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How to Make Bar Soap Yourself. About making this soap recipe. Basic soapmaker supplies and tools. Bar soap for beginners. Setting and molding the soap. Tips on choosing soap ingredients. With improvement in global trade over the last century, vegetable oils sourced both domestically and internationally have replaced a large portion of the tallow and lard previously used in soap making, particularly for commercial soaps.
The chemical makeup of each different oil has an effect on the finished bar of soap. For example, olive oil makes a very hard bar of soap, with bubbles that are small and slick. Coconut oil, on the other hand, makes big, fluffy bubbles and a hard bar of soap, but it can be drying to the skin. Handcrafted soapmakers have the advantage of being able to formulate soaps using all types of basic and specialty oils in order to make their unique "perfect bar.
Many handcrafted soapmakers are also becoming more globally aware and are choosing their ingredients and oils not only for the quality they bring to the soap, but for their sustainability and fair trade.
Yes, lye is necessary in all handcrafted soaps made from scratch. If there isn't any lye, there isn't any soap. It is the reaction between the lye and the oils that produces soap. Once that reaction called saponification is complete, all of the lye is converted into soap; there is no lye remaining in the finished soap bar.
There are two types of lye used by soapmakers - sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide. Sodium hydroxide is used to make solid soap; potassium hydroxide is used to make liquid soaps. A combination of the two is used to make cream soaps. Water is used to create the lye solution that is mixed into the oils. The amount of water is dependent on the specific soap recipe, but it must be enough to allow the lye and oil molecules to get together and make soap, but not so much as to result in a soft bar of soap.
The majority of the water evaporates out of the soap as it cures and ages. Although some handcrafted soaps are left unscented, most are scented using either plant-based essential oils or fragrance oils, depending on the preferences of the soapmaker and consumer. As the name implies, essential oils come from plants and are generally considered "natural". There are several methods for extracting the essential oils, but even so the range of possible scents is limited.
Use half as much for a lighter scent. Many citrus essential-oil scents fade too quickly, while other essential oils are too cost-prohibitive to use in soap. To color soap naturally, try adding clays and botanicals, such as annatto seed powder for yellow and orange , purple Brazilian clay, French green clay, rose kaolin clay and indigo powder.
Photo credits: Jan Berry. Soapmaking can be a tricky chemistry, and the balance of lye to oils is very important. You can always start with melt and pour soap. About a year or so ago I got interested in making my own soap.
I did some research and read a few guides but I never actually got around to making any. This has reminded me of that and now I am going to make it my goal this year to start making my own soap. This was really helpful information and now I am making a list of the materials and supplies that I need. I made soap years ago, and have just started back in the craft. I let a few know what I was doing and received an outpouring of support in the form of non fat powdered milk. After reading up on using it, Iam a little gun-shy.
Any suggestions would surely help. Hi Adrienne. Jan Berry from the Nerdy Farm Wife has some great recipes and tips for this. You can also try a smaller recipe with some less expensive oils to test it out. I have spent the last two evenings researching but could not find any reliable information about this.
I have also emailed the suppliers, asked them about this…. Jan is an expert soapmaker and has taught many people, including myself how to make soap. She thoroughly researches and tests all of her recipes and is a very trustworthy source. She actually has a new book out specifically for melt and pour soaps. She only uses natural colorants in her soap whether it be cold processed or melt and pour.
This post gives you the general instructions and procedures for soapmaking. If you scroll towards the bottom, you will see links for other posts that have specific recipes for you. Hi Ashley, I have just begun to make Balm of Gilead products very basic stuff but I am interested in expanding to other scents.
So far I have just used an olive oil base and have yet to try other oils. What I am wondering is: can you infuse Lilac blossoms or other items like herbs in olive oil or other oils using the same methods? I normally have very dry skin on my hands as I do a lot of woodworking and the Balm of Gilead works very well in this application but I would like to expand my product for my wife and other ladies.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Dave. You would still get the benefit from the herbs themselves but probably not the scent. Most people use essential oils for that.
Excellent article! Love your website. It definitely matters what kind of oil you use for several reasons. First of all, different oils have different saponification values and therefore require different amounts of lye to make soap. You can use one of the online lye calculators to determine the correct amount of lye. The other thing to consider is that different oils bring different qualities to the soap.
So if you are swapping out one oil for another you want to be aware of those qualities and be sure that you are swapping it out with an oil that has similar qualities. If you are interested in learning more you can check out Jan Berry at thenerdyfarmwife. Your email address will not be published.
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For more details, visit my disclosures page. Foraging Morel Mushrooms ». Comments About a year or so ago I got interested in making my own soap.
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