how to make soap

Using soap and the process of soap making has existed for a long time. The process used to make soap in the past times is not too different from the previous methods of soap making. It uses a couple of simple components and easy steps to produce soap that removes dirt, bacteria and grime from the skin with the help of water.

Natural soap making process

Natural ingredients used in soap are all about us. For example vegetable butters or oils, lye, natural coloring, and natural fragrances are often within our reach to produce soap that is safe, pure and gentle enough for daily use.

Making soap with traditional methods such as the cold-process method follows this formula: 1.Vegetable oils such as olive, almond or other oils high in fatty acids are mixed together. 2.At 80-100 degrees Celsius, an alkali such as potassium hydroxide (for soft soap) or sodium hydroxide (for hard soap) is added. 3.Glycerol and crude soap are made. The glycerol is used for other purposes, and the soap is left to harden in a mold.

Historically, alkali used to make soap were obtained from burning vegetation or wood. In modern times, alkali are obtained from relatively clean processes such as electrolysis, where naturally occurring salts such as NaCl (table salt) or KCl are mixed with water. These salts used as the derivatives for the resulting alkali NaOH or KOH.

Soap made from this process is very gentle and often causes little or no irritation to the skin due to its pure ingredients. Synthetic soaps contain rough dyes, synthetic fragrances, and other components that can dry your skin leading to damaging effects to the largest organ of the body – the skin. Dry, cracked skin may allow bacteria to enter causing infection and disease.

Methods of handmade, natural soap making

Non-industrial methods for making soap range from simple to somewhat more difficult – depending on the method is used and the ingredients required.

The four methods available are:

• recycling – reprocessing ends of soap by grinding them and mix them together
• melt and pour – less technical than the hot and cold processes, this method needs buying pre-made blocks of soap to which you add other ingredients (e.g. flowers, natural fragrances, natural colourings)
• cold process – from beginning to end, you are in control of the end product with this process. Although it demands some close attention because you’re working with lye, the soap produced can be very mild and gentle on the skin.
• hot process – this process is much like the cold process except that the mixture is heated.

Benefits of natural soap

To avoid using synthetically manufactured soap look for products containing natural ingredients derived from nature. Other ingredients that may provide gentle cleansing power in natural soaps include aloe and other plant extracts, vegetable butters, oatmeal, and herbs. The absence of synthetic dyes, synthetic fragrances and detergents make natural soaps a fantastic choice for people with sensitive skin and those with other conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and excessive dryness. 

Home made soap is very gentle and often causes little or no irritation to the skin due to its pure ingredients.