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Home >> Lifestyle: General
Crafts:
Soap
Making:
- Soap Making For Beginners
– Melt And Pour Process
- by David Cushion
As you will learn, soap making
can be simple or complex. Some people enjoy the challenge of
going all out professionally, which is fine. However, other people
simply want to make soap for personal use or to give as an occasional
gift.
Keep in mind that safety precautions
should still be followed because soap becomes dangerously hot
when melted, regardless of the skill level involved. Here, we
will discuss easy melt and pour techniques, perfect for the novice
or skilled soap maker!
First, keep in mind that most
handmade soap is made from glycerin. When you purchase store-bought
soap, the majority of the glycerin has been processed out. Therefore,
when you make your own soap, you have a great opportunity to
create something that is glycerin rich and soft.
Although “glycerin”
is usually clear, with today’s colors and fragrances, you
can create beautiful soaps that not only make your skin soft
but also look great. With glycerin, because it is a humectant,
moisture is drawn out of itself. That means when you use glycerin
soap while bathing, a very fine layer will stay on the skin,
adding moisture.
Buying Soap
To go through the easy melt
and pour method, you want to stop by your soap-making supply
or hobby store, or online soap supply store. There, you will
find large blocks of clear soap. These vary in size and type.
Remember, the prices will vary depending on where you live and
the store or business where you buy.
Regardless, the following are
the types of melt and pour soaps you would need to make your
homemade soap.
Hemp Glycerin Soap
This type of glycerin is great
for the “melt and pour” system, creating semi transparent
soap with the benefit of hemp. Hemp oil is rich with essential
fatty acids, enzymes, Omega 3 and 6, and vitamins A, D, &
E. When buying hemp glycerin, you should look for blocks that
are around 20% glycerin, is alcohol free, and free of any harsh
detergents.
Typically, you will find 11-pound
slabs, which will make approximately 44 bars of soap, each four
ounces. If that is too much, you might try to find smaller slabs
or go in with another soap maker to split the soap. This size
slab will average $40.
Olive Oil Soap
Olive oil soap is semi-transparent
with just a slight tan color. However, the benefits and features
are very close to that of hemp glycerin. The only difference
is that instead of hemp, olive oil is used. When buying, look
for cold pressed olive oil that contains essential fatty acids,
minerals, vitamins, and as close to 20% glycerin as possible.
Again, an 11-pound slab for olive oil soap runs around $40.
Clear Glycerin Soap
This type of soap is transparent
and has low shrinkage qualities. In addition, clear glycerin
soap has very little problem with discoloration. This soap is
vegetable derived and an excellent choice for “melt and
pour” soap bars. You can add color or fragrance easily and
the soap will leave your skin feeling soft and smooth.
Clear glycerin soap is also
a great choice for making soap with multiple layers, novelty
soaps (those with toys, flowers, or other objects inside), and
yet the clarity is exactly what you would buy from your favorite
boutique. If you want a good daily soap, one that is fun for
the kids, and makes an excellent gift, clear glycerin is it.
Goat’s Milk Glycerin
Soap
This type of soap originates
from the beautiful Rocky Mountains. The feel is creamy and rich,
and very luxurious. The appearance of this soap is off white.
Many people shy away from goat’s milk glycerin because of
the name but you will find that it has no fragrance and actually
takes both color and fragrance perfectly.
If you want soap that is natural,
this is a great choice. Typically, goat’s milk glycerin
soap is slightly higher than the other types of soaps but still
very affordable and well worth the investment.
MELT AND POUR SOAP MAKING
EQUIPMENT AND INGREDIENTS
The great thing about using
melt and pour is that you can use equipment you typically have
on hand. With this method, you can use the base of a double boiler
or your microwave oven.
Keep in mind that if you choose
the microwave, the bowl with the soap substance will need to
be covered with plastic wrap to keep it from splattering but
more importantly, to help keep the excess moisture from evaporating.
For the microwave method, you would melt the base soap on high
for about one minute, stirring in the remaining pieces not yet
melted.
For the double boiler option,
bring the water to a boil. Then, add your melt and pour soap
of choice, cover, and leave on low. This will take quite some
time to melt so about every 10 minutes, check the base to see
if it is melted. If you like, you can stir occasionally to ensure
an even melt.
Fragrance
For both methods of melt and
pour, if you want to add in fragrance, once the base soap has
melted, then you would add the fragrance oil. Be sure the fragrance
is mixed in completely and that the base of the soap does not
have a cloudy appearance.
Although you can use more or
less fragrance according to personal preference, typically a
good rule to follow is to use .25 ounces to every one pound of
soap base. In addition to fragrances, you can also use essential
oils.
Color
Now for the color, if you want
to create colored soap, add approximately one-eighth teaspoon
to one-quarter teaspoon mica in with the melting soap base, making
sure to mix in it well.
If any bubbles form on top
of the soap, you can leave them for design effect or spray them
with rubbing alcohol. If you want to use food coloring, start
with just one drop to the melted base, stirring well. Then, you
can add one additional drop until you find the color of preference.
After the fragrance and color
have been added to the soap base, pour the melted base into the
mold of your choice. Again, if you want to remove any bubbles
that will settle on top, spray them with rubbing alcohol. After
the soap has hardened, generally a few hours, you can use it
and enjoy!
COST
As you can see, to make your
own soap at home, you would pay around $40 for the slab of base,
a few dollars for fragrance, a few dollars for coloring, and
that is about it. The process is very cost effective, fun, and
you end up with exactly the type of soap you love most.
Most people figure that one
bar of homemade soap will average .50, far less than you would
pay elsewhere. In addition, you can add in special items or effects
to jazz things up.
Making soap using the melt
and pour process is easy and fun… and makes for very inexpensive
soap. Not only is it great for making your own soap, but it makes
for truly unique and creative gifts.
About The
Author:
Dave Cushion
is the creator of the very popular book "Soap Making Made Simple!" To get additional soap making
tips, go to http://www.soap-making-made-simple.com/ and learn much more
about this very fun and useful craft.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/
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