How to make soap with your own hands?

So, if you are on this page, you certainly want to learn how to make soap. In this article I will describe in detail the whole process of cooking soap.

The usual soap is the result of the chemical reaction of fats (oils) and alkali. That's all, actually.

Think: with just a small amount of water and flour, you can make ordinary, primitive bread. Such that it is impossible to eat, but still bread. But when your pastry is created with high quality and fresh ingredients - it is delicious. The same principle can be attributed to soap. The difference between hard, fatty, alkaline, etc. soap and handmade soap make up the ingredients from which you make it.

By carefully choosing quality components and putting your soul into work - you get an excellent result. And no shop product will not be able to compete with it.

Usually, in order to make soap at home, three main methods are used:

The first method is based on kindling the finished blocks and adding your own perfume to the mixture.
The second way is the most common - creating soap from scratch with the help of oils and alkali.
The third way is to grind the finished pieces of soap and mix them with water or milk.

Each method, of course, has its pros and cons. I'll tell you how to make soap using the two most popular methods.

How to make soap: Method # 1

Making soap with the help of kindling readyblocks like cooking semi-finished products. You can not change its components. However, on the other hand, this method is considered the simplest and most common.

You will need ready-made unpainted, not havingsmell soap blocks for the base. Melt the soap base (soap block) in a steamer or microwave oven. When it completely melts, add perfume, dye or any other additive. Put it in shape, and voila, everything is ready. The soap becomes usable immediately after it has hardened.

To start making soap using this method, you only need:

Worktop or other workspace.
Stove or steamer.
Heat resistant bowls for a microwave oven.
A few spoons.
Perfume, dye and desired additives (in order to make soap-scrub with your own hands, you can add crushed grape bones, for example).
The form in which the soap must cool.

That's all. Usually even the first time you get a great soap.

Pros of this method:

The technology is simple and does not require any special investment.
You are not in contact with a dangerous mixture of alkali.
Fast result.

The disadvantages of this method:

You do not choose ingredients.
Unfortunately, many manufacturers add chemicals to the soap so that it foam well. These substances will prevent you from melting soap.
The quality of your creation depends only on the quality of the soap-base.

How to make soap: Method # 2

If the first method is akin to usingsemi-finished products, then the second allows you to make soap from scratch. You control the whole process and can do everything as you want. Nevertheless, this method is much more complicated than the first.

First, heat the oil in a pot,up to about 40 degrees. Gradually add alkali and water to it. Gently stir the contents until it thickens. After the mixture is less thickened, add to it your perfume, dye or other additives. Pour the contents of the pot into the mold. Mixtures will take about a day to make it harden, but that's not all. About a month, your soap should stand in a dark corner until ready. Here such here long process.

To start doing soap using this method, you need:

Flat working surface with access to water.
Some animal fats and vegetable oils.
Alkali.
Pot.
Perfume or essential oil.
Natural or synthetic color.
Form for soap.
Cool, dry place.

The advantages of this method are:

Soap really made you from scratch.
You can choose all the components of your masterpiece.

The disadvantages of this method are:

First you will need to learn how to work safely with alkali.
This process takes much longer than the first.

I hope that my instructions helped you, and you understood how to make soap at home.