Making soap is a creative skill that has been practiced for thousands of years. The benefit of making your own soap is that you can customize the smell, color, and size, to your liking, and it’s far less expensive than buying store-bought soap. The manufacturing of soap takes approximately an hour, but the chilling and curing procedure can take about four weeks. So, if you’re preparing a batch of homemade soap for yourself or as a gift, keep that time in mind. Here’s a primer on soapmaking and how to produce scented bar soap using the cold process.

The cold process is the most tried and true method of producing soap. Because of the multitude of molds available on the market now, you may produce soap in a range of various forms. Flowers, ovals, shells — you name it, a soap mold exists for anything. Wooden molds are perfect for producing cold-process soap. You can not only change the form of your soap, but also add dried flower petals, dry herbs, and fragrance or essential oils. You can manufacture your own homemade bar soap with just a few materials and the right tools.

How To Work with Lye

Before you begin, it’s vital to understand how to operate with lye. It is required for the production of soap. Sodium hydroxide is another name for lye. The chemical reaction between lye and fats produces a solid soap, also known as the saponification process. Therefore, you have to be careful and protect yourself during projects like this. Wear rubber gloves, goggles, and an apron to help protect your skin. Some fumes may rise when mixing lye with water, so be sure to move your face away. The fumes will only last one to two minutes. You cannot typically buy lye in a grocery store anymore, but you can find it online or in a hardware store near the drain cleaning supplies.

Instructions:

1. Cover your work area with newspaper, put on your safety gear, and measure your water and lye. 

2. Combine the coconut oil and palm oil in a warmed saucepan and melt them. You can use several types of oils; however, keep in mind that the two oils you pick for this stage must be solids.

3. While the oil is melting, fill a bowl halfway with water and gently pour in the lye. Remember, there will be fumes and heat! Stir the mixture for about five minutes to ensure that it is thoroughly combined.

4. Now it’s time to add your liquid oil. Add the olive oil to the melted solid oils after measuring it. Keep the temperature at around 11-120 degrees F. 

5. Pour your lye mixture slowly into the pot with the oil mixture, but only once they’ve both reached around 110–120 degrees. Blend for five minutes with a hand blender.

6. Add roughly a teaspoon of your preferred essential oils. If you like, you may also add colorant and/or herbs.

7. Carefully pour the mixture into the mold.

8. Wrap your mold tight using plastic wrap and place a towel over the mold to seal the heat in.

And voilà! Once it’s dry you should have your first bar of soap. For more DIY tips visit us at hardworkingmomstore.com, subscribe to us on Youtube, and find us on all major social media.