Soap making is a craft that can be an outlet for your stress or creative skills. You can even make your own soap for practical purposes so that you don’t have to purchase it from the store or to get that perfect soap with the cleansing effect and scent that you specifically want. The materials, equipment and ingredients for making your own soap are readily available in industrial stores and they are also inexpensive. Here are the basics of soap-making:

Materials and Equipment:

– Sharp knife, goggles, stainless steel pot, thermometer, wooden spoon, glass jug and a mold that has the shape that you would want for your soap

Ingredients:
– Coconut oil, sodium hydroxide, olive oil, and vegetable shortening

– Combine the vegetable fat and oil and place the mixture on a pan and heat on the stove top. Once they are completely mixed together, remove them from heat and leave them to cool.

– Next, in a jug, combine sodium hydroxide and water and continuously stir until the sodium hydroxide has dissolved.

– Use the thermometer to check if its temperature has reached 50 degrees celcius. Once it has reached this temperature, add this mixture to the cooled pan of vegetable oil and fat.

– Stir the mixture, while avoiding any bubbles to form and wait for it to thicken. When it has thickened, with a consistency similar to that of a melted candle, pour the mixture into the mold and tap it or lightly drop it to make it even and to remove any air or bubbles to form.

– Have this rest for a minimum of 24 hours while the mold is wrapped in a towel to protect it from moisture and air.

– After 24 hours, you can now cut up the block of soap into smaller pieces using your knife.

– Have the blocks of soap rest again for at least a month before distributing them.

You can also add essential oils such lavender, chamomile, sandalwood or jasmine to make your soap not just great-smelling, but use of these oils can bring therapeutic effects as well. Aromatherapy is not just limited to candles as more and more people want to experience these scents while they are bathing. Especially during evening baths, where people want to relax and prepare themselves for sleep, chamomile scented soap has been a popular choice.

You can try at first and eventually, you will be more confident in your soap making skills, and maybe confident enough to launch it as your business especially if you make one-of-a-kind soaps.

Soap making can be fun and when you get the hang of it, it can be financially beneficial to you as well. More and more people are into organics or natural ingredients nowadays as we now further understand its significance in our health and its impact on the environment. Natural is now the way to go and with natural soaps that are homemade, you can be sure that it is something not just your whole family will love, but rather even potential customers as well.

Author Bio: Criss White writes about arts, crafts, and wedding topics. Visit Bridal and Wedding Favors to view some bath wedding favors or to check out some baptism favors.

Category: Arts and Crafts
Keywords: soap making, materials in soap making, soap making procedure, soaps, soap, crafts