eAudrey's Luxuriant Soap and Crafts
Soaps are made from lye, animal fats and/or vegetable oils, and water in a process called saponification. Store bought soaps are generally detergents that are made from petroleum instead of fats or oils. The soaps you make will be much better for your skin because you choose the ingredients. Soap making is a fun and useful hobby!
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- Basic Soaps
- Simple soaps in which the quantities of fats and oils are adjusted to produce varying degrees of texture, mildness and lathering. Additional ingredients are not necessary for saponification but can be included. This is usually only done if you do not intend to mill the soap later.
- Essential Oils
- Oils distilled directly from plant materials. Choose based on desired effect for aromatherapy and skin care properties.
- Fragrance Oils
- Synthetically produced oils that attempt to duplicate the scent of essential oils. Although they may have good aromatherapy qualities, they do not contain the other properties derived from the actual plants.
- Hand-Milled Soaps
- Soaps made by grating basic soaps and re-melting them with water. Additional ingredients are usually added during this process. These soaps allow for a greater variety and provide an opportunity for using fancy molds.
- Glycerin
- A natural by product of the saponification process. In homemade soap it is retained in the bar at about ten percent. (Manufacturers of soap usually remove the glycerin to sell it separately.) Glycerin is an emollient that draws moisture from the air and holds it to the skin.
- Curing
- The aging process soap must go through to dry over a period of at least three weeks for "fresh soap". One week is usually sufficient for the milled soap as the soap has technically cured before it is used to make the new variety. The milled soap is really drying not curing.
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April 21, 2013