How Do You Equalize The Temperatures Of Lye And Oils In Soap Making?
When making soap, equalizing the temperature of the sodium hydroxide, or lye, and water to match the temperature of the oils is an important step. You must be very careful when working with lye. Matching the temperatures is a safety measure. Mix the sodium hydroxide into cold water. The temperature of the water and lye mixture will rise rapidly. Set aside while you heat and mix your oils. Heat all the oils that are solid at room temperature. Add the oils that are liquids and mix thoroughly. Set aside to cool. Monitor the temperature of the lye mixture and the oil mixture carefully. Take the temperature with the bulb of a thermometer fully immersed. Keep it away from the bottom of the container to get an accurate reading. Change the temperature of either mixture by using water baths. You want both mixtures to be around 110 degrees F. You can use a cold water bath with ice to lower the temperature and a warm water bath to raise the temperature. Combine the lye mixture and the oil mixture
