Soap Making 101 - Key words

Possible key words for web site optimization:

Cold process soap making, handmade natural soap, soap making 101, lye, sodium hydroxide, Saponification

Soap Making 101 - Marketing

Marketing: When faced with the challenge of producing a product to sell, conduct a screening process to find out if the new product will be a good match to your company’s objectives and resources. The screening process can provide answers to certain marketing questions like; what are the intended purchases of consumers? Are consumers ready for a product such as this? And, are consumers willing to change the product they are using now?

Your company should analyze the overall ability to produce and market a product in the screening process.

In order to find out if consumers are ready for a new soap product, conduct a survey. This survey should be distributed to consumers in various demographics to find out if they would be interested in purchasing the new product. Then analyze the information to determine the path of the product. If the results of the analysis determine that the product will fit the needs of consumers, plans can then be set in place for the next step. If the survey determines the product will not fit the needs of consumers, either eliminate the idea or changed the way to fit the needs of consumers

After determining your target market, introduce your soap to Boutiques and gifts shops within your target market. Develop and optimize a website on the Internet to promote product awareness. Sell off the website, but only for the price that is offered in the boutiques and gift shops. Advertising in your local newspapers after you have entered the boutiques and gift shops can draw traffic to your soaps. Offer a coupon for a discount off the soap to pull customers.

Soap Making 101 - 7

A business profile: SunFeather Natural Soap Company. www.sunfeather.com

For over 27 years, SunFeather Natural Soap Company has been making natural body products. Sandra (Sandy) Maine the founder of SunFeather started making soap, in 1979 in her kitchen, at the age of 22. Located in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains in Northern New York, Sandy is known as the godmother of the vegan, olive oil, cold process soap.

Processing 4,000 pounds of soap weekly, SunFeather offers only the highest quality of ingredients in its end product. It offers soap making ingredients and soap making equipment for the novice soap maker.

By developing her soap making process and the soap making equipment, Sandy has molded SunFeather Natural Soap Company into a million dollar business. SunFeather soap has fans across the country and world, including Oprah Winfrey and Hillary Clinton. SunFeather offers custom soaps and private labels.

Sandy has, also, written many articles and books on soap making.

Soap Making 101 - 6

How/why I got started making soap.

I began making soap in 1999 in my kitchen. I was a 28 year old stay-at-home mom. With two young children tucked away for naps, I began searching the internet for a creative way to pass the time. I came across a web-site on making your own soap. I cannot remember the site’s name; however, after reading the instructions I knew I had to try it for myself. After gathering all the necessary items for a small, probably, 1 pound batch, I was hooked! I couldn’t believe that I had actually made soap myself, in my own kitchen! WOW! After perfecting my own technique of soap making, I have not bought soap in a grocery store since. Now mind you, I still buy handmade soap from fellow soapers. I have been part of a group from Yahoo: OhioSoapers since 2000, with over 300 members, we get together once a year for a Soap making gathering (convention).

Soap Making 101 - 5

Lesson 5 - Susan's Basic Soap Recipe

Basic Soap Recipe
- for a 3 pound batch of soap

4 ounces of cocoa butter
9 ounces of tallow (I like deer)
10 ounces of coconut oil
12 ounces of olive oil
15 ounces of palm oil
7 ounces of lye
16 ounces of water
2 ounces of fragrance (if desired)
½ ounce of color (if desired)

Soap Making 101 - 4

Lesson 4 - Soap Making: Cold Process Method

One of the most common mistakes soap makers make is not weighing the ingredients carefully. Make sure you use an accurate scale to weigh your oils and your Lye.

