Nowadays, where everything can be cheaply found in any anonymous store, becoming yet another object without a soul to be stacked on the shelves of the house, what could be more beautiful than experiencing the enthusiasm and joy of the artisanal creation of a do-it-yourself object, the result of love, care and dedication, to give life to something unique and special.
Whether it’s a hobby for yourself or to give cute gifts to friends and family, homemade soap is a great way to combine well-being, art and functionality. Why natural homemade soap is convenient
By “natural” soap , we mean today a type of homemade handmade soap , created through self-production, using vegetable fats, caustic soda, water, without synthetic additives and preservatives.
This is not just a habit, the advantages of a homemade soap are numerous, starting with the absence of chemical components and processed at an industrial level that produce a lot of foam, but, often, they do not even wash too well.
Not to mention that, for those with allergies or very delicate skin, having natural soaps is really a benefit. Furthermore, chemical soaps are highly polluting while home made ones are truly ecological and it is really a satisfaction to create them. Now you just have to find the ingredients and take a look at some recipes for a homemade soapad hoc, with practical advice, and then indulge yourself with your scented creations! How to make cold and hot soap
To make homemade olive oil soap with the hot or cold method, you will need to get these ingredients : 1 kg of extra-virgin olive oil and 134 grams of soda caustic, adding 280 grams of preferably distilled water for the cold recipe, or 350 grams of preferably distilled water for the hot one.
For the equipment you will need:
- an electronic scale, to be precise in the doses
- wooden spoons for mixing
- heat-resistant pyrex containers for diluting soda
- stainless steel container (resistant to 90 °) for saponification
- an oven thermometer
- an immersion blender
- plastic, wooden or silicone containers to be used as molds
If you are at the beginning, the easiest way to make homemade soap is the so -called cold one , which uses the natural heat produced by the reaction between fat and caustic soda.
First, wear gloves, goggles and a mask to weigh the caustic soda but always be very careful: caustic soda is highly corrosive and risks burning the skin and mucous membranes. Use the pyrex jug to dilute the liquid, mixing well. Remember that soda must always be poured into the liquid, never the other way around, as it could be very risky.
Then pour and heat the fats on the stove, waiting for the fats and the soda solution to reach a temperature between 40 and 50 degrees, then pour the soda solution into the pan and mix well with the blender.
When you see the mixture become dense and very creamy, you will have arrived in the so-called “ribbon” phase where you can enrich the product with essential oils to perfume it, spices to revive and color it, together with the many natural elements to personalize it, such as: lavender , peel ‘orange, cinnamon, rice, etc.
Then pour the mixture into the mold, wrapping everything with thermo-insulating material as the soda will continue to have reactions with the oil. Wait 24 hours before removing the hardened soap mixture from the molds, then cut it and have your own DIY soaps just the way you want.
Finished here Not really, because it will be necessary to wait at least 4-5 weeks, letting the homemade soap
rest in a cool and dry environment before using it, the time necessary to exhaust the caustic potential of the soda.
With the hot processon the other hand, external heat is obtained from the mixture, for example by cooking it in a bain-marie. A heat that adds to what is created in the reaction. And here is where the ancient homemade soap recipe will become a must in your home. Other recipes and additions to
homemade soap Homemade soapmaking allows you to keep the glycerin in the finished product which contributes to making the soap very gentle on the skin, both for the body and for the face.
There are many recipes designed ad hoc, to make a homemade soap against acne, which can be made with clay, turmeric, blue sulfur, tea tree oil, activated carbon, lavender and thyme. Or, try thehome made anti-cellulite soap , with essential oils such as mandarin, which helps fight this annoying imperfection, together with ingredients such as: water, caustic soda, olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil, corn starch and dried marigold flowers.
