Soapmaking 101 Trivia Quiz

Answer: True

Lye creates the chemical reaction to saponify the oils and fats in your soap recipe. You have to have lye to make soap! Before lye was commercially produced, it was produced at home from wood or vegetation ash.

Answer: Castile

Castile soap's history goes back at least as far as the 16th century. It is a very mild soap, and very gentle, but somewhat soft.

Answer: Sprinkle the lye into the container of liquid

You must always sprinkle the lye into the container of liquid. Any other way of mixing the lye with the liquid will more likely result in a foaming up of the lye which could cause severe burns. An easy way to remember which way to do it is to think "snow falling on water".

Answer: It could still have pockets of lye in it and cause burns

In Cold Process soapmaking the soap must always be cured for as long as your recipe states. It is still undergoing the saponification process, and it will be too soft to use unless you allow it to cure (generally 1 week - 4 weeks, depending upon your oils and fats).

Answer: Karite

The African Karite or Shea Nut is what shea butter is made from. It is pressed from this nut and has wonderful skin loving properties. Refined Shea Butter is a creamy white-white, but unrefined is generally an off-white, or slightly grey or yellowish.

Answer: True

Coconut 0il 76 melts at 76 deg. F or 24.5 deg C. For this reason it has a long shelf life as long as it is stored at cooler than these temperatures. It can be heated down to liquid and allowed to harden again, with no ill effects.

Answer: All of these

You need them all. The safety glasses are to keep caustic soap or lye from splashing into your eyes. The rubber gloves will keep your hands from being burned by caustic soap or lye, and the vinegar neutralizes the caustic. In case you do splash some lye or still caustic soap on yourself you can spray your skin with the vinegar. Also, you will need it to clean up any bits of lye which may fall on your countertop. You don't want to wipe it up with a damp cloth!

Answer: Emu Oil

Because Emu Oil comes from a fatty portion on the back of the emu, your vegan or vegetarian friend will not want to use it. Emu oil is a wonderful by-product of the emu that has been slaughtered for meat, but your vegan and vegetarian friend will not want a soap made with animal by-products.

Answer: True

Aluminum blackens. Soap must be made in a stainless steel pot or crockery.

Answer: refrigerator soap

Using a refrigerator to make soap won't work because you need heat to make soap. Even blender soap introduces heat to your oils and fats from the blending process of the blades.