How to make soap

Homemade soap making is another "hanmade" hobby that has become so popular in recent years. This is not surprising, because now everything natural is in fashion, including organic cosmetics, which do not contain substances harmful to the skin. But making handmade soap can become not only a useful hobby, but also a way to create a unique souvenir product for yourself and your loved ones.

How to make soap at home

Making homemade soap from scratch is not easy, because in this case you will have to deal with lye and you will need to follow the instructions carefully, while observing the safety measures. But if you still decide on this, then make absolutely natural product free of the thickeners, preservatives and foaming agents found in everyone's favorite soap base.

There are two ways to make soap from scratch - cold and hot. The cold method is good for soap with swirls (blurred swirls and patterns) and does not involve heating the components, but in either case, the alkali reacts with fatty acids and water.

What you need to cold brew soap from scratch:

• kitchen scales;
• dishes made of wood, glass or enamel;
• measuring beaker for determining the amount of oils;
• large container, such as a saucepan;
• stirring stick;
• thermometer;
• mixer;
• means for measuring an alkaline solution;
• soap molds - you can choose a regular food container or homemade wooden molds;
• sodium hydroxide (alkali) for solid soap and potassium hydroxide for liquid substances;
• vegetable or animal fats - it is better to purchase vegetable oils;
• solid butter butters;
• liquid - water, herbal decoction, etc .;
• essential oils;
• aromatic fragrances.

Then follow this scheme:

Using a soap calculator (available on the Internet), compose a soap recipe that will determine the weight of all components.

Melt the hard butter-butters and waxes in a water bath, after cutting into pieces. Weigh vegetable and solid oils and place in separate containers.

Put on your protective equipment. Weigh the sodium hydroxide and dissolve a little in any liquid while stirring with a glass rod. Attention! Alkali should be put into water, and not vice versa, otherwise the container may burst or explode from overheating.

After that, measure the temperature of each of the compositions, it should be approximately the same and pour the alkali into the oils.

Whisk the mixture with a hand blender or mixer until thickened.

Pour the soap into molds, after adding dyes, fragrances or essential oils, wrap the container in a thick towel and put it in a dark place for several hours.

Then cut the resulting soap into pieces and leave it to “ripen” in a well-ventilated area.

For multi-colored soaps, one or more dyes are added to the base, due to which unusual swirls are obtained - swirls.

Sodium hydroxide is a hazardous and corrosive chemical that, upon contact, can cause severe skin burn, therefore, be sure to observe the precautions when working with alkali.

1. Store lye out of reach of children and animals and close the lid tightly.
2. Wear protective goggles and a work gown when preparing soap. Contact with the eyes of crystals of a substance or its corrosive vapors in high concentration leads to sad consequences, up to blindness.
3. Use rubber gloves until all work is completed.
4. If lye gets on your skin, wash it off immediately with water.
5. All traces of sodium hydroxide must be carefully removed. It is desirable that the process take place away from food.

What is homemade soap made of?

Making soap from scratch for beginners is often overwhelming. And not all experienced soap boilers are ready to experiment with alkali. Still, the most popular base is considered:

• Baby soap without a pronounced fragrance is ideal for the first experience. It is cheap, it already contains all the necessary components - lanolin, glycerin, nourishing oils.
• The soap base is very convenient to use, even children can handle it. It has a different composition and manufacturers. Available in two types - white and transparent. The most famous are domestic (from 200 rubles per 1 kg) and English bases (from 400 rubles per 1 kg). Cut into pieces, melt in a water bath or in a microwave oven.

Main Ingredients:

1. Base oils are natural vegetable fats that impart beneficial properties to the finished product. For example, castor oil is great for softening and nourishing. Grape seed oil works well on oily skin, and olive oil restores the upper layer of the epidermis and heals wounds.
2. Essential oils serve as natural flavors. Before using this component, it is necessary to study its therapeutic effect, as well as make a test for allergic reactions.
3. Food flavors and cosmetic fragrances give the product a pleasant scent.
4. Coloring pigments or food dyes (tend to migrate, that is, color adjacent layers).

