How to make homemade soap – Liquid Soaps
Many soap makers start out by making bars of solid soaps because it’s a fairly simple and straightforward process. Making liquid soap can be a bit trickier and takes some practice, but it’s just as fun and the end product is just as useful.
Knowing how to make solid soaps first is certainly an advantage, especially considering that one of the most popular methods of making liquid soap is to make it from bars of solid soap, and the other is very similar to the hot process method of making bars.
When making liquid soap, different ingredients are required than you would for solids. The type of lye typically used to produce solid bar soaps is sodium hydroxide, or NaOH. Potassium hydroxide, or KOH, is typically used to make liquid bars, because soap made with KOH is inherently milder than soap made with NaOH. Also, the varieties of fat used to make liquid soap are different.
There are two varieties of fats: saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and make a much harder loaf; unsaturated ones are very soft solids or liquids at room temperature and make one softer. As you may have guessed, unsaturated fats are the ones normally used in the process of making liquid soap.
There are two processes to making a good liquid soap. One process is quite similar to the cold process method of making solid bars; however, instead of curing the soap after it is removed from the molds, it should be chopped into small pieces or grated. The pieces can then be melted with water in a double boiler; the ratio should be one cup of soap to three cups of water. Heat over medium heat and stir regularly until soap is melted. (If there are any bits that won’t melt, just remove them from the mix.) If the melted soap is too viscous, add more water until the mixture reaches the desired consistency.
The other way to make liquid soap is by using the hot process method. Mix the oils and lye together as you would a cold-processed soap; it may take a long time to track it down, so please be patient. When traced it can be a little thinner than regular cold process soap. Cook it in a slow cooker or in a double boiler for 3 to 4 hours, stirring every half hour. It will go through many stages; in its final stage, it will be translucent and creamy. To check to see if the soap has cooked long enough, mix one ounce of soap with two ounces of boiling water. If the mixture is milky or very cloudy, once the soap has dissolved, you need to cook longer. (If cooking the soap longer doesn’t make it clearer, one of the ingredients may have been measured incorrectly.) If it’s clear or just a little cloudy, then the soap should be done.
As with regular bars, essential oils can be added to the liquid soap to give it a nice scent, and if it’s stored in a clear bottle, you may want to add some colorants as well.
Liquid soap can go bad, so glycerin or another oil containing vitamin A, C, or E should be added to help preserve it. Store your liquid soap in a cool, dark place, inside a pump or flip-top bottle, to further protect against spoilage. Use the soap within 6 to 8 months and throw it away if it becomes cloudy or smells rancid.
