When I think of making soap I always think of granny from the Beverly Hillbillies stirring up a big pot of Lye soap out back by the swimming hole.
Well if you ever made your own soap at home it is sort of like that. I wanted to learn how to make soap so I read a book at our local library and decided to give it a try.
I bought the materials I needed, Lye, distilled water, and I decided on using lard. Now before I go any further a word to the wise. Make you soap outside. Lye is some pretty corrosive stuff. I got a little on my kitchen counter top and it does not shine any more.
Do not use an aluminum spoon like I did. It will eat it up. Do not pour your water into the lye. It may explode all over your kitchen like I did. Are you starting to see a pattern here? Soap making can be fun but I would read a bit more about it before you ever attempt your first batch.
Well my first batch as you can imagine was a total disaster. I did not want to admit defeat so I tried again and my 3rd batch came out really nice. I now experiment with different ingredients, oils, colors and scents. You can get really creative with your soaps, making molds for them and other different decorative ideas. It really is a lot of fun once you get the basics down.
I have now found a much easier and safer way to make soap at home. It is called the melt and pour technique
I bought some soap base for melting at the craft store and brought it home. You can either melt it in you microwave or a double boiler. It is a whole lot safer than messing with lye.
Once it is melted you can add your fragrances or coloring. Then you just pour into your molds and let it harden. If you have excessive bubbles on the top of your mold you can spray it down with rubbing alcohol. In a few hours you can remove it from the mold and you are ready to use it.
Lately we have been making big batches of our soap. We put them in a nice decorative basket and take them down to the local craft show or flea market. We have been selling out every time. This has not only been fun but has created a nice little income.
Mike D Tucker is a self employed Internet entrepreneur and product reviewer. If you would like more tips on soap making Visit http://www.rave-reviews.net/Making-Soap/
