With all the bad news coming out on the media regarding soap ingredients, it’s no surprise that many people are getting interested in soap making to make sure they’re not adding toxins to their body everyday. Despite this negative reputation on many soap ingredients, we all need soap to cleanse our body but it need not be harsh when it comes to that.

The ingredients in many soap product labels might sound alienating and creates the notion that soap making is difficult. However, this is exactly what manufacturers want us to think when, in fact, soap making is one of the easiest things you can do even though you may not be inclined to cook. With the right soap making supplies and instructions, you’re on your way to making your own soap.

Before shopping for soap making supplies, it’s important that you do your homework and know what you’re going to shop for, in the first place. The great thing about soap making is you can add all the natural ingredients you want and skip the additives and harmful synthetic chemicals found in manufactured soaps. And, you can even make a business out of it when you become adept at soap making.

Soap making supplies can be found on the internet. This, given that you have the necessary instructions in hand and the right materials.

Get the right supplies

Whether you’re an herbalist or a fan for natural ingredients and oils, you first need a base for your soap. There are two options for the base: animal and vegetable. Although animal oils were traditionally used as base, the use of vegetable oils as base was indeed a great discovery. Natural chemicals found in vegetable oils are far more superior to animal oils. Moreover, animal oil base are found to be comedogenic (pore-clogging) while the skin readily absorbs vegetable oils.

In soap making, you simply need the basic ingredients, which are essentially fatty acid (oil) plus base (lye), then, from here, you can add other ingredients that you deem are suited to your type of skin.

Basic soap making instructions

First, oil is heated until it is melted. Next, you mix water and lye separately when both ingredients have reached the required temperature. As soon as the mixture is the desired consistency, you can pour it into a mould. Remove the bars after the mixture has set up (which takes approximately 24 to 48 hours). Then, it takes up to 8 weeks until the soap is dry and hard.

The three secrets to soap making are: accurate weight of ingredients, good formula, proper technique and, of course, the patience to wait until your soap is ready to use.