How to make soap

Homemade soap making is another “handmade” hobby that has become so popular in recent years. This is not surprising, because now everything natural is in fashion, including organic cosmetics that 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 so easy, because in this case you will have to deal with lye and you will need to strictly follow the instructions, while observing safety precautions. But if you decide to do this, you will make absolutely natural product, which does not contain thickeners, preservatives and foaming agents that are part of everyone's favorite soap base.

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

What you need to make cold soap from scratch:

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

Then follow this scheme:

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

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

Wear protective equipment. Weigh sodium hydroxide and dissolve it little by little in any liquid, while stirring with a glass rod. Attention! Lye should be placed in water, and not vice versa, otherwise the container may burst or explode due to overheating.

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

Blend the mixture using an immersion 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 “mature” in a well-ventilated place.

For multi-colored soap, one or more dyes are added to the base, which creates unusual swirls - swirls.

Sodium hydroxide is a dangerous and caustic chemical that can cause severe skin burn, so be sure to take precautions when working with lye.

1. Store the lye in a place where children and animals cannot find it, and close the lid of the package tightly.
2. Wear safety glasses and a work coat when making soap. Getting crystals of a substance or its caustic vapors in high concentrations into the eyes leads to dire consequences, including 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 takes place away from food products.

What is homemade soap made from?

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

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

Main ingredients:

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

Additional Ingredients:

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

You will also need special molds, for making soap there are plastic and silicone. In the absence of them, you can also use baking trays, ice trays, 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 saucepan for melting in a water bath or microwave;
• a grater if you are making with baby soap;
• kitchen scales to accurately measure the amount of base;
• measuring cups;
• spoons, wooden sticks;
• pipettes for filling small parts;
• knife and napkins for removing sagging;
• molds for soap, baking or ice.

Soap-scrub from "Children's" - a simple master class

Take 4 pieces of soap without a strong aroma and rub them with a fine grater.

You can use anything you can find in the house as molds - containers, plastic cups, baking dishes and playing with sand. It is better to pre-lubricate them with oil.

Pour one tablespoon of base oil (sunflower, olive, peach, etc.) into a saucepan, put it on the fire and gradually add soap shavings. The process may 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 got coffee-cinnamon soap with grains. The base can be laid out in several layers, after sprinkling with alcohol. After hardening, the soap is removed from the mold; you need to lightly press on the edges and it will “pop out.”

Soap base with glitter - master class

To prepare soap with a light scrubbing effect we will need:

• transparent soap base;
• food colors - blue and pink;
• carrier oil, such as calendula;
• geranium oil as a flavoring agent;
• ground grains for exfoliating effect;
• multi-colored sparkles;
• glass stirring rods;
• silicone molds.

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

Stir the base and pour half of it 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 the molds and spray with alcohol to remove bubbles. As soon as our soap hardens a little, put it in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.

Soap making kits

In order to purchase all the necessary components for handmade soap, you don’t have to spend hours in online stores or run around the city looking for the right ingredients. For beginner soap makers, ready-made kits that include all the components are quite suitable. It will allow you to create exclusive product and will help you avoid mistakes in the future.

What's included in the set?

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

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

Secrets of soap making

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

1. When melting baby soap, do not stir vigorously, this will lead to saturation with air, the appearance of many bubbles and loss of softness.
2. When heating in the microwave, be careful not to allow the soap base to boil; this will significantly degrade the quality of the finished product. The remaining base should melt when 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 teaspoon of dry pigment or mother-of-pearl, 1 spoon of herbal decoction, 3-5 drops of flavoring or fragrance.
4. Essential oils should not be mixed with food flavorings.
5. Air bubbles can be 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 place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
7. You can put ground coffee or grains, sugar or other abrasive particles into the soap that perform the function of scrub. Do not add salt; it will not add any scrubbing effect.
8. Clay, as a rule, settles in soap in one layer. A more suitable option is to use a base for swirls; it takes longer to harden.
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