Sunday, February 22, 2009

Tips for Making Old Fashioned Soap

By Susanna Faye

Soap making is a fun activity that you might have never considered. Most people just buy their soap in the store, after all. It's convenient that way, but not necessarily a good thing. Commercial soaps can be expensive and you never know what they're really made out of. Making your own can be a much better idea.

A lot of commercial soaps can cause people to have itchy, uncomfortable rashes. So, for sensitive skin, they aren't the way to go. If you make your own soaps at home, you're less likely to have such allergy problems. So, especially if you have sensitive skin, making your own soap can be not just fun and cheaper, but actually a healthier alternative.

When it comes to making old fashioned soap, safety comes first. Some substances in soap can be dangerous if you don't handle them properly. So, for a start, you should have a good pair of gloves and some eye goggles on hand. Of course, each soap recipe is different, but there's no need to take chances.

Besides the basic protective gear, you also need a lot of other things to make soap, including a 15 quart steel pot, two spoons and two plastic bowls. You'll also need a mold made out of either plastic or wood, some saran wrap and a blanket. Then you'll need to pick the recipe you want to use, if you haven't already.

When it comes to soap making, one thing you need to be aware of is lye. Lye is one of the main and most dangerous ingredients in home made soap. It can cause skin burns. So, do your best to protect your skin from coming in contact with it, as you make the soap. If you do get burned, treat it as any other burn. Use cool water for a minor burn or go to the hospital if you have a major burn.

Lye is, of course, not the only ingredient in soap. Most of the other ingredients are things you might commonly use in cooking, like vegetable shortening and olive oil. If you want unscented soap, you'll use less ingredients than if you want scented soap, though. Scented soaps use herbs, scented oils or other ingredients that give them a pleasant smell.

Another thing about home made soap is that it makes a great gift. In fact, some recipes say that certain scents can change a person's mood. So, for example, if you have a friend that needs to relax, you might make them some calming lavender scented soap. So, you may want to look up which scents are good for certain occasions before you make your soap.

Beginners generally should stick to the recipe exactly as provided until they perfect their skills. However, once you've made a couple of successful soap batches, why not get a little creative and make up your own soap recipes? Experimentation makes soap making a fun and rewarding hobby.

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