Hand made soaps
Hand made soaps are best attempted using small-batch experimentation.
Recipes and formulas leave a lot to the imagination when it comes to
the exact process and timing of mixing the ingredients. So experimentation
is really the best way to identify and become familiar with how the
ingredients react to one another.
Hand made soaps are made by mixing fat or oil with lye. Each type of
fat adds a different and unique characteristic to the soap:
• Palm oil – makes a hard bar
• Olive oil – makes the mildest soap, is great for the skin,
and makes fine, silky bubbles
• Coconut oil – lathers well with big, fluffy bubbles, even
in sea water
Using oil to make hand made soaps generally results in a softer, gentler
product. The lighter the fat or oil, the longer it will take to trace
(thickening process). And the warmer the soap, the quicker it will saponify
(the lye reacting process). Hand made soaps are full of possibilities,
but it definitely takes some trial and error to get them right.