Soap making: Basics
Making soap can be very simple or complicated as you like.
First of all, the beauty of making your own soap is that you can make it with ingredients you choose and perfume you like. Adjustment is not difficult, but it does require some practice. Additionally, most homemade soap recipes must use ounces or grams and the ingredients must be weighed for good results.
Homemade soap in lye
One thing you can’t replace with homemade soap is lye. You should always use 100% sodium hydroxide or lye in crystalline form. Do not replace liquid lye or drain cleaners, such as delano. These may result in inaccurate measurements or the presence of metals in them. You don’t want it either.
Lyces are harsh. It can eat holes in fabric and burn on your skin. Be sure to be extra careful when using lye. If necessary, use gloves and eye protection and mask. When you mix the lye with water, it heats up and smokes for about 30 seconds to a minute.
This may cause a suffocation in your throat. Don’t worry, it’s not permanent and will disappear in a few minutes. Always add lye to water (not water) and start stirring immediately. If the bottom is allowed to clump, it can heat up at once and cause an explosion.
Complete soap without lye
Even if it is harsh and dangerous to cooperate with the lye after reacting with the oil in the soap (through a process called saponification), the lye will not be retained in the finished product.
The alkali reacts with oil and turns the liquid into a soap bar. After correct production, no lye remains in the finished product.[1]
(For more information, read our article: Can you make soap without lye?)
Homemade soap manufacturing equipment
When learning how to make soap, remember to use equipment that will not be used for cooking. While you can clean everything well, it is best not to have a chance.
Stainless steel, tempered glass and enamel are all good choices for mixing bowls. Do not use copper or aluminum, they will react with lye. Some plastic may melt, so don’t use plastic bowls.
For tablespoons, use styrene plastic or organic silicon. For molds, you can get soap molds at your local craft shop or online, or use a silicone baking tray (as such). These are great because you can peel the mold immediately.
Other things you want to have are pint and quart cans, newspapers, a stainless steel thermometer, read between 90° and 200° (found here), an old towel, and any supplement you want to add to the soap.
Also read: How to use cold method to produce bar soap
How to make soap: Additives
Soap changes as much as it does in the rainbow. You can do almost anything. Here are the basics of additives:
Herbs
All herbal materials must be dry. Lavender is very popular and is also chamomile. I love Lemongrass and Oakmos, although not together. Each batch of plant material of this size uses about 1/4 cup of dried plant material. (Full high quality hay here.)
Essential oils
Essential oils come from plants. They come from roots, stems, flowers or seeds. Essential oils can be a mixture of essential oils or can be produced artificially. Make sure you know what you have. Most oils can be used at a rate of 15-20 drops or around teaspoons per batch of this size. (Find 100% pure essential oil here.)
color
Natural color is easy. Use cinnamon or cocoa powder as brown soap, green chlorophyll green, yellow turmeric, yellow beetroot, for orange. However, sometimes things change the color, such as magenta beet powder that turns into a pale yellowish orange. I will avoid eating colors because they don’t hold well in soap. Check out our article, 44 ways to color natural soaps for more ideas.
Other projects
This will include aloe gel, oatmeal, dry milk powder, clay, cornmeal, coffee, salt, and more.
How to make soap for hands and body
Yield 5 3.5 oz
raw material
- Coconut Oil Cup – Produce good foam (buy soap in bulk here for making it here)
- Olive oil ⅔ cup – make hard rod
- Other liquid oil ⅔ cups – such as almond oil, grape seeds, sunflower or safflower oil (found here)
- ¼ cup lye – also known as 100% sodium hydroxide (found here or in a local hardware store)
- ¾ cup cold water – use distillation or purification (find the best water purification system here)
instruct
Step 1
Cover your workspace with newspapers. Wear gloves and other protective wear. Measure the water into a quart can. Prepare the spoon. Measure your lye and make sure you have ¼ cup. Slowly pour the lye into the water and stir. Stir to avoid shrinking when smoke is smog. When the water starts to clear, you can sit down while moving to the next step.
Step 2
In a pint can, add three oils together. They should have only one pint. Heat in the microwave for about one minute, or heat a can of oil in a pan. Check the temperature of the oil – about 120°. Then your lye should drop to about 120°. Wait for cooling between 95° and 105°. This is essential for making soap. Too low, it will blend together quickly, but it will be rough and brittle.
Step 3
When the lye and oil are at the right temperature, pour the oil into the mixing bowl. Slowly add the lye and stir until combined. Stir with your hands for a full 5 minutes. It is very important to contact as much soap as possible with as much soap. After about 5 minutes, you can continue to stir or use an immersion stirrer (as such). The color of the soap mixture will brighten and thicken. When it looks like a vanilla pudding, that’s the “trace” and you’re good to go.
Also read: A guide on how to produce multifunctional liquid soap
Step 4
At this point, add your herbs, essential oils, or other additives. Stir thoroughly to combine. Pour the mixture into the mold and cover with plastic wrap. Place in an old towel and wrap it up. This will keep the residual heat and start the saponification process. Saponification is the process by which the basic ingredients become soap.
Step 5
After 24 hours, check the soap. If it is still warm or soft, sit for another 12-24 hours. When cold and firm, place it on a piece of parchment or grill. If using the bread tray as a mold, cut the bar at this point. Let the soap cure for about 4 weeks. Make sure to refurbish it once a week to expose all sides to the air (not needed if using a grill). For the DIY soap drying rack, I took an old potato chip rack and skateboard fabric fabric (from the fabric shop) through the rungs.
Step 6
Once your soap is completely marinated, wrap it on wax paper or place it in an airtight container. Handmade soaps produce their own glycerin, a moisturizer that pulls moisture out of the air. It should be wrapped to prevent it from attracting moisture to attract dust and debris.
notes
After making the soap, be sure to clean the equipment exposed to lye. You can neutralize the lye with white vinegar and wash the equipment as usual.
For the rest, let it sit for a few days. Why? Because when you first make soap, it’s all fat and lye. You will wash forever and you may burn your hands on the remaining lye. If you wait, it turns into soap and all you need to clean it is soaking in hot water.
rbenefit
