Homemade Soap Making for Beginners
The most common base oils are palm, olive, coconut, canola, safflower and cocoa butter. A blend of these, with more emphasis on the cocoa butter and olive oil, can yield a truly luxurious result. There are a variety of soap recipes, but inventing your own can be a lot of fun. Several resources recommend using equal parts coconut oil, olive oil and palm oil and half measures of canola and sunflower. Cocoa butter can replace either of the last two oils for a more moisturizing blend. From this base you would then add your own special touches, such as essential oils for fragrance, color or herbs and minerals for exfoliation.
A very popular blend is 2 parts lavender, 1 part lemongrass and lavender buds for exfoliation. This combines the calming aroma of lavender with the sweetness of the lemongrass to smooth the aroma.
Before beginning, assemble all your oils for your soap base and any additions you will make to create your own blend. Cut the soap base into large chunks and melt in a glass, microwave safe dish or in a double boiler. Make sure you stir frequently to ensure an even melt. When your base is melted, add your fragrance oils, color and other materials and stir gently. Avoid mixing bubbles into your soap, but if you do, use a spray bottle with a little rubbing alcohol in it to spritz your soap. When your soap is blended thoroughly, you can pour your soap into your molds. Anything soap-sized and heat resistant will work for a mold, so long as you can flex it in order to get the cooled soap out. Make sure your pour the soap without splashing or causing it to bubble. Set your soap to the side and cover it while it cools. When it is thoroughly cooled, slip the bars out of your molds and you're done!
For pretty gifts, wrap your soaps in decorative tissue paper and tie with raffia or pretty ribbons.
Published by Thea Mann
Thea is the mother of 2, and a middle school Language Arts teacher. She spends her time in her container garden when she doesn't have her nose in a book or fingers on a keyboard. Sometimes she even sleeps. View profile
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- Basic soap making is really extremely simple.
- There are a variety of soap recipes, but inventing your own can be a lot of fun.
- For pretty gifts, wrap your soaps in decorative tissue paper and tie with raffia or pretty ribbons.