Want To Learn How To Make Lye Soap

When it comes to handmade soap, people have been making lye soap for thousands of years. For the most part, lye soap is made through either the cold or hot processes; either way, soap is an important part of most cultures. While lye is a harmful substance in its pure form, with the proper precautions, you can safely learn how to make lye soap that can be both decorative and functional.

Benefits of Creating Lye Soap

When lye is combined with oil it goes through a chemical reaction called saponification. During this process, both soap molecules and glycerin are formed. There are two main methods used for creating soap in this manner; the hot process and the cold process.

As the names suggests, the hot process involves using heat during saponification while the cold process does not. With the hot process, the heat that is introduced will work to accelerate the chemical reactions; this means that your soap will be ready for use sooner than soap from the cold process. Even so, most soap making hobbyist choose the cold process because it is less complicated than the hot process. Keep in mind, however, that cold process soap will take several weeks before it is ready to use.

In recent years, lye has become more difficult to obtain because many store have discontinued selling it. However, you can still find businesses that sell lye online in the quantities you need.

The Cautions of Making Lye Soap

Safety needs to be your number one priority when making lye soap. Lye is caustic before it undergoes saponification. Contact with your skin or eyes can result in serious burns. It is for this reason that you need to have the proper safety equipment and habits. Make sure you have gloves, safety goggles that fully seal around your face, and protection for your working surface. Remember to use glass, enamel, plastic, or wood to avoid any unwanted chemical reactions. Also, make sure that you use a separate work area from where food is prepared/consumed or one with a protected surface. Store any unused lye in a container that is labeled and away from the reach of children and pets.

With safety addressed, the first thing to do in soap making is to measure the necessary amount of lye and water. Lye will sometimes come in easy-to-measure bricks. When it is time to combine the lye and water, remember to always add the lye to the water and not the other way around. If you pour water into the lye, you risk creating a small explosion that will get the chemicals on everything – yourself included. However, if you add the lye slowly to the water it will only result in heating the water – sometimes to as much as 200 degree Fahrenheit.

Simple Cold Process Instructions on How to Make Lye Soap

Once you have created your lye solution by combining the lye and water, introduce it to a pot of your chosen oils in order to develop the soap mixture. At this point, stir the soap mixture until the point where it thickens and reaches the stage called “trace”. Once the mixture has reached trace, you can add your scents and colorants to make customizations to your soap. Stir the new ingredients into the soap mixture just before you pour the liquid into your soap molds. With the soap mixture now in the molds, allow it to set for 24 hours before removing the soap from the molds. Finally, let them cure for 4-6 weeks before use.

While there are a lot of precautions to be taken when it comes to making lye soap, it can still be a very enjoyable hobby. Soap makers have delved into this practice for generations, creating incredible, high-quality products that fill gift shops and bath stores the world over. Now it is time for you to test your hand at learning how to make lye soap!

Want to find out more about how to make soap? Check out Soap Making Fun for your needs.