Mixing Lye With No Fumes! -Soap Making 101 Please subscribe and click the bell! Today, I'm going to show you how you can mix lye inside with no fumes! It's easy! www.unclejonssoap.com unclejonssoap@gmail.com
Amen, brother! The fat I use is almost exclusively lard. I mix my lye and when it's dissolved but still hot, I pour it over room temperature lard, spooned straight from the bucket. The hot lye melts the lard. No jar of lye setting around waiting for me to knock it over.
wow that was fabulous... i am totally new at the soap making .... you really made that look simple to me ! thanks again... from St. John's Newfoundland Canada !
@@rahmaalharrsi1460 If your soap is over heating put a fan on it.. My soap room gets warm in the summer ( No air conditioner) I have to run a fan on my fresh batches of soap to keep them from splitting. Works great, you can also toss it in the fridge if you have more of an issue.
Excellent idea, I have very bad lungs and mix outside then place lid on before coming inside, but your ice/water mix is an excellent tip. Many thanks to you.
What a great idea! I live in an apartment so using ice is a great solution to the problem of not being able to go outside. Thank you! Now I'll use your Castille recipe and process to make my first soap.
I use ice too.kind of figured out on my own by using frozen milk cubes....didnt have lye fumes.i freeze any kind of milk that i use( goat,coconut, oat,etc) so that it doesnt scorch when mixed with the lye....so now I freeze my distilled water in ice cube trays and keep them stored in freezer until ready to use.thank you for the video!
Very cool Jon. Yeah people tend to be dramatic about mixing lye when in reality it's not a big deal at all. I can't remember where exactly but I do remember seeing someone mention using ice for their lye water specifically with low flash point fragrances.
After watching a few dozen videos minimum (many of which were yours) I made my first batch tonight and I learned quite a bit. 1. Mixing lye isn't as crazy or scary as I was led to believe, almost anticlimactic. 2. Even with a stickblender you have to stir a lot longer than I expected. When I added the honey I really expected a very quick trace, like within a minute or two, but it took 15 minutes or so of stirring to reach what was probably a medium trace. 3. It's a lot easier than I thought it would be.
@@unclejonssoap I break out easily. After seeing a dr. Squatch commercial I just sat there and thought "I bet I could do that." I guess tomorrow when I cut the loaf I'll find out if I was right.
Had to stop and comment @0:09 before even watching your video! LOVE the contrast between the "soap" intro and the music! That was awesome! Now to watch the video. :-P Can I mix up goat milk powder into ice trays and use it to replace the water completely with the same measurement for water/ice? (I'm new to soap making and REALLLLLLY want to make some goat's milk soap.)
I do not use distilled water. I happen to have good water. Most people say to use distilled because it's a sure fire way to make sure you are working with good and safe water. But, if you know your water is good then have at it 😁
Could you please let me know what temp. was your lye water after the ice melted? i like the idea, i usually do just milks this way, but ice will speed things up with the water and lye. thanks
You can master batch your lye for sure! I don't know how long it stays good for but you should be good for up to a week I think. I've never gone more than a couple days.
As long as there is a number 5 on the bottom in a triangle your ok. the key name for the plastic is polypropylene. I just bought a bucket from Rite Aid its so cool.
My wife makes homemade goats soap and she freezes the goats milk before mixing it with the lye. Oh and I love your beard. I also have a beard and was talking to some beard company makers about my wife's goat soap and they asked me if "lye" soap and shampoo where safe for use in the beard. That question lead me to your RU-vid channel and this video. I am now a subscriber. So...can you answer the question. Is a traditional goat soap made with lye safe for your beard? I am guessing the answer is yes...because I use it in my beard all the time. But I was hoping for a professionals response. Thank you!
