Teach Soap

Hi everyone

Please forgive my ignorance, but guess we all have had to start somewhere and asked some obvious questions!

I have a few people in family that have the need for sensitive, home made soap, and figured I would give CP a go. I've done loads of research into the techniques, watched videos etc, but here in South Africa there is no lye to be found anywhere. I know that another name for it can be caustic soda, and my local hardware store has some. Here is my question. It comes in a flake form, not powder as I have seen in the vids and how-to's. How can I tell if the NaOH content is pure enough to use in my soap, and does the fact that it is flakes make any difference other than easier to pour than powder?

Also, I would love for any other South Africans to pop in and say hello, and where they are from. Any Durbs people around?

Welcome!
If the caustic soda doesn't have any other ingredients, you should be fine. Lye can come in either powder, flakes or granules. If you are looking for recipes, I would suggest Kathy Miller web site http://www.millersoap.com/#Soap Contents
Always run any recipe (including the ones found on the net) through a lye calculator. http://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Lye-Calculator.aspx

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Thanks soapbuddy. I will take a look at the ingredients list and see what it says. I was wondering if there was some kind of theoretical % that shouldnt be crossed WRT concentrations of NaHO.

Will take a look at those links. I may need to find a few nice recipes that use gms and mls, as we use metric measurements in SA and not imperial.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I recognize most of those oils, so sourcing those shouldnt be too much of an issue. It's more the lye/caustic soda purity that worries me. But this weekend I will go hunting. Also, not sure on where I will be able to get fragrances, but the Tinternet is a wonderful place, so can try and source them on there. If I see a need locally, and I find a few local soapers, then I can also try and set up group buys to benefit everyone.

Will check that link out, thanks very much. All this just seems to foreign in the beginning, but I am sure once I have done a few batches of a very simple recipe, then I can look at starting to experiment.

Are there any recipes out there that are easy on toddlers eyes/skin?

All handmade soap will sting eyes, due to its pH. For a toddler with sensitive skin, I would recommend 100% olive oil soap, also known as castille. It won't lather much, but it will clean gently. For recipes take a look at the link I posted above (Kathy Miller's web site). For your first batch I would start small; like 1 lb.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Kathy Miller's website is very informative and a great resource.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

And out of interest, if the purity of the caustic soda is too low, what will happen when you try to make the soap? Will it just not mix with the oils? I bought some today, but there is no purity indicator and no ingredient list, just says Caustic Soda on it. So I can only assume its pure.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

There really is no fine print on the container. I can look again, but I didnt see any mention of additives or purity.

Okay, then my next point, grams vs ounces. How easy is it to convert all the measurements from ounces into grams? I am looking for a nice easy recipe, for a soap that foams well, traces easy, and isnt too difficult.

Hi, I am from Durban, and an absolute newbie like yourself. I bought Caustic Soda from the local hardware store, and as there were no other ingredients listed, I assumed it was safe to use. When I mixed the caustic flakes with the water, there was abso;utely no reaction, so I knew something was wrong. I tried a different brand, and no rection again. I am now awaiting some Caustic Soda from a soap supplier in JHB.