How to make homemade soap – Liquid Soaps
Many soap makers start out by making solid bars of soap because it is a fairly simple and straightforward process. Making liquid soap can be a bit more involved and takes some practice, but it’s just as much fun and the end product is just as useful.
Knowing how to make solid soaps first is definitely an advantage, especially considering that one of the most popular methods of making liquid soap is making it from solid bars of soap, and the other is very similar to the hot process method of making liquid soap. bars.
When making liquid soap, different ingredients are required than you would use for solids. The type of lye typically used to produce solid bar soap is sodium hydroxide, or NaOH. Potassium hydroxide, or KOH, is often used to make liquid bars, because soap produced with KOH is inherently softer than soap produced with NaOH. Also, the varieties of fat used to make liquid soap are different.
There are two varieties of fat: saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and form a much harder stick; unsaturated are very soft solids or liquids at room temperature, and are softer. As you may have guessed, unsaturated fats are the ones that are normally used in the process of making liquid soap.
There are two processes to make a good liquid soap. One process is quite similar to the cold process method of making solid bars; however, instead of curing your soap after you take it out of the molds, you need to cut it into small pieces or grate it. The pieces can then be melted with water in a double boiler; the ratio should be one cup of soap to three cups of water. Heat over medium heat and stir regularly until the soap melts. (If there are any bits that won’t melt, just remove them from the mix.) If the melted soap is too viscous, add more water until the mixture reaches the desired consistency.
The other way to make liquid soap is to do it using the hot process method. Mix the oils and lye as you would a cold-processed soap; it can take a long time to track it, so please be patient. When drawn it can be a little thinner than normal cold process soap. Cook it in a slow cooker or in a double boiler for 3 to 4 hours, stirring every half hour. It will go through many stages; in its final stage, it will be translucent and creamy. To check to see if the soap has cooked enough, mix one ounce of soap with two ounces of boiling water. If the mixture is milky or very cloudy, once the soap has dissolved, it needs to cook longer. (If cooking the soap longer doesn’t make it clearer, one of the ingredients may have been measured incorrectly.) If it’s clear or just a little cloudy, then the soap should be ready.
As with regular bars, essential oils can be added to liquid soap to give it a nice scent, and if it’s stored in a clear bottle, you may want to add some colorants as well.
Liquid soap can spoil, so glycerin or another oil containing vitamin A, C, or E should be added to help preserve it. Store your liquid soap in a cool, dark place, in a pump or flip-top bottle, to further protect it from spoilage. Use the soap within 6 to 8 months and throw it away if it becomes cloudy or smells rancid.
