Make natural soap for fun. Just like baking a cake, you can choose to start with a kit or make it from scratch. Easy soap making methods can be as simple as "melt and pour" or a more involved mixing of fat, lye and water. No matter what method you choose, you can have fun experimenting with fragrances, essential oils or herbs, and colors. Be artistic! Be creative!
The "melt and pour" method is safe enough for kids to do. Choose from soap bases like goat milk, honey, glycerin, olive & aloe, oatmeal, shea butter or any other base you can find on the market. They're all a little different, so choose the one with the qualities you prefer.
To make a bar soap, melt the soap base completely, stirring frequently, then add the other ingredients. Choose your own fragrances, colors, or essential oils. Then pour the soap into the molds and allow it to cool. Don't worry about getting it right the first time -- you can re-melt and try again.
For those who are a little more adventurous, fat, water, and lye may be the thing for you. This method requires a little more equipment, time and knowledge. The first thing to consider is safety. Lye is a caustic agent and requires special handling. It is suggested that you use eye protection and rubber gloves when handling it. Also, lye will damage aluminum and Formica so keep it off your table tops and counters and especially off of you. There are many great sources on the Internet that describe this process in more detail and you can find any of them by typing "make natural soap" into a search engine.
Making soap is not only fun, it saves money. Compare the cost of fancy soaps to what you make yourself! Use your imagination to make your own soap look and smell exactly like you want. You can even start your own soap business!
Making natural soap at home is environmentally friendly compared to the production of commercial products. Prior to World War I, people used to make soap at home from leftover cooking fats, using purchased cans of lye. Before that, people made lye from wood ashes.
The movement toward more sustainable living has some healthy side effects as well. Since our skin is the largest organ of the body, taking care of it has become more important. One of the benefits of making natural soaps is that you can control what goes into them. If you are allergic to Shea Butter, just use oatmeal instead. If you are a vegetarian, there are soaps you can make out of vegetable fats instead of animal fats.
Making your own soap is fun, healthy and good for the environment. It allows you the flexibility to add ingredients you like and leave out the ones you don't. Homemade soap is good for your family finances as well. There are so many easy soap making recipes out there, anyone can do it.
Author Resource:
Jen Hopkins has worked in the skin care industry for years. She maintains websites about make soap at home , and making organic soap . If you want to contact her, you can use the contact form at one of her sites.
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