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Soap Making Methods

A brief overview of the various soap making methods.

There are several different soap making processes that will allow you to easily make homemade soap products. The first soap making method is cold process soap making. This process requires a scale, a large stainless steel pot, measuring cups, kitchen thermometers, rubber gloves, mold, cardboard, plastic bags, olive oil, coconut oil, shortening, lye, distilled water, and fragrances. The cold process gets its name from the general low temperatures that are used to mill this type of soap.

In addition to cold process methods, hot process soap making methods are also available. This process is named for its boiling pot method of soap milling. For this type of homemade soap making you will need palm oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, shea butter, castor oil, sodium hydroxide, water, borax, soap molds, stainless steel pot, stirring stick or spoon, plastic wrap.

If you have soap scraps that you would like to rework into a new bar of soap then you can use a handmilled soap making method called soap rebatching. To do this you will need soap scraps, a mold, a grater, fragrance, dyes, and other additives. The best type of soap base for this type of soaping making is a cold process soap. To start with you will want to grate your soap into fine particles. Then place all of your shavings into a glass bowl that can be placed in a double boiler. As the double boiler heats up you will need to stir your grated soap pieces. Add in your vegetable oils and fragrances at this point, making sure that everything is incorporated. Break up soap clumps that form. Continue to cook until the soap reaches the string stage. At this point the soap will thicken rapidly. Remove the pot from the heat source quickly add in fragrances, coloring, herbs, and optional items in that order. Spoon into molds and allow it to cure.

The final way to make handcrafted soap is to use the melt and pour soap making method. Out of all of the soap making methods this is perhaps the easiest for novice soap makers. It involves simply melting a soap base in a double boiler, adding in fragrance and dyes, and then placing the soap mixture into a mold. This is the soap making method that most soap making do-it-yourself kits will use.

Free Homemade Soap Making Recipes

Take a luxurious bath while using products that are all natural and wonderful for your skin. Treat yourself to a mini spa at home, and enjoy the fragrant wonders as the scent of florals and herbs surround you.

Here I share with you some of my best bath & soap recipes that I created myself in my own kitchen. Please note that these recipes are copyright protected and NOT in the public domain. If you'd like to share these recipes with others, then please provide them with the link to this site.

Bath Tea Bag Recipes - Fragrant fumes and healing herbs engulf you when you use a bath tea bag for relaxation.

Bath Bomb / Fizzy Recipes - A mini spa awaits you as you fizz those worries away with these delightful bath bomb / bath fizzy recipes.

Homemade Lye Soap - Old-fashioned lye soap isn't as harsh as it sounds or as harsh as your grandma may have made it. These lye soap recipes are safe for the skin and sooooo silky smooth that once you try them, you'll never buy store brands again! Making lye soap is not only fun, but also very rewarding. These recipes can be used for the cold process or hot process methods.

Rabatch Handmilled Soap - For those of you that don't like the thought of handling lye, here's some wonderful homemade soap recipes using the rebatch method.

Lip Balm Recipes - Make your own homemade lip balm using these fantastic recipes.

Homemade Facial Masks - Treat yourself to a pampering session as you give yourself facials that are out of this world. You can easily make your own facial mask using everyday items found in your kitchen.

Lotion Bar Recipes - Make wonderful lotion bars right in the comfort of your own home. Lotion bars are not only wonderful for your skin, but proven best sellers as well!

Bath Salts - Making bath salts is not only easy, but it's super fun and something your whole family will enjoy doing together.