Hot Soap Making. The Complete Guide. By Rene Whitlock

Hot Soap Making The Complete Guide By Rene Whitlock

DISCLAIMER AND TERMS OF USE AGREEMENT The author and publisher of this EBook and the accompanying materials have used their best efforts in preparing this EBook. The author and publisher make no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the contents of this EBook. The information contained in this EBook is strictly for educational purposes. Therefore, if you wish to apply ideas contained in this EBook, you are taking full responsibility for your actions. The author and publisher disclaim any warranties (express or implied), merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose. The author and publisher shall in no event be held liable to any party for any direct, indirect, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of this material, which is provided as is, and without warranties. As always, the advice of a competent legal, tax, accounting or other professional should be sought. The author and publisher do not warrant the performance, effectiveness or applicability of any sites listed or linked to in this EBook. All links are for information purposes only and are not warranted for content, accuracy or any other implied or explicit purpose. ALL rights reserved. No part of this may be copied, or changed in any format, sold, or used in any way other than what is outlined within this EBook under any circumstances without express permission from Rene Whitlock. mailto:rene@hotsoapmaking.com

Table of Content Disclaimer and Terms of use Agreement Introduction About Me Dedication Why Make Your Own Soap How Is Soap Made Benefits of Hot Process Soap Making Compared to Cold Process How to Use This Guide The Recipe We Will Be Using Prep Work for Soap Making Step 1 - Gather Your Tools & Equipment Step 2 Prepare Your Oils Step 3 Prepare Your Alkaline Solution Step 4 Blending & Cooking Step 5 Color, Scent & Mold Your Fresh Soap Step 6 Unmold & Cut Your Soap Things to Know About Your Hand Made Soap Info About Supplies & Ingredients and Where to Get Them

Introduction Welcome to Hot Soap Making. Thank you for choosing this ebook. We will be focusing on the Hot Process Method to making soap. This takes the Cold Process Method a few steps further. Unlike the Cold Process, the Hot Process Method allows you to use any color or fragrance without cooking it out of the soap. The best part about hot process soaping is that your soap is completed the same day you make it. There will be no waiting for 4 to 6 weeks for the soap to cure, like in Cold Process.

About Me My Name is Rene Whitlock and I am a Soap Making Addict. The first batch of soap I made was in 1997. I was terrified. It was Cold Process I bought a book on how to make soap and the emphasis was on how dangerous the Sodium Hydroxide was. It s amazing I even attempted it. I sent my 2 young children off to their grandparents, called 3 people who lived close by and I told them I was about to do something very dangerous, if they didn t hear from me within the next hour, they should come looking for me. I set myself up outside and put on the gloves and safety goggles. It turned out to be a simple process. I have been soaping ever since. At the time, I was a Girl Guides leader and there was a little craft show that the leaders held at the club house. I was there with my soap. It was my soap s first exposure to the public. A lady approached my table and was really scrutinizing my soaps. She told me she was a purchaser for a Vancouver International Airport gift shop and that she would love for me to supply the shop with my soap. I started my Soap Making business from that point and it has been such a fun ride. The experiences I have been through in my soap business over the last 13 years have been amazing.

Teaching soap making has added a brand new layer to my soaping. At this point, I do not sell my soap directly to the public. I no longer cut or package my own soap either. I have found a niche where I sell a block of soap to my wholesale accounts. They cut it themselves, have it packaged, and sell it under their own label. This works perfectly for me. There really is a niche for everyone. I will be putting together a book on starting your own soap making business. There are so many routes, and many of them are not documented. I found them myself. Opportunities stare you in the face all of the time. Sometimes you don t recognize them. These are the ones I would like to share with you in another guide.

Dedication I dedicate this soap making book to all the people who came to my class as students and left as soapers. I am so happy that I have been able to keep in touch with many of you and I am really thrilled every time I hear another one of you soapers taking the leap starting a soap making business. It s been so much fun helping you work out solutions to your messed up soap batches. They all turned out in the end. Why Make Your Own Soap? Many Beauty Bars are not true soap but have the same ingredients as detergent. It is a cheap and easy alternative to soap. Companies try to balance out the skin drying ingredients by adding oils. When you make your own soap, the glycerin is intact. You get to choose the oils and butters that you want based on your skins needs. You get to choose the fragrance you prefer. Soap making is creative, fun and will change your skins condition.

