Natural homemade soaps. The preparation of natural soap is quite simple. It is made by mixing animal fats or blends of vegetable oils with lye that has been dissolved in water. These animal fats and vegetable oils contain fatty acids that when combined with lye turns into soap in an exothermic reaction called saponification. Before saponification, while the mixture is constantly stirred manually, or with the use of a stick blender, the combined oils and lye solution gradually thickens in what is called “trace” or what seemingly looks like honey. The mix is then poured in a prepared wooden mould, or a plastic container, where it is allowed to harden for about an hour to 24 hours depending on the kind of fats or oils used.
Different kinds of soap. Generally, soaps using animal fats are harder compared with soaps made from vegetable oils. Soapmakers blend some animal fats with vegan oils for soaps with medium hardness, though some prefer soaps that have no animal fats added. Also, recipes with caustic soda make hard soap. Soft soap is made by using caustic potash instead of soda. Hard soap can be colored with pigment, a very fine powder that is mixed with the soap mass. You will have to experiment with different locally available pigments to find out which color keep best. You can also give the soap a scent. This is done by mixing perfume on the warm soap mass just before pouring it into the moulds. Special scents for the soap industry are commercially available, but if this is not available in your area, you’ll have to experiment. Results will be easily recognized after waiting a few days.
Equipment needed. For the preparation of soap, you will need vessels made of iron or stone. Aluminium should not be brought into contact with warm soap as lye eats up and corrode the aluminium. A couple of spoons or sticks of the appropriate size are necessary to in order to stir the mixture during the preparation. To achieve the soap’s final form, the mass can be poured out into bowls, wooden boxes, or thick cardboard boxes. To prepare good soap, the raw materials should be mixed in proper proportions for which measuring glass and weighing scale are needed. You will have to melt fats and thus a heat source is needed. Because the chemical reactions in the process produce heat, you need a thermometer. The temperature should not rise over 90 deg. centigrade. If you want to prevent spilling over, a well controlled heat source is recommended.
Raw Materials. All fats of animals or vegetable origins can be used. To make good soap, it is advisable to use blends of coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and or butter fat. The last fats mentioned make for good foaming soap. For the lye, caustic soda which is available in supermarkets can be used. This is added in soft water. Food colors can be added on the batch for good visual enhancement, others make use of pigments to color candles. Scents and perfumes are available on candle material suppliers.
Warnings! The lye is a corrosive material. Appropriate precautions should be taken and labelling done to prevent burns. Keep the material away from children, and better keep the children away from your soap workplace. Do not place the lye solutions in drinking glasses or cups, and no eating and drinking in your workplace.