Growing up in a city, I never really thought about making soap at home. To me, soap was just a white bar from Ivory that came in a package. Despite my crafty nature, it wasn’t until I stumbled upon soap-making recipes in an old homemaking book that my curiosity was piqued. The ingredients like tallow and lye seemed a bit daunting at first.
It actually took me a few years to gather the courage to try it. In the meantime, I simply bought handmade soap from a local vendor. When I finally got around to making my own soap, I was surprised at how easy it was and how much money I saved!
At first, the soap-making process looked complicated, but once I tried it, I realized it was pretty straightforward. In less than an hour, I could make enough soap to last our family for months, and it cost less than buying it, even when using organic ingredients.
There are several ways to make soap at home, with endless variations for each method. Here, I’ll focus on the traditional cold process soap-making approach and share a simple recipe at the end.
A big concern many have with soap-making is lye, and I shared this concern until I researched it further. Lye, or Sodium Hydroxide, is a caustic chemical, but once soap is properly made, there’s no lye left in the final product. Many wonder if you can make soap without lye, and while the short answer is no, there’s a bit of chemistry involved.
Lye reacts with fats in a process called saponification, which is essential to create soap. So, while lye can be dangerous on its own, properly made soap is safe. If you’d rather not handle lye, you can use melt-and-pour soap bases that have already been through saponification. You can add your own scents and ingredients to customize it, but it’s less cost-effective and doesn’t give you the full soap-making experience.
For those ready to tackle soap-making, you’ll need a good recipe and the right ingredients. You can use a variety of oils and fats, and a soap calculator can help determine the right amounts. Some basic tools are necessary as well, and it’s recommended to keep separate ones just for soap-making, not for cooking.
If you’re ready to dive in or don’t want to create your own recipe, try this simple one to start. Make sure you have all the right equipment, like a digital scale—it’s essential for making homemade soap!
