Soap basics

basic soap instructions

I am not pretending to be an expert on this matter, since I am only starting to experiment with oils and butters, colors and accessories. But I want to put together everything I have learnt from my research online, share my first experiences and show you my experiments. I will regularly update this first posts in order to update you and be more accurate with my comments, based on my experience and the evolution of this process.

So, today we will start with some basic of soap making. Where do we start?

So… we are going to try the cold process, there are other processes to make soap but this one seems the most adapted to me.

What do you need?

The basic ingredients of soap are a combination of two main things: oils and sodium hydroxide (commonly known as “lye”). Most recipes you can find around are based on olive oil, and this is for a very good reason. Not only is a great moisturizer and is good for the skin, but it’s also ideal for the saponification process cause it provides structure to the soap bar. Some recipes present coconut oil also as an option to produce a bar, but it’s better included in the mixture. Yes! We can combine different oils and get the best of each of them. I am planning to experiment with olive oil (better if it’s not extra virgin), coconut oil and almond oil. But we can also try so many other options, among the typical ones we can find argan oil, avocado oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, jojoba oil, and even lard.

When considering the type of oil you want to use, you need to take in consideration that each one of them requires a different amount of lye and depending on the percentage of each oil we are using the quantity of lye will vary. It’s super important to be accurate and precise with the ingredients since this will affect the consistency of the soap and the results.

I found a tutorial about a girl who creates her own recipes (which is part of the fun!) and uses a simple calculation and an online measurement aid (please visit Soap Calc). I will create another post to explain how to use this tool. This calculator also considers the lye concentration (which will affect the texture of the final soap bar) and the superfat which will leave the final bar with an oily texture and that will allow it to leave a thin layer of oily moisturizer on the skin after using it.

So…. We need:

- Oils (a combination as pleased, with a base of olive oil) *for a list of possivble oils and how much to use read here.

- Lye

- Water (better use distilled water since tap water may contain little bacteria that could affect the conservation of the soap bar)

To work we will need containers (the lye will heat up when mixed into the water so better if they are not plastic, or too thin), and everybody recommends a stick mixer. Other tools would include a hand mixer or a spoon. Remember that whatever you use for soap or skincare products you should not use for food after.

- We need a mold that could be made of plastic, with a wooden structure or just singular molds that would help you avoid the whole cutting process. I will start with those just for easiness.

Optional

- Colorants: I will start using natural colorants that will add some healthy qualities to the soap. I have gotten some turmeric and neetle and I will also try titanium dioxide which creates a nice white color. You can also find “mica” which is a mineral product that can be found in all different colors. I will be getting some that come from natural sources.

- Natural compliments: I have been doing some research on what to add and found a few products I will be trying: fruit or vegetable pure, lemon peel and seeds.