than that first stage of combining ingredients to create a basic soap. When these individuals talk about making soap, they are often talking about "melt and pour" and "rebatching". With these methods, soap is not made from scratch. You take soap that has already been made and melt it down. You then smooth it out and start decorating it.
Making your own soap is fun and interesting. It allows you to produce soaps of any size, color, shape and fragrance. When you make your own soap, you decide what goes into it. You can add any ingredients that you like, such as medicinal herbs, floral fragrance or moisturizers. The following are popular methods for making soap, and any of these methods uses a few specific ingredients to produce soap that turns out correctly.
Cold Process
This is the most common method of making soap. Cold process soap turns out very hard and lasts a long time. This method involves combining fatty acids and sodium hydroxide, also known as lye. You can obtain the fatty acids from nearly any oil or fat, including some cooking oils and animal fats. When the right proportions of water, sodium hydroxide and fatty acids are mixed, it will go through a process called saponification.
These ingredients are combined at very high temperatures and then allowed to cure for several weeks. This process allows the soap to harden, and it can be cut into bars. Just remember, it is extremely important that you avoid skin contact with lye. For safety purposes, it is essential to use safety equipment such as goggles, gloves, long sleeves and other protective clothing. When the fat and lye are combined, a chemical reaction occurs. This reaction neutralizes the lye so that it is safe to use on the body. When the fat solidifies, it takes on cleaning properties and is able to lift dirt away.
Hot Process
This method of making soap is a more advanced version of the cold process soap making method. This soap making process should definitely not be done by an inexperienced soap maker. It uses fatty acids and lye just like the cold process soap making method, but rather than mixing the ingredients and letting them to cure for several weeks, all the ingredients are mixed and cooked at extremely high temperatures to get rid of the excess water. The soap is allowed to cool off, and then it's ready to be used.
Melt and Pour Soap
This is a very simple way to make soap, and this method is perfect for beginners and children. It requires the use of a pre-made soap, as a soap base. You can use a basic soap with or without fragrances, colors or other additives. The soap base is melted, and ingredients, such as herbs, colors, essential oils, fragrance oil or glitter are added to the base. Once mixed, the next step is to pour the base into soap molds where they are allowed to harden. After the soap has solidified, you can use it.
Rebatching Method
Rebatching is another simple method of making soap. It is like soap modifying. For this method you use old bits of soap or a bar of soap, chop it down and put it in some water on the stove and allow it to liquefy. Once it has liquefied, you can add new ingredients to the soap. You can personalize the scent and other properties by adding ingredients such as herbs, essential oils, colorants, and fragrance oils. Then pour the soap into molds and let it re-harden. Once the soap has solidified, it is ready for use.
Considerations
Making your own soap can be a fun and rewarding experience. Many recipes and techniques for making soap are available, but you need to do some research to decide what type of soap you are interested in making. Beginners like to use a melt and pour method as it is an easy and inexpensive way to make soap. And it does not involve the use of lye, which can be potentially dangerous. Also, this method doesn't take a lot of time to make. When you make soap, you can easily personalize the soap with colors, fragrance and even names and interesting phrases. Add fun things that will make it look pretty. You can add things that everyone in the house would like. Everyone, including the kids, can have their own specially designed soap bar.
Soap dye is available at most craft stores. You can also purchase natural pigments to color your soap. You can add artificial fragrances available at crafts suppliers, spices from your cupboard, or pure essential oils. This is a great way to make your soap both functional and aesthetically appealing. Herbs, minerals, salts, honey, oatmeal, and even essential oils are beneficial for the skin. Sea salts, for example, help exfoliate and ease inflammation.
Chapter 3- What Are the Key Ingredients Needed For Making Soap
Before you begin making soap it is important to decide what process you will use. This will determine the key ingredients. There are three methods of making soap. They are: Cold Process, Hot Process, and Melt and Pour. The first two methods require you to use lye. The last method, Melt and Pour, allows you to melt blocks of pre-made soap and form it in molds.
When most people talk about making soap they are speaking about either Cold Process or Hot Process. Therefore, the majority of this article will address the key ingredients for those two methods. There will be a quick overview of Melt and Pour.
Melt and Pour
Melt and Pour is the simplest way to get into soap making. You do not actually make soap in the technical sense. What you are doing is melting a block of pre-made soap and adding colors and fragrance to it. You do not need to use lye, water, or fat. There are many kits that come with the materials.
The key ingredients for Melt and Pour are:
Melt and Pour Base
This is the block of material that you will melt and then pour into the soap molds. You can melt it in the microwave.
Fragrance
A fragrance is any sort of smell that you want to add. You can use either essential oils or fragrance oils.
Cold Process Soap and Hot Process Soap
These are the methods that are usually associated with soap making. Both of them require you to use three main ingredients: fat, water, and lye. The terms hot and cold simply refer to the methods of mixing the ingredients. In a Hot Process method you mix the ingredients together, and then you put them in a pot in the oven. Most people prefer the Cold Process method.
Lye or Sodium Hydroxide
This is the most crucial ingredient in the soap making process. Without lye there can be no soap. Lye is a very dangerous ingredient and you must handle it with caution. You have to wear gloves and glasses. Lye will burn. You are going to be mixing the lye crystals with the water and that water will become harsh. You never want to touch the water with your bare skin. Always use a plastic or stainless steel container to mix the water and lye crystals.
Lye should always be added to water. You never want to pour water into lye. That can be dangerous. Think of it like adding water to oil. You would never put water into a pot of hot oil because it would cause a fire. Likewise, you want to add the lye flakes into the container of water, not the other way around.
It is also important to be in a well-ventilated space. Lye causes harsh fumes. Some soap makers will use a mask. Others prefer to work in a large workroom that has windows and fresh air.
Water
Some people recommend using only distilled water. This is because it has no minerals or impurities. You don’t have to use distilled water if you can’t find it. Some people even substitute milk for water when they make milk soaps. However, if you do decide to use a different liquid there are separate precautions. For instance, milk usually needs to be brought down to a very cold temperature. It is easier to use water. Also, classic soap recipes all call for water. That is why almost all soap makers use water.
Oil
After the water and