The Soap Opera

The Soap Opera

By Dallas WheatleyScienceArtsLeisureFashion & BeautyNatural Sciences
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The Soap Opera episodes

  • Episode 2: Cold Process 101

    The Soap Opera was created by Sarah Wheatley. If you liked what you heard, please rate and review the show in iTunes, or tell your friends and family about it! Spreading the word makes all the difference.

    If you have any questions about soap, tools, or ingredients, you can contact me on Patreon, on Instagram @shiresuds, or you can email me at [email protected]!

    Many thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the music (Licensed under Creative Commons 4.0). The tracks used in this episode are "Ripples" and "Finding Movement".

    If you want to challenge your soapmaking skills some more, I recommend checking out Humblebee and Me, a wonderful website with tons of science-based soap, skincare, and makeup recipes!

    If you want to purchase any of the soap I made for this show, you can find it at shiresuds.com. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Soap Opera! Happy Sudsing!

    The Recipe

    SOAP CALCULATOR

    http://soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp

    IMPERIAL WEIGHT

    • 7.04 oz Olive oil

    • 7.04 oz Babassu oil / 7.04 oz Coconut oil

    • 21.16 oz Lard

    • 4.82 oz Lye / 4.87 oz if using Coconut oil

    • 10+ oz Water

      • METRIC WEIGHT

      • 200 g Olive oil

      • 200 g Babassu oil / 200 g Coconut oil

      • 600 g Lard

      • 136.46 g Lye / 138.06 g if using Coconut oil

      • 285+ g Water

        • INSTRUCTIONS

        1) Assemble all your tools. Make sure you have plenty of space to work!

        2) Measure out all your ingredients -- use the glass container for the water and the large bowl or pot for the oil.

        3) Add the water to a glass container. Don’t use too much water, or your soap will take much longer to harden!

        4) Gently heat the oils in the microwave or on the stove until they have melted. Don’t let it get too hot!

        5) While wearing the mask and gloves, slowly add the lye into the water, mixing it up while you do so. It will get very hot, so be careful!

        6) When both the oils and the lye have reached room temperature, mix them together.

        7) Using the immersion blender on the lowest speed, gently pulse the blender until the soap has reached “trace” stage. As the soap thickens, increase the speed of the blender. Stop before it gets too thick to pour into molds.

        8) Carefully pour the soap into your mold, using the rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl.

        9) Set the molds to cure in a cool, stable location.

        HOW TO IDENTIFY TRACE STAGE

        “Trace” is the term for when you drag a spatula across a liquid material and it leaves a valley behind. A “thin” trace happens when the valley disappears quickly. A “thick” trace happens when the valley disappears slowly, or not at all. A thin trace can be found in most cream sauces, thicker soups, and products like buttermilk and heavy cream. A thick trace can be found in sour cream and whipped cream.

        This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

        13 min
      • Episode 1: Castile Soap

        The Soap Opera was created by Sarah Wheatley. If you liked what you heard, please rate and review the show in iTunes, or tell your friends and family about it! Spreading the word makes all the difference.

        If you have any questions about soap, tools, or ingredients, you can contact me on Patreon, on Instagram @shiresuds, or you can email me at [email protected]!

        Many thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the music (Licensed under Creative Commons 4.0). The tracks used in this episode are "Ripples" and "Finding Movement".

        If you want to challenge your soapmaking skills some more, I recommend checking out Humblebee and Me, a wonderful website with tons of science-based soap, skincare, and makeup recipes!

        If you want to purchase any of the soap I made for this show, you can find it at shiresuds.com. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Soap Opera! Happy Sudsing!

        The Recipe

        SOAP CALCULATOR

        SoapCalc.net

        IMPERIAL WEIGHT

        • 26.46 oz. Olive oil

        • 3.33 oz Lye

        • 10+ oz Water

        • 1.5 tbsp uniodized salt (optional)

          • METRIC WEIGHT

          • 750 g Olive oil

          • 94.5 g Lye

          • 285+ g Water

          • 1.5 tbsp uniodized salt (optional)

            • INSTRUCTIONS

            1) Assemble all your tools. Make sure you have plenty of space to work!

            2) Measure out all your ingredients -- use the glass container for the water and the large bowl for the oil.

            3) Add the water to a glass container. Don’t use too much water, or your soap will take much longer to harden!

            4) While wearing the mask and gloves, slowly add the lye into the water, mixing it up while you do so. It will get very hot, so be careful! Then add the salt and stir until it dissolves.

            5) Add the lye mixture to the bowl.

            6) Using the immersion blender on the lowest speed, gently pulse the blender until the soap has reached “trace” stage. As the soap thickens, increase the speed of the blender. Stop before it gets too thick to pour into molds.

            7) Carefully pour the soap into your mold, using the rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl.

            8) Set the molds to cure in a cool, stable location.

            HOW TO IDENTIFY TRACE STAGE

            “Trace” is the term for when you drag a spatula across a liquid material and it leaves a valley behind. A “thin” trace happens when the valley disappears quickly. A “thick” trace happens when the valley disappears slowly, or not at all. A thin trace can be found in most cream sauces, thicker soups, and products like buttermilk and heavy cream. A thick trace can be found in sour cream and whipped cream.

            This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

            24 min
          • Episode 0: Tools and Ingredients

            The Soap Opera was created by Sarah Wheatley. If you liked what you heard, please rate and review the show in iTunes, or tell your friends and family about it! Spreading the word makes all the difference.

            If you have any questions about soap, tools, or ingredients, you can contact me on Patreon, on Instagram @shiresuds, or you can email me at [email protected]!

            Many thanks to Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com for the music (Licensed under Creative Commons 4.0). The tracks used in this episode are "Ripples" and "Finding Movement".

            If you want to challenge your soapmaking skills some more, I recommend checking out Humblebee and Me, a wonderful website with tons of science-based soap, skincare, and makeup recipes!

            If you want to purchase any of the soap I made for this show, you can find it at shiresuds.com. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Soap Opera! Happy Sudsing!

            TOOLS

            • Large bowl: grocery or kitchen supply stores

            • Glass measuring cups: Amazon.com, grocery or kitchen supply stores

            • Silicone spatula: Amazon.com, grocery or kitchen supply stores

            • Large pot (not aluminum!) or crock pot: grocery or kitchen supply stores

            • Immersion blender: Amazon.com, grocery or kitchen supply stores

            • Dough whisk (optional) for HP: Amazon.com, grocery or kitchen supply stores

            • Metal whisk (optional) for CP: grocery or kitchen supply stores

            • Loaf soap mold, or thick silicone cupcake molds: Amazon.com or kitchen supply stores

            • Digital scale: Amazon.com or kitchen supply stores

            • Gloves: hardware or grocery stores

            • Nose/mouth mask: hardware stores

            • Lots of paper towels and dishcloths!

              • INGREDIENTS

              • Lye (sodium hydroxide 99%): hardware stores

              • Olive oil: grocery stores

              • Lard: farms or butcher shops

              • Babassu oil: Brambleberry.com

              • Water: your kitchen sink

                • This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

                11 min

              About The Soap Opera

              From the publisher's feed

              The Soap Opera is a wholesome, DIY soapmaking podcast hosted by Dallas Wheatley, the owner of the sensitive skin soap business Shire Suds.