There are a few method to making homemade soap. I know of four different ways of making soap. The best way to make soap is to be creative and try new things.
First method and the most used method is the Cold Process soap making method. It is also referred to as “CP” soap. It is made by combining fatty acids and lye together. Fatty acids can be almost any oil you can find – from olive oil to hemp oil to beef tallow. The combinations for making your own personal soap recipe are endless and thats the best part of making homemade soap.
Second method is the Hot Process soap making. In the hot process method you will take all your ingredients, and add them to a pot, which is then place over a stove or any heat source and stir frequently until the soap goes through various stages. The excess water is evaporated off and the soap is ready to use once cooled or you could pour the hot soap into a mold to then be cooled.
Melt and Pour is the third method of making homemade soap. Melt and Pour is another cold process soap making method but takes it a few more steps further by adding alcohol for clarity and a glycerin and sugar mixture to suspend and enhance the clarity of the soap. Melt and Pour soap making method could be a dangerous process because of the alcohol vapors.
The last soap making method is called Rebatching, it’s another form of cold process soapmaking method. You make your cold process soap from scratch, grate it up, place it over a heat source, in a kettle, with a little water, and the mixture melts down into a mushy paste that you add color and fragrance too. This method is often used to preserve the scent or the healing properties of some essential oils in the soap.
Future article will be more in depth on each homemade soap making method mention in this article.