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Melt And Pour: It Can Be That Easy To Make Your Own Natural Soap

By Jen Hopkins
Oct 23, 2009
Make natural soap for fun. Just like baking a cake, you can choose to start with a kit or make it from scratch. Easy soap making methods can be as simple as "melt and pour" or a more involved mixing of fat, lye and water. No matter what method you choose, you can have fun experimenting with fragrances, essential oils or herbs, and colors. Be artistic! Be creative!

Melt and Pour is easy and safe enough for kids to do. Soap bases could be goat milk, honey, glycerin, olive & aloe, oatmeal, shea butter or any other base you can find on the market. Each one has different qualities, so choose the one that is best for you.

To make a bar soap just melt the soap base completely, stirring frequently and add the fragrances, colors, or essential oils that you like. Then pour the soap into the molds and allow it to cool. If for some reason the soap bar does not come out the way you like it, just re-melt and try it again.

For a more advanced creative process, you can make soap with fat, water, and lye. This method requires a little more equipment, time and knowledge. Safety first: Keep in mind that lye is a caustic agent and requires special handling. Always use eye protection and rubber gloves when handling it, and don't let it touch your skin or clothing. Also, lye will damage aluminum and Formica, so keep it off table tops and counters. There are many great sources that describe this process in more detail. Just search the Internet for "make natural soap."

Making soap is not only fun, it saves money. Compare the cost of fancy soaps to what you make yourself! Use your imagination to make your own soap look and smell exactly like you want. You can even start your own soap business!

Making your own natural soap is also environmentally friendly -- store-bought soap was made in a pollution-causing factory. Before World War I, people used to make soap at home from leftover cooking fats, using purchased cans of lye. Before that, people made lye from wood ashes.

The move toward sustainable living also has some healthy side effects. Skin is the largest organ of your body and taking care of it is important. By making your own soap, you know exactly what's going on your skin. If you are allergic to one ingredient, simply substitute another. You can make vegetarian soap using vegetable fats instead of than animal fats.

It's so easy, fun, healthy and economical to make your own natural soap. You'll expand your creativity and help the environment. Make exactly what you want and don't be afraid to experiment. There are many easy soap-making recipes available. Make it a family project and have fun together. Anyone can do it!
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