It is best to start with a homemade bar of soap to hand mill. Store bought bars are less likely to have much glycerin left in them, and may have additives or ingredients that you do not want. Hand milling soap makes soap bars harder and causes them to last longer. Additives (such as colloidal oatmeal) are best added during the milling process.
What is Glycerin Soap?
Glycerin develops during saponification. It is a natural ingredient in soap. During the cold soapmaking process, glycerin remains in the soap, and glycerin is a good and gentle skin cleanser and conditioner.
In the factory soap making process, a heat method is used that separates the glycerin from the soap. This gives factory soap makers the opportunity to sell two products: soap bars and glycerin.
Soap made at home with the cold process method (such as in the link above) maintain all of their natural glycerin.
Soap Molds
Various items serve well as hand milled soap molds. The rules to remember are:
- soap molds must be able to withstand high temperatures
- the outer edge of the mold must be wider than the bottom to facilitate soap extraction
- flexible molds are easier from which to extract soap
- breakable molds such as china are acceptable but must be handled with greater care
Plastic food containers and microwavable containers already in the kitchen make good soap molds, as do washed anchovy and sardine cans.
Kitchen and baking supply stores have lovely and interesting pans for making fancy shaped cookies; these work well as soap molds. So do rammikins and tartlet cups.
Craft stores with a candy making section have interesting molds into which you can pour soap.
Candle molds double as soap molds (plug up the wick hole with clay or wax, if necessary.) Some candle suppliers also sell molds specifically for soap.
Materials Needed to Hand Mill Soap
- Finished basic soap
- Grater
- Small pot to melt soap in
- Water
- Soap molds
- Kitchen Scale
- Candy thermometer
- Plastic Bowl
- Wooden spoons and plastic spatulas
- Ladle
- Sharp knife
- Butcher paper or needlepoint screen
- Any additives desired
Additives
Possibilities for additives to hand-milled soap seem endless. Spices, herbs, and grains such as oatmeal are popular options. Emollients for skin softening are usually added by soapmakers during the milling process.
Some people choose to add a few drops of essential oils for scent, or a few drops of food coloring. These are, of course, optional.
General Directions for How to Make Hand Milled Soap
The rule of thumb for hand milled soapmaking is for every 12 ounces of soap, use 9 ounces of water. For 16 ounces of soap, use 12 ounces of water. And so on.
- Set bowl on kitchen scale and set to 0.
- Grate bar of finished basic soap.
- Measure 12 ounces of soap into bowl.
- Place grated soap in small pot.
- Measure 9 ounces water on in bowl on kitchen scale.
- Pour over soap in pot.
- Turn heat low to medium to melt soap. Only stir a little bit or you will have too many suds. Melt soap gently and add a little more water if soap sticks to bottom of pot.
- When the soap is liquified, remove from heat.
- When the temperature of the soap is 150 to 160 degrees F., gently stir in any additives, if you are using them.
- Ladle or pour the soap into molds. Remember that hot soap shrinks when it cools, so it is fine to let the soap cool a little before pouring into molds.
- Tap each filled mold firmly to get rid of air bubbles.
- After the surface of the soaps have skimmed over, put them in the freezer.
- Wait two hours and remove from freezer (freezing is optional but a great time saver).
- Remove soaps from molds carefully by tapping, squeezing, or running hot water over the back of the mold.
- Freshly milled bars of soap are soft, so handle them gently. Place bars on butcher paper or needlepoint screen, and allow to air dry for a week.
Hand milled soaps make wonderful, personalized gifts. Keep them and take a nice, hot bath, and wrap some with raffia to give to friends and neighbors. Everybody loves good soap!
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