Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Soap Making - Step By Step

Melt soap and Pour glycerine soap made of vegetable oils and is safer for your skin than most commercial brands found at your pharmacy or supermarket. You can get melt and pour soap over the Internet. The key words are "melt and pour soap making "or" soap. You will have to pay about $ 3 - $ 5 per pound. Glycerine translucent and opaque are the most common types of products sold. Glycerin is opaque white, colored as it is with the titanium dioxide minerals. In addition, you can buy soap making kits containing all necessary ingredients.

Once you've made your first batch, you can get more creative when the choice of colors, flavors and additives such as dried flowers, herbs and soothing oils. You will discover the ideal way to make useful gifts for family, friends and coworkers. Your Hobby newborn may even become a new work-at-home business! Soap Supplies: glycerin melt and pour soap - 2 pounds [32 oz] Coloring? Color Cosmetics Fragrances grade nuggets - [cosmetics only the degree] Molds: These come in different sizes and shapes but plastic is recommended.

You can order online or soap molds found at a craft store or candle shop. You can use microwaveable packaging, containers, candle molds, or even drawer organizers. In discount stores you can find the perfect cast, and for less than $ 2 in many cases. Use plastic means you can reuse and who will pass the soap much easier than a glass mold. Warning: Do not use aluminum or metal. Step 1: On the cutting board you slice up soap into cubes, approximately one to two inches.

You then put them in a plastic container, first the weight of container and noting the weight, and put the filling container on the scale. Step 2: Using the water bath, full the bottom with water only inches deep. Microwave only users? when you melt the soap, not using a higher supply of soap, heat, watch the soap carefully and will not melt all the way, allowing a pieces of a few to stay. They will melt quickly. Step 3: For method of double boiler, put soap on the top level and melt, stirring occasionally.

Add a bit of color if the use of color Nuggets, colors prepackaged you purchased. Powder the colors are not very suitable for glycerin soap, as they are more difficult to mix. The color cosmetic grade fluid may be used. Step 4: Once the color is melted it's time to add the fragrance. 1 teaspoon of use and let your nose be your guide. Underscenting will cause the soap to be less aromatic after a few months. Adding a little more smell right. Step 5: Pour the soap into the the mold. For this recipe you need a 4.

Mold 5-cup capacity. A rectangular shape is preferred. Step 6: You can let the soap harden at room temperature, or can put in the freezer for about 30-60 minutes. Freezing soap speeds the process of and allows the soap out of the mold easier. Step 7: It time to see his success the first piece of handmade Melt Pour soap. One can say that it is ready when: the mold is fresh and easily away from the soap. Released to a wax paper covered surface. Cover with wax paper and more paper towel.

You should let return to room temperature before use. Are advised to let it sit for 24 hours for the fragrance oil agreement. Step 8: Cut the soap can be done with a large knife. This recipe yields about 6 bars, depending on the thickness. Plane the rough edges and traces of filmy white bubbles burst with a kitchen knife. These will most noticeable in darker color of soap. Step 9: Wrap the pieces with a transparent film. The generic transparent film is better. More expensive cling wraps do not allow the aroma to be smelled, because they are too thick.

Make a label for the soap, if you give someone to a special occasion like Christmas, birthday, wedding or anniversary, promotion, etc. You should list the ingredients.

Soap Making Machine
Soap Stamping Machine

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Making Old-Fashioned Lye Soap

I've always wanted to make a batch of old-fashioned soap, just like Grandma would have made. Nothing fancy, just plain and simple soap. But then I read all about it and decided I didn't really need to make my own lye from wood ashes. Nor did I feel a burning desire to render my own fat. But I still wanted to learn the method for making soap. It's easier than you might think.

First you need to gather up all your supplies. You'll need a large pot either enamel or stainless steel. I happened to have an old water bath canner lying around. You'll also need a glass or other heat resistant container for making your lye solution. I used a giant Pyrex measuring cup. You'll also need a wooden spoon and an instant read thermometer. However, the most important supplies are safety goggles and chemical gloves. Lye is nasty stuff and you need to treat it with respect. I purchased the lye at a farm supply store, you might find it at a hardware store as well but they'll probably charge you an arm and a leg for it.

You will also need a mold of some sort. I used a wooden box and lined it with aluminum foil and waxed paper. You could also simply line it with a damp cloth. Once the quality control manager inspected and approved the box I kicked her out of the kitchen. It's not safe for pets or kids to be around when you're making soap. Make sure you set aside enough time to not be interrupted.

Accurate measurements will ensure your soap turns out the way it should. Weighing the lye is the best method. Make sure you are wearing your goggles and gloves!

