This site provides you the soapmaking instructions required for the method that best fits your intention.
This site covers the following methods:
Find a soap recipe that inspires you.
You might want a facial soap, handmade olive oil soap is great, shaving soap is a nice Father’s Day gift. Once you know how to make handmade soaps you will be creating your own formulas and recipes.
Many people, especially beginners prefer to buy soapmaking kits. I think that this can be a cost effective way to see if you enjoy soap making before purchasing all kinds of soap making supplies and equipment.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
Instructions will vary depending on what soap making method you decide to go with. These are really meant to give a general idea of the process.
Once you have all your supplies and equipment, your first call to action is to get your workspace ready.
- You want it clean and you can use plastic to cover parchment paper to cover if you wish.
- Make sure that you have a printed copy of your soap recipe.
- Get your molds ready, if you are using wood molds or cardboard boxes;line them with parchment paper or freezer paper.
- Measure the scents (essential oils or fragrance oils). I weigh these when preparing cold and hot process soaps.
- Prepare the colors and additives included in your recipes. If you need to grind exfoliant like oatmeal for a recipe, you should get that ready.
- Weigh lye (sodium hydroxide) and distilled water or liquid.
- Weigh fats, oils, butters or measure and cut premade bases.
- If you chose melt and pour or rebatching just melt in the microwave, double-boiler or crockpot.
- Pour lye into water or liquid. Never pour water or liquid into lye.
- Melt fats, oils and butter.
- Check temperatures and try to get the melted oils and the lye-solutionto about the same. This can be a juggling act, I use ice bathes for the container that has the lye solution.
- You may need to cook the soap mixture for hot process soap and liquid soap.
- At trace, add scents, color and additives.
- Put in molds and let set.
- Unmold and cut and cure, if necessary.
