DIY Network

Handmade Soap, Part 1 Make your own lemony-fresh soap with Michele Beschen. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-148

Learn soap-making secrets from a pro!

Handcrafted, natural soaps are a treat for the senses. B. Original host Michele Beschen joins with friend and professional soapmaker Charidy Hight to share the secrets of soap-making and the recipe for one of Charidy's most popular soaps.

In this part of the project, Michele Beschen and Charidy Hight start the soap-making process and get their soap mold ready. In Part 2, they bring all the elements together to create a handcrafted soap.

advertisement

Lemonhead Soap

Ingredients: 680 grams distilled water 237 grams lye (NaOH) 340 grams palm oil 568 grams coconut oil 15 grams grapefruit seed extract 908 grams olive oil 26 grams lemongrass oil

Tools: eye protection waterproof gloves pans candy thermometer kitchen scale (grams) freezer paper scissors, tape soap mold towels knife

Safety Alert: Always wear eye protection and gloves when working with lye—it is extremely caustic. Keep it well out of the reach of children.

	Figure A
	Figure B

Prepare Your Mold

Charidy Hight uses a handmade wooden mold for her soaps (figure A). Even if you use something more common—like a straight-sided baking pan—your soap will benefit from her tips on lining a soap mold.

• Tear off a section of freezer paper to line your mold.

• Lay the freezer paper on your work surface, shiny side up. Trace the bottom of the mold on the freezer paper.

• Flip the paper over. If your mold has a false bottom, like Charidy Hight's, fold up along the lines you traced. If you had to trace the outside of your mold, fold just inside the lines you traced. Trim off excess paper, if needed.

• Lay the folded paper in the bottom of the mold and unfold the edges to lay flat against the sides of the mold. Trim excess paper from the corners, and tape down the corners and sides (figure B).

This technique lets you line your mold with freezer paper without any wrinkles or excess folds—essential for a smooth bar of homemade soap.

	Figure C
	Figure D

Start Mixing Your Soap

• Set up a cold water bath in a sink or large pan.

• Measure out 680 grams of distilled water and set the container in the water bath. In a separate container, measure out 237 grams of lye (figure C).

• While wearing gloves and eye protection, carefully add the lye to the distilled water while it rests in the water bath. The mixture will start to give off heat. Insert a candy thermometer and pay attention to the temperature; you're slowly cooling the mixture to 86 degrees.

• In a separate pan, combine 340 grams of palm oil and 568 grams coconut oil (figure D). Heat the oils gently on the stove to 86 degrees. (These oils are solid at room temperature.)

• While the oils are heating, check the lye mixture's temperature. Remove it from the cold water bath if it is cooling down too quickly.

Go straight to Part 2 to complete this project.

GUESTS :

Charidy Hight
Website: www.goodcleanfunsoapcompany.com
E-mail: goodcleanfunsoapco@hotmail.com