How Soap is Made

Soap making involves mixing lye, water, and fats together which will cause a chemical reaction changing the fats into soap and glycerin. Neither lye nor fat remain, only pure, clean soap enriched with naturally formed glycerin. The soap is then left to cure for several weeks to ensure mildness.

Soap making is an usable art form. You can create texture, color, and beautiful detailed designs. You can create swirls or make your soap look like food. Your options are really unlimited. I will not get into the details of creating such unique soaps here, but if you play around with making soap be sure to experiment a lot. Turn your soap making into an outlet for your artistic self. All handmade soap is beautiful.

Cold-Process Soap Making

Soap created using the cold-process technique uses no external heat other than what is required to melt the solid oils. Mixing of the sodium hydroxide solution (lye) with the oils causes a chemical reaction called saponification. This reaction is exothermic reaction, meaning that the reaction causes a release of energy in the form of heat. The heat of the reaction allows the soap to form what is called a gel, which is thought to be important in the creation of good quality soap.