That's awesome! So.. lye soap (goat's milk and regular) is safe for hair and beards. BUT.. it can also be drying to many peoples hair and beard. The catch, for me, is that we wash our hair and beard too often any way quite honestly. So, I normally use a stiff brush or comb in the shower while running the water through and that's fine most days. Then, once or twice a week I use our bar soap and then oil my beard after. Soap, even though we super fat it, is meant to clean.. not condition. So, it strips the natural oils from our skin and hair. It also tends to be a bit basic on the pH scale which can be damaging if used too often. But this is different for everyone. Make sense? And, it's almost impossible to perfectly balance a soap to neutral on the pH scale. Hope that helps some.
@@unclejonssoap makes total sense. I only wash my beard a couple times a week. If I used the goat soap, I ALWAYS follow it up with a conditioner made specifically for beards. I really, really appreciate your quick response!
Hi Jon, Great video! I realize I’m about a yr late but I have a question... I poured my Lye after cooling it down to much and got it to cold. Tried to get my oils down as much as I could but could only get them within 12 degrees of each other. Can the Lye get warmer if it gets to cold or does it continue to get cold? And other than making your soap batter thicker once mixed with the cold Lye water (which I noticed when mixing) what other effects do you know or can you think of if that happens (which I don’t intent on happening again but needing to know for my notes)?
It should be fine. Once blended, the reaction between the oils and the lye will start to make their own heat. If you were within 12 degrees then you're good to go. No other issues should arise.
Jon! a few weeks ago I made my first attemp, just a really simple and basic soap with sunflower oil. My question is, why everybody use olive oil if sunflower oil is cheaper
It's traditional and people tend to give more credence to olive oil as a better oil. In my opinion, it's not really any better for soap than sunflower, canola, etc..
You rock! I am going to use this method because it is hot as hell in Texas right now. When I make a soap video and use this Method. Is it okay with you I will put a card link of your video on mine? Thanks for the awesome tips!
I just decided to today I will try to make my own soap, so I've always wanted thought about it , but never really put forth the effort. So today I'm jumping in research and how to start.... What to buy, not to buy, tools, set up, and etc :) Any suggestions?
I would honestly start cheap. Hey some canola oil, sodium hydroxide, and that's it! Make a small batch of that just to get it done and get a successful batch. Go for about a 8% super fat. You can even hand mix of you don't have the mixer yet. It'll just take a while. Warm the oil to about 100-120 degrees before making and the beach will go a little faster. Let me know if you need any help.
I don't give too many recipes though. Have you played with a recipe calculator yet? That's going to be your best friend. Also, how much do you want to make for your first batch? I would suggest about a pound. You'll need something to use as a mold too. Maybe a cardboard milk carton or something similar
I like the practical way you soap. I wonder if anyone will comment because you didn’t use gloves.🤔🤔🤔😏😏. If you know what your doing( obviously you know exactly what you’re doing) you don’t need gloves. Thank you for another very informative video.
Lol.. yeah. I get the gloves comment all the time. I think they are actually more dangerous than bare hands. As long as I have running water I'm good 😁 Thanks!
i soap with out gloves too, though i always wear safety glasses, lye burns in the eye are dangerous, lye burns to the skin hurt a bit but as long as you wash it off straight away you wont do any lasting damage. i agree with jon, i find gloves so slippery and unless they fit properly, they get in the way
@@unclejonssoap distractions ! i always measure separately, but that's me, we all have our own way... you should still wear gloves though Jon, just sayin
It doesn't really matter most of the time. I guess mine is usually around 150 F. By the way.. make sure you're adding the lye water to the oils and not adding the oils to the lye water.
Uncle John , Can I use KOH for making hard soap bars.Can we use for bathing soap Processed with NaOH ? Heard it is bad for skin.kindly waiting for your reply
Thank you very much for your kind attention . In soapcal there is a place to select NaOH or KOH .When I make hard bars is it ok to get that figure? Nother question is when I mix the salt for lye solution do I need the Increase the amount of KOH? When I should add salt before or after making lye solution ? Thank you 🙌🙌
Do yiu use Distilled water? I read that one should not use Tap water x Did you wear gloves and safety goggles when you started out? How long would you leave your Lye to cool down? A Newbie to your great Vlogs x
I use our tap water. We have good water. If you're unsure, distilled or even bottled spring water are both great choices. No gloves but yes on the safety glasses. Most of the time, I don't care how hot it cool the lye is. I general just like to make sure the solution went clear. This means all the lye dissolved and is ready to use. I'll let it cool more for difficult fragrances though.
