What Makes It Lye Soap?
At first you might be apprehensive about making lye soap; but if you are careful and your measurements are precise, you will be able to produce a natural hand made lye soap that is best for your skin.The first thing you have to do to make lye soap is to measure the lye and the water. Put your pitcher on a scale and weight the water according to your recipe. When you weigh your lye, place a jar or a solid container on the scale and zero the weight. Pour the exact amount of lye in the recipe into the container. Take extra care that no stray specks or beads of the lye stick to your clothing or your gloves. After weighing both, slowly add the lye to the water. Never forget that you have to add the lye to the water and not the other way around. If you add the water to the lye instead of adding lye to water, it might create an explosion that can harm you and whatever is in the vicinity. Once you have added the lye to the water, stir gently until the lye is completely dissolved. After stirring, set it aside in a safe place to cool. Do not place your lye-water somewhere easily reached by children or pets. If there are other people in the house who are not familiar with it yet, label it properly to avoid mistaking it for some other liquid. The lye is ready to use when it has cooled to about a hundred degrees.
After cooling, you can now add the lye-water into the pot of oils you prepared earlier for your soap mixture. Stir the mixture until it thickens thoroughly. Once your mixture has thickened, you can now add your colorants and scents to customize your soap the way you want it. Stir them well and pour into your soap molds. The correct time for your soaps to set is within twenty-four hours. Do not remove them from the molds before that time frame and allow four to six weeks for the soap to completely cure.
Lye soap making is a very enjoyable hobby provided you always take extra precaution when doing it. Lye soap making creates a luxurious handcrafted product found in stores. You can produce your lye soap in different attractive colors and designs and personalize it if you wish such as putting a name or a designon each one. It is time for you to try your hand at making your very own lye soap!