Beeswax Soap Recipe wanted

[Pooh Bear]

I'd like to make Beeswax Soap - and have had a little look online for recipes. I'm getting confused... can anyone recommend a good recipe/youtube demonstration (preferably not using American measurements/ingredients). Also, I don't know where to go about getting lye but it seems necessary.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Also, I don't know where to go about getting lye but it seems necessary.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_f...0.l1313&_nkw=(NaOH,&_sacat=See-All-Categories


http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_f...m570.l1313&_nkw=koh&_sacat=See-All-Categories

 

[Frisbee]

You can in theory make soap out of beeswax, but it isn't a very good soap and you need to use a small proportion of beeswax instead and make the rest up with some other form of fat. I made a beeswax and honey soap, but couldn't really notice any difference between it and an ordinary soap I made.

Below is a link to saponification charts, which gives the formula for how much lye to fat you need to make soap.

You can buy caustic soda from Wilko's

http://www.certified-lye.com/lye-soap.html

Frisbee

 

[dpearce4]

you can also buy caustic soda from B&Q

 

[Pooh Bear]

Thank you... I'm still quite daunted by the process - and the potential to spend a week creating causticy corrosive bars that don't lather... mmm

 

[VEG]

well it will either clean your skin or take it off

 

[biglongdarren]

Veet in a bar!

 

[Frisbee]

Thank you... I'm still quite daunted by the process - and the potential to spend a week creating causticy corrosive bars that don't lather... mmm

It does lather.....but not like modern cleansing bars which are all lather to look the part!

You know you have to leave it for a month to cure don't you? I have a wooden plank with a folded sheet over, place the bars on the sheet and fold over so they are covered, but not tight....if you see what I mean, they need air to get to them but not so open as to collect dust

I only make a very basic soap........animal fat and caustic. I rather like it and may even be decadent enough to add some essential oil next time for a bit of perfume.

Frisbee

 

[Pooh Bear]

Thank you Frisbee. Your soap looks great and I'm encouraged to give it a go.
Craig & Darren thanks for your suggestions but
A. I'm not a masochist
and
B. I don't want to get sued. ;-)

 

[Frisbee]

I made my first lot and used ice cream containers as moulds, probably spreading the mix so it was about 1.5" thick, if it's set enough it will turn out the next day and can be cut into bars at that stage, if you need to do something like that don't leave the cutting, as when it's cured the soap is quite hard.

The proper moulds came from a well known bee keeping supply place

My first lot was made from fairly rancid lamb fat which had been kicking around for a while, I did it as an experiment expecting to chuck it out, but it made very good soap. The smell of the rancid fat goes with the curing and it smells of.....erm soap! ha. You know those unperfumed freebies you get in hotels....well that's what soap smells like.

Frisbee

 

[Easy Beesy]

Checkout Dr Sara Robb's honey potions and her new book too, the name escapes me for the moment.

Eb

 

[segbug]

nice looking soap...me thinks ill give it a go too...

 

[Foxylad]

http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/soap-recipe-sweet-citrus-honey.html

 

[teapot]

Cold pressed soap

There was an article in the BBKA Journal (British Bee keepers Association) Sept 2012, on making cold pressed soap from beeswax. All members receive the journal free and they are so useful that few throw them away, so if you know anybody who is a member of a local BKA they are automatically members of BBKA, and will probably have one.