Most Commercially made soap is actually detergent with high chemical and petroleum content. The most common ingredient in commercial bar soap is Sodium Tallowate (Beef Fat). Beef fat produces a hard bar of soap, is cheap and plentiful. This makes it attractive for mass producing and marketing commercial soap. Hand Made soap does not strip the natural oils from your skin. Commercial Soap can be drying. The glycerin has been removed and sold to lotion and cream manufacturers. Glycerin actually pulls moisture from the air onto your skin. People who suffer from skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema and sensitive skin often find immediate relief after they switch to hand made soap.

How Soap Is Made In order to make soap, a natural fat needs to be broken down into it s molecular components which are glycerin and fatty acids. This is done by heating the fats in an alkaline solution (we will use sodium hydroxide (lye) and water). This is where the word lye comes from. Lye = alkaline. During the process the fatty acid reacts with the heated alkaline solution to form a fatty acid and salt. The glycerin is separated at this point. This process is called saponification. The word soap came from the saponification process. In this book, we will be accelerating the saponification process, we will be bringing the soap to a higher temperature and cooking it until it has turned into soap. At this point, once the soap has been cooked, the chemical process has happened and you can color and scent the soap with your choice of ingredients. You will then be putting your soap into a mold. Once the soap has cooled, you will cut it and let it dry further for a few more days. The soap is ready for packaging and using. There is no need to let it cure for 4 to 6 weeks.

Benefits of Hot Process Soap Making Compared to Cold Process Soap Making You need twice as much scent in a Cold Process batch to match the scent in a Hot Process batch. There are a lot of natural colorings that you can't use in Cold Process because the color will either fade completely or it will turn brown. This is not the case with Hot Process. For instance, you can not use any of the Ultramarines, since they are too delicate to withstand the cold process. You may find a lot of the herbs will turn brown. I found this with roses and other flowers. Cold Process soap takes 4 to 6 weeks before you can use it (this is the typical curing time). Hot process soap takes about 1 day until you can use it. There are several natural essential oils that you can t use in cold process because they do not survive the saponification process. You can t use Citrus essential oils. Because you add the special oils after the soap has gone through the harsh chemical reaction (saponification), all of the benefits of your delicate oils such as jojoba are intact. There is no chance of ruining your soap by making the wrong choices in scented oils. Your soap will not be effected because the chemical reaction has already happened.

How to Use This Guide Please read this guide through as least once before making your soap. The # 1 rule all soap makers must live by: Always keep your ingredients and equipment safely out of reach. This is specifically true for the Sodium Hydroxide you are going to be using. This is a dangerous caustic (will burn your skin) ingredient and you must be careful when it comes to using and storing it. Always have a spray bottle of vinegar with you when you are working with it. The vinegar immediately neutralizes the lye (sodium hydroxide). If there is a chance that any of the sodium hydroxide has been ingested, call the poison control center immediately. In fact. before you go any further, get their phone # and post it on your fridge. Please do not attempt to make soap when there are small children present. I used to make soap after my children were safely in bed. Choose a time when you can create and will not be interrupted. 2 hours is a reasonable amount of time when you are learning soap making. You will be able to streamline your soap making after you become comfortable. You will eventually be able to mix up a batch of soap in about 1 hour. Okay, lets get on with the fun!! If you have not gone to the member s download page and downloaded the trace

video, please do that now. It will show you how the soap gets thicker and thicker, then when it reaches trace, you will be able to recognize it for your own batch. This book will take you step by step through the Hot Process Soap Making Method. Every step in this book is complete. I am a visual learner, but I have a short memory when it comes to remembering what something looked like. That is why I have this book packed full of pictures. There are over 60 photos explaining each step. The visuals will show you the method. This guide is the result of over 200 soapers contributions. I ve made notes through every class I have taught on soap making. If it was talked about or if a soaper asked about it, it is in this guide. At any time, if you feel stuck or if something does not make sense, please email me. I continually get emails from soapers who have taken my class. Even just to show me the newest batch of soap they made. I LOVE IT!! E mail me with your questions or comments. rene@hotsoapmaking.com

The Recipe We Will Be Using We will be making a 2 pound batch of soap. Ingredients: 12 oz coconut oil 6 oz soy bean oil (the original Crisco Vegetable Oil is actually soy bean oil!!!) 6 oz olive oil 3.9 oz sodium hydroxide 9.1 oz distilled or filtered rain water (do not use tap water or mineral water. You want your water to be as pure as possible. I use rain water. Filter it several times through coffee filters, boil it for a few minutes and when it s cool, put it in a clean water jug. It s perfect for soap making and.. IT S FREE!!!! 1 teaspoon special oil (optional) I used Sweet Almond Oil. 1 teaspoon scent (optional) I used Peppermint Essential Oil 2 teaspoons Cocoa powder 1 teaspoon olive oil

Choose a mold you would like to try. For this recipe I am using the recycled soap mold from the member s download page. ------------------------------------------ We are going to prepare a few things BEFORE we start to make the soap. It is easier to have this all ready to go. Towards the end of the Hot Process steps, you need to work fast because the soap is cooling and hardening. Think of this part as a well run kitchen. There is always prep work to do before the actual cooking takes place. This prep work will help the process run smoothly.

