Making homemade liquid soap is a worthwhile project with the advantage of being able to use the soap right away after you are finished making it, unlike other types of soap that need to harden or be cured first.

The method of making homemade liquid soap is known as the hot process. As you might have guessed, there is also a cold process but this method is for making regular soap. Another soap-making method is ‘melt-and-pour’, which is used for making glycerin soap. All of these soap-making techniques involve saponification, which is simply the reaction of a chemical when combined with a fat to form soap.

Saponification happens much faster in the hot process than in the cold process of soap-making. Another major difference between the two processes is the chemical used. Potassium hydroxide is required for the hot process while the cold process calls for sodium hydroxide. It is precisely because of the chemical potassium hydroxide that commercial and homemade liquid soap stay liquid and never solidify like regular bars of soap. You can get potassium hydroxide from many vendors of soap supplies.

Aside from this chemical, you would also need the following to make homemade liquid soap: double boiler pot (stainless steel), 5-gallon sized bucket with a lid and pour spout, towels, a stick hand blender, a nylon spoon, measuring bowls (stainless steel, plastic or glass), funnel, scale, measuring cups, goggles, rubber gloves, and protective clothes.

You can find different recipes for homemade liquid soap from a number of websites. It will depend on the recipe you choose how you should proceed with the actual soap-making because the instructions would differ slightly with each recipe. Here are the basic steps in making homemade liquid soap:

1.) Pour distilled water into the boiler pot.
2.) Add potassium hydroxide.
3.) Using a towel, insulate the boiler pot because the mixture can get extremely hot.
4.) Set the mixture aside to boil.
5.) Take the oils. Heat to about 120 degrees.
6.) Make sure the oil and water mixtures are the same temperature, and then add the oil to the water.
7.) Use the stick hand blender to mix oil and water for about two minutes.
8.) Set aside for five minutes and repeat the process.
9.) Set aside for ten minutes and repeat the process until trace happens, which is when the soap thickens and droplets stand up for a second on the surface.
10.) Put the pot of soap on top of the boiler and fill the bottom pot with water the same level as the soap mixture.
11.) Let the water boil, stirring the soap thoroughly every fifteen minutes or so and less often after thirty minutes. The soap will take anywhere from 4 up to 8 hours to cook.
12.) The soap is done when it is a clear mass and no liquid substance is left.

Obviously, the mass of soap is not the final form because it needs to be diluted in order to become homemade liquid soap. To do this, bring distilled water to a boil and add the mass. Insulate the pot with towels. Add some water, stir, and cover with lid. Stir the mixture occasionally and then less often after eight hours. The soap will be thoroughly diluted in two to three days. The finished homemade liquid soap would have a very smooth appearance.