It is a lot of fun to make your own soap. You can determine the scent and color yourself and choose the quality of the ingredients you use. The good news is, it’s not difficult at all. Whatever soap you want to make, the basis is the same.
Necessities
- Kitchen scales
- Plastic containers
- Sugar thermometer
- Something to stir (not made of aluminum or wood, preferably plastic)
- Oils and fats
- NaOH (Kruidvat’s sink drain unblocker in granular form is 100% NaOH)
- Water (preferably demineralized water from a chemist)
- Blender
- Pan
Method
To begin with, all of the ingredients listed in the recipe must be weighed carefully.
Add the NaOH (sodium hydroxide) to the water. Do this very carefully. As soon as the NaOH dissolves in water, a chemical reaction occurs and sodium hydroxide is formed. The solution gets quite warm. Make sure the caustic soda is mixed in a plastic or glass bowl, never in an aluminum bowl. Working with caustic soda requires the necessary safety measures, which are described in the last paragraph. Read this carefully!
While the caustic soda is cooling, the oils and fats that are being used should be warmed up. The oils and fats can best be mixed first and then heated. When the caustic soda and fats are about 50 degrees Celsius, they must be added together. Note: the oil heats up much faster than the caustic soda cools, so do not put the pan with oil on the fire until the caustic soda is almost at the right temperature.
When the caustic soda and oils are at the same temperature, add them together. Slowly add the sodium hydroxide solution to the oil, while continuing to stir. The solution already becomes cloudy, the first bit of soap is formed. Use the hand blender to speed up the saponification process. After a few minutes the soap will become thick. You can drop a drop from a spoon to check if it is thick enough. When it leaves a mark for a few seconds, it is thick enough. Now is the time to add fragrances or dyes.
Now the mixture is ready to be poured into the mold. Special soap molds are available in online stores, but you can also use a plastic container. You let the soap sit in the mold until it hardens. This can take 1-3 days. After that, the soap should dry for another 3-6 weeks.
Simple recipe: olive soap
The most simple soap contains only 1 type of fat. In this case olive oil.
- 250 g olive oil
- 32 g NaOH
- 86 g of water
Safety: work with caustic soda
When the NaOH is dissolved in water, sodium hydroxide is formed. During the chemical reaction, the liquid becomes very warm. It is also a very corrosive liquid, so avoid contact with skin and eyes. Keep it out of reach of children and pets. It is also recommended to take extra protection when working with caustic soda, for example by wearing safety goggles and gloves.
