Well, That’s What I Use Grain Alcohol For

I decided to follow a recipe I found online and make some clear soap.  The secret to clear soap is using the right oils–soft oils rather than hard oils–limit the amount of water that is used, and cover the nearly completed soap with ethanol.

There are two primary sources for ethanol, rubbing alcohol and grain alcohol. The rubbing alcohol that most people are used to having in their homes is 75% alcohol.  Grain alcohol, Everclear, is 95% alcohol.  That’s right, the alcohol that is not intended for internal use (rubbing alcohol) has less alcohol content then the stuff that is made for you to drink.

Using rubbing alcohol to make clear soap is okay, but you are increasing the amount of water in the batch and that can cause cloudy soap.  I live pretty close to a liquor store, so I decided to go with grain alcohol.  I had to ask the clerk whether they carried Everclear since they didn’t seem to have a "grain alcohol" section in the store.  He pointed to the top shelf (they really do put the expensive alcohol on the top shelf) of the gin section and handed me down a bottle.  He warned me to be careful because it is really flamable.  Remember, this is the stuff that is made for you to drink.

I had already decided to make a regular batch of hot process soap, but while the soap was going through it’s various stages of  "cooking," I decided to follow the clear soap instructions from that point onward.  I was pretty sure that I wasn’t going to get clear soap since I was using hard oils (coconut, palm, shea butter), but I thought "what the heck."

First, I had to try a sip of Everclear.  Now, I don’t drink, so any alcoholic product is going to be strong to my tastes, but Everclear, wow, it’s nothing but alcohol.  It’s like that first bit of Listerine that you accidentally swallow, except the burn goes on and on.  It would definitely be worthwhile trying some Everclear if I get a cold as I am sure that this stuff would burn through any simple headcold.

Anyway, back to the soap.  The batch had reached the point where I would normally scoop it out of the crockpot and into the wood mold (note to self, remember to jot down ideas for new wood soap molds).  Instead, I took the ceramic pot out of the heater and let it sit for about five minutes, which was enough for the soap to begin setting up.  I was making a three pound batch of soap–which means 33 ounces of oil and the rest (15 ozs) as water and lye–and to that I added 9.5 ounces of Everclear.  The instructions weren’t kidding when they warned to do this step quickly, add the alcohol and quickly cover the top of the pot to prevent all the alcohol from boiling off.

I was quite surprised by the result.  9.5 ounces is a lot of anything to add to a 3 pound batch of soap.  I actually told my wife that I think I just messed up the whole batch.  The solids in the soap almost completely melted into the alcohol–sort of like the step in making liquid soap when you add all the water and the soap melts into a liquid–but also began to solidify downward from the surface, like a progressively thickening skin on the top.  Within ten minutes it was solid enough for me to pour into the prepared mold and it slightly looked like the vaseline-looking stage of the hot processes.  It did remain nearly clear for about an hour, but then it gradually turned opaque.  It ended up as an off-white but very smooth looking soap.

Either tonight or tomorrow night I will use the oils in the clear soap recipe to see if I end up with clear soap.  I’ve got lots of plans for soaps involving clear sections, if that is what I end up with.

Ender is out.