How To Make Soap

I decided to make this lens on how to make soap, because is an activity that I enjoy since many years.

I started as an hobby, and now I even sell some of my soap bars in the net.

Anyway it's not my main job, what I love the most is about making my own soap at home is the great feeling I having when I am using something I did by myself.

The easiest way to make your soap at home is to use glycerin melt & pour soap. It's a fun way.

You need to melt the glycerin base on a double boiler or in your microwave. Then add your favourite scents, colors, herbs, toys on it.

If you don't have a double boiler, you can improvise one with a large saucepan and a bowl. Fill the larger saucepan is partially with water brought to a simmer or boil. The inner saucepan uses this indirect heat to melt the glycerin.

Glycerin is so clear that anything you will put inside it will show perfectly, kids love to have a little toy inside their soap. A small plastic duck will be perfect for example. If you want to put something very light like a flower, you should first pour some soap in the mold, wait till is almost hard then place the flower and then fill up the mold with soap.

When you buy the glycerin for your soap, remember that there is a lot of difference between suppliers. You want a glycerin melt and pour soap base that does not set up really fast. You want to be able to work with your soap for a minute before it sets up.

Make also sure it does not have a terrible smell, it's kind of hard to cover it up.

Is very important that the soap base you buy not made of chemicals, you want real soap, not a bunch of chemicals.

Once you have poured the hot liquid soap in the molds, you just need to wait for the soap to cool down. If you like the idea you could also insert a rope in the soap, in this way you will be able to place it around the faucet with no risk of dropping it.

Here is how a double boiler looks like:




And here we have an "made it yourself" double boiler : )




This Is A Soap With A Rope:



This Is A Soap With A Rope And A Duck!

The glycerin melt & pour soap is not the only way to make your own soap.
It's just the easiest way to do it. And you do not even need anybody showing how to, just reading this article will be enough for you.

You can use also the cold process to make to soap.

This process involves mixing a lye solution - sodium hydroxide and water - with fats or oils to produce a substance which is then blended and poured into a soap mold.

Soap makers learn how to make soap by allowing the mixture to thicken to the correct consistency, know as tracing.

The saponification process in soap making means that the lye reacts with the fat and oil to produce glycerin, which gives the soap its mildness and skin softening properties.

I have founded a Video Guide is very useful and I used it a lot!

Equipment you need:
An accurate scale , it needs to weight down to 1/10th of an ounce
A stainless steel pot or enamel painted pot
A plastic or stainless steel spoon
2 Rubber Maid Plastic Pitchers, at least one needs the lid.
(make sure you write "LYE & Dangerous" all over the pitchers)
Rubber gloves
Goggles to protect your eyes
A heavy Apron
A thermometer which reads as low as 90 degrees and higher than 200.
A stick Blender (used for making milk shakes in a glass)
A corrugated box, approximately 8"x8"x9"
A small size plastic trash can liner.
OR instead of a the box method, enough SoapCrafters.com Molds to hold Seven Pounds of soap

Supplies you will need :
(All ingredients are weighed, even the water)
11.2 ounces of lye. (I use Red Devil brand, you can get this in the drain opener section of your supermarket)
32 ounces of water
1 Pound of Olive Oil (any type will do, the cheaper the better)
3 Pounds of Lard
1 Pound of Coconut Oil (76 degree)
1.4 ounces of Soap Crafters Fragrance

I will tell you one more time, sorry if I bother your this much, but I really don't want anyone to waste his time and money and then realize is too hard, if you relly want to use this method [that is just a great one to do perfect soap] consider downloading this Video Guide firs. It will save you time and money.

The hot process method involves heating up the mixture to burn off the excess liquid. Most soap makers will learn how to make soap using the cold process first, as the hot process is a bit more difficult to master.

An experienced soap master know how to make the soap mixture reach the full saponification stage by examining the thickness of the substance, or even by tasting the blended soap! This method of soap making takes longer to produce, but the soft mixture is then put into molds and can be used almost immediately.

I hope my lens will help you in getting started with soap making.
It's fun and a great hobby, plus you will save some money and even make some if you like : )

Have a nice day!

Get Your Video Guide Here
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Buy Your Soap Here