Everyone loves and needs to use soap on a daily basis.
However, some of the ingredients in store-bought soap are harsh and can be harmful to the skin. There is an alternative and best of all its fun to create. Why not try making artisan soap? It cleanses, moisturizer and does not have any harmful ingredients in it.
The main materials you will need are a mixing metal bowl, blender, spatula and digital scale. The actual soap is made of a combination of lye (sodium hydroxide) and oils such as coconut, olive, and palm. You can also add essential oils in there for fragrance and added butters like Shea or mango for additional skin benefits. The best place to find these ingredients is at a company called Bramble Berry. For the lye, Bulk Apothecary. For the materials, your local Sears or department store is fine or try purchasing on Amazon.
Many recipes can be found on a website called Soap Queen. There are also a lot of soap-making books at your local library. Try to follow the recipe and get super creative with the add ons.
I am going to try making a 100 percent pure olive oil soap for this post.
First off, the most important thing is to gather all of your ingredients. This includes lye, olive oil, and lemon essential oil. If you’re not a fan of Lemon you can use any fragrance you would like!
The key ingredient in soap making is lye, which is sodium hydroxide (a salt). No commercial or homemade soap can be made without it. While caustic to skin and clothing, don’t be alarmed by its inclusion as it is necessary to any soap creation. The chemical reaction between the lye and the oils used is called saponification. Once the soap is made and cured, there is no lye left in the finished bar, only the natural ingredients you used to make the soap. Make sure to measure all the ingredients with a measuring cup and a scale.
The next step is to mix the essential oils into the blender with the lye and olive oil. This is a perfect opportunity to add anything extra that you would like, such as shea or cocoa butter.
Once everything is blended, pour the mixture into a soap mold. I am using an oval-shaped one but they come in all shapes, sizes, and designs. This is a good chance to pick something you like for a bit of personalization!
Next, spritz the top with a small amount of alcohol to let things set. It takes three days for the mixture to harden and about two weeks to fully cure. If you do decide to stamp a logo, make sure you do it on the second day. After two weeks the soaps should be ready to use. Lather up and enjoy!
Check out some other soaps I have created recently to get an idea of what you can make at home. I also upload photos to my Instagram which you can find here!
Leave a comment below if you have any thoughts or questions before making your own soap!
