The Beginner's Guide to Making Homemade Soap

Soap is the key to cleanliness. It helps remove dirt and grime from the body and keeps you smelling fresh. Though it's easily bought in stores, it's also easy to make at home in Phirst Calamba! If you've always wanted to make your own unique soap, then look no further. Here's a simple beginner's guide to crafting your own cheap and healthy soap at home.

To start, you'll need these essential soap-making supplies in your tool kit:

• Heavy-duty glass, plastic, or stainless steel containers
• Slow cooker
• Digital kitchen scale
• Immersion blender
• Food thermometer
• Soap cutter
• Silicone spatula
• Silicone molds

Though soap-making is relatively safe, it's still essential to have the following safety equipment on hand in your Phirst Calamba home when making soap:

• Rubber gloves
• Safety goggles
• Apron
• Oven mitt
• Well-ventilated workspace

Now that you've got the basics down, it's time to have fun! Several key components make up soap. These are:

• 100% pure lye
• Vegetable oil or animal fat
• Liquids
• Fats or oils
• Essential fragrance oils
• Coloring (Optional)

Depending on your personal preference, you can customize what fats and oils, fragrance, coloring, and liquids you'll use for the soap. The first thing to decide is what kind of oil to use, which will change the soap's lather and hardness. Some of the most common oils and fats you can use include:

• Tallow
• Lard
• Coconut oil
• Jojoba oil
• Olive oil
• Avocado oil
• Coconut oil
• Hemp oil
• Almond oil
• Mango butter
• Shea butter
• Cocoa butter

Next is choosing what liquid you'll go with to make a lye solution. Water is the common choice for most soaps, and it's also the easiest to work with. However, you can also choose to use any of the following liquids:

• Coconut milk
• Goat's milk
• Coffee
• Tea
• Beer

With those two elements in place, you can now decide what you want your soap to smell and look like. These components are optional, but they help make your soap unique to you. 

You can choose between essential oils, which are typically plant-based and offer plenty of skincare benefits, or synthetic fragrance oils that offer a stronger scent. Some popular scents include:

• Lavender
• Rose
• Milk and honey
• Orange
• Rosemary
• Sandalwood
• Chamomile
• Geranium
• Frankincense
• Cinnamon
• Lemon
• Tea Tree

When it comes to coloring your homemade soap, you have the option of choosing between natural ingredients or store-bought artificial dyes. Some natural pigments to consider using include:

• Carrot (Yellow)
• Hibiscus (Pink)
• Activated Charcoal (Blue)
• Red Sandalwood (Purple)
• Beet Root (Brown)
• Cucumber (Green)

Mix these ingredients, pour them into a mold, and you'll have your very own homemade soap! There are various recipes available online that you can reference for the correct proportions of lye and oil required. Putting too much lye can result in crumbly soap. 

Have fun and play around with liquids, fragrances, and oils to create a soap that suits your preferences. It's a great activity to enjoy at home in Phirst Calamba.