Update
So, it’s been a while since I have blogged. Truth be told, I’d rather be concocting potions in my kitchen than writing about it. Writing is not my forte. However, I thought that I should give an update on how I derailed from emulsions and now on most days, I make soap.
Attempting Glycerin Soap
In March, I had entertained the idea of creating a glycerin soap with some sort of loofa inside of it. The thought was to create a simple glycerin soap with a natural exfoliating loofa.
Most glycerin soap bases are not considered “natural”, so I was stuck creating my own. I started to research how to make glycerin soap from scratch. Simple, right? Or so I thought.
When formulating glycerin soap, it is nearly impossible to avoid propylene glycol. Propylene glycol is a solvent used in glycerin soap to dissolve other ingredients. It contains petroleum, which is a by-product of crude oil distillation. Um, eww. Despite trying other solvents in the formulation, nothing worked.
Instead of formulating glycerin soap, I pivoted into making hand soap. I could make a natural or clean hand soap with a loofa and consider it a done deal. Easy-peasy lemon squeezy. Enter the mishap of handling raw soap.
Lye Calculation and Saponification Values
I decided to make soap from a recipe I found online. Before understanding lye calculators and unique saponification values, I dove right in.
What resulted was a mess, where I almost burned my skin.
Lesson # 1: Use a lye calculator (like SoapCalc). Even when using a recipe, plug the recipe into SoapCalc to ensure the values are correct. Double, triple check. Understand the whys.
Lesson # 2: Creating soap is nothing like formulating emulsions and lotion bars. It is a separate beast. Respect it.
The Caustic Nature of Soap
Up until this point, I had not worked with lye or caustic soda. The pH of lye is very basic, with a pH of 13+. For reference the body’s skin pH is roughly in the range of 4.7-5.5, making it slightly acidic. Thats a big difference!
I made the soap batter from the online recipe, combined the oils and lye. I was pouring it into the mold, and I handled it as if it was a lotion bar. Big mistake!
Saponification
Soap takes approximately 24-48 hours to go through saponification. Saponification is the chemical reaction the lye and oils undergo resulting in soap. Each oil used has a unique saponification value. The saponification value of an oil is the amount of lye (sodium hydroxide) needed to saponify one gram of oil. This results in soap. This calculation is very specific and using a lye calculator will give the grams of lye needed. This ensures the soap is safe.
As it turns out, since saponification takes 24-48 hours to complete. Handling raw soap is never a good idea, as it will result in burning of the skin. This is exactly what I did.
I attempted to take some raw soap and rub it between my two hands to see if it would lather up. Stupid me, what resulted was a funny tingling sensation on my hands, almost a numb sensation. It didn’t burn, but what happened next was the skin on my fingertips began to shrivel up. As if I was in the water for 24 hours straight. I washed the raw soap off my hands, and for the next few hours my hands felt a bit strange.
Messed Up Leveled Up
Having made oil and water emulsions gave me confidence in soap making, I had no business having. Lesson learned, and now I am wiser for it.
Even though this was my first experience with making soap, it didn’t deter me. I bought many soap books, determined to perfect this process. I am no quitter, which is exactly how I became a medical doctor. I became obsessed with this new passion.
What I love most about making soaps is it’s where science and creativity meet. It’s the perfect hobby for creative science brained individuals. Infinitely more interesting than my 5-hour Organic Chemistry lab in 2010. One star, do not recommend!
There you have it, my love affair with soap. Expect lots of soap in the future from Peonies & Petals.
