Basic Soap Receipe

Basic Four Oil Soap Recipe

I'm back. What I want to do first is give you the recipe I am going to be using for my first batch of cold pressed soap. I want to keep it easy. Eventually I would like to be able to mix ingredients to make all kinds of soap but for now I have found two receipes that I am going to start with. the first is a Basic Four Oil Soap the second will be a Basic Goat Milk Receipe. First we will master the Four Oil Soap before going any farther.

Ingredients are:

4 oz solid cocnut oil (112 grams)

3 oz canola oil (84 grams)

4 oz olive oil (112 grams)

4 oz safflower oil (112 grams)

2 oz lye (sodium hydroxide) (56 grams)

5 oz distilled water (140 grams)

Note all measurements are by weight not volume

Sodium Hydroxide LYE

Boy did I have trouble finding lye (sodium hydroxide) In most of the books you read they all say you can find lye in your grocery store in with all the draino's and liquid plumbers, not in Thunder Bay. Went to Canadian Tire, Home Hardware, Home Depot, Superstore, no luck. Called a couple of chemical companies in town one didn't have it the other said she'd call me back, she never did. My friend Sandy said in the U.S. she orders from AAA chemical company they don't ship to Canada. if you are in the states apparantly AAA is very reputable and has other soap making supplies. I would go with them.

Here is their website: http://www.aaa-chemicals.com/

The other soap supply links in Canada don't sell lye that I could find except for one Canwax, in Huntsville, Ontario. I ordered it online they sell the smallest size 1 kg for $8.00 and with the taxes and shipping it cost me 26.00 plus change. Its the only way I could get it. Plus UPS won't ship it any bigger than the small jar. So I am waiting for that. They sell other soap making supplies too so its worth checking them out at http://www.canwax.com/

I wanted to get coconut oil... can't find that either so I found Suds N Scents in British Columbia who carries it and ordered it from them 5 kg container was $9.50 and ordered Palm Oil from them too for the same price, a 5 lb mold and a soap cutter. All that came to $45.00... not too bad. www.sudsandscents.com

In the above recipe all I need to wait for is the coconut oil and get the distilled water. Thats easy to get Shoppers Drug Mart has it and The Superstore.

I am almost set to go. Yay!!

The other oils in the recipe above I saw at Safeways when I went for groceries the other day Olive Oil I have at home already and its extra virgin too.

A Walk Makes You Think

I took my dog Willy out for a walk the other day at the McIntyre Floodway. It is right behind the major shopping centre in the city so I decided to stop in at Micheals Crafts Store and lo and behold they have soap making kits but melt and pour that is totally different from what I want to do, but also they have some essential oils and fragrances there. Mental note for later on. I find it very interesting that making ones own soap is becoming a new found art. http://www.michaels.com/

So for now take note of the ingredients above for the basic soap recipe and look for them in your grocery store or order online from my suggested suppliers.

By the time you get your ingredients together and equipment we will be able to make it together.

My date for the first batch is next Monday...my next day off I should have my lye and oils by then.

Just another thing to mention is that lye can melt surfaces like your countertops and floors so save some newspapers to cover your work spaces. Till next Monday, I will have camera in hand to take pictures of my set up and step by step pics.

See you next week!