The basic materials for handmade soap:

Olive oil, water and caustic soda. These three simple ingredients form the basis of any recipe for soap. From then on, add the corresponding essential oils or herbs.

The two different manufacturing methods:

If you want to make soap, there are two ways: The “cold” and “hot” method. At first, open the caustic soda in the open air and pour the mixture into a basin of oil, then add the essential oil until it is poured. Place the mixture in molds (optional) and leave it for one day for initial stabilization. After that you can add materials for decoration. Then leave for another four days, remove or cut the soap into the shapes you want and let them mature for at least 4 weeks before using them. The “cold” method is usually preferred because it keeps the soap glycerin, particularly important for hydrating the skin.

 In the hot method, the soap is prepared in a pot with water that has warmed to a warm temperature. To this, the caustic soda is gradually added with continuous stirring. When dissolved, olive oil is added and the mixture is mixed in a low heat until it will be as a cream. Once it is tied, remove it from the fire, leave it for a while and then place it in molds (optional) or solid in a bowl and follow the same procedure (one day rest, enrichment, another four days and then remove from molds and aging 4-6 weeks).

The precautions you need to take:

Special attention :Gloves are always necessary, especially as we have to do with caustic soda. In shaking we need to wear a mask and not inhale the vapors when mixing the soda with water, which should always be done slowly. We do not use glass containers and always do the initial mixing in open space. Stir in a wooden spoon. Make sure the mixture does not come into contact with your skin and do not expose your eyes to vapors. For molds, you can use plastic disposable bowls.

Waiting for maturation is necessary to enable sodium to react with the atmosphere and remove it from the soap (producing the dust that will gradually form on our soap). As long as this procedure has not been performed, the soap remains too acidic for human skin. The soap is quite mature when the yellow color after white has beenwhite.

Note: the basic dosage of the materials is as follows: 500 g olive oil, 64.25 g of caustic soda (NaOH) and 157.80 g of distilled water – the accuracy in the quantities is important, so it is advisable to use precision scales. Knowing the basic recipe we listed above, just add different essential oils and herbs of your choice to make your soap.

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Source: in2life