Prep Work for Soap Making We will be working with the last 4 ingredients from our recipe. The special oil, scent, cocoa powder and olive oil. Mix the cocoa powder with the olive oil in a small dish. The mixture should be a bit runny but not watery. If it is too thick, add a bit more of the olive oil, if it s too runny, add a bit more cocoa powder. It should be the consistency of liquid honey. Set the cocoa powder/olive oil aside with your scent and special oil if you are going to be adding them. Prepare your molds. You are unlimited to the molds you choose. You can whip together the recycled mold from the download section. (this is the mold I am using for this guide), or you can use any plastic container you have. Even muffin tins would work.

Let s get down to business and make the soap. We have done the prep work. Now here comes the science of making soap. Step 1 Gather your tools and ingredients. Prepare all items before you begin. You should have a set of equipment used just for soap making. Thrift shops and Value Village are perfect sources for an old pot with lid. Wooden spoon - Glass measuring cup or jar Candy Thermometer Stick Blender

Rubber gloves Goggles Pot with a lid (for oils) Large pot that the above pot will fit into (use like a double boiler) Old plastic cup (yogurt cup will work) Scale Calculator Paper and pen Hard and soft oils Sodium hydroxide (keep this in an air tight container. Moisture from the air will solidify your sodium hydroxide. It s not fun trying to break the pieces up, so try to avoid long term exposure to air as much as possible). Distilled or filtered Rain Water Mixing Bowl Spoons Spray Bottle with white vinegar (this will neutralize the sodium hydroxide if you get any on yourself) Molds to put your soap in. You are unlimited!! PLEASE NOTE: DO NOT USE ALUMINUM FOR SOAPMAKING. It is okay to use aluminum for the soap mold, but not for your pots or utensils before the soap is saponified. Aluminum reacts with Sodium Hydroxide and can damage your equipment.

Step 2 Prepare your oils All weights for soap making are in ounces. Using your scale, weigh all of your oil separately. Add the oils to the pot with the lid: 12 oz coconut oil

6 oz soy bean oil

6 oz olive oil

Put your oils, butters and fats into the pot (the smaller one) but leave the lid off. Melt all ingredients on the stove over very low heat until all solid ingredients are melted. You don t want to heat the oils more than you need to because it will just take longer to cool. Take you oils off the heat element. Fill your larger pot with about 2 inches of water from the tap and set it on the stove. We will be using this a little later. I usually put a couple of jar rings in the pot so the soap pot does not sit directly on the bottom of the water pot.

Plug your stick blender into an outlet near your sink. You don t want to worry about this when it is time to use it. Step 3 Prepare Your Alkaline Solution Put your gloves and goggles on, measure the water into the jar. For this recipe you will need 9.1 oz distilled water. This is a good time to grab your spray bottle of vinegar and set it next to your scale. You don t want to be looking for it if you need it. Put your glass measuring cup or jar with the water, in the sink. Move your scale near the sink.

Personally, I want very little contact with the sodium hydroxide. I don t want to have to walk anywhere with it. I want to be able to measure it into a container and dump it in the water without taking a step or moving around too much. Get it poured, stirred and leave it in the sink until it s time to use it. Time to put your gloves and goggles on. Put the old plastic container on the scale and weigh out the amount of sodium hydroxide you will need. For our recipe, we will measure out 3.9 oz of sodium hydroxide into the plastic container.

PLEASE be careful with Sodium Hydroxide. You do not have to be afraid of it, just respect that it is a caustic substance (it can chemically burn you). Always take precautions when you use it and store it. Keep out of reach of children and pets at all times. Close the lid once you have poured what you need into the plastic container. Sodium Hydroxide will solidify if it s exposed to the moisture in the air. If this happens, it is still fine to use, it is just not that fun trying to break it apart with a skewer stick or a thick straw.

