I always had a fond curiosity towards soaps
that we use in everyday life. How is
it made? What materials are used? Whenever I drop by the supermarket to buy
soap, I hesitate in choosing one. Although some of the soaps have a light and
fresh aroma to it, most of them are too strong, making me feel suffocated and
dizzy. I used to bathe with those strong smelling soaps, thinking that it might
be good—well, because of the overly nice smell—but it only resulted in the
development of dry and itchiness skin. In the end, I had to apply layers and
layers of chemical moisturizers to ease the itching and redness, which was
quite annoying.
The opportunity finally came on the 9th
of September, 2013. I had participated in an amateur soap-making workshop,
which had let all my interest and excitement flow out like a rushing water tap.
I finally understood that handmade soap is made by the process of saponification
between the fat, lye and water. This method prevents the destroying of natural
vitamins and nutrients from the plant oils contained in the soap with the low
heat chemical process, thus producing the best skin care products you can hope
for.
Below is the principle of saponification :
Oil + Sodium Hydroxide + Water = Soap
(base) +
Glycerine
OR
Fatty acids of Vegetable Oils + Sodium Hydroxide + Water = Sodium Salt (soap) + Glycerine
In simple, saponification is a process that involves
the base hydrolysis of a triglycerides (NaOH), which consists of esters and
fatty acids, to form the sodium salt of a carboxylate and glycerol. This
process undergoes 4-6 weeks of dehydration before forming into a solid soap.
Glycerine is
a colourless, odourless and viscous organic compound. It acts as a humectant, which
draws moisture to your skin, keeping it hydrated all the time. Regular use of
soaps that form from glycerine can make your skin softer and suppler. In spite
of this, most of the bigger and cheaper soaps that are sold in the market
exclude this important ingredient, but are added with plenty of non-effective chemicals
like foaming agents, hardening agents, chemical fragrance and preservatives to
make it long-lasting. The glycerine then will be isolated for other uses such
as cosmetics, medicine products, pharmaceutical etc.
Homemade glycerine soap is natural and free of synthetic chemicals. It is very suitable for those who are allergic to chemicals and can even help in relieving symptoms of certain skin disorders like acne prone and eczema. Besides, homemade soap is added with essential oils extracted from plants and uses natural colours, which are not harmful towards your delicate skin, moreover, it will surely make your heart tingle whenever you see these soaps of various colours are produced with a wide variety of cute and interesting mould designs.
Homemade glycerine soap is natural and free of synthetic chemicals. It is very suitable for those who are allergic to chemicals and can even help in relieving symptoms of certain skin disorders like acne prone and eczema. Besides, homemade soap is added with essential oils extracted from plants and uses natural colours, which are not harmful towards your delicate skin, moreover, it will surely make your heart tingle whenever you see these soaps of various colours are produced with a wide variety of cute and interesting mould designs.
Making a batch of soap takes 1-2 hours initially, and
then an additional 4-6 weeks of curing before you should use it. The initial PH
of soap with a strong alkaline of 12 will drop to the range of 8-10, which is
safe to use. So, making cold processed handmade soap mostly involves a long
waiting process.
Sodium hydroxide is very toxic and is regarded as a highly hazardous material. Just like dealing with gas and electricity, if it is not treated with the utmost care, it can be incredibly harmful and dangerous. As long as it is used correctly and you follow the rules when using it, you will be fine.
Sodium hydroxide is very toxic and is regarded as a highly hazardous material. Just like dealing with gas and electricity, if it is not treated with the utmost care, it can be incredibly harmful and dangerous. As long as it is used correctly and you follow the rules when using it, you will be fine.
Below are listed the safety precautions that need to be taken in the process of soap production :
·
Do not touch lye - wear gloves and
protect your eyes - wear safety glasses
· Do not leave the lye solution unattended. Keep away from children and nosey pets
· Do not leave the lye solution unattended. Keep away from children and nosey pets
·
Ventilate the area well. Open a door and
window or activate an exhaust fan to avoid
inhaling dangerous fumes.
