How to Make Your Own Soap
Being self-sufficient doesn't just mean having enough food to provide for yourself. It also means being able to maintain a healthy lifestyle - which means staying clean! Making your own soap is a great way to save money and be self-sufficient. You can even add your own ingredients to customize the soap to your family’s needs.
Soap making can be dangerous
Before you start making and using your own soap, please remember that soap making can be dangerous. If the contents are prepared, weighed or measured incorrectly, they can prove dangerous. Please take caution when preparing your own soap.
| Ingredients • 6.9 oz Lye (sodium hydroxide) • 2 cups Distilled Water (refrigerated) • 2 cups Canola Oil • 2 cups Coconut Oil • 2 cups Palm Oil |
Needed Supplies • Goggles • Gloves • Face Mask • A mold for the soap (an old cake loaf, large PVC pipe, etc.) • Plastic wrap or wax paper • Large glass bowl • Wooden spoon for mixing • 2 thermometers • Stainless steel or cast iron pot • Hand held stick blender (optional) |
Directions
1. Put on the goggles and gloves and make sure that you are working in a well-ventilated room or outdoors.
2. Prepare your molds by lining them with plastic wrap or wax paper. Set them aside.
3. Slowly add the lye to the cold, distilled water in a glass bowl. Do not add the water to the lye. Stir continually as you are adding the lye. Stir until the lye is completely dissolved. Place a thermometer into the glass bowl and allow the mixture to cool to around 110 F. (The chemical reaction of adding lye to the water will cause the mixture to heat.)
4. While the lye is cooling, combine the oils in a pot on medium heat and stir well until they are melted together. Place a separate thermometer in the pot and allow the mixture to cool to 110 F.
5. Carefully pour the lye mixture into the oil mixture in a small, consistent stream, stirring continually the make sure the lye and oils mix properly. Continue to stir by hand or with a hand held stick blender. Stir until the mixture has a consistency of thin pudding. This may take anywhere from 30 - 60 minutes, so be patient.
6. Once it has reached the right consistency, carefully pour it into the molds and let it sit for a few hours.
7. After you’ve let the mixture sit for a few hours, test it by poking it. If it’s congealed enough that it doesn’t melt back into itself once prodded, it’s good. You can then cut the soap with a table knife into bars. Let the bars sit for a few days, still inside the mold.
8. After a few days, remove the soap and place on brown paper (grocery bags) in a dark area. Wait 4 weeks before using.
Customizable Soap
While you’re stirring the soap mixture you can add other items to add variety and customize your soap.
For example, if you add dyes at that time, you can change the color. You can also add essential oils or oats for texture. Comment below to share what you’d add to your soap bar! Provide your tips and tricks.