Coconut Soap for Cleaning
Recipes for Homemade Coconut Soap
Do you want to make your own homemade soap? There are many recipes out there, but the base of the whole project is mostly the same, so we will focus on a single project so we can cover it, allowing you to understand how things are made. You can use the newly made soap for many types of cleaning, such as kitchen cleaning, oven cleaning, washing dishes and of course hands and so on if you feel you need to, the choice is yours. From then on you can experiment on your own or find other recipes, but it all starts with the following ingredients:
- 33 oz of coconut oil
- 83 oz of lye
- 54 oz of water
Three simple ingredients are all it takes to create soap, but you will need the following equipment to make it happen:
- A crock pot
- Stick blender
- Thermometer
- A digital scale
- Glass measuring cups
- Glass bowls
- A long-handled plastic or wooden spoon
- Rubber spatula
- A sink or a bowl filled with a mix of vinegar and water to wash lye away from objects or yourself
- Rubber gloves, long-sleeved shirt and even protective glasses
- A soap mold
- Parchment paper
Weigh your ingredients after you have them and set the crock pot to its low setting. Once that is done you need to add water to a glass or a ceramic bowl and take it outside with your lye and spoon. Make sure you do so outside to avoid the vapors of the process, and then slowly add the lye to the water while you mix it. Keep in mind it will get hot, so once it turns clear you can bring it inside. Let it cool off before you move on to the next step.
Place the coconut oil in a saucepan and heat it up to about 120°F and move on with the rest of the work, just make sure you have the thermometer away from the bottom of the pot. You can then put the coconut oil in your crock pot and on the low setting. Once that is done you can add the lye to it and stir it a few times carefully so it won’t splash outside.
Use a stick blender to mix it until it has the consistency and texture of pudding, which would be a sign you need to move on with the next step by covering it and letting it cook on the low setting. The oils will rise on the sides and then once again fold into the mix as it works, but it will take a varying amount of time, so make sure you check on it as you go.
The soap will be ready once it turns relatively translucent with no puddles of oil in its middle. You can use a pH test strip and wait for a few minutes to see whether it changes color. The pH needs to be around 7-10 with anything higher than that indicating it’s not done yet. You can also test it between your fingers to see whether it feels waxy – if it does then this means you’re good to go. Always make sure all lye has been converted or your brand new soap may end up burning you, so this is no joking matter.
Pour the mixture into your mold and let it cool, speeding things up in the fridge if you feel you need to. You would do well to cut the bar as soon as it is cool and firm, otherwise it will harden too much to be able to do so safely. You need to also let them dry and harden for at least two weeks if you want them to be in perfect condition for when you need them.
Read more tips and tricks at: Pimlico clean and Care tips for Carpet