·
If you get lye on your skin, rinse
immediately. Vinegar counteracts lye because it is an acid.
If you don't have
vinegar, you can use orange juice.
· If you spill lye solution on the
counter-top, wash immediately with vinegar. It is best to cover
counter-tops
with plastic for safety and to avoid a big mess.
Like choosing the ingredients in any recipe, choosing the oils in your soap recipes is a very important step in soap-making. Each type of oil imparts different qualities to the final soap. Creating your own soap recipe is the art of balancing them to create the perfect bar of soap. Here is a list of the most common soap-making oils and the qualities that they will give to your soap.
Please refer to Saponification Table plus the Characteristics of Oil in Soap tab.
Oil or fat (acid)
|
SAP
|
Hard/Soft
|
cleansing
|
fluffy lather
|
stable lather
|
skin care
|
酪梨油
|
133.7
|
soft
|
fair
|
yes
|
no
|
amazing!
|
椰子油
|
191.1
|
hard
|
great
|
yes
|
no
|
Fair
|
蓖麻油
|
128.6
|
soft
|
fair
|
yes
|
yes
|
Great
|
橄榄油
|
135.3
|
soft
|
good
|
no
|
no
|
Great
|
棕榈油
|
142
|
hard
|
great
|
no
|
yes
|
Fair
|
花生油
|
137
|
soft
|
fair
|
no
|
yes
|
Great
|
大豆油
|
135.9
|
soft
|
good
|
no
|
yes
|
Fair
|
甜杏仁油
|
137.3
|
soft
|
good
|
no
|
yes
|
amazing!
|
荷荷芭油
|
69.5
|
soft
|
fair
|
no
|
yes
|
Great
|
冷压麻油
Sesame oil
|
0.133
|
soft
|
fair
|
no
|
yes
|
Great
|
芥花籽油
Canola oil
|
0.1324
|
soft
|
good
|
no
|
yes
|
fair
|
米糠油
Rice bran oil
|
0.128
|
soft
|
fair
|
no
|
yes
|
Great
|
Happy
Handmade Soap Series
~ Aloe Vera Soap
Ingredients
:
Aloe Vera, Canola Oil,
Palm Oil, Coconut Oil, Sesame Oil, Lemon Grass Essential Oil or Bergamot Essential Oil or Lemon
Essential Oil, with or without Oatmeal as scrub.
Benefits
:
Aloe Vera is the most prestigious herb used for skin
care. It nourishes
and moisturizes your skin, at the same time leaving a layer of protection on
skin surface. Aloe Vera is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and excellent for
the relief of itching, acne, pimples and soothing for sunburned skin. Its richly emollient,
moisturising properties can help to make your skin look and feel suppler and
younger. This soap leaves your skin
feeling so soft that you’ll want to use it every day.
~ Goats’ Milk Soap
Ingredients
:
Goat Milk, Bran Rice Oil, Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Sesame Oil,
Sweet Almond Oil, Lemon Grass Essential Oil, Bergamot Essential Oil or Lemon
Essential Oil.
Benefits
:
Goats milk contains alpha-hydroxyl acids such as
lactic acid which help remove dead skin cells from your skin’s surface. This
leaves new cells on the surface of your skin, making it smoother and younger-looking.
It is particularly high in Vitamin A, which is necessary in repairing damaged
skin tissue, reducing lines and wrinkles, controlling acne, and providing some
psoriasis relief.
.JPG)
~ Rice Water Soap
Ingredients :
Rice Water, Bran Rice Oil, Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Sesame Oil, Sweet Almond Oil and Lemon Essential Oil.
Benefits :
Rice water contains 'pitera' along with vitamin and minerals. Pitera is beneficial for skin's natural grow and gives you clear skin. Persistent use helps your skin soft, improving the complexion and may remove sebum.
Information is derived from various internet website articles.
Translated by S.F.Ung.
