Recently, a considerable number of people are interested in creating their own soap.
It will always be in demand, it can be donated, sold or used on the farm. This does not require any special skills or adaptations. You only need desire, imagination and knowledge of small secrets.
6 basic steps in making soap
To begin with, prepare the base, grind it in any way that you like best. It can be melted either in a microwave oven or in a water bath, but in any case not on ordinary fire. It is necessary to heat exactly until the moment when the mass is completely spread. Do not allow the cooking temperature to increase more than 65 degrees, control it with a liquid thermometer. Do not bring the mass to a boil, otherwise the soap will become very dry and it will have to be digested.
Soap experts advise adding ingredients starting with the essence, as it can give the soap an unexpected color. For example, coconut tree essence can turn white soap into pink. As an aromatic ingredient, you can use oils, perfumes, or natural products. But keep in mind that the smell is a delicate matter!
You can use anything to color soap, but adding a dye, the main thing is not to overdo it. After all, if there is too much of it, then it is colored foam, and wastefulness, and colored towels or linen.
You can add an ingredient that you like to a homemade work of art: oil will give a moisturizing property, coffee and herbs will create an exfoliating effect.
For pouring soap, any molds or plastic jars, or even candy cells, ice molds are suitable. Look around, you can pick up something suitable and unusual.
If you forgot to pre-lubricate the mold, then you will have to work hard to get a fresh piece of soap. You may have to put it in the freezer for a while, and then douse it with hot water. Then the bars will pop out with ease.
The main mistakes of soap making
The surest way to avoid mistakes in cooking soap is to conduct a small test before work. Especially if you cook soap according to some new recipe. Let’s analyze the main mistakes of soap makers.
If you use a new recipe when cooking soap, then try to make a small portion first and see the result. In this case, if something goes wrong, you will not spoil and throw away a lot of ingredients. But if the soap turns out to be good, then you will know for sure that the recipe is suitable.
Do not try to change the recipe yourself, especially if you have little soap-making experience yet. Then, over time, learn to change the ingredients very carefully and in small portions. After all, if, for example, you don’t like the smell or color, you can always add a little more components.
In any, even a minor change in the recipe, try on a small amount and if everything goes well, you can already apply it for the whole batch.
Sometimes soap may change during storage, for example, the smell may change over time.
Problems that may arise in the manufacture of soap
1) Soap stays soft
Most often, the amount of NaOH sodium is incorrectly applied. Use a soap calculator. Or a large amount of oils has been applied. You can try to beat the mass with a mixer for 20 minutes, usually this method helps. Or put it in the oven and cook it constantly stirring.
2) Soap crumbles
There is too much caustic sodium present. Carefully check the weight of each of the ingredients.
Lack of oil necessary for soap. If you really forgot to add the oil, then digest the soap by melting and adding what is forgotten.
Also, soap can be brittle if there is a lot of fat, salt or insufficient water in it.
3) Soap looks like cheese with holes
Holes are bubbles formed during the manufacture of soap. Liquid can accumulate in them. And it is not always a harmless essential oil, it can also be a solution of alkali, dangerous for the skin. It is better to melt such soap and mix it well.
4) An unpleasant liquid is released on the surface of the soap
If this happens to your soap, then melt it and add a little oil.
5) The soap was covered with white dots and plaque
These may be alkaline crystals. They appear if the caustic soda has not completely dissolved in the liquid.
A whitish plaque is just not an aesthetic sight, but it is completely safe.
6) Soap has a heterogeneous structure
This is a sign of poor mixing of the mass. It is necessary to rub the finished soap and digest it again, adding a little water and mixing everything thoroughly.
7) If the soap has stuck to the mold, then it is necessary to put it in the freezer and then warm it up a little, remove it.
8) If the soap smells unpleasant, then most likely this smell is given by the additives used.
Tips from seasoned soap makers
If you have a desire to add beautiful red rose petals to the soap, keep in mind that they will turn into green spots in the soap.
On the basis of baby soap, you will not get soap with the aroma of cinnamon.
Do not add a lot of oil to the soap, it will appear as drops on the surface and besides, it will become bad to soap.
When coffee or cocoa is added to soap, a white coating forms on it.
It is not necessary to use a large amount of herbs for one piece of soap, then the soap will become rough and unpleasant, and it will look more like a scrub.
To improve the “soapiness”, it is necessary to add sugar syrup to the molten base, and then evaporate the excess liquid. Maybe use honey instead of syrup, the effect will be even better. And the “foam” will increase and it is very useful for the skin.
Soap brewed using pieces of fruit should not be stored for a long time, so they can become moldy inside a piece of soap.
By adding palm oil to the base, we will make our soap harder and “frothier”.
If you want to make a transparent mass from an opaque one, then add half a teaspoon of granulated sugar per 100 g of the base.
Do not add many different oils to the creation, otherwise it will remain soft and will not harden.
Mix the transparent mass very carefully so that ugly bubbles do not form. Pour carefully into the mold, too.
To prevent the soap from crumbling, add glycerin or mineral water (1 tsp per 100 gr.)
It is not necessary to apply soap immediately after its manufacture. It should “mature”
As you have noticed, the main mistakes of soap making happen due to an inappropriate amount of oil, alkali or other ingredients, or with poor mixing. Therefore, the composition must be carefully measured and adjusted using a special calculator. Be sure to check your scales, they must be of high quality.
Carefully choose recipes and ingredients when creating your own soap. With a little practice, you will be able to turn all your ideas into reality, and maybe open your own profitable business.
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