How to Make Homemade Soap

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Soap Coloring
Soap Fragrance
Soap Molds
Colored Crayons
Thick Bath Towels
Coconut Oil
Distilled Waters
Non-virgin Olive (not Virgin) Oil
Vegetable Oils
Vinegar
Vinegar
Fragrant Essential Oils
Lye
Rubber Gloves
Rubber Gloves
Crisco Shortenings
Candy Thermometer
Measuring Cups And Spoons
Mixing Spoons
Plastic Bowls
Rubber Spatulas
Stainless Steel Stockpots
Stirring Spoons
Mitre Boxes
Safety Goggles
Safety Goggles
Rubber spatulas

Soap Making 101

Step 1

Dissolve 12 oz. lye in 32 oz. softened water in a plastic or glass bowl. If at all possible, do this outside or under an exhaust fan.
Step 2

Add the lye to the water, not vice versa. Pour the lye slowly and in a steady stream, and stir constantly with a plastic spoon.
Step 3

Set the mixture aside to cool. The mixture will heat up considerably due to the lye reacting with fats in the oils. This is called saponification.
Step 4

Melt 24 oz. coconut oil and 38 oz. solid vegetable shortening in a stainless steel pot.
Step 5

Add 25 oz. olive oil (not virgin) and any fragrance oils you want to use.
Step 6

Allow the oils to cool.
Step 7

Grease the soap mold with Crisco.
Step 8

When both the oil and lye mixtures have cooled to room temperature, slowly combine them, adding the lye to the oils.
Step 9

Stir slowly and constantly. If you see bubbles, stir more slowly.
Step 10

Drizzle the soap into the pot once in a while. When it keeps its shape momentarily before sinking into the rest of the mix (tracing), it's time to add whatever extras you want.
Step 11

Stir your botanicals, grains and coloring into a cup of soap taken from the mix.
Step 12

Combine that back into the original mixture.
Step 13

Pour the soap into the mold.
Step 14

Wrap the mold in a towel and leave it undisturbed for 18 hours. The soap mixture will heat up and then cool down. Avoid uncovering it until it's cooled.
Step 15

Allow the soap to sit in the uncovered mold for another 12 hours.
Step 16

Loosen the sides by wiggling the mold a little.
Step 17

Turn the mold over onto a clean counter.
Step 18

Cut the soap into bars with a knife. Some people use a miter box to make square corners.
Step 19

Allow the bars to cure for three to four weeks before using. Smaller bars cure faster than larger ones.

Additives

Step 1

Mix candle coloring into the oil solution. If it's wax-based, melt it first in a couple of tablespoons of oil and then add it to the rest of the oil mix.
Step 2

Realize that you can also use crayons for coloring. Experiment with colors. Note that purples are very difficult to keep true.
Step 3

Use 1 tsp. per pound of soap of the following ingredients: cocoa powder for brown, cayenne pepper for pink-peach, liquid chlorophyll for light green, turmeric for yellow, paprika for peach and titanium dioxide for white.
Step 4

Use 1 oz. essential oil to scent a 4-lb. batch of soap.
Step 5

Know that 2 tsp. ground cloves makes a great-smelling soap. Try grated orange or lemon peel or ginger, too.
Step 6

Use rose water instead of regular water for rose soap.
Step 7

Oatmeal makes a great complexion soap. Use 8 oz.
Step 8

Add 4 oz. cornmeal for a gritty texture.
Step 9

Make soap with 1/2 oz. geranium oil for dry skin.
Step 10

Use tea tree oil - 1/2 oz. - for problem skin.

Comments

flookywoo said

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on 2/6/2010 Does anybody know of any video(s) I may watch on this subject so I can 'see' how it is done please......!!!!

bru52 said

on 8/15/2009 I'm wanting to make very clear glycerin bar soap from scratch any information/recipes would be helpful and appreciated.

thebeaddoodler said

on 12/26/2008 Step 3, the heat is due to the reaction of lye with WATER, not the oils. At this point saponification hasn't begun.

on 10/5/2008 Candle colors are not a good idea you never no if they are skin safe. Never use homemade soaps for one week at least better to let it set for four to six weeks be very careful about the weight have a good scale before trying.
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