Not all fragrances have to have dog. But they can be safe for bath soaps. It really depends on the manufacturer of the fragrance. They should say somewhere if they're safe for soap and the safe usage amount. Without knowing who made it I can't really speak to that particular one.
I mix mine this way, but wear gloves just in case, LYE burns and wear light goggles, we don’t want lye in the eye, otherwise I make mine inside, in the sink and sometimes set it in a bowl of ice to cool it down faster,
I'm curious. I thought you should only use distilled water for soapmaking. The ice from the fridge isn't distilled. Can the soap be affected by that? I'm not a soapmaker, just curious.
It's really a non issue for most people in the US. Tap water and regular ice work very well for soap making. Now, some water should be tested just to make sure the mineral content and bacteria isn't too high.
If you can help me find lye without a ton of BS I'd love that. My town is really weird. I also cannot perfect a scent of Hoppes.... I have to buy it at insane prices from the fragrance conglomerate
Hops is going to be a tough one. I would buy Cascade hops (or whatever is cheapest) and then a few green fragrances to see how close you can get. Honestly, even the good ones that smell EXACTLY like hops won't after a few weeks in most cases. So, you get in the ballpark to give the feel of hops and beer. The lye really depends on where you live as far as local goes. Lowe's has it in most cases as does Ace hardware. Online I would go with essential Depot. What do you consider insane prices? For example.. what does a 16 ounce bottle cost with shipping?
Uncle Jon's could you tell me what brand of lye it is at Lowe’s or Ace Hardware. Cause I can’t find it at either location. And I can’t find it on there websites. The only thing containing to lye is drainer fluid. And that can’t possibly be safe to use in soap. Thank you
@@gracelynnrosesoapsandmore969 lye is drain cleaner...lol. You just need to make sure the ingredients list says 100% sodium hydroxide. As long as that's all that's in it you're good to go.
I've been using ice, and a fan pulling air out of the kitchen in front of where I make soap. Zero issues so far, and I have asthma so my lungs are usually unhappy
Thanks. I just found your channel. I’m new to soaping and love your common sense approach. Even following the rules, I’ve had a couple of failures. I thought the oils and lye solution had to be between 120- 130. I guess I’ll keep watching.
Are you having trouble with a batch? I wouldn't over think it..lol. if you mix your lye with ice to cut down of fumes, you just make sure your solid oils are melted and go for it.
the lye kicks my butt if i stand there stirring it. i just hold my breath and stir. i stop and walk away, take a breath, go back and stir for a few seconds more. no problem.
I used to relax my hair so the smell of lye is very familiar to me. I started making soap 2 months ago. My soaps have that strong smell of hair relaxer. Ugh. 🤢 Does that smell ever go away?
Lye really doesn't have a smell of its own. Just an odorless fine that takes your breath away. So, if there's a smell it's from the added oils or fragrance. But, the smell should get better as it ages. What oils and scent did you use?
Uncle Jon's ... thank you for replying to my comment. My first soap was 100% coconut oil and the lye mix was with coconut milk (no water). I didn’t use any fragrance.
It's the coconut milk that's doing it. I would make some batches with water honestly I'd you're not going to use fragrance or essential oils. But, that amonia smell should go away after a while. Usually a day or two. Milks in soaps can be tricky.
Some people react like they're mixing cyanide gas and freak out as if the entire life forms in the kitchen or wherever are going to instantly drop dead.
So does bottled water, and "spring water"...lol. The trick is to test your water source to see what's actually in it and determine what's going to work for your soap.
