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Are you also interested in homemade soap making? Be aware that even in your own kitchen it is possible to make beautiful homemade soaps using the traditional technique without soap bases, i.e. directly from lye and a blend of fats and oils. You do not need to worry that homemade soap is difficult to make; thanks to the detailed procedure, you will manage it too!
The list of raw materials is given in grams and not in percentages, because each oil requires a different amount of lye for its saponification; therefore, when you substitute a given oil or change its ratio, it is necessary to recalculate the formula. You will find out the correct amount of lye for homemade soap when you enter your selected oils into a soap calculator, for example Soapcalc and others that are available on the internet. By using 200 g of oils, you will obtain approximately 4 bars of soap.
Working with lye requires a degree of caution as well as the necessary use of protective equipment, especially goggles and gloves. Find out more about how to handle lye and how to verify the safety of the finished homemade soap.
If it happens that the homemade soap mixture gets on your skin during production, rinse it off immediately with cold water. You can also apply lemon juice or diluted vinegar to remove unreacted lye. Proceed in the same way when cleaning containers and surfaces – soak the containers and tools in diluted vinegar, which will react with the remaining lye, and then wash the containers. Do not reuse the containers and tools used for soapmaking for food.
Checking the pH of homemade soap is important to verify that the soap is safe and that no errors occurred during its production. It may happen that there was an error in weighing or that the mixture for the homemade soap was not mixed thoroughly enough. In that case, areas with a higher concentration of lye can form, which can damage the skin.
We check the homemade soap after about 3 weeks using a litmus strip. Moisten the strip with distilled water and place it on the soap. It is necessary to test several spots on the soap to make sure that the homemade soap does not contain pockets with increased lye concentration. The pH of the soap should be 9–10. If you measure even locally a higher value, such homemade soap is not safe to use.
You can also use a pH meter or a phenolphthalein solution or strips containing it. When using phenolphthalein strips, proceed in the same way as with litmus strips; the strips should not turn pink. If you use the solution, drop it onto various parts of the soap; it should likewise not turn pink. A pink colour indicates high pH values and thus unreacted lye; such homemade soap is not safe to use.
There are small tricks you can use when making homemade soap to make the work and handling of the soap batter easier. This also includes the choice of a suitable mold. Silicone molds for homemade soap are very suitable because the soap is easy to unmold. You can also use molds made of other materials, but line them with baking paper so that you can remove the soap more easily.
When making layered homemade soaps, as in this case, it is good to thicken the bottom layer slightly by extra blending compared to the top layer so that it can support the weight of the upper layer.
Over time, homemade soap can develop a white surface, forming so-called soda ash. This is an aesthetic defect that you can prevent by spraying the soap with IPA – isopropyl alcohol.
For better dissolution of colourants in the soap batter, it is good if at the beginning you set aside a small amount of oil, for example two tablespoons, and dissolve the powder colourants in it. Then pour this oil into the homemade soap, which will make it easier to dissolve the colourant and help you avoid clumps.
When creating the recipe for homemade soap, an 8 % superfat was also included. This means that the oils are present in 8 % excess relative to the lye, and this fraction of unsaponified oils will provide care and nourishment for the skin.
Below we present the individual active components of the homemade soap and their effect on the skin.
Coconut oil is a popular oil in soapmaking because, after saponification, it gives soaps hardness. At the same time, such homemade soap is highly foaming and dissolves well in water. An advantage is that coconut oil is very stable and contributes to the shelf life of the soap. On the other hand, its strong cleansing properties can over‑strip dry skin, which is why it is combined with other oils.
Because of its high content of ricinoleic acid in the fats, castor oil helps to soften homemade soap and, in small amounts, supports the stability and creaminess of the lather. However, if it were present in large quantities in the formula, the soap would lather poorly and have a short shelf life (the residual oil would oxidise quickly). For this reason, it is advisable to use castor oil in homemade soaps in small amounts.
