Happy Homemade Soap Station eng

   

   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 9^th 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

The chemical reaction that occurs in the saponification process is shown as below :

      

           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.

         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.

Below are listed the safety precautions that need to be taken in the process of soap production :

       ·         Never use aluminium in the soap making process

      ·         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

·         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 avocado oil	133.7	soft	fair	yes	no	amazing!
椰子油 coconut oil	191.1	hard	great	yes	no	Fair
蓖麻油 castor oil	128.6	soft	fair	yes	yes	Great
橄榄油 olive oil	135.3	soft	good	no	no	Great
棕榈油 palm oil	142	hard	great	no	yes	Fair
花生油 peanut oil	137	soft	fair	no	yes	Great
大豆油 soybean oil	135.9	soft	good	no	yes	Fair
甜杏仁油 sweet almond oil	137.3	soft	good	no	yes	amazing!
荷荷芭油 jojoba oil	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.

~ 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.