Commercial soaps are nothing compared to their homemade counterparts: commercial soaps dry out your skin and often leave a disgusting film behind. Homemade soap, on the other hand, is good for your skin and uses fewer chemicals. Although it might sound intimidating, homemade soap is very easy to make, and youall find that homemade soaps also have none of the problems associated with commercial soaps.
One problem with most store bought soaps is that they are not actually soaps at all, but are detergents, meaning they are petroleum based products. This means they tend to dry out the skin over time, leaving it dry and itchy. Homemade soaps can be made using skin friendly natural oils such as coconut, olive, and palm oils, which will effectively clean your skin, while moisturizing it at the same time.
Homemade soaps are less complicated. Rather than being made of petroleum, theyare made chiefly with water and oil. As such, theyare better for your skin and help moisturize it. Also, because you control the process of how the soap is made, not only do you have comfort in knowing for sure that it hasnat been animal tested, but you can also choose environmentally friendly and organic materials.
Homemade soaps can be tailored to your specific needs or tastes. Whatever the specific fragrance is your prefer, be it lilac or cinnamon, you can include it and produce a soap perfect for you. You can also exclude specific ingredients you know react negatively with your skin.
Making soap is also a great creative project, one that lets you use your imagination as you combine ingredients, fragrances, and colors. Homemade, handmade soaps also make great gifts, and it gives you a chance to learn how to make something which is essential to our lives, but which many people take for granted.
Use this basic arecipe.a Youall need to gather lye, purified water, and three oils: coconut, grape seed, and olive. From your ingredients, create one mixture of all the oils, and another mixture of the lye and water. Be careful here: the lye and water will get hot quickly and begin putting out fumes, so you may want to do this part outside. Warm the oil to 110F, and let the lye mixture cool to that temperature, then add the lye mixture into the oil mixture. Pour the whole thing into a blender and mix it well until it reaches the consistency of a thin pudding. Finally, after itas reached the proper consistency, pour your new soap into molds.
Isn’t that easy? Remember, however, to handle the lye carefully: lye is very caustic, and can harm your skin and eyes if you arenat careful. Itas best to do some research on how to handle it, use care, and make sure to use gloves, goggles, and a thick apron to help make sure that youare protected.
Learning to make homemade soap can be a fun, creative process that offers many benefits for you and your skin. From being healthier for you, to being more environmentally friendly, this skill and art is sure to be a satisfying pursuit.
Jen Hopkins has worked in the skin care industry for years. She maintains websites about easy soap making, and make soap at home. If you want to contact her, you can use the contact form at one of her sites.
