by peterpan

Created on: September 23, 2008

Soap is an important part of our daily living. We use it in washing our clothes, in taking a bath and in cleaning our house. It had evolved from simply being used for cleaning to more sophisticated ones with added fragrances as well as ingredients that are greatly because of man's desire to look esthetically pleasing. Soaps are added with whitening ingredients, moisturizing ingredients and many more to address the "body-conscious" consumers.

Soap manufacturing started in the 18th century by utilizing animal fat, lye and salt. In the succeeding years, additional ingredients were used like dyes and fragrances to make them look more pleasing. This had started man's quest for improving the quality of soap.

The more chemicals added in soap, the more expensive it becomes. Therefore, it would be more beneficial if you could start making your own soap. This may seem to be a very difficult task at first but it would be a fulfilling experience to create your very own soap. Just think of the savings that you could have and if you have an entrepreneurial mind, you could even make it as your own business.

THE INGREDIENTS

Alkali from lye and fat are the main ingredients that you need to produce soap. There are two types of fats. The soft oils are from coconut, palm and other plants while the hard fats are from animal fats like pig and cows. The latter does not produce much suds but it hardens easily when used.

Fat or oil and alkali taken from lye are the basic ingredients of soap. Fat serves as the foundation of the soap and alkali produces the chemical reaction that makes the mixture hard and gives it cleansing ability.

ADDITIVES

There are many additives that can be used in making soap. To make soap more pleasing to our nose, we could choose a fragrance that could be added to our soap. These fragrances are usually obtained from oils like lemon, citrus and many more.

Some chemicals are also used to produce soap with more benefits to the user. Coco diethanol amide and sodium lauryl ether sulfate can help increase the suds or foam of the soap. Benzalkonium chloride can be added as a disinfectant. Sodium tripolyphosphate can provide a cleansing power. Glycerin can also be added for the soap to become an effective facial wash. There are many other additives that can be used but the decision on which to add would depend on you on how you want your soap to be.

BASIC SOAP MAKING STEPS

You first need to prepare the materials for soap making. You need a container or a dishpan, a glass or 2-quart

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