Making soap base at home is great for making dips for cold soap recipes or when you want to make soap at home but are not old enough or don't have permission to handle lye.
This is very interesting work and you can spend your time making soap base at home. You can imagine that making a soap base at home means melting and pouring soap with herbs and flowers; Especially making soap base at home will bring many useful things.
To better understand how to make soap base at home, follow our article below!
1. Base at home soap making recipe
Soap is a fat or oil, an oil derived from animals or plants, but alkali is a chemical that is collectively known as lye. In most bar soap making, the lye is sodium hydroxide. And liquid soap has potassium hydroxide.
After combining them, heat the oil and lye to make soap. This is known as the saponification reaction. Since without lye solution, saponification cannot be made, lye is very important to make soap.
However, some people are interested in lye. As it is highly corrosive, it can cause irritation to the skin, eyes and respiratory system. But when used correctly, saponification turns lye into soap.
2. Base at home soap making supplies and tools
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The tools needed to prepare for making soap base at home include:
- Slow cooker
- Glass, plastic or stainless steel container for measuring lye.
- Heavy-duty plastic, glass or stainless steel container for mixing lye and water solutions.
- Digital kitchen scale
- Spatulas silicone and used only to make soap.
- Immersion blender combined with stainless steel shaft
- Candy thermometer for soap making for silicone cake molds or individual molds only.
- Soap cutter
You should note that when cooking soap, you should use aluminum or tin cans to store lye.
Instead, some safe equipment for making soap such as:
- Safety glasses
- Latex or rubber gloves
- Oven mitt
- Long Sleeve Shirt
- Apron
- Well-ventilated working area
3. Single Soap for Beginners
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Includes two methods:
BHot process This is the process of using heat to make soap, the outside heat will speed up the saponification. In general, soaps are used the next day, but to be on the safe side, wait a week as they have become stiffer by now.
Method 2: Cold process This is the process of using the internal heat generated naturally during the saponification process. The rate at which the soap walls harden after 4 to 6 weeks. 4. Instructions on how to make soap base at home
- You should first measure the components and wear safety equipment
- Then set the slow cooker to low
- Put the coconut oil in a slow cooker.
- Wait until it melts, prepare the lye.
- Then you slowly add the lye solution to the water. You do not add water to the lye solution.
- Continue to carefully stir the solution with a spoon if you want to add lye. At this point, it will become hot and smoky
- You set the lye solution aside and let it cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Measuring the oil, once the coconut oil is completely melted, you have to add the olive oil. This step is completely hidden
- Checking the temperature of the oil with a candy thermometer. Because you feel the oil has reached 120 to 130°F (49 to 54°C), then place the immersion blender on the side of the slow cooker.
- Just gently pour in the lye to avoid splashing. Continue stirring.
- Set the blender to low to stir the mixture in a circular motion.
Note to keep the blender immersed in water to avoid creating air bubbles. Continue mixing and stirring for 10 to 15 minutes until the soap reaches the mark In the end you will see the oil and lye thicken like pudding
Cover the slow cooker on low for 50 minutes. If you look for the mixture frothy, stir gently. Turn off the slow cooker, then let the mixture cool until the mixture drops below 180°F (82°C). If you like, add essential oils and colorants and mix well.
Quickly pour the mixture into the soap mold and smooth the top with a spatula. In particular, tap the mold on the work surface to remove air bubbles. If you like, put dried herbs on top.
5. Make soap mold
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Standard soap bars are 3.5 to 4 ounces. For the recipe that will make about 30 ounces. This all depends on how you cut the soap (7 to 10 bars). How to make a soap mold:
Before pouring the soap into the mold, let it sit for 24 hours.
When it cools, carefully remove the soap from the mold.
Then cut into bars with a cutter or soap knife. Please use only single soap mold because it is easy to open
At the same time, soap can be used at this point or can be left to dry for an additional week. Because the longer the soap is left on, the more hardness and quality will be improved.
If the soap is hot treated, it will have a rustic and homemade look. If you like delicate bars, consider trying the cold treatment.
However, homemade soaps tend to have a milder fragrance than traditional store-bought soaps. So you can add more essential oils for a stronger smell, but it is very expensive, especially when you use expensive oils
6. Soap making tips
Should choose a place to make soap that is ventilated when making lye solutions.
Pay attention when lye enters the water, avoid touching the container with bare hands or breathing the fumes.
Be careful not to add lye if the base oil is above 180°F (82°C).
You can also use individual soap molds, no cutting required.
When using essential oils, pay attention to the amount of drops as it will largely depend on the quality of the essential oil and personal preference. You can start with 20 drops for a lighter scent and 30 drops for a stronger scent.
Fragrance oils are usually more concentrated, so you can start with fewer drops.
7. How to choose soap ingredients
Some basic ingredients of soap base include:
- Animal fat or vegetable oil
- 100% pure lye solution
- distilled water
- Skin-safe fragrance oils (optional)
- Colorant (optional)
The use of fat or oil is up to preference, usually soaps are made with animal fat, but nowadays vegetable oils avoid killing animals. In addition, depending on the type of oil, the hardness and foam of the soap will be different.
Water: is the essential city. Because it is used to make alkaline solutions in combination with oils. Because water simply assists the oil and lye in the saponification process. Once the soap has solidified, the water has evaporated. We recommend using distilled water.
Besides, some other liquids for your reference:
- tea
- coffee
- beer
- goat milk
- coconut milk
- Fragrant
Maybe soap doesn't need scent to clean skin. But to scent the enemy's body you can add a pleasant smell, by using essential oils or aromatherapy. Essential oils are mostly derived from plants, and they can be combined to create custom fragrances. Remember, fragrance oils are synthetic oils, when choosing fragrance oils, look for ones that are safe for the skin.
8. Some notes when making soap base at home
If you are a beginner we recommend following a familiar formula.
When starting to make soap, it is important to familiarize yourself with the basics of soap making.
Once you are familiar with the method and dosage, you can now get creative and, thanks to previous familiarity, handle the ingredients safely and prevent bright detours.
Some tips to remember:
- Using a formula will help you understand the proper ratio of lye to oils, which prevents skin irritation.
- Different oils can give different results by trying different recipes.
- Predefining the purpose of the soap helps you get a fat percentage or an oil to lye ratio.
- It is recommended to use a lye calculator that can help you align the ingredient ratios with the desired result.
Conclusion
To make soap base at home not only offers an innovative way to get natural, gentle soaps; but it also takes time to master the process, so the more you experiment, the better the soap will be.
Absolutely always follow safety measures and take it slow. Also, if you don't want lye contact, we recommend a melted and poured soap base, as the base is saponified.
Through the above information about how to make soap base at home, we hope you will understand and have appropriate instructions for creativity.