Slowly add the sodium hydroxide to the water in the jar, mixing and adding a little at a time. Place the emptied plastic container in the sink. CAUTION!! Never add your water to the sodium hydroxide. Always add the sodium hydroxide to the water or it will have a volcanic effect. **DO NOT PUT YOUR FACE OVER THE GLASS CONTAINER. I PREFER TO HOLD MY BREATH.**

Stir the water and sodium hydroxide until there are no solid pieces on the bottom. It just takes a few stirs and it will dissolve. Take the wooden spoon out of the jar. Place it in the plastic container and leave the jar alone for a few minutes.

Your sodium hydroxide and water temp should be about 140 degrees Fahrenheit at this point. Keep checking the temperatures of your oils and water. Let your oils and your water cool to about 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Wear your gloves when you check the sodium hydroxide and water temperature. Keep your bottle of vinegar handy.

If your sodium hydroxide mix has cooled to about 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and your oils have cooled too much, heat your oils just slightly to bring them to about 110. There can be a difference of 10 degrees either way, so. From 100 degrees to 120 degrees is what your goal is. If your sodium hydroxide is 100 degrees and your oils are 120 degrees, which is fine. Step 4 Blending and cooking It s time to place your pot of oils in the sink. Make sure your stick blender is plugged in and close to you.

Put your gloves and goggles on. It s time to mix your oils with your sodium hydroxide/water. SLOWLY pour a small amount of the sodium hydroxide/water into the oil and blend well with the stick blender. Add a little more sodium hydroxide/water, blend well. Keep adding and blending until all of the sodium hydroxide/water has been added.

Caution: Do not lift the stick blender out of the soap while it is in operation. The soap at this point is still caustic. Turn off the blender and manually stir the soap with the blender once in awhile. Keep blending and stirring.

Continue blending until the soap mixture thickens. This may take 5 minutes or more, but keep blending.

Mix until the peak does not fall. It will be a bit thicker than a pudding. This is called trace and this is what it looks like. Tap off the soap from your stick blender and place it in the sink. The soap is still caustic.

Place the lid on the soap mixture and put it in the large pot of gently boiling water. Keep the lid on the pot and allow the soap pot to sit in the gently boiling water for 10 minutes. Since you are still wearing your gloves, this is the perfect time to do a quick clean up. Unplug the stick blender and give it a good wash. Don t forget to unplug it first. I was in a hurry a few months ago and I took a big chunk off my finger. Breathe, take your time, and follow the safety rules. The sooner you wash your tools off, the better. If the soap hardens, it is more difficult to wash off. Not impossible, just more time consuming. You have a few minutes so you might as well get this part out of the way.

Wash your jar, thermometer and your plastic container from your sodium hydroxide measuring, as well as your wooden spoon. Put them in a box and put them away for next time.

After 10 minutes is up, it s time to check on your soap. Uncover the pot and take a look at the soap. There should be a small amount of tan colored soap around the edges. Give the pot a stir with a wooden spoon and cover it up again.

Cook for another 10 minutes and take another look. Give it another stir and break up some of the solid pieces. There should be a lot more of the tan colored soap in the pot. Stir it again and put the lid back on. Keep checking and mixing until the entire pot has only the tan colored soap. This is Saponified soap and is no longer caustic. Once all soap is saponified (there are no light chunks of soap in the pot when you stir it), you are ready to scent and color it. ***Please note, there may be some light soap around the sides of the pot, don t worry, this is just the soap beginning to dry, it is NOT unsaponified soap. Time to work quickly.

This pot of soap is fully cooked and is no longer caustic. But it is very hot. As in heat!! Be careful when you handle it. Wear gloves in case you spill some on yourself. Step 5 Color, Scent and Mold Your Fresh Soap You can either work with the soap in the pot, or take the soap out of the pot and put it in a large bowl.

Be careful not to touch the soap. It s not caustic, it s just hot. Use a spatula to get all the soap out of the pot. This is the part where soap making gets creative. Up until now, it has been all about the science. Now it s time to have some fun!! Hot Process soap cools fairly quickly, as it cools, it hardens. So.. We have to move fast. Get your scent and any special oils that will boost the benefits of your soap (such as jojoba oil for soft skin and cocoa butter to protect skin).

Add your scent and special oil to the soap batch and mix it well. You need to work fast because you don t want the soap to dry while you are working with it. It s now time to add you cocoa powder and olive oil. This is going to be swirled into your soap. ****If you prefer not to have a swirl in your soap, and you would like your soap to be all one color, then add the cocoa powder and olive oil mixture at the same time you add the scent and special oil, it will get mixed in all at the same time.

