Summary:
Making your own soap is simple. This article explains how to make soap from scratch, and includes a recipe using just three basic ingredients.

Details or Sample:
You can make cold pressed soap—that’s soap made from scratch—from just three ingredients: that’s certainly simple soap making! All that’s needed are fats, lye (sodium hydroxide), and water. You can add to these ingredients if you wish, but if you want to keep it simple and minimize costs while you’re practicing and experimenting, then that’s all you need.

Firstly, a little bit about lye. Lye is a chemical also known as sodium hydroxide or caustic soda. It’s an alkali which dissolves substances such as fat. In flake, granular or liquid form it can be highly dangerous and should always be handled with care. And no, you can’t make soap without using lye! But with a few basic precautions, and the application of a little common sense, using lye should cause the soap maker no problems. Always keep your lye in a secured labeled container, out of reach of children and animals (and any other inquisitive individuals).

Given the dangers of inappropriate use of lye, it can sometimes be a little difficult to obtain. There are tight regulations controlling the shipping of this product, so you might have to search around for a retailer you can actually visit to buy in person. Lye for soap making is usually sold in flake form.

Secondly, a little bit about saponification. Saponification is the chemical reaction which occurs when a fat is mixed with an alkali such as lye, the result of this reaction being soap and glycerin (there’s no lye in the finished soap product). One of the advantages of making your own soap is that it retains the glycerin that softens and moisturizes the skin. In commercially-made soap this is siphoned off and sold for use in other products. So perhaps hunting around for that lye might be worth it!

The other two ingredients you will need to make soap are easy to obtain. The fats can be either animal fat (dripping, also known as tallow, or lard), or vegetable fat (shortening—if you use shortening then try and get one that is “pure” with as few additives or preservatives as possible). Water should be distilled or spring water.

The items of equipment you will need to make the soap are: a set of scales (kitchen scales are more than adequate), two stainless steel or enamel pots (don’t use aluminum as the lye will adversely react with the aluminum), two candy thermometers, protective goggles, rubber or plastic gloves, rubber or plastic spatulas or stirrers, a rubber or plastic mold (lightly greased with a little of whichever fat you’re using), and towels and/or blankets.

You will need 2 oz (57g) of lye, 5 oz (142g) of distilled or spring water, and 16oz (454g) of fat. These measures will make a 1lb (454g) batch of soap. Note that these are weighed quantities, so the water is in weighed, and not fluid ounces. To weigh the water, place your empty container on the scales and re-set to zero before pouring in the water. Use either ounces or grams—don’t mix the two.

Melt the fat in one of the pots over a low heat. Once it’s melted, take it off the heat and let it cool to around 130oF (54oC). While it’s cooling, place your water in the other pot and carefully stir in the lye wearing your protective goggles and rubber gloves. Combining the water and lye might give off a few fumes so don’t put your head too close to the pot, and try and do it somewhere well ventilated. Stir the lye until it has dissolved and let the solution also cool to around 130oF (54oC).

Once both mixtures have reached the required temperatures carefully pour the lye solution into the fat. Stir intermittently until the mixture begins to thicken and cloud. What you want to achieve here is the stage that’s known as “trace,” which is where the mixture, when it falls from the stirrer, leaves a slightly raised effect on the surface. Should you wish to perfume your soap, this is the stage at which you would do it, with the addition of 1 tbsp (15g) of essential oil thoroughly stirred into the mixture.

Once trace has been achieved, pour the mixture into the greased mold. Wrap the mold in a towel or blanket and place it somewhere cool and dark (e.g. a cupboard or wardrobe) for 24 hours or until it has reached the consistency of hard cheese. Then take it out of the mold and cut it into bars, using the rubber or plastic gloves to do so as the soap will still be caustic at this stage. Store the bars somewhere cool and dark for four weeks to “cure,” this will ensure the saponification process is fully completed and that your soap has no lye in the finished product.

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