I learned about this a while back, I think first from snowdrift farm?? possibly. Maybe Steph @ Playing with Soap?? Anyway, over the summer I asked some ladies at the SOAPMAKERS CORNER about it. After learning a little more from HEIDI at SOAPAHOLICS ANONYMOUS and TRISHA at SUDS TO LOVE, I gave it a go. At first I convinced myself that it wasn't working, something about the soap wasn't right, but it was just my way of refusing to change and experiment. Call it... being a chicken. But once I realized it was a huge time saver and well, yes, it does work and works great, I decided not to go back to the old fashioned way of soaping ever again.
Now with that little explanation, I tried googling this wonderful "heat transfer method" and can't seem to find any tutorials for it, so I thought I'd create one myself. There are very few pictures since it really is quite simple. (NOTE: this tutorial was created with the idea you already know how to make soap the "traditional" way)
STEP 1: Measure out your oils as usual.
STEP 2: Measure the lye, measure water, then pour lye into water (Not water into lye!) and mix as usual.
STEP 3: Pour lye/water mix into pan with oils.
Isn't it lovely, no "matching" temp of oil and lye. Just mix the two together and wala! your on your way to blending, tracing and pouring in the mold. Dang, I use to spend soooooo much time waiting for temps to match so I could mix.
STEP 4: Stir until oils are completely melted and then stick blend. Another soaper disaster tonight. I went for the stick blender and the darn thing didn't work. OMG! I nearly had a panic attack thinking about having to "hand stir" (it almost sounds like a dirty word). Luckily, I remembered we had a back-up stick blender (miracle, my brain worked tonight). So it traced in a microsecond. Gotta luv the stick blender!!
^^^ See the oils melting after pouring the lye/water mix over them. Once I pour the lye/water over the oils I get a partial melt and I recheck the temp and it always falls to about 80 degrees. I immediately plop the pan on the electric burner and heat it up to about 120 degrees and stir until oils melt. Once they are completely melted I remove from heat and stick blend. (electric burner is not ideal since it is harder to control the temp, it is best to do this on a gas burner if you can).
You can add your herbs, fragrance, whatever you want as usual (at trace) and then of course, you know the rest… pour into mold and you are set :)
Thank you Trisha & Heidi!!