Ma

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By Su

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Make soap with me

Photographs and Writtings

By Suzanne Pepin

Book design by Suzanne Pepin

April 2010

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All photography copyright

©2010 by Suzanne Pepin

All rights reserved

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This book is dedicated to

Anastassia & Marie-Eve

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Introduction

Technical details

All photographies were taken in my home in Mexico with my Canon Rebel T1i EOS 500D, using EF-

S18-55mm, F/3.5-5.6IS lens.

Post processing was done with Picassa3 and Adobe Photoshop Elements7

Microsoft Word document was used to put the book together with text writtened and edited

Fonts used : Lucida Handwritting and Century Gothics

Book format : 7’’ by 9’’, landscape

Image size was done with Adobe Photoshop Elements7 at 1920 pixels (6’’), 300 resolution and JPEG

option 7 medium

Enhance : autosmart fix, autolevels and auto contrast

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Use this site to calculate your lye, before you

start your recipe

http://www.thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php

Don’t be intimated by the page and the site.

Indicate the amount of fat and the kind of fat

used and proceed to the next page to calculate

your amount of lye and liquid. I used for this

recipe : water. The % of excess fat used here

for the lye : 5% or 2.31oz of lye. I use a recipe

for a 20oz of a container.

This recipe is using Patchouli and Lemon as

essential oil. I used beef tallow (beef fat) but

you could use vegetal fat for your first soap.

Experience will make you better.

‘Hot process soap in the oven’ was used for this

book. They are many processes out there to

use : Cold process soap, Top of the stove

process, Crockpot process, Overnight process…

etc… Do some search on this to determine

which one you prefer.

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Fats used in this recipe :Corn

oil, coconut oil and beef fat.

Over the years, I found out

that a good soap made of

80% of hard fat is a

wonderful soap for my skin.

The addition of coconut oil is

just a ‘nice to have’

ingredient. It is very

expensive here in Mexico, the

same applies for olive oil… so

I don’t use it too often in

making soap. In the USA and

Canada, I get coconut oil at

WalMart in the baking

department, for very cheap.

Oh well…

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Lye : Roebic from Loew in

USA, Sodium Hydroxide from

Montreal (purple container)

and Lye from Certified-Lye

.com (links at the end of this

book).

One day, I will make my own

lye, like our ancestors and

parents were making.

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Example of cheap

containers : those sold for

1.99$ at WalMart… For a

start, I was using my Pyrex

containers for making soaps.

I love to get not perfect

pieces of cut up soap!

For this book, I used a 20oz

container that was made for

me, in wood. It had to be

lined before using.

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Get all your ingredients and

stuffs ready and handy

before you start. Making

soap might take you by

surprise on how fast it will

set before your eyes!

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Fats used in this recipe :Corn

oil, coconut oil and beef fat

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Mix the lye with the water,

wearing gloves and long

sleeves (I do this outside).

Powder into the water. Keep

vinegar aside in case of

splashing on your skin. Just

rub some vinegar on your

skin if this happen. Wear

safety glasses or sunglass

while doing this process.

Once the lye is all melt, it will

be very hot, drop it in the oil

and grease in the pot. The

mix will melt right before

your eyes.

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I usually put my pot in the

sink. Use your hand stick to

mix it all until no lumps.

Wear your safety gears.

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Mix just enough until a very

light thickness has started.

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Put the lid on and put the pot

in the oven at 185F to 200F,

with the timer for 15

minutes. After 15 minutes,

remove the lid and give it a

good stir. Do this for every

15 minutes for a total of

about one hour. The time

will depend on your oven, the

condition of your ingredient

or just the mood of the

universe that day!

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The mica I used for this

particular recipe (mica is

grounded rocks, basic

ingredients for make-up, safe

for the human skin)

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After cooking for 30 minutes.

It is getting thicker and you

will see the start of a ‘gel’

looking on the side of the

pot. Mix well.

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Take a small spoon and

remove some of the mix from

the pot. Use your finger (not

much, it is hot) and do the

tongue test : put some on

your finger and taste it on

the tip of your tongue. If you

get a feeling pitching, the

soap is not done yet. Put it

back in the oven for another

15 minutes. The tongue test

will tell if the Lye inside the

‘soap to be’ has died. It is an

important step if you want

your soap not to burn your

skin when using.

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Once the soap is done, work

fast here. Drop the essential

oil of your choice, mixing very

fast and going by your nose

to measure the amount of

drops. Mix in the color if

using. And drop everything

in your already mold. Here in

the picture, because I had to

take picture, the soap is

already setting fast…

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Use a spoon to even the top if

wanted. I just left mine as is

The soap is done. Let it cool

completely, usually 4 to 5

hours before cutting it.

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Picture showing washing the

pot, using the left over of the

soap made 10 minutes

earlier. We already have

soap!

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Picture of the unmolded

soap, about 4 hours later.

Cut it in desired pieces and

let each piece dry by its own.

This method used will give

you the gift to use the soap

the day after!

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Raw cut of the soap. This

small recipe of 20 oz gave me

4 big beautiful purple soap

bars. I could leave them like

this or trim them with a knife

or a mandolin.

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I am presenting to you ‘Ice

Land’

The soap the day after, all

trimmed and ready to use.

Of course, it is like wine, the

more we let it dry, the more

‘bouquet’ it will get. Up to

you now.

Look on the internet, read

about making soap and get

ideas. Try to develop your

own style. It will show your

passion of your personal soap

made by yourself. There is no

limitation to creation and

once you have experience

your own soap, you will

NEVER buy soap in store

again… ever…

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Links

How to line a wood mold container : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPm_-H2Yg_Q

Instruction on line on how to do Hot Process Soap in the oven : http://labelleaurore.wordpress.com/2008/11/06/hot-process-

soap-in-the-oven-almost-a-cold-process-oven-process-method/

This is where I have spend most of my last 4 years, always learning how to make soap at home, from this site :

http://www.teachsoap.com/ohp.html

Distributor of Lye (Sodium Hydroxide), in Montreal, Quebec, Canada : http://sani-terre.ca/P/accueil.htm

To get lye (Sodium Hydroxide) in Hypoluxo, Florida : http://www.lowes.com/

To get lye by mail (very expensive but they will ship) : http://www.certified-lye.com/

This site is where I get my mica color for the soap : http://www.tkbtrading.com/category.php?category_id=8

The site to calculate your ingredients before you start making your soap: http://www.thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php

My plastic mold, making 9 good size soaps : http://www.kelseiscreations.com/page3.html

Fragrance oil : http://www.peakcandle.com/category/Fragrance-Oils.aspx, http://www.thesoapgoat.com/nfragranceoilsb.html

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Happy reading :

http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/index.html

http://www.soapguild.org/

http://www.lovenaonline.com/soapmaking/OHPswirl1.html

http://www.soapnest.com/

http://millersoap.com/soapingred.html

http://www.craftserver.com/forums/index.php

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About the Author

I am Suzanne Pepin and live in Mexico. My passion for photography started in 2004

while backpacking in Italy and Greece, with my little Olympus camera. I was

amazed of the end result of those pictures taken. I then realize that I had an eye for

seeing different objects that others would not notice.

In 2008, I received as a gift my Canon Rebel T1i and have been in love ever since

with this wonderful ‘Rebel’ that have a mind of its own.

‘…My friends I'll say it clear. I've

lived a life that's full. I traveled each

and every country

I've loved, I've laughed and cried.

I've had my fill of moments. And

now may I say it in my shy way.

In this way, enjoy my Friends…’

http://labelleaurore.wordpress.com/

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