Spoon a few drops of the cocoa powder and olive oil into the soap batch. Swirl the color lightly. You will want to put the soap into the mold at this point. You have control over where the swirls are going in the mold. Move your bowl around and make sure you are putting colored swirls into all of the areas of the mold. Give your mold a tap on the table to settle the soap into any crevices and corners.

There was some soap left over, so lets try making some soap muffins. There is enough for a soap ball. I take these traveling. I always have 2 balls in a zip lock bag in my suitcase. When I get in my hotel room, I put one near the sink and one near the shower. This way I don t ever have to use commercial soap. I haven t in 13 years.

If you allow the soap to cool and dry on its own, you will be able to un-mold and cut your soap the next day. It s time to clean up. This part is really easy; let the soapy dishes soak for a few minutes. There is no need to use dish soap, you already have lots of bubbles from your pot and other dishes.

Put your pots and soap making equipment together and store it out of the way. I keep my equipment above my cupboard in boxes. It s really handy, but it s too high for anyone to get to. I keep a small container of sodium hydroxide and water and a small quantity of the most popular oils I use for soaping in the blue boxes. The larger bulk containers are kept in my garage. I can t stress enough how important it is to keep your ingredients in a safe place away from family and pets. If you start out with this strict #1 rule of soaping, you will never have regrets. Isn t that what life is all about? Live without regrets.

Step 6 Un-Mold & Cut Your Soap-It s Actually Safe To Use Right Now! Cut the sides of the mold (if you are using the recycled molds you have made) with a knife. Please be careful. Slide all 4 sides away from the soap and there it is.

Next cut the soap and give it a couple of days to dry fully. Here are the soap muffins I put into the muffin tins. It would make a nice gift, assorted soap muffins in a little basket. If you are using a plastic container, and the soap is not coming out easily, put it in the freezer for ½ hour and it should come right out. If it doesn t, then put it in the freezer for a little while longer. Just a note on this. The soap may feel a little slippery, maybe even wet when you take it out of the mold after it has been in the freezer. This is temporary

and it just needs a few hours to dry off. It will look identical and feel the same as the soap that was not in the freezer, in a few hours. Your new fabulous soap is completely safe to use at this point. You can let it have a few days to dry, but it is ready to go. You are done! Enjoy your soap. Things to know about your hand made soap The first time you use your new bar of soap, it may not be as lathery as you would like. This will change the next time you use it. Don t allow your hand made soap to sit in a dish of water. It will get gooey from the large amount of glycerin. Use a soap dish with crevices or slats for the access water to drain into. Enjoy your new soap. Your skin sure will. Please email me with any questions you have. rene@hotsoapmaking.com Thanks Rene Whitlock

Info About Supplies and Ingredients and Where To Get Them. ALMOND OIL SWEET: Good for dry, sensitive skin and can help relieve redness, itchiness and swelling. You can get this oil at a health food store or an East Indian Grocery Store. COCOA POWDER A nice natural color that is easy to find in a grocery store. COCONUT OIL Rich lather. Big soft bubbles. One of the dominant oils in modern soap making, it is found in most quality soaps. Easy to find from a bakery supplier or an East Indian Grocery Store. ESSENTIAL OIL I do not use Fragrance oil. Fragrance oil is made of chemicals. I have spent time, effort and money on making a wonderful batch of natural soap, I just can t justify putting chemicals of unknown origin into my soap. I use only natural oils and this includes essentials. You can purchase the oils in health food stores or some grocery stores. If you look up essential oils in your phone book you can find places where you can purchase larger quantities. Essentials are all over the place for cost. You can get an inexpensive orange essential for $3/ ½ oz or you can pay $90/ ½ oz for rose otto. There is everything in between. Lavender is really economical $5/ ½ oz or peppermint and rosemary for around the same.

GLASS MEASURING CUP OR JAR Use last night s spaghetti sauce jar. Just wash it out. If you are going to make large batches, a pickle jar works really well. GLOVES You can use latex gloves or rubber gloves. Whatever you are comfortable with. You can pick up gloves from a pharmacy or a hardware store. GOGGLES Any type of protective eye wear is great. You can find goggles in a hardware store. Usually around $3 LARGE POT You need a pot that is going to be able to accommodate your lidded pot. You don t need a lid for this bigger pot since you will be using it as a double boiler. You can find one in a second hand store for about $5. MIXING BOWL Any sturdy plastic bowl will be fine. You will need it large enough to hold a 2 lb batch of soap & be able to stir it. Pick it up anywhere containers are sold or use an old one that you don t use for food anymore. OLIVE OIL: Makes tight soft bubbles. Very good for sensitive skin. You can find olive oil in a grocery store. If you can find Pomace Olive Oil, it is the cheapest. Pomace is the last press of the olive, Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the first. With Pomace you are getting the left over oils. This is fine; you are using this oil for soap making, FLAVOR IS NOT AN ISSUE. I also find Pomace blends better and saponifies quicker than virgin or extra virgin olive oil.

