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Reader review and hands on with bath bombs!

Bath bombs from the Soap Making Advice ebook recipes

Recently a fellow blogger wrote a review of the Soap Making Made Easy ebook package and shared it on her blog, including a hands on review of the soap making process, producing her first batch of bath bombs!

Here’s the recipe that Alyssa used, based on one of the 50+ recipes included in the Soap Making Made Easy ebook package:

Ingredients
1 part citric acid
2 parts baking soda
Witch Hazel
Colorant
Fragrance
Dome-shaped mold (I used mini-cupcake tins)

And the final result looks great, gift boxed and ready to go as a unique and personal gift this Christmas.

You can read Alyssa’s full review on her blog My husband’s watching TV while I’m watching the baby.

Thanks Alyssa!

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Liquid Soap Making Method

Practice makes perfect when it comes to your liquid soap. Photo courtesy of flickr user arenamontanus.

Practice makes perfect when it comes to your liquid soap. Photo courtesy of flickr user arenamontanus.

This post covers off on just one of the many soap making methods available to you as a soap maker. Please click here to read our full, comprehensive post on the various options, with benefits and drawbacks, breakdowns of the process and much more covered for all the most popular soap making methods.

Many soap making hobbyists start out by making bars of solid soap, because it is a fairly simple and straightforward process. Making liquid soap can be a bit trickier and takes some practice, but it is just as much fun and your final product is just as useful.

Knowing the basic soap making method for solid bar soap first is certainly a bonus. This is especially so as one of the more popular methods of making liquid soap involves making it from bars of solid soap, and the other is very similar to the hot process soap making method. Continue reading “Liquid Soap Making Method”

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Your Guide to Soap Making

Soap making is a precise hobby so it's important to focus and work at improving your skills. Photo courtesy of Flickr user vastateparksstaff.

Soap making is a precise hobby so it’s important to focus and work at improving your skills. Photo courtesy of Flickr user vastateparksstaff.

Ingredients

It is fun making your own soap, but you must pay attention to your ingredients. When you read the label on the soap that you have purchased, you will surely get the impression that a lot goes into making a bar of soap. This simply isn’t true.

There are only two things that are required to make a bar of soap: fat and lye. Of course, the more sop making additives you add to your soap, the more luxurious it would be. But again, the basic bar is just made of fat and lye. You have to make sure the ingredients you use in your soap is of the highest quality as this will make or break your soap.

Are you going to put herbs? Have you thought of the type of colorant you will use? What fragrance oil is right for you? Continue reading “Your Guide to Soap Making”

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The history of soap making: taking a closer look

photo courtesy of flickr user aussiegall

In today’s germ conscious society, it’s hard to imagine what life would be like without soap.

In prehistoric times, before the invention of soap, people bathed themselves with only water, and used flowing water, such as rivers and streams, to clean their clothes.

However, the practice of soap making was discovered almost three thousand years ago, and has become an indispensable part of modern civilized society.

The earliest evidence of soap making is a soap-like material found in the bottoms of Babylonian clay jars dating from about 2800 B.C.E. The recipe for this soap – water, alkali and cassia oil – was engraved on the outside of the jars. The Babylonians used this cassia soap to clean themselves, as well as to treat skin diseases, and to cleanse and nourish hair.

The Ebers papyrus, dating from about 1550 B.C.E., indicates that the ancient Egyptians also combined animal and vegetable fats with alkali, or lye, to create soap, and that they bathed regularly. Continue reading “The history of soap making: taking a closer look”

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How To Make Soap At Home: Learning The Soap Making Methods

There are various methods which can be used to make soap at home. Photo courtesy of flickr user trenttsd

There are various methods which can be used to make soap at home. Photo courtesy of flickr user trenttsd.

In our last post, we explained some of the basic foundations for soap making, including ingredients, equipment and method. We have previously gone into detail on soap making ingredients and soap making equipment, so now it is time to expand on the soap making process.

There are various methods which can be used to make soap at home. The basic process for making bars of solid soap is similar for each technique, but there are variations depending on the method used by the soap-maker. Continue reading “How To Make Soap At Home: Learning The Soap Making Methods”

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Soap Making Basics – How to Make Homemade Soap

Lye is one of the fundamental ingredients of soap making, so it's important to understand how to use it properly

Lye is one of the fundamental ingredients of soap making, so it’s important to understand how to use it properly. Photo courtesy of flickr user maoquai.

Soap making is not only a hobby, it can also be an addiction.

You will no doubt be hooked once you start making that first batch of soap (here’s our free suggested recipe).

Whether you choose to make soap for personal use or for holiday gifts, it is always better to be knowledgeable of the general process.

This post outlines the basics of the most popular soap making methods, but please click here to read our full, comprehensive post on the soap making methods available to you, or click here for our comprehensive post on soap making equipment.

The Soap Process

There are several ways to make soap. The method used depends on the products and materials available and the type of desired soap. Whatever it is, one thing is basic:

Soap is made from oil and lye no matter the method used. Once the basic soap is made, it can then be perfumed, colored, filled, shaped and packaged. Continue reading “Soap Making Basics – How to Make Homemade Soap”

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Troubleshooting Your Soap Making Process

Making homemade soap is a challenging yet rewarding hobby. Flickr Slam Szapucki

Making homemade soap is a challenging yet rewarding hobby. Photo courtesy of Flickr user Slam Szapucki.

Producing your own homemade soaps is a fantastic hobby with a great range of healthy benefits.

As with anything however, the process is vulnerable to a number of difficulties, which can affect the outcome of the final product. Recently, a reader contacted us on Facebook with an issue on how to stop white bubbles appearing in her soap. Following on from this, we thought it would be a good idea to cover off on some other issues that you might be facing.

Below is a list with some of the most common difficulties that you might encounter while producing your soap, as well as a cause and solution for each. Continue reading “Troubleshooting Your Soap Making Process”

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How to get rid of white bubbles in soap

Soap bubbles, Flickr Keith Williamson

We are always willing to help with any questions you have regarding making soap at home, or any particular issues you are having with your soap making process.

Recently we were contacted on our Facebook page by JJ May with an issue she has been having:

…to get rid of the white bubbles that appear on the top of the soap once poured, [I’ve been told] you should spritz with surgical spirit. This is all well and good for getting rid of the bubbles but it’s also making my soaps stink like Deep Heat rather than the beautiful fragrance they were intended to be. Can you suggest any other methods?

To help out JJ May, here are a few suggested remedies, which we also cover in our comprehensive Ebook “Soap Making Made Easy”. Continue reading “How to get rid of white bubbles in soap”

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How Do You Make Soap

Yes, you’ve heard all about the advantages of making your own soap but have you ever considered making one all by yourself and just how do you make soap?

Making soap at home is far less complicated than you think.

It is easy, enjoyable and at the same time rewarding. Once you learn, you can then start to make glycerin soaps, herbal soaps or any kinds of soap you like. But first you have to know the basics.

This post outlines the basics of the most popular soap making methods, but please click here to read our full, comprehensive post on the soap making methods available to you.

Continue reading “How Do You Make Soap”