Articles

How to Make Soap Right at your Own Home

by Jen Hopkins

Herbal soap is being used by a lot of people because of its supposed healthier properties compared to normal soap. Herbal soap contains the added beneficial effects of the specific plant that is incorporated within the soap. It is usually a lot milder on the skin as well and fewer irritations will occur.

These kinds of soap need not be bought in specialty stores which sell such kinds of soap. Soap bought in these stores is usually more expensive due to their special properties. In addition to these, other soaps sold in such stores have extensive and beautiful designs which help them justify the price of their products.Since most of these soaps are found only in specialty stores, they can be more expensive. In addition to this, some soaps are also made with special designs which make them even more expensive. Some people still buy these soaps as they prefer the effects of herbal soaps compared to the normal ones.

The truth is that soap making is a fairly easy process, which makes use of cheap materials so it does not have to be sold at a very high price. It is very easy to do such that you can even make your own soaps at home. Even small children can make this into a hobby as long as the proper precautionary methods are taken.

The first thing that you need to do is to procure the ingredients that you will need to make soap. The basic ingredients that you will need are caustic soda, cooking oil or any other type of oil, and some herbal leaves of your choice. Coloring dyes may also be used to add to the color of your soap.

As for the tools that you need, you have to have a pail, some mixing tools, some cups, a mortar and pestle, a cooking pot, some molds, a chopping board, a knife, cheesecloth, gloves and a face mask. These last two are needed for you own protection as caustic soda can cause skin and lung irritations when it comes into contact with these surfaces.

First thing you need to do is to prepare your herbal mixture. This is done by chopping up 1 glass of your leaves and boiling them in 2 glasses of water for 15 minutes. Once this is done, you can strain them using the cheesecloth and set aside to cool.

After you have prepared the herbal mixture, you can bow mix 3 cups of this mixture with 1 cup of lye. Stir continuously until all of the lye has dissolved. Next, add 5 cups of oil and mix until it attains a condensed milk like consistency. Dyes may also be added during this point of the procedure. The mixture will then be poured onto molds and allowed to cool for at least 5 hours. Once this is done, you may take the soaps from the molds but will still need to age them for 30 days before they can be used.

The steps needed to make soap are really very easy and it will not take a very long time to make. The ingredients are also very cheap and easy to find. In making your own soap, you have the liberty of choosing what herbal leaves you prefer so that you may take full advantage of its healing effects. You can also try to mix and match different leaves and oils and come up with your own personalized soap.

Jen Hopkins has worked in the skin care industry for years. She maintains websites about soap recipe, and soap recipes. If you want to contact her, you can use the contact form at one of her sites.

Published August 9th, 2010

Filed in Hobby