I'm up to something...again...

Seems that my constant urges of creativity and knowledge can not be assuaged much these days...

I'm either thinking of some new creation, researching some new creation, or, in fact, creating some new creation.

These days, my creations all involve Soap. And Alchemy. Or Soap Alchemy.

Formulating a soap recipe, color, scent, and name all feed my need to create. Researching the different oils and how they react in soap slakes my thirst for knowledge. But sometimes, I just need a good hands-on experiment to pull it all together.

And so was birthed...

THE SINGLE OIL SOAP EXPERIMENT.

Let me prepare you with a bit of personal history. You may not see the relevance to soapmaking at first, but hopefully I can tie it all in and entertain you in the process...

I wasn't a brain in high school. As a matter of fact, I was more concerned with boys and being cool than with grades. I never even took chemistry. I failed Algebra (twice). I was not about to ruin my sky-high big hair for physical education (Class of 1991, baby! I contributed to the depletion of the ozone layer with jumbo cans of Aquanet!). It's not that I lacked intelligence - I just didn't put forth the effort. (Did I lack maturity? Yes. Forethought? Yes. The gift of prophesying into the future? Yes.). Luckily, my high school offered a Cosmetology course through a vocational school, and I jumped at the chance. I always loved being creative and doing hair and makeup, so Cosmetology was right up my alley. Besides, it was better to look good than to feel good (wasn't that the motto of the 80's?). Had it not been for Art class and Cosmetology, I would've flunked out of school. If only they had offered classes like Creative Writing, Arts and Crafts, Music, Cosmetology, Folk Lore, History (minus the wars), and the Mysteries of the Metaphysical, I would have been Valedictorian of my class. True Story. 

Immediately out of high school, I got married and had my older son. I was 18 when he was born, so obviously I didn't have a lot of time for soul searching, much less the time to "follow my bliss", so to speak.

Fast forward a few years (and a divorce and second marriage), and I find myself pregnant with my second son. I had been doing hair for about 9 years, was managing a day spa and salon...and I was unfulfilled. 

The cosmetology field is very physically superficial. 

Lets be honest: Looks Count. 

We all know this, but the "Pollyanna" in me wants it to not be so. The need to look cool, and hip, and trendy, and glamorous everyday is a bit much. Who wants to go to a hairstylist that looks like she just rolled out of bed, threw her hair in a ponytail, and ran out of the house? And any mother knows, after many a sleepless night, weight gain, hormonal changes, and the stress and worry of a newborn (and an older son), who's feeling glamorous? I had to have surgery while I was pregnant, resulting in a high risk pregnancy, so I was out of work for quite a while. Fortunately, my husband's income was sufficient that I could leave the salon world and stay home with my kids. 

Being a Stay-At-Home-Mom is a double edged sword:

Edge 1 - Cute babies that benefit from the nurturing that only a mama can provide = happy kids = happy mama.

Edge 2 - Cute babies that need constant nurturing from mama...and mama loses herself in the care of others and forgets how to be herself, or have an adult conversation, and feels guilty that she wants to have adult conversations, and loses her own direction and focus, and just becomes "Mom".

But, as with most of life, it's the struggles that change our path...

THE SPIRITS ARE RUTHLESS WITH THE PATHS THEY CHOOSE.

In 2000, after the birth of my second son, I was really in need of "something". I wasn't sure what that "something" was, but I needed it. During my search for that "something", my sister and I visited a local metaphysical shop. They had sign up sheets for upcoming classes they were offering in the store, one being "Herbal Cosmetology". I had been interested in Aromatherapy and read a few books before this, but Herbal Cosmetology (and the smell of Nag Champa burning on the counter) just seemed to cause my stagnant little heart to flutter. This was exactly what I was in search of.

 The Herbal Cosmetology teacher was a master herbalist with a unique teaching style, and we hit it off immediately. She just happened to also be a soapmaker! She offered me an apprenticeship, and my love for all things herbal bridged the gap between the mundane, superficial physical and the deeper, spiritual connection with the Earth. .

Are you still there?

Tap-tap...Is this thing on?...Tap-tap...

So the point of that "autobiography" was to let you know how I came to soapmaking and how, without the benefit of a chemistry class, I strive to understand the more scientific aspects of soapmaking. And this is where the SINGLE OIL SOAP EXPERIMENT comes in to play.

We soapmakers know that, in order to make soap, we must mix a fatty acid (Vegetable Oil or Animal Fat) with a strong alkali (NaOH - Sodium Hydroxide or KOH - Potassium Hydroxide) to produce a sodium salt, known as soap, through the process of saponification - the base hydrolysis of triglycerides. Basically, we mix an oil with a lye solution, an exothermic process (gelling during saponification) occurs where the alkali and fatty acid meld into one, and we get soap. I'm sure there are way more scientific ways to explain the process, but for most of us, that's the important part. 

We also know that different oils react differently for different reasons. And, we know that some oils seem more prone to rancidity than others, resulting in DOS (Dreaded Orange Spots). Most of us use more than one oil in our soapmaking, either referencing anecdotal evidence or someone else's results, either in book, web, or social forums (Hey fellow SMFers!). And because we use more than one oil, it's hard to troubleshoot issues that may come up due to the multiple variables in our formulas.

I find myself referencing a particular experiment when I'm debating a certain oil. The Zen Soaps Single Oil Soap Swap is pretty revolutionary in my eyes. I had not seen an experiment like this, set out and accomplished by a fellow soapmaker. I was recently directed to The Curious Soapmaker's blog where a similar experiment was undertaken.

These experiments set off my creative faculties like you wouldn't believe (My younger self wouldn't have believed it either, but hey...). So here's the "something" that I'm up to:

I will take 15 commonly used and easily obtained oils (found at most grocery stores), create 15 single oil soaps from them, and document the differences and any conclusions henceforth and forthwith (Those word are fancy, and I wanted to use them. I doubt I used them properly, but this isn't a grammar blog.).

Each soap will be 360 gram batch with a 5% superfat (no additives). I will make them using distilled water in a 30% lye solution, pouring them into individual silicone molds, insulated and hopefully, gelled. I will have 2 soaps from each oil - one will be stored in a cool, dark, dry area with good airflow. The other will be stored in a damp bathroom cabinet. Neither will be wrapped. I will assign them each a number, for blind study purposes, and have at least 3 testers give me their unbiased assessments. I will also lend my "professional opinion" in a separate assessment.

Here is a list of the oils I will be using in my experiment:

AVOCADO
CANOLA
CASTOR
COCONUT
CORN
GRAPESEED
LARD
OLIVE (Refined)
PALM
PEANUT
RICE BRAN
SAFFLOWER
SOYBEAN
SUNFLOWER
TALLOW

Here are the parameters on which each soap will be judged. Assessments will be made on Day 1 after unmolding, Day 7, Day 30, and so on:

pH

COLOR
TEXTURE

ODOR

LATHER

HARDNESS/WATER SOLUBILITY

 I will continue to update you with my findings here on this blog, or on the thread started on the SoapMakingForum.

Do you have any preconceived notions about these oils and how they will react? 

Do you wager on some becoming rancid? 

Do you now truly believe I have lost my mind, or at least what was left of it?

And with that my soapy friends, I leave you with titillated minds...discuss amongst yourselves...