PAPER AND PEN This is to make notes for your self. It is amazing how ideas pop into your head while you are creating. For example, I have never made muffin soap before taking pictures for this guide, but I had the silicon muffin cups sitting near my counter from breakfast and my mind started working. PLASTIC CUP This is for measuring your sodium hydroxide. Use an old yogurt container or something similar. POT WITH A LID You should be able to close the lid without having a gap. It needs to be big enough to hold at least 8 cups of water. You can get an old pot set at a second hand store for $5 to $8. SCALE Be sure it has ounces. Most do. A digital scale is necessary. I have seen these at the drugstore for less than $20. You can pick one up at a cheaper department store in the kitchen supply area. They last a long time. I have gone through 3 in 13 years. This was with heavy duty use on lotions and all types of toiletries as well as soap making. You can also find scales in office supply stores near the shipping supplies. SMALL BOWLS Find small ones for mixing colors and putting your special oils in. You can find little ones in kitchen supply stores. I found mine in Ikea 6 years ago. They were 6 for $3.

SOAP MOLDS You can pick up soap molds at craft stores like Michaels. I prefer to make the Recycled Molds. You will find the information on the download page. You can then cut the soap and the swirl will be revealed. You don t get that with individual molds. SODIUM HYDROXIDE This ingredient is necessary for making real soap. When Sodium Hydroxide is not used in soap making, you are actually making detergent. Danger: Harmful or fatal if swallowed. Avoid contact with skin. Wear protective gloves and eye protection. Keep out of reach of children!!!! Sodium Hydroxide turns water and oil into soap. You can pick up the sodium hydroxide or lye from a chemical supply house or in a hardware store. Be sure it is pure lye and does not contain aluminum. Store your lye in a container that has an air tight closure. Sodium Hydroxide will solidify when it is exposed to air, it is still useable, but you need to break it up into small chunks. This extends the time you are exposed to the chemical. Try to avoid this. SOY BEAN OIL Rich in tocopherols (Vitamin E), soft tight bubbles. I have soapers asking me where to find it. If you can t find any, then look for the original Crisco Vegetable Oil. This is 100% Soy bean oil. You can find this in grocery stores.

SPATULA A sturdy spatula to get all of the soap out of the pot. Kitchen supply stores have them. Usually around $2 each. SPOONS You can use some old spoons that you are willing to sacrifice for your soap making. Just metal is fine. You ll use them to mix scents & oils into your soap as well as swirl in color. If you don t want to use your home spoons for the soap making, you can pick some up at the thrift store for 10 cents each. STICK BLENDER These can be found at cheap department stores for around $15. Don t get a fancy $60 stick blender. Keep looking. Wal-Mart, Kmart, even the grocery stores have them. Go Cheap. If you can have a back up one, that s good too. Unfortunately, the life expectancy of a stick blender is not long. I replace mine at least once a year. I have seen them as low as $10. I have purchased the more expensive type in the past, just to see if they lasted longer. No they don t. It s the motors that burn out and they are all created equal when it comes to the motors. No matter how elegant the outside is, the inside is the same. THERMOMETER A candy thermometer works perfectly. Make sure it has Fahrenheit. Kitchen supply or grocery stores have these for around $3. VINEGAR Just your regular variety from the grocery store. You are going to put this into a spray bottle and keep it with you all of the time when you are near sodium hydroxide. It will immediately neutralize the lye.

WATER Use distilled or filtered rain water. You can buy distilled water from a grocery store or drug store for $1.50 to $2 per jug. For the rain water, I run it through 3 to 5 coffee filters. I then give it a quick boil and cool it before I put it in a jug. This rain water method is FREE!!!!! Use it. It s pure and perfect for natural soap making. WOODEN SPOONS You will go through these often. The sodium hydroxide breaks down the wood and you will see it become more and more deformed over time. You will probably go through a wooden spoon every 5 or 6 batches of soap. Have lots on hand. They can be purchased at a grocery store or a cheap department store. Buy the cheapest you can find. Usually a set of 3 for $2.