Template:Honor desc
NOTE: Soap making has the potential to cause injury, therefore it must be taught by a competent, experienced instructor. Due to the hazards involved and the manual dexterity required, it is recommended that the honor be limited to teens, TLTs, and adult leaders with a ratio of no more than 4-6 students per instructor. This is a very hands-on intense honor. If you are unable to find a qualified instructor, contact the Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetic Guild or visit them online to find an instructor in your area.
SAFETY REQUIREMENTS: All participants must wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, closed toe shoes, safety glasses, and rubber, latex or nitrile gloves. You may also wear an apron if you wish.
1. Have the Soap Making Honor.
For tips and instruction see Soap Making.
2. Review and list the basic safety equipment needed to make soap.
3. What is a lye calculator? What is the benefit to using it?
4. What is the average percentage of water needed in soap making?
5. What is a water discount and why would you water discount a soap recipe?
6. What is the purpose of adding stearic acid, sodium lactate, salt, or sugar to soap?
7. Demonstrate how to use a lye calculator when making soap. Note unit of measure used, the type of lye used, the oil used, and saponification value of the oil used.
8. Design your own soap recipe using a soap recipe calculator and then make it in a small test batch size of no more than 18 oz. of oil weight, and pour it into a 4” square mold or 6” slab mold. Make notes about the following:
a. At what temperature did you “soap” at?
b. Did you use a water discount? If so, how much of a discount was used?
c. What design techniques did you incorporate into your soap?
d. What did you add to it, such as fragrance, color, additives?
e. How long did your soap stay in the mold before unmolding and cutting?
f. How did your soap turn out?
g. Would you use this recipe again? If not, why? What would you do different?
9. Make soap. Incorporate color and/or fragrance, and design techniques (such as simple swirl, layering, funnel pour, faux funnel pour, slant pour, in the pot swirl, imbeds, zebra swirl, spin swirl, hanger swirl) in two of these processes:
a. Cold process (CP)
b. Hot process (HP)
c. Cold Process Oven Process method
10. Make liquid soap.
11. Test your soap for pH. At what level should your soap be before gifting or sale?
12. Learn and demonstrate how to package soap product for sale or gifting. Including proper labeling.
13. Determine what a product should be priced to:
a. Break even
b. Make a profit
14. Do one of the following:
a. Sell your soap at a flea market, farmers market, or similar venue.
b. Teach the Soap Craft and Soap Craft Advanced honor.
c. Make a video, write a short play, or create something with soap that depicts how soap and/or cleanliness relate to our spiritual life. Present this to your youth/Pathfinder group or at a Conference Camporee.
References
