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A Free Hand Soap Recipe.

How to Make Hand Soap out of waste Glycerol

Making BioDiesel results in a byproduct called RAW glycerin or glycerol.
 This Glycerol can easily be recycled into a good quality Bar type Hand Soap using this recipe.

1.          Strain waste Glycerol through an old pair of pantyhose to remove impurities.
    Heating it up slightly may be required to turn it liquid again.
 

2.      Heat RAW Glycerol to 160F in an old stainless steel pot to evaporate out residual methanol.
        Do this out side! Do not use a container made of aluminum.

3.      In another stainless steel pot measure out 1 Qt of water per gallon of Glycerol & heat to 100F.
        (Lye eats aluminum so do not use any aluminum pots or utensils for this)

4.      Slowly add 5.5 oz. of Red Devil Lye (Sodium Hydroxide) per gallon of glycerin to the hot water & mix until
         dissolved. Be careful do not breathee any lye dust and it is best to do this outside.

5.      Pour the lye water mixture into the glycerin & continue to heat the glycerin for another ten minutes while
          mixing. Turn off the heat & mix for another ten minutes at a slow speed. (20 mins. total mix time)

6.      The mixture may foam up slightly and form soap bubbles, that is ok. After mixing is complete, the soap
          can be poured into a container and allowed to cool.

7.      3 gallons of melted soap will make about ninety 2 x 3 x 1 1/2" thick soap bars.
      To do this you will need two 28 qt. Plastic sweater containers (buy them cheap at Wal-Mart).
      Pour the melted soap into the containers to the desired thickness and cover with a piece of cardboard
      or plywood to help hold the heat in, and let set for 24 hrs.

8.      After cooling 24 hr, the (green) soap will be ready to be removed and cut into bars. Use a butter knife or
      a putty knife to slice around the inside edge of the container so you can release the green soap from
      the sides of the plastic containers.

9.      Quickly flip the container upside down over a piece of newspaper or cardboard. You may need to tap
      lightly on the bottom of the container to help it release and drop out. You should now have an evenly
      shaped "slab" of (uncured or green) soap which can be cut into individual bars. Each slab will produce
      about 45 bars of soap measuring 2" X 3" each.

10.  Caution, uncured or green soap can burn your skin so allow the soap to age cure in a dry cool area for
      between 1 to 2 weeks before using. When first cut the (green) soap will appear dark in color, but will
      eventually lighten to a tan color as drying (curing) progresses. The resulting soap is a long lasting bar
      with good cleansing abilities leaving no greasy residues.

11.   This cured soap can be stored in plastic zip lock bags or placed in plastic tubs in layers with waxed paper
      in between each layer or individually wrapped in paper and kept in a cool place until ready for use.

12.   Fragrances or dyes can be added during the mixing process to improve color and scent. Some people use
      freshly squeezed oranges for the citric acid, which helps with cutting grease, and gives the soap a
      citrus aroma. Another idea is to scent it with cinnamon since it is naturally a brownish color.

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Last modified: 07/09/08