January 29, 2012: Not LYEing, I made soap!

If you are planning to make soap, I would suggest some serious studying and planning... but minimal planning and haphazard trial and error is kinda fun too.

To begin, I went to an online soap calculator, gathered some materials from around the house, and made trip to the local Health Food Co-op.

My first soap recipe contained beeswax, coconut oil, shea butter, sweet almond oil, sunflower oil, lye (sodium hydroxide), water, cedar wood essential oil, lavender essential oil and a green pigment. The video below explains how I made it (literally... I had this video on and paused it... played it... paused it... etc.)



The most interesting thing during this process was the extreme heat that the lye solution reached. I know, from teaching science, that a chemical reaction that gives off heat is referred to as "exothermic"- (exo meaning out and thermic meaning heat). So, it was clear that this was an exothermic reaction. However I was not sure why. It seemed to me that the ions Na+ and OH- should just separate from each other in the water and dissolve, creating the lye solution. Well, when I looked up WHY this would give off so much heat... I was surprised to find very little explanation (in layman's terms). I will translate (to the best of my ability).... The Na+ and OH- are clinging together in the solid sodium hydroxide in a certain crystalized shape. When put in water, a little bit of energy is needed to get the solvation process started. This was why it has to be stirred initially. When the ions start to break apart into the water, it is actually the part where the water molecules surround the individual Na+ and OH- ions that releases all of the energy. Hmmm. To visualize this, picture a piñata at a very large birthday party. The kids are like the water molecules and the candy inside the piñata is like the sodium and hydroxide ions. Everything remains relatively chill until the piñata breaks! Then all hell breaks loose and kids pounce on the candy and form clusters around candy piles... yelling, screaming, crying, fighting for candy. That is like the energy that is given off while water molecules surround the ions. Haha... after reading these silly elaborate explanations on all sciencey websites... that is what I get out of it. 
Regardless, it gets freakin' hot! So be careful :) and do not get any on your body!

My soap is still "curing" - as the soap lady says - but here it is :)

January 28, 2012: All of the SUDSon

Soooo.....aaap. When I set out to learn how to make soap, I did not know the adventure I was in for! Let's just say that it is certainly put both my creative and science skills to the test.
As a biology teacher, I spend a good amount of my day (and year) discussing the chemistry of living things. Hmmm... sounds so interesting huh? Well I really do think it is fascinating. Even better now that I can apply it to making natural soap in my kitchen!

Ever notice that cleaning a greasy pan with just plain old water does not work to well? The problem is that water is polar (the molecules act like little magnets - with opposite charges at each end) which causes it to be attracted other things polar but repel things like oils and greases which are non-polar. This is why water and oil "don't mix." If you add some soap though... viola! You can clean your pan (or your greasy hair or body - gross)! Soap acts like a mediator, causing oil and water to "shake hands" and get along - mix. Why can soap do this, you ask? Soap has a polar end (which connects to the water) and a non-polar end (which connects to the grease) creating a link between the two. The process of making soap is fantastic! The website that I used (mostly) to learn is How2Soap. The video below explains the basic ingredients:


So, the ingredient, Lye, is 100% NaOH (sodium hydroxide), which is a very strong base and can cause severe burns. When a base, such as NaOH, combines with an acid, such as HCL (hydrochloric acid) it undergoes a neutralization reaction. (NaOH + HCl --> H2O + NaCl.... OR sodium hydroxide and hydrogen chloride will make water and salt! - aka.. not harmful!)

So, the oils that are used in soap-making, contain molecules called "fatty acids" which are non-polar, and, obviously, acids! So the reaction between the lye and the oils is a neutralization reaction that creates soap and water. During the "curing" process, the water evaporates. The remaining soap molecules contain the fatty acid end (non-polar end that will like the grease!) and the polar end (that likes the water!). The entire process of making soap this way is called "cold process." Viola!

The video below explains the basic chemistry of soap:


So my next step (next day)... is to make soap! Stay tuned!