Learning The Good Stuff About Soap Making

Sports & RecreationsHobbies

  • Author Jen Hopkins
  • Published March 3, 2010
  • Word count 498

Soaps are considered a necessity in our homes. Since these are practically cleansing agents that we use, it is unlikely that a certain home will not have any soap. The use of soaps dates back during the ancient times which have been carried over to the present. Soaps are basically used for bathing, washing and cleaning. These cleansing agents are synthesized from animal or vegetable fats. When it comes to cleaning, soaps are very effective.

Soap making is just a matter or mixing the raw materials in order to make the finished products. The process of making soaps is also known as saponification. This process basically involves mixing fats and oils with a certain amount of alkali. In soap making, this mixture results in the formation of salts of fatty acids. These salts capture the dirt and grease ensuring that they will be removed from the surface. As this is washed by water, the dirt and soap mixture comes with it, leaving nothing but a clean surface.

There are different kinds of soaps which are made. Besides from the commercial soaps that we are used to, there are also handmade soaps. These handmade soaps are the products that you get from making the soaps from scratch. The qualities of these two soaps are very different. In fact, soap making basically involves superfatting or the addition of an excess amount of fats into the soap mixture. The main advantage of this method is to make the soap skin-friendly. As the glycerine is left untouched in the soap, it is still able to keep it moisturizing property.

There are actually different kinds of soap making processes. These are the cold process, hot process and the melt & pour process. There are certain advantages and disadvantages that these methods have. The cold process is done by slightly melting the mixture to liquefy it and maintain it at that temperature. The hot process of soap making involves heating the soap mixture to a higher temperature. For the melt & pour process, there is a pre-made mixture which is melted and poured into the mold.

Soap making is an easy process to do since the raw ingredients needed for this is easily accessible. You can get them in your grocery stores and even in specialty craft stores. Soap making is actually a flexible activity to do. You can personalize the soaps that you make depending on your taste. It is up to you to add the color and the scent of the soaps. Whatever it is that you like, you can make it with your soaps.

Creativity makes soap making very fun! You can absolutely do anything that you want with your soaps. Don’t get too excited when you make your soaps because there are certain precautionary measures that you should take. Lye is an essential ingredient in soap making, but it is very dangerous to handle. Always wear safety equipment when handling soap mixtures with lye to keep you safe all the time.

Jen Hopkins has worked in the skin care industry for years. She maintains websites about natural soap making, and how to make soap. If you want to contact her, you can use the contact form at one of her sites.

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