How to Make Soap

Homemade soaps, lotions, oils and other bath and body products are not just fun to make but are great for gifting as well. It also makes for a rewarding and unique experience. The entire process of soap making, from start to finish, takes about 2 days which include mixing the raw materials, letting it cool down and molding the mixture to obtain the finished product. This activity requires handling of caustic products, so should either be done by adults or under adult supervision. Here is how to make soap:

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 32 oz. water
• 11.2 oz. lye
• 3 lbs. lard
• 1 lb. coconut oil
• 1 lb. olive oil
• 1.5 oz. fragrance
• 1 oz. coloring dye (optional)
• Accurate weighing scale
• A stainless steel or enameled pot
• 1 plastic container (preferably with lid)
• Stick blender
• Thermometer
• Plastic or stainless steel spoon
• Plastic molds
• Goggles
• Rubber gloves
• Thick apron
• Rubber gloves
• 1 oz. coloring dye
• Thermometer
• 3 lbs. lard
• 11.2 oz. of lye
• 1 plastic container, with lid
• Stainless steel or enameled pot
• Plastic Molds
• 32 oz. of water

Prepare

1. Gather all the ingredients required for making soap.

2. Collect all the necessary equipments that you need.

3. Collect the safety gear.

4. Put on the apron and rubber gloves and wear the goggles. Remember, lye is dangerous and can cause severe burns.

Make soap

1. Take the weighing scale and place a plastic container on the scale.

2. Add water in the container and carefully mix in lye in 1:3 ratios. For e.g. For 11 ounces of lye use nearly 33 ounces of water to mix it. Remember to add lye to water and not vice versa.

3. Be very cautious as lye emits lot of heat and fumes when mixed with water. Therefore, mix the lye and water in an open place as the fumes can be dangerous when inhaled.

4. Let the lye cool down. This will take around two to three hours. Ideally, prepare the lye mixture one day in advance and leave it at room temperature.

5. Measure the lard and oils and pour them in a stainless steel or enameled container.

6. Put the container on the stove and heat it slowly till the fats melt and form a uniform mixture.

7. Stir gently and use the thermometer to check whether the mixture has reached the ideal temperature, which will be between 120 and 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

8. Add the lye mixture to the fats carefully and slowly. Use a spoon to mix the solution while you are pouring lye.

9. Stir the mixture well using a stick blender and spoon alternately for short spans. For e.g. If you have used blender for 1 minute, follow it with mixing with spoon for nearly the same time. Do not use the blender continually for longer duration.

10. Note that the texture of this mixture will start changing in some time; say in about 5 minutes. It will become thicker and more opaque. This is soap in liquid form.

11. Measure out the fragrance and add it to this mixture and stir again with a spoon.

12. Add 1 oz. coloring dye if you want to add some color to the bland soap mixture. Use the blender to mix the color uniformly.

Mold soap

1. Pour the mixture into the plastic molds immediately and let it cool down.

2. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 24 hours. You will know that the mixture has condensed if its temperature has dropped down to the roam temperature. It may be still a little warm to touch, which is fine.

3. Remove the soap bars from the molds. They should pop right off, but you may need to twist the tray a little so that they may come off.

4. Still struggling? Put the molds with the soap mixture in the freezer for 2 to three hours. Take it out and use a blow dryer on the back side of the mold for a few seconds to dislodge the soap. This will make the soap come off instantly.

Tips & Warnings

• Add 1-2 tsp. bitter almond fragrance oil (not essential oil) and 1 cup powdered oatmeal to create a gentle, scrubbing soap that feels great on your skin.

• Keep vinegar or lemon juice handy to wash off any lye that splashes on your skin.

• Run a pH test on your soap using a pH paper strip. Remember, lower the pH level, milder the soap.

• Always wear safety gear when making soap. Wear gloves at all times, especially when handling lye. If you splash lye or raw soap on yourself, do not let it stay as it may cause chemical burns. Immediately rinse with cold water.

• Never mix lye in hot water. It will cause the lye to erupt.

• Never use aluminum utensils to make soap as it reacts with lye.