| Soap-making is a delicate process, but the ingredients | | | | difficult to find; however, a smaller amount is required |
| used to make soap are fairly simple: oils, lye, water, | | | | (usually only a drop or two) and they retain their scent |
| fragrances, colorants, and other, optional additives. The | | | | better because they are undiluted. Research oils |
| fats and oils used in soap can be derived from either | | | | thoroughly before use; some can be irritating to skin, or |
| animal or vegetable fat. Typically, soaps made from | | | | even toxic. Also, different amounts are required for |
| vegetable oils are softer than those made with animal | | | | different oils, because some will overpower others if |
| fat. The most useful oils for soap-making are fixed oils | | | | the same amount is used for all. |
| - oils that can be raised to a high temperature without | | | | Avoid potpourri, candle scent oils and other strong, |
| evaporating. Fixed oils include a variety of base oils, | | | | commercially-made fragrances, as they often contain |
| such as olive, palm and coconut oils. | | | | harsh chemicals that can be irritating to the skin as well. |
| There are two types of fats used for soap-making: | | | | Whole or crushed herbs can also be used, but they will |
| saturated fats and unsaturated fats. Saturated fats | | | | not give their full benefits in a first batch of soap; if you |
| make a hard soap. | | | | use herbs, the best thing to do is to rebatch the soap |
| They commonly come in a solid form and must be | | | | later, to extract the full benefit from the herbs. |
| melted prior to use; cocoa and shea butters are good | | | | Colorants can be purchased at a soap-making supply |
| examples of saturated fats. Unsaturated fats, like | | | | store. |
| some vegetable oils, come in a liquid form, and are | | | | There are also various other natural ingredients that |
| commonly used to make liquid soap. To use these fats | | | | you can use to color soap, such as powdered clay, |
| to make bar soap, they must be mixed with saturated | | | | cocoa powder, tea, paprika, saffron, or ratanjot. Avoid |
| fat; the more saturated fat you use, the harder the bar | | | | using fabric dyes, hair dyes, candle colorants, or paints |
| will be. | | | | to color your soap; even if they are labeled as |
| Historically, lye (also called sodium hydroxide, potash, or | | | | "non-toxic," they are not safe to have in contact with |
| caustic soda) was hand-extracted from wood ashes. | | | | skin for prolonged periods, and they may dye your skin. |
| It is now commonly found in many hardware and | | | | Some sources say that crayons can be added to |
| grocery stores. It is the ingredient that hydrolyzes the | | | | soap for coloration, as long as they are made of |
| oils or fats, and turns them into soap. | | | | stearic acid (most crayons made now are), but there |
| The minerals and other additives in tap water make it | | | | is some debate on this topic; it is probably best to err |
| less than ideal for soap-making. Therefore, it is best to | | | | on the side of caution, and avoid using them. |
| use distilled, bottled, or spring water. There are two | | | | Depending on the oils used in the recipe, the resultant |
| types of scent oils: essential oils and fragrance oils. | | | | soap can be prone to spoilage. |
| Fragrance oils are man-made and contain alcohol, so | | | | Various preservatives can be utilized, such as vitamins |
| they are typically avoided; the alcohol and other | | | | E, C, and A, which are also great for your skin. These |
| chemicals in the oil may be drying or irritating to the | | | | vitamins can be found in various oils. Sand or pumice |
| skin, and cause unforeseen problems with the | | | | can be added to the soap, to make it exfoliating. Also, |
| saponification process, or ruin the soap mixture | | | | some metals, such as titanium, silver, nickel, or aluminum |
| altogether. | | | | can be added for antibacterial properties, and to make |
| Essential oils are more costly, and sometimes more | | | | the soap bright white. |