Democratic Dad Blog

Soap Making: A Thinking yet Fun Hobby at the Same Time

A lot of activities can be done to spend your free time. You can spend it in front of the computer playing games, playing your favorite sport, reading, sleeping or doing your favorite hobby. One such hobby that is worth trying is soap making. Aside from being very practical, it is also a good way to stimulate your creative mind while also working with your hands.

The first ingredient that you will need in soap making is oil. You will have to select your oil wisely to make the soap with the properties that you desire. Coconut oil will give you a soap that is good for lathering. Vegetable oil will make your soap softer, while olive oil is good for those with sensitive skin.

The other main ingredient that is needed for soap making is lye. This is responsible for making oil undergo saponification. A pure type of lye is better when you want to use the cold method in making soap. Impure lye on the other hand, can be used during the hot process of making soap.

The first thing that you need to do in soap making is to dissolve your lye in water. But before doing this, make sure that you have the correct quantity of ingredients so that your soap will come out perfectly. Using too much lye may make your soap too caustic, while too little lye will make your soap to soft and mushy.

Once your lye has completely dissolved, your oil can now be added to the mixture. This will need to be continuously mixed until it attains a condensed milk like consistency. You can add other ingredients in this mixture such as fragrant oils, lotions and herbal leaves to add to the properties of your soap. Once the mixture is complete, you can now pour these onto molds for your soap to harden.

After a few hours, your soap will now be hardened but it will still need to be aged before it can be used. If you used the cold method of soap making, it will require about 30 days before the soap will be ready to use. As for the hot method, it will require a much faster time before you will be able to use your soap.

Due to the ease of soap making, almost anyone can take this up as a hobby. Even small children will have fun in making and using the soaps that they will make. Just be sure that there is adult supervision as lye can have very dangerous effects. This is a great way to make children think similar to other arts and crafts hobbies.

Soap making is one hobby that is worth trying as it is very practical and fun to do. Once you have mastered making soaps, you will have fun using them as decors in the bathroom or using them when you shower. You can even give these out as gifts or sell them if people like your designs.

Jen Hopkins has worked in the skin care industry for years. She maintains websites about making transparent soap, and melt and pour soap making. If you want to contact her, you can use the contact form at one of her sites.