Autumn Sayers - Easy Natural Soapmaking: How To Make Natural Soaps That Rejuvenate, Revitalize, And Nourish Your Skin.

Easy Natural Soapmaking

Autumn Sayers

So youve decided to become a soapmaking expert? Good for you! Your skin is definitely going to thank you. This book is going to give you the basic rundown of how to make your own soaps along with many delicious smelling, feel-good soap recipes. From gentle cleansers for sensitive skin, to whatever aromatherapy needs you may have and even fun boozy bars of soap your cleansing needs will be covered in this book!

Say goodbye to your crackled and shriveled bricks of soap in your showers. Who needs those basic boring store-bought soaps that are filled with synthetic chemicals that not only bring no moisture but even strip your skin of all its nutrients? Exactly, Not You!

One of the many benefits of making your own soap is that you know exactly what is going inside of your product. You are the master of your skin so treat it well. You know that you are using wholesome natural ingredients that are going to nourish and take care of your skin just as you deserve. Not only is it great to know that your body is being treated with kindness but one of the best perks about making your own soap is the personalization. You get to choose fragrance, texture, color, shape and create soaps that you are going to love. Nothing is better than custom natural products to make you look and feel your best.

Not only are there so many benefits to making your own soap but it is also so much fun and incredibly cost effective. If you love to be in the kitchen, or love to do science experiments or maybe even just love to have a creative outlet then soapmaking is for you. Once you get the hang of it and master a foundation recipe you can make all sorts of wonderful little creations that help keep you clean and moisturized.

Life is too short to waste your money and use harmful products on your beautiful skin. Treat it right and have fun while doing so! You will feel great both body and mind because nothing feels better than nourished skin and the feeling of accomplishment.

Soapmaking can seem a little intimidating at first but it really is a breeze. If youre nervous about being a beginner in the world of DIY soap there is no need to be. It is much easier than you are most likely anticipating. You are probably imagining some sort of science lab and beakers galore but all you need is the comfort of your own kitchen. Have you ever baked cookies or followed a favorite dinner recipe? Then you are more than capable of making homemade soap! Whether you are looking to just make soaps for yourself or if youre thinking about gifting them to loved ones, even if you are thinking of creating a business you have already taken the first step by reading this book.

In this book, you will find what you need to get started and all the helpful tools you will need to make useful and creative products.

So lets get to soapmaking!

Autumn Sayers

Like anything new, before you get too excited you have to get to know exactly what it is you are getting into so before you get started on the hands-on process of making soap lets get you started with some basic soap knowledge. The basic formula of soap is Triglycerides (fatty acids) mix with Sodium hydroxide (ye and the chemical combo creates a solid substance (soap). Every type of fat has a distinct combination of triglycerides (fatty acids). Each combination will require a different amount of alkali to complete the saponification process. When soapmaking, your alkali will be the lye. The lye is mixed with water thus creation your soap solution. When the solution is mixed with your fatty acids it will result in saponification. The simple explanation of all this is tha t Soap is created when you mix a certain combination of oils and lye. This chemical reaction is called saponification. When you add these ingredients plus whatever other natural goodies such as fragrances, spices botanicals etc you create your personalized soap.

Here are some common soapmaking vocabulary you will want to familiarize yourself with as you will see them pop up in the world of soapmaking:

- Additives: Ingredients that can be added to soap such as fragrance oil, colorant, herbs, botanicals, clays, spices, etc.

- Aromatherapy: oil extracted from a plant for its scent that is used to enhance moods

- Cure: The period of time from when you have completed making your soap until you use it. This process is necessary so that the soap becomes milder and the saponification process completes.

- Essential Oil: An oil that has been extracted from a plant for its scent and used for therapeutic properties.

- Exfoliant: An ingredient added to soap that is used to gently remove dead skin cells to create smoother skin.

- Gel Stage: After the soap has traced and has been put into the mold, it will begin to heat up the soaps consistency will become translucent resembling a petroleum jelly.

- Lye: Also known as Sodium Hydroxide.

- Natural: A material that does not have or is not made of any synthetic substances.

- Saponification: The chemical reaction that the lye solution and oils/fats go through when making soap.

- Soap mold: Container in which you pour your soap into to give it shape. The molds can be silicone, wood or plastic.

- Synthetic: A substance made with non-natural ingredients like chemicals

- Trace: This is when your soap batch thickens to a custard-like consistency you will know if it has begun to trace by checking to see if when you drizzle a bit of your soap batch onto itself you can see little trails on the top. If you see these little tracks of drizzle on top of the soap then you know you have trace. Trace is often times described in terms of their thickness light, medium and heavy.

Warning: while soapmaking you will have to handle Lye. Before we go any further it is important to familiarize yourself with the safety measures when handling Lye. It is important that no children or animals are in the vicinity of your lye workspace. It is not safe for them to breathe in as well as the fact that you do not want to create more opportunities for spills and oopsies which can often happen when children and pets are involved.

You should make sure you are well covered with long sleeves and protective gear such as safety goggles and rubber gloves. Always wear closed toed shoes when working with lye. You want to have a nice clean clutter free workspace to avoid any mishaps. You also dont want to ruin anything in the case that there is a spill.

Note that when you are creating your lye water solution it will create fumes. So as not to become irritated by the fumes it is a good idea to work in a well-ventilated area. You can even make your water lye solutions outside if it makes you more comfortable. Always add lye to the water, DO NOT EVER add water to lye. When you are not using your lye make sure it is tightly sealed in a container used ONLY for lye and store it somewhere safe out of reach for those who should not be handling it. Also, make sure all your lye containers and supplies are well-labeled lye as they should not be used for anything else.

Handling Lye is the most intense thing about natural soapmaking so maybe you are feeling a little nervous about handling lye but there really isnt anything to be worried about you just have to be sure to handle with care. Before you know it you will be much more comfortable and working with lye will be second nature. Please keep in mind that lye is only dangerous if mishandles but the addition of the lye in your soap is perfectly safe so dont feel turned off by the substance. Now that we have covered the most intimidating thing about soapmaking it is time to learn about the different processes there are for making soap.