Grapeseed oil is a very useful universal oil which is well absorbed by the skin and helps care for it thanks to the superfat in the soap. It is an alternative to olive oil in formulas. On its own it gives a softer homemade soap and mild lather, which is why it is combined with oils and butters that provide harder homemade soaps and a richer lather.
Shea butter is a great choice among butters for homemade soap because it contains a relatively large amount of unsaponifiables that contribute to skin care. Since it is a solid fat (at room temperature) with a high content of stearic acid in triacylglycerols, shea butter provides a firm, hard homemade soap and contributes to its durability.
Himalayan salt on the surface of the homemade soap is not only a decoration; the homemade soap also contains it for its positive properties that help care for the skin. The pink colour of this salt is caused by its high mineral content, including iron. In addition, it has detoxifying and antibacterial properties.
Although homemade soap with Himalayan salt has a given list of raw materials, it can be varied to a certain extent. In the following lines, find out how!
First of all, before changing the type or proportion of an oil or butter in the homemade soap recipe, it is necessary to realise that each fat (oil or butter) requires a different amount of lye for its saponification. This is why there are soap calculators where you enter the amount and type of the oils used and the calculator provides the amount of water and lye needed for saponification.
Therefore, if you are going to substitute the type of oil or butter or change its amount in the homemade soap recipe, always recalculate the recipe. Otherwise you risk making a soap that contains too much lye and is therefore dangerous for the skin, or, conversely, a lack of lye will mean insufficient saponification, and the homemade soap will not harden and will remain greasy. On the other hand, practically almost any oil or fat can be saponified.
When choosing colourants, definitely let your imagination run free. Mica powders are popular colourants for soaps because they provide bright, long‑lasting colours. Use as much mica powder as needed to achieve the desired shade.
Another option is to use activated charcoal for a black colour. In this recipe, the vivid white colour was achieved by using titanium dioxide dispersed in oil.
Your homemade soap can gain other interesting colours thanks to different colouring oxides. Ultramarines have similar properties to oxides. There are also colourants intended specifically for soaps in liquid or powder form.
You can also colour homemade soap with various natural substances such as turmeric, coffee, cocoa, fruit powders. Another option for homemade soap is to reach for cosmetic clays; for example, you can use pink or other clays. Herbal powders or ground algae are also used for colouring. Likewise, some CO2 extracts can cause the soap to take on colour, for example paprika CO2 extract.
Himalayan salt is not the only salt you can use to decorate your soap. If you do not have Himalayan salt on hand, you can also use ordinary coarse sea salt, which can make the homemade soap more special. You can also try salt from the Dead Sea or omit salt entirely.
The distilled water in the recipe can also be replaced with flower hydrolats. However, there is a risk that the high pH and strength of the lye will destroy some valuable components in these waters, and their scent may disappear.
Replacing part of the water can also serve as a colourant, for example carrot or beetroot juice. However, once again, during saponification the lye may cause a partial change in colour.
As mentioned, you can experiment with homemade formulas to achieve the desired properties. However, the final result can be influenced by many factors, such as humidity, temperature, quality of raw materials or their storage.
Before using any raw material to produce a cosmetic product, familiarise yourself with its properties, recommended dosage, storage conditions and safe handling. Every raw material can have the potential to trigger an allergic reaction in sensitive individuals, so before using the product we recommend finding out whether you are allergic to any of the raw materials or to the finished product, for example by means of a patch test.
If you have very sensitive or very acne‑prone skin, or you have other skin or health problems, we recommend that you consult a medical professional before applying a new product to your skin, whether it is a homemade cosmetic product, a pure raw material, or a commercially available product.
Hands up, everyone who makes homemade soaps.
Here at Handymade, we really enjoy soapmaking; we are always delighted by a new creation from our soapmaking friends from Musk.sk.
We always look forward most to the creative process of blending coloured soap and decorating it, and we can hardly wait until the soap has cured.
Do you enjoy making soap as much as we do? Have you ever tried to create a natural soap bar at home? Show off your creations here in the comments or on Facebook. Let’s inspire each other.
We wish you wonderful creative work.
Until saponification, friends.