Using a lye calculator that I found online I determined that I would need to add 13.7 ounces of lye to 26 ounces of water for the amount of lard I was using. Always add the lye to the water in small amounts. If you did the opposite, adding water to lye, you could end up with a volcano effect. (That would be bad, don't do that no matter how cool it sounds or you'll need new countertops.) Stir with a wooden spoon, this will turn the spoon dark brown so don't use your best one. This solution will heat up considerably and you will need to let it cool to about 110-125 degrees. That takes awhile.

In the mean time you should melt your lard. I used 104 ounces of lard. Allow the lard to cool to the same temperature as the lye solution. Again, it takes awhile. Play a hand of solitaire or pick your toes or something to keep yourself entertained.

Slowly and carefully pour the lye solution into the melted lard. When you do, it will change colors like the photo below. Now, you can spend the next hour stirring this with a wooden spoon by hand or break out that hand blender you never remember to use for anything else. The blender will speed the process right up. Keep in mind the hand blender can't run constantly though or you'll burn up the motor, but you can run it off and on for about 15 minutes and achieve the desired result. Be carefull not to splash, this is why I'm using a large canner instead of a small pot!

You're going for a thick custard like consistency and a white color.

Pour the soap into your mold, cover with a towel or blanket to keep the heat in and set it aside. If you want to have a little fun, put a sign on it that says "Do Not Disturb" and then leave for the evening. Your family members will drive themselves crazy trying to figure out what's under the blanket.

The next day pull the soap out of the mold and cut into bars. Then place them somewhere where they can breathe and cure for 2 to 4 weeks allowing them to get nice and hard.

That's it. That's all there is to it. Just a little lye, lard and water and you can be squeaky clean for months!

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Soap Making Machine
Soap Stamping Machine

Friday, December 11, 2009

How To Make Natural Soap - Forming Your Own Soap At Home

Nearly all products incorporating 'natural' on the label is supported by anyone. Yes, we surely want to avoid artificial ingredients in every product we buy that is why we dig natural products. They are said to be helpful to overall well-being of a person. This makes a lot of people becoming engrossed in natural beauty soaps. With their health benefits and prospective earnings, enthusiasts have given interest on how to make natural soap.

Soap making that uses the natural method is a great way to provide quality soap bars. Soap is a widely manufactured product since we use it on a regular basis. It is a daily essential. Some of the commercially produced soaps are either machine-made or hand-made. The best thing about it is that, while home, you could studyhow to make natural soap. You can make them yourself and use them for your daily shower sessions.

The natural element in the organic soap is recognized as the beneficial factor that makes the skin glowing and nourished. Today,natural soap bars are healthful skin care products commonly available in supermarkets and specialty stores in huge volumes and offered by countless brands. These confusing trademarks as well as the uncertainty of the shoppers if theseproducts really include natural ingredients make some consumer prefer to study how to make natural soap.

Natural soaps are the end-result of mixed ingredients like natural oil from different herbs. Plant-based oil forms the vital ingredients that are essential in the creation of organic soap. Natural skin products from plants are gifts of nature, thus making more consumers attracted in buying these soaps while some still like the idea of knowinghow to make natural soap.

Soap bars differ because of the ingredients. These ingredients also determine whether soap is soft or hard. If you watch soap production, you will exactly find out how to make natural soap and how oils and chemicals are added. With saponification process, oils are gathered from plants and are processed along with particular chemical amount. Home-made soaps can include glycerin or the ingredient intended to skin our softer.

Should you wish to discover how to make natural soap, do not fail to use the proper materials and to follow the correct procedures and processes to make one. Remember that you are making a skin care product and an improper calculation or measurement of the ingredients as well as using faulty materials can cause health problems.

Author Resource:

Do You Want To Do You Want To Quickly and Easily Make Beautiful Candles And Soaps From Your Home? Discover more information about How To Make Natural Soap, visit Candle Soap Making.

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Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Buy Soap Nuts Review and Giveaway

In my quest for green and eco friendly products, I came across Buy Soap Nuts. It's a different way to clean.

Soap nuts are small berry like fruits that grow in warm, tropical and sultry climates. They are native to India, Nepal and some other South Asian countries and consist of a small yellowish Brown fruit covered by a hard outer covering. It is the former that is mostly used in the various products that are now available in the market. The main ingredient in soap nuts is saponins which make them an excellent cleaning utility that can be used to clean almost everything ranging from clothes to dishes and regular household cleaning.

There are a number of ways in which soap nuts can be used to make our living greener, natural and more environmental friendly. You can use Soap Nuts to wash clothes, clean your house and even use to clean yourself.