Additional ingredients:

• sequins and mother-of-pearl;
• natural fillers - ground coffee beans, honey, milk, clay, etc .;
• herbs and dried flowers for decoration;
• water-soluble paper with various pictures.

And also you will need forms - special, for making soap there are plastic and silicone. In the absence of them, it is quite possible to use baking dishes, ice, or even ordinary jars and containers.

Homemade soap recipes

Regardless of the specifics of the recipe, prepare your workplace and tools in advance:

• a large pot for melting in a water bath or microwave;
• a grater if you are making from baby soap;
• kitchen scales to accurately measure the amount of the base;
• measuring cups;
• spoons, wooden sticks;
• pipettes for filling small parts;
• knife and napkins to remove sagging;
• molds for soap, baking or ice.

Scrub soap from "Children's" - a simple master class

We take 4 bars of soap without a strong aroma and rub with a fine grater.

Anything in the house can be used as molds - containers, plastic cups, bakeware and sand games. It is better to pre-lubricate them with oil.

Pour one tablespoon of base oil (sunflower, olive, peach, etc.) into a saucepan, put on fire and gradually add soap shavings. The process can take from 10 to 30 minutes.

After dissolving the soap base, we introduce all kinds of components - dyes, aromatic oils, cosmetic fragrances and dried flowers. In this case, we have a coffee-cinnamon soap with beans. The base can be laid out in several layers, after sprinkling with alcohol. After hardening, the soap is removed from the mold, while you need to slightly press on the edges and it will "pop out".

Glitter base soap - master class

To make soap with a light scrubbing effect, we need:

• transparent soap base;
• food colors - blue and pink;
• base oil such as calendula;
• geranium oil as a flavoring;
• ground grains for an exfoliating effect;
• multi-colored sequins;
• glass stirring sticks;
• Silicone forms.

Cut the base into small pieces for faster melting. We put the measuring cup in the microwave and make sure that the base does not boil.

Stir the base and pour half into another glass.

Add 1/4 of the base oil, 4 drops of essential oil, a couple of drops of dye, scrub particles and glitter.

Pour the base into molds, sprinkle with alcohol to remove bubbles. As soon as our soap hardens a little, we put it in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.

Sets for soap making

In order to purchase all the necessary components for handmade soap, you do not have to sit for hours in online stores or run around the city in search of the right ingredients. For beginner soapmakers, ready-made kits, which include all the components, are quite suitable. He will create exclusive product and will help to avoid mistakes in the future.

It is included in the kit?

• at least one type of base, sometimes 2 or 3 different types, differing in color and degree of transparency;
• food colors or pigments - 2 pieces;
• flavors or fragrances - 2 pieces;
• one silicone or plastic mold;
• detailed instructions.

Such a set is basic, some sets add more forms, flavors and dyes, as well as glitters, glitters and water-soluble pictures, liquid to remove bubbles.

Soap making secrets

Like any other hobby, soap making has its own secrets and nuances. The result of your work directly depends on compliance with certain rules, so you should not neglect them.

1. When melting, baby soap should not be stirred vigorously, this will lead to air saturation, the appearance of many bubbles and loss of softness.
2. When heating in a microwave oven, make sure that the soap base does not boil, this will significantly degrade the quality of the finished product. The rest of the base should already melt with stirring.
3. For 100 grams of base, you can add: half a teaspoon cosmetic oil, 1 spoon of glycerin, 1-6 drops of food coloring, one third of a teaspoon of dry pigment or mother of pearl, 1 spoon of herbal decoction, 3-5 drops of flavoring or perfume.
4. Essential oils cannot be mixed with food flavorings.
5. Air bubbles are easily removed by spraying them with alcohol from a spray bottle. It is also used for gluing individual layers.
6. To make the soap cool faster, you can put it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
7. The soap can contain ground coffee or beans, sugar or other abrasive particles that function as scrub. Do not add salt, it will not bring any scrubbing effect.
8. Clay usually settles in one layer in the soap. A more suitable option is to use a base for swirls, it hardens longer.
9. Fresh fruits or vegetables, insufficiently dried flowers and herbs will quickly deteriorate and the soap will develop an unpleasant odor.
10. Soap tends to dry out, so it should be stored for no more than 6 months in a dark place.

How to make soap: video