clean Baby bar soap is made from 99% plant ingredients, SLS and sulfate free, paraben and preservative free, hypoallergenic and pediatrician tested.  And at only $6.99 for three bars, its definitely in my price range.
 

When it comes to creams and lotions I hate it admit it, but I'm an addict.  I have tons of half-full bottles of lotion floating around the house.  Live Clean mouisturizing baby lotion is 98% plant based, including extracts from Chamomile, Lavender and Aloe.  Although the lotion is thinner than I prefer, it absorbed quickly and left my skin feeling hydrated and cool with a gentle scent that reminded me of baby powder.  The boys skin felt moisturized in the morning, when applied after his evening bath, but it didn't seem to affect his eczema, for better or worse. 

The final product we tested out was the Live Clean Baby Non-Petroleum Jelly.  We use Aquaphor on a regular basis and I had hoped that this product might be able to tackle the boys eczema itch in the same way.  Unfortunately, this was not the case.  The Non-Petroleum jelly is made from 100% natural and sustainable ingredients and is smoother and not quite as sticky as either Vaseline and Aquaphor.  I used it primarily on the boys' chest and chin as a barrier; it seemed to help minimize rashes and drool discomfort from all the teething he's been subject to these days. I think Live Clean Baby Non-Petroleum Jelly has great potential as a barrier cream for diaper rash, fortunately I didn't have the need to test this theory out.

On the whole I was impressed with Live Clean Baby Products; they lived up to their claims, performed their functions well and with an average price of $6.99, Live Clean Baby products are available at a price that most of us can afford, while keeping the best interests of the Earth in mind.  I give Live Clean Baby products a 4/5.

Want to try Live Clean Baby out yourself?  We're giving away two full sets of the Live Clean Baby Collection!

Enter To Win:

The Full 'Live Clean Baby' Collection
(two to be awarded)

The First Entry is mandatory; all other entries will be disqualified if it is not included.  Please leave a separate comment for each entry.  

First Entry: Visit the Live Clean website and tell us which product you'd like to try.

Second Entry: Follow the Momma Stuff Blog via Google Friend Connect (left sidebar)

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'Live Clean Baby' products are good for your babe and the environment - enter the #Giveaway @mommastuffblog #CMTT http://bit.ly/aCtpdg
 

Giveaway closes Sunday August 15th at 8pm.  Winner will be determined by a random number generator. Winner will be notified via email and the winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new name will be drawn and contacted.

Contest is now closed.
Congratulations to our Winner - Comment #6 Jeanine