Blender Soap
A new technique in hand-crafted soaps was developed by Joyce Chance in April, 1995. Save the following technique until you are comfortable handling lye and familiar with soap reaction (tracing, etc.) I m sure you will see the great chance of accidents so please be careful! Follow all safety guidelines provided with your blender! Yes, your blender! I m going to tell you how to make “Blender Soap!” Here s the procedure:
* Use the recipes as described in Soap Recipes” (one-pound batches only).
* Use liquid fat at room temperature. Heat solid fats only until melted.
* Dissolve the lye in cold water and wait until the mixture turns clear.
1. Put all ingredients into the blender (lye/water, fragrance–everything).
2. Lock the blender in position, *secure the cover* and process at the lowest speed.
3. Stop the blender and check the soap often to watch for a thin-trace stage. When you stop the blender, wait a few seconds before removing the cover. Sometimes the soap “burps” when it stops (as a large amount of trapped air comes to the top).
4. At the thin trace stage, stop the blender. Stir the soap to check for tracing and to allow bubbles to escape. Pour the soap into individual molds. That s all there is to it!
There are many advantages of blender soap. First of all, no thermometers! You re going to experience very short tracing times. Soap that requires a 30-to-45-minute tracing time by the “cold-stir method” can trace in 30 seconds in the blender! (Soap that takes 2 days to trace can trace within 15 to 20 minutes in the blender.) Tracing times are so short that I don t recommend using recipes with “cold-stir” tracing times shorter than 30 minutes. I suggest using the blender method instead of the “oven method” outlined in some of the recipes in “Soap Recipes.” The texture of blender soap is more opaque, smoother-textured and has less problems with separation. The only shortcoming is the process can produce bubbles in the mixture. That s why it s important to pour the soap into individual-bar molds at the thin-trace stage. Stop the blender and stir the soap. The soap should be thin enough so that bubbles can escape the mixture and come to the top of the soap.