Making Your Own Soap – Using The Cold Process

There are several different methods one can use to make soap. However, we are going to focus on what is referred to as “Cold Process Soap”, do not let this confuse you. It does not mean there is no cooking or heating involved. There is.

There are basically ten steps involved in the Cold Process of Soap Making and each one is just as important as the one before it. Do not leave any steps out or your soap will not turn out the way you would like it.

When getting started you will need to make sure your workspace is cleaned and all materials, ingredients and lye are ready. Step two will include weighing the oils called for in your recipe. Afterwards you will heat and/or melt your oils, add the lye to the soap, mix the oils and lye together. After it has reached the “trace” point (which is basically the point of no return, where it is now the base of your soap), you will add your fragrances or essential oils into the mix, followed by any additives and your color (if you chose to add color).

After everything is properly mixed and the correct consistency, pour the soap into the mold and let the soap set while you clean up from the making of your soap. It truly is not nearly as complicated as it sounds and there are many books and recipes available on the Internet to try.