Savvybearcat.com

Save to favorite Discuss How Soap Is Made recipe

Write a comment Print How Soap Is Made recipe

Print this recipe Email How Soap Is Made recipe to friend

Email this recipe

How Soap Is Made

Category: Misc

Author: The Savvybearcat

Date: 1/1/2007

Rating:

(2.5) by 2 users

Ingredients:

1 Information

Instructions:

When grease and lye are heated together, a chemical reaction called
saponification occurs. The resulting product is soap. To put it in
simpler terms, soap is made by a boiling process. Cold water, lye,
and grease--your choice of hydrogenated vegetable oils (like Crisco),
tallow, or lard--are heated and boiled. Liquid vegetable oils also
may be used. Once the mixture thickens to a gravylike texture, it is
saponified and needs to be removed from the heat and cooled.
Saponifi- cation is the chemical reaction that takes place in the
boiling process of soap making. What occurs is chemically complex.
Simple fats do not combine with the alkali (lye) to form soap. First,
they decompose (water acts as a solvent base) into fatty acids and
glycerols, which then combine, forming soap. Pour the hot liquid into
the molds before it has completely cooled. Do not let it cool too
long in the pan. Soap hardens as it cools. If left in the pan, it
will completely harden into one giant glob of soap, something you
will not want. Cut the soap into similarly shaped bars after you have
poured it into a shallow pan. You should use a wire to cut the soap
because it will be able to cut the soap evenly and make attractive
cakes of similar width and length. Do not use a knife, or you might
have bars that are not equal in appearance. You want people to be
impressed by your homemade soaps, not to laugh at you. Soap making is
easy, but it requires concentration to detail. Children and pets
should not be present when soap is being made. They are too
distracting and likely to be unaware of the serious hazards involved
in making soap. Lock the doors and keep them out of the room when
making soap. If necessary, hire a babysitter, or drop the kids and
pets off with mom and dad. Be sure that there are no other
distractions while you make your soap. Take the telephone off the
hook and turn off the television and radio. You must give your total
attention to the task at hand. That is the only safe and practical
way to make soap. There are no special skills required to make soap.
However, you must follow instructions for success and for safety's
sake.

SOURCE: MAKING POTPOURRI, COLOGNES AND SOAPS by David Webb. There
are also candle, shampoo, bubble bath, deodorant, room freshener,
perfume, cologne, aftershave, toilet water, sachet and potpourri
recipes.