This scrub pad is made from 100% coconut coir fiber bound together by a non-toxic adhesive. SafixTM coconut coir fiber scrub pads have the following advantages:

* Never rust, splinter or fall apart after just a few uses.
* Easily remove baked on, burnt and stubborn greasy deposits from all types of utensils and dishes.
* Use less detergent.
* No foul odor and extremely hygenic.
* Last for months
* Each scrub pad is biodegradable and may be composted after use.

SAFIXTM scrub pad have revolutionized cleaning. You can feel the difference when compared to other available scrub pads. Dishwashing is effortless, and with no more foul odor, ensuring total cleanliness.

The story behind this innovative product is begins with a journey to Rural India. Women there are still using loose coconut fiber to clean their dishes. This wonder fiber is a gift from nature discovered in India to be used as an inexpensive scrubber.

I recently tried the Soap Nuts in my laundry. I used them on our towels and they worked great! I'm not sure if I'll use them for all my laundry, but I will definitely use them.

This would make a great gift for the person trying to go green.

Buy Soap Nuts has offered one Mommy Has to Work reader a 500g bag of soap nuts and a Coconut Scrub pad.

To enter check out their website, learn something and leave a comment.

Soap Stamping Machine

homemade laundry detergent

I’ve had several requests for my homemade laundry detergent recipe so I thought I’d share it with you. But first, a little intro…

My daughter has had contact dermatitis since she was a baby and her doctor suggested that it may be from the detergent I was using. So, I switched from my normal laundry soap and tried dye free, fragrance free, organic, natural, blah, blah, blah detergents with no luck. She continually broke out in an annoying rash. I had just about given up when I read about homemade laundry detergent. It seemed easy enough, so after perusing many sites and collecting as much info as I could, I headed out on the homemade laundry detergent journey.

Please note that my detergent recipe is one that works for me – and for my daughter. Since using the homemade detergent (for about a year, now) she hasn’t had one single outbreak of dermatitis. If you want your clothes super-fragrant and fluffy, this isn’t the detergent for you. If you expect lots and lots of suds when washing…you won’t get that with this detergent. What you will get is super clean clothes at a fraction of the cost of regular detergents!

I’ve made both the powdered and liquid types of detergents – they both have their pros and cons which I will share with you.

Powdered Laundry Detergent Recipe

* 1 bar Fels Naptha (Kirk’s Castile soap, Zoat or any hard milled/castile soap)
* 1 box Borax
* 1 box Washing soda

All ingredients can be found in the laundry aisle at your local supermarket. Use one entire bar of Fels Naptha grated (you can use a metal cheese grater or a food processor). Make sure the soap is finely grated. Add one cup of Borax and one cup of Washing Soda. Mix well, store in airtight container. When making the detergent I usually double or triple the recipe so I have a large quantity on hand. If you’d prefer more of a fragrance you can add a few drops of any essential oil. I use lemongrass or spearmint in mine. Use approximately 3TBS per large load of laundry. It is suggested that with every other load you add white vinegar to your rinse water to avoid getting soap build-up in your washer. I just add the vinegar to the fabric softener cup. Als0, if you feel your clothes aren’t bright enough you can add OxyClean to the dry detergent as a laundry booster.

PROS

* Easily made and stored
* Long lasting

CONS

* Must dissolve detergent in washer before adding clothing – hot water works best
* Must add vinegar in rinse water, every other load, to avoid soap build-up in washer
* Cannot be used in front-loaders

Liquid Laundray Detergent Recipe

* Fels Naptha 0r Kirk’s Castile soap
* Borax
* Washing Soda
* Liquid castile soap (like Dr. Bronner’s)
* Plastic container (1 gallon or larger – I use a one gallon vinegar container for easy pouring)

Grate 1/2 bar of soap, finely. Bring one quart of water to boil. Lower heat to medium and add grated soap. Stir and let soap dissolve. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup Borax, 1/2 cup Washing Soda, 1/2 cup liquid castile soap to melted soap mixture, stir well. Pour into plastic container. Add one gallon of very hot water. Shake or stir well. The mixture will be very goopy/chunky. Shake well before using. Use 1/4 cup per large load.

I use Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Castile Soap which gives it a pleasant, not to over-powering scent. Dr. Bronner’s also comes in Almond and Peppermint which I will be trying soon. Essential oil can also be added for fragrance.

PROS

* Dissolves easily in water
* Has more fragrance than powdered detergent

CONS

* Messy and time consuming to make
* Must have large storage container
* Doesn’t last as long as powered recipe
* Cannot be used in front loaders

The ingredients cost approximately $8 – and that $8 provides me with 4 large batches (of the powdered version) which lasts almost a year!

Soap Making Machine

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