How to Make Soap: The Two Popular Methods
If you are not aware yet, there are two popular methods of soap making. These methods include the Melt and Pour Soap Making Method and the Cold Process Soap Making Method. What difference lies between the two and which should I use? Let us take a good look at each of them.
Melt and Pour Method for Soap Making
The melt and pour process of soap making is best for newbies. With this method, all you need is a melt and pour soap base. You only need to melt your soap base, put in additives like fragrance and essential oils, before finally putting it inside a soap molder. Once hardened, simply take it out of the mold and you can already start using it.
Cold Process Method for Making Soap
The cold process method for soap making is the process of coming up with soap from scratch. With the cold process method, you combine lye with water then allow the mixture to rest at room temperature. On another mixing pot, you put the oils and fats then heat (at 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit) while stirring occasionally.
Afterwards, you can then combine the lye and oil solutions and thoroughly mix until even and thick. When it is thick enough, you can put in colorants, fragrance and other enhancers then stir thoroughly once again. Finally, put the final soap solution into soap molders and allow it to harden for 24 hours or so.
For an excellent formulation, it you will find it best to follow soap recipes which can be bought in online. These recipes contain ingredients and tools list, together with a step by step set of instructions on how to make soap.
The main characteristic of the soap you make depends largely on the kind of enhancers you put into it. For example, you can put in tea tree essential oil to give your soap anti-bacterial properties, or organic oatmeal to add exfoliating effect. You can play around with soap making recipes so you can create a soap formula that will best suit your preferences.
While soap making can be as easy as 1-2-3 as long as you follow the correct steps, this does not automatically mean that problems can not occur during the process. Soap making, just like all kinds of crafts will need time, experimentation and patience to master.