1. The lye/water phase. Measures the cold/room temperature water in plastic bowl (amount specified by recipe) then pour into a clean plastic/glass container. Measure lye (amount specified by recipe). Stirring, slowly add lye to the water. NEVER ADD WATER TO LYE, (this will cause a volcano effect and may cause serious burns to skin.) This mixture will quickly become very hot. Continue stirring until the water turns clear. Do not inhale the fumes. Place a candy thermometer in the cup, do not rest it on the bottom as it will give you a false reading — keep it somewhere in the middle. Let this mixture cool to 120°F - 130°F.
2. The Oil Phase. While the water is cooling. Measure in plastic bowl all hard oils/butters (amount specified by recipe). Add the oils/butters to the stainless steel pot. Use a rubber spatula to get all the oil out of the measuring cup. Gently heat hard oils/butters on a stove burner: Be careful not to burn oils. After the hard oils/butter have melted, measure the soft/liquid oils in the plastic measuring cup and pour into the melted hard oils/butters. When both oil phase and lye/water phase have reached their required temperatures (120°F - 130°F), slowly pour the lye/water mixture into the oil mixture gently stirring in small circles.Note: Always add lye/water to oil, not the other way around.Continue to stir this mixture even after you have finished combining the two parts. Use a figure 8 pattern for stirring — being careful to incorporate the sides as well, or you can use a stick blender to acquire a faster trace.
3. Stir the soap mixture until it “traces”. This is a term to describe the consistency or thickness, and the stage where the soap mixture is ready to pour into molds. Tracing is easily recognized. Using a plastic spatula, drizzle a small amount across the top of the soap mixture. If a mark or trail remains for a few seconds before disappearing again, your soap has traced. The mixture should be the consistency of liquid honey or pudding before it’s poured. If your soap takes a little longer than normal, don’t worry — just keep stirring and it will eventually trace. Tracing time for formulas can vary greatly; affected by room temperatures, humidity levels, and the speed of stirring.
4. After the soap traces, you can add your own herbs and/or fragrance/essential oils. Do not use perfume or extracts of any kind as the alcohol content may interfere with the soap making process.
5. After adding any additional ingredients, pour your soap mixture into the mold. Keep out of pets and children’s reach. Let set undisturbed for 24 – 48 hours. Molding tip: Lining your mold with parchment paper or mineral oil can make the soap easier to un-mold.
6. When removing soap from the mold, wear gloves to protect your hands. The soap may be slightly caustic at this stage and can irritate your skin. Gently press the back of the mold. You may find twisting the mold slightly works as well — same technique as removing ice from ice cube trays. If your soap will not release easily, try placing the mold in the freezer for one hour. Freezing causes moisture loss and the soap will contract and pull away from the edges. Use a large knife to cut your soap into desired size bars.
7. After soap has been cut into bars, place them on a piece of parchment paper in a cool, dry, dark place to cure 4 to 6 weeks. This time is necessary for the moisture to evaporate. Using the soap prematurely will lead to a spongy bar that may not lather or last very long.
   Note: Within 1/2 hour of pouring your soap into the mold you should notice it becoming hotter and turning dark in the middle. It can become quite dark and somewhat transparent. Bubbles may also come to the surface. This is a sign that your soap is properly neutralizing. It should stay hot like this for several hours before cooling and becoming light in color again.
   If formulating your own soap recipe, my favorite soap/lye calculator - to help figure your water and lye is – Majestic Mountain Sage

Soap Making 101 - 3

Lesson 3 - supplies that you will need

Scale
Rubber gloves
Apron
Goggles
Rubber spatula
Stainless steel slotted spoon
Plastic cup for measuring lye (sodium hydroxide)
Plastic bowl for measuring water/oils – should hold at least 4 cups
Plastic/glass container for lye water – will hold at least 4 cups
Stick blender (if desired)
Mold to pour your soap (wood, plastic, PVC pipe, cardboard)
Stainless steel pot
Distilled or filtered water
Parchment paper
Mineral oil (if desired)
Base oils
Butters
Lye (sodium hydroxide)
Fragrance/essential oils (if desired)
Soap safe Colors (if desired)
Herbs (if desired)

Soap Making 101 - 2

Lesson 2 - Lye Safety

Because soap making can be dangerous if not handled carefully, a little caution needs to be addressed.

Caution! – Lye Safety

• Soap making is not recommended for children because of the potential danger that lye poses.
  
• Carefully read the warning label on the lye bottle. Lye is also known as caustic soda (sodium hydroxide)
  
• Use only pure lye granules — do not make the mistake of substituting drain cleaner. It contains other ingredients that you would not want in your soap.
  
• Be sure to keep the lid tight on the bottle of lye. Moisture in the air will weaken its strength and cause it to form lumps.
  
• Lye can be fatal if swallowed.
  
• Always wear rubber gloves and protective clothing, such as a long sleeved shirt and shielding eye wear when working with lye. No opened toed shoes.
  
• Be sure to work in a well-ventilated area. Vapors released from the lye when it is first mixed with water are quite noxious, and can greatly irritate the lungs.
  
