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How To Make Gingerbread Soaps - Using the Cold Process Soap Method
With the winter season in full swing, it's time to start getting creative and making your own festive holiday creations! Gingerbread Soaps are a great way to get into the holiday spirit - they look amazing as decorations or homemade gifts. Plus, you can make them with just a few simple ingredients using the cold process method.
This blog post will walk you through all of the steps that go into creating these unique gingerbread soaps from start to finish - including an overview of materials needed, safety considerations, methods for mixing and other helpful tips and tricks for achieving successful Gingerbread Soaps - Using the Cold Process Soap Method!
Tips For Making Cold Process Soap
Making cold process soap is a wonderful way to express your creativity while also creating something that has numerous practical applications. If you’ve decided to take the plunge into this rewarding craft, there are a few tips that can help you succeed and enjoy the experience!
First, it’s important to prep as much as possible before starting. Depending on the recipe and scale of production, you may need to calculate amounts for different oils and butters, gather supplies like moulds or an immersion blender or stick blender, measure out essential oils or fragrance oils for scenting your soap batch, etc. Making sure all these tasks are taken care of ahead of time allows everything to run smoothly when it comes time to mix up the soap batter.
Next, make sure you use high quality ingredients when making your soaps. It's true that some recipes might cost a bit more if high quality products are used instead of regular grocery store items – however the payoff is worth it in terms of quality product produced each time! Furthermore ensuring safety precautions such as wearing long sleeves and protective gloves should be considered compulsory no matter what kind of ingredients are used in order prevent any potential accidents from occurring during production process. Especially when making cold process soap, as this involves a harmful chemical reaction, so safety gear is a must.
Then once all materials have been gathered , patience plays a huge role in achieving success with cold process soaps - especially if using certain techniques such as swirling multiple colours together within one mould or creating layered designs. Just remember to find a balance, as your soap mix will start to thicken over time. Planning ahead prior to production day ensures enough free time will be available so nothing needs rushing through. Lastly, although tempting because idea creation can often seem straightforward - testing out new ideas by trialing them first can save major headaches down road since attempting untried methods without prior knowledge on how they'll work out could result very unpredictable results (not necessarily desired ones either!).
All told - crafting cold process soaps not only lends itself towards artistic expression but requires understanding around various elements needed to create beautiful batches every single time!
Equipment for making Cold Process Soaps:
• Stainless Steel Pan
• Heat-proof Measuring Jug
• Whisk
• Mixing Bowl
• Spatula
• Thermometer
• Rectangle Silicone Mould
Ingredients for making Cold Process Soaps:
• 170g Cold, Clean Water
• 62.5g Sodium Hydroxide (Caustic Soda)
• 227g Olive Oil, Pomace
• 142g Coconut Oil
• 85g Shea Butter
• 10g Gingerbread Fragrance Oil
• Orange PCL Liquid Dye
• Premade Gingerbread Soaps
• Rectangle Mould
If you are looking to add Essential Oils or more Colours, explore our range.
This recipes makes approximately 500g of cold process soap. Always check the IFRA and legal limits for your chosen fragrance or essential oil.
How To Make Your Own Gingerbread Soaps...
- Firstly, prepare and clean your working area, and source all equipment needed. Make sure you are wearing all of your safety gear including safety glasses, gloves and full sleeves.
- Measure out your water into a jug then carefully pour your caustic into your water and whisk, stirring all the time. This can get very hot so do be careful. Be careful not to breathe the vapour that is initially given off, so hold your breath and stir until all the caustic soda has dissolved and there are no lumps stuck to the bottom of the jug.
- The solution (now known as Lye) will heat up to nearly 200°F (95°C) and will need to be left to cool. Place the jug in a large bowl of cold water, being careful not to 'float' it.
- Next we are going to work on our oils, add your oils to your saucepan then put on a low heat until it has completely melted. Then let cool.
- Once your oils and lye are the same temperature, between 60-70°C is good, you can mix together. Pour your lye into your oils and start mixing straight away with a balloon whisk to ensure the mixture all starts to chemically react and combine.
- Stir the mixture fairly briskly. You will notice the solution start to turn more opaque and as the minutes pass it will start to thicken into a custard like consistency. This is known as trace.
- When happy add in your fragrance oil and mix well to ensure it has dispersed throughout.
- Next, you can add in your colour. For this recipe, we are creating a orange toned soap, using our liquid dye. Add in a few drops and mix well, you may need to burst with a hand blender to help the colour disperse.
- You will want to blend your colour in short bursts so you don’t add to much air in to the mixture. You’ll notice the more you blend the thicker the mixture will get.
- When ready pour your mixture into your moulds and use your spatula to push the mixture to the edges and smooth the top. Tap the mould carefully against a flat surface to help flatten your soap. Then place one of your pre-made gingerbread soaps into the top of your soap. We also dusted with gold mica for an added touch.
- Next, leave your soaps to cure. If you prefer you can insulate with old towels or a blanket and leave at room temperature until the soap has solidified. For this small-batch, setting should be no more than 24 hours. Larger batches can take longer. We are leaving our soap with an open-top so we get a soda ash finish creating a gentle white layer.
- Now that our soap has had enough time to initially gel we can remove it from the mould. If you pull away from the edges and you feel the mixture is sticky or too soft, leave your soap for another 24-48hrs.
- Gently pull away the mould allowing the air into the gaps to help release the soap and carefully lift out from your mould. Leave for the full four weeks to cure and then you can enjoy your Gingerbread Soaps!
For more information and tips and tricks on making cold process soap check out our article here.
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