Making lye soap is very easy and you don't have to devote much time unlike the other processes. There are just many precautions when making the soap since there are harmful substances that can cause serious burns to the skin and eyes. But in today's world, the process of lye soap making is already perfected to avoid the accidents that can occur during the mixture of lye and other ingredients. With this, you can also find a lot of lye soap recipe on the internet that can guide you along with the safety tips and important reminders in making the soap. Another good thing here is that you will also find some tips on how to market your products so if you are planning to sell them to other people.
Before you start making your lye soap, you should be equipped with proper knowledge along with the proper tools and ingredients that you will use. It is advised to use wood, plastic, enamel, and glass tools in mixing the ingredients. You will also need boxes, wooden spoons, and stock pots in lye soap making. As for the ingredients, you need shortening, vegetable oil vinegar, coloring for the soap water, essential oils and fragrances, coconut oil, non-virgin olive oil, and lye. If you already have the necessary tools and ingredients, then you are ready to make your lye soap. Be sure to have the correct lye soap recipe before you start so that you will not encounter accidents.
Making a Lye Soap
Lye soap has been in most cultures for thousands of years already. During the ancient times, the soap was made when lard is abundant and after the butchering stage. There may be connections between the lard and the lye but the reason behind this is that the ashes from the wood used in cooking the fat were used in making the soap.
In the modern world, there are two processes used in creating the lye soap: hot process and cold process. There are advantages and disadvantages on both processes so if you are planning to make a lye soap, choose the easier and safer process for you. The hot process is used by many manufacturers because of the shorter span of time in making the lye soap. There are just complexities in using this kind of process that's why many people opt to use the cold process instead. The cold process may take several weeks before the finishing the soap and this is the down side of the process.
Mixing the water and lye is called the saponification in which the chemical reactions between the two substances take place. In this process, the glycerin and soap molecules are also produced that are very important in any soap making process.
Since there are known harmful qualities of lye, it will be hard for you to buy the substance in your local stores. Though the substance is really not banned to be distributed, the store owners just voluntarily pulled out the lye substances from their shelves. But there are still ways on how to purchase the substance. There are online stores and suppliers that still sell lye in quantities that you need. So you can still have lye soap for sale if you are planning to market the product. There are still people who are looking for the soap since there are a lot of lye soap uses that people can benefit from.
Benefits of Lye Soap Making
There are many lye soap benefits that's why you can find lye soap for sale both on the internet and in the local stores. With the researches done on this soap, lye soap is now used to clean the skin. In this way, lye soap acne is one of the reasons why many people purchase the product. The soap is also known to be helpful in moisturizing the skin and on the contrary of being a harmful substance before the saponification, the soap is very gentle that people can use it safely.
Cautions in Lye Soap Making
It is mentioned earlier that there should be safety precautions that you need to consider when making a lye soap. It is extremely important that you know the correct way of mixing the ingredients to avoid accidents and burns. You should also have safety equipments when making the soap like safety goggles and gloves. You should have a working space that is far from the area where you eat and prepare your food.
One of the first steps is mixing the water and lye. In this procedure, you should gradually add the lye to the water and not the other way around. Adding the water to the lye may cause explosion.
Basic Cold Process Procedure
After successful mixing the water and lye, it is time to add the solution to the oil mixture. Mix the soap mixture until you have a thick mixture where you can add the fragrances and colorants that you like. Get the mold and pour the soap mixture and wait for 24 hours before the soap can set. Allow the soaps to cure for 4 to 6 weeks.
Lye soap is a product that you can easily market since there are many lye soap benefits that people can get. Lye soap acne is the major reason for purchasing the product since lye soap can clean and moisturize the skin well. Don't forget to market the lye soap uses so that you will have a successful business in this field.