• Always have a bottle of vinegar close at hand. Vinegar will help neutralize the lye/water mixture if it happens to splatter on your skin.
  
• Lye can remove paint, so be careful not to let it come in contact with any painted surfaces. If lye, lye/water or even freshly made soap splatters on any painted surface, wash the area quickly with water and detergent. Rinse with clear water and wipe dry.
  
• Freshly made soap can burn and irritate the skin, therefore it’s best not to handle soap with bare hands for at least 48 hours. If your skin does come into contact with fresh soap, rinse your skin with vinegar immediately, then rinse with running water.
  
• Do not use any containers made of tin, zinc or aluminum. Lye will react with them.
  Recommended containers for mixing your soap include glass, plastic, stainless steel, enamel, and heat proof stoneware.

Soap Making 101 - 1

Susan’s Soap making 101

Lesson 1 - a little definition

Saponification - Fat and oils are also known as triglycerides. Triglycerides are made of three fatty acids and a glycerol (figure). Strong alkali, like sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or potassium hydroxide (KOH, react with triglycerides to form glycerin and fatty acid salts—soap!

Lunch Counter Waitress sound portrait

Visit Lunch Counter Waitress sound portrait at www.soundportraits.com and listen or read real life stories.


Why is it important to hear the story in the waitress’ own words?• Read the transcript - how is reading the transcript different from listening to the audio?• Re-tell the story in your own words, as if you are writing to an audience that has never heard of the incident before. What details are important to capture?


It is important to hear the story of the Woolworth’s Lunch-Counter Waitress, Geneva Tisdale, (Lunch Counter Waitress sound portrait) in her own words, because she gives meaning and truth to the story. She also brings life to her story, and it always helps to hear a story from the real person.

Reading the transcript does not have the same impact as listening to the audio recording of the Lunch-Counter Waitress as told by Mrs. Tisdale. When reading the transcript vs. listening to the audio you do not hear Mrs. Tisdale’s laugh, and that shows more emotion then just reading the transcript. You can experience a little of what she goes through during the time that is spoken of by listening to the emotion in her voice.

During the civil rights movement in 1960, at a luncheonette at Woolworth’s Greensboro, NC, Geneva Tisdale at 19 years old washed dishes if they needed washed, made sandwiches if that was needed, and did anything her boss told her to do.

At this time, African-Americans were segregated in the use of the same restaurants, bathrooms, and they were not allowed to serve food in a white restaurant.

At the Woolworth’s lunch counter there was not a sign prohibiting African-Americans from eating at the counter, but people just knew that as a silent policy.

On February 1, 1960, four freshmen from the Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina sat down at this counter. Working at the lunch counter that day was Mrs. Tisdale. Mrs. Tisdale thought at first that it was someone making a joke until she realized that they were serious in being served.

The freshmen tried to order a piece of pie and coffee. The white waitresses just kept passing by the young men, and telling them that they could not serve them.

Geneva Tisdale was expecting her third child at the time and her boss sent her home to wait out the sit-ins. As the days ran on more and more African-Americans came to protest, and by the sixth day thousands of people came to protest. The lunch counter shut down for two weeks, and when it reopened it was still segregated.

For five months, the student and Woolworth negotiated. The store finally changed its policy, and allowed African-Americans to be served at their lunch counter.

Mrs. Tisdale and other African-American workers were told to come to work on July 25, 1960 in their uniforms, but to bring a change of clothes. When they arrived at work they were told to go change into their other clothes, and walk around the store with shopping bags. Then they were told to come to the lunch counter and order something fast to eat. If they didn’t order something fast, reporters would show up taking their pictures and Mrs. Tisdale did not want to be in the paper.

So, they ate fast and left. They went upstairs to change back into their work clothes and went back to work. No one knew that they were the first African-American’s to eat at the lunch counter that day.

More then 30 years later, Mrs. Tisdale says that she has not eaten at the lunch counter, but she would have liked to bring her grandchildren there to eat. Unfortunately, she will not get the chance as Woolworth’s lunch counter has closed. The stored closed later.

Mrs. Tisdale worked for the lunch counter at Woolworth for 42 years, and her wage was five dollars and fifty cents. She talks about the civil rights movement and what has not changed. She feels that if a white person had held the same position they would have made more money on the hour then she did.