The Cold Process of Soap Making - Know How You Can Do It

Interested in soap making? You need to know that this is just a simple process to do. The cold process of soap making is very easy. Especially for beginners, they find this as an easy way to make handmade soaps. It is very important to have all the ingredients ready before starting. Materials that you may need include the lye, fats, oils, colorants, fragrances, herbs, cutters, molds and even your protective clothing. Having these ready will ensure that this activity will go on smoothly.

Never start making soaps without protective equipment. Lye is a very basic substance that will really damage your skin. It causes the skin to corrode and take off the top most layer of the skin. At the same time, inhaling the fumes of lye can harm your lungs. Make sure that you wear a face mask, gloves and goggles whenever you are dealing with lye.

The first step in the cold process of soap making is adding the lye into the water.mix this solution very well to dissolve the lye. The recommended ratio of the lye to water is 1:3. It is very important to note that lye and water produces an exothermic reaction, releasing heat. Do not touch the container since you can expect it to heat up.

Oil is then added to the mixture to complete the process of saponification. This is the part when the mixture becomes soap. Always note the right ratio to use for the soap base. Too much oil will soften the soap so it will not cure and harden. Too little oil added will not react with all the lye so the soap will become too basic.

Once saponification has taken place, it is now time to add the other ingredients to your soap. Dyes, fragrance oils and soap making herbs can be added depending on what properties you want your soap to have. Mix all the ingredients until the mixture becomes homogenous.

The mixture can now be poured into wooden molds or other shapes of molds that you can think of. Be creative in thinking of ways to design your soap. Afterwards, you can still use your soap cutters to carve and create additional designs on your soap.

The molds should be kept insulated for 18-36 hours for the curing process to occur. This can be done by wrapping your molds with several layers of towel to ensure that no heat is able to escape. After the 36 hours, the soap should have solidified up to some extent and these will be ready for cutting and designing. The last step would involve airing the soaps for 3-8 weeks for them to fully harden and be usable in the bathroom.

Handmade soaps are not that difficult to do. Even in your home, you can now start doing them. Start experimenting on the different types of soap that you can make. With constant practice, you will eventually enjoy the art of soap making.

Source : Ezinearticles