Dirt and germs plague our every activity. The things that we touch everyday are not as clean as we would like to think. They may seem spotless at first, but if you rub them with a moist tissue paper, you will see the amount of dirt that that they have compiled. Surely, you do not want dirt and disease-causing germs to enter your body. Your best option to keep them away is to bathe with soap daily.
Soap Basics
Soap is made from oils, fatty acids and a cleaning agent like lye. The oils and fatty acids are natural moisturizers, which keep skin soft, healthy and supple. The cleaning agent, on the other hand, kills germs with its abrasive properties. If you properly balance and combine all three components, you can create soap that is perfect for your skin.
Types of Homemade Soap
Different types of soap have been developed, given that you can use a wide variety of materials to create the bath item. Some soaps specialize in keeping skin moisturized for long periods, while others are known for their ability to kill germs. You can create soap based on those two basic classifications. You can even create an item that effectively balances both properties. Here are the basic types of homemade soap.
Moisturizing Soap
Antibacterial Soap
Liquid Soap
Facial Cleanser
Safety Reminder:
When making soap, especially the antibacterial one, you will be working with a highly-caustic substance – lye. You must wear all the necessary safety gear, since lye can irritate your skin and harm the sensitive areas of your body. Wear safety goggles, gloves, and if possible, a long sleeved shirt when creating soap. Lye is also poisonous, so keep it away from your children and your pets.
Moisturizing Soap
Moisturizing soap is concentrated on its oil or fat content, which keeps skin soft and smooth for almost the entire day. It can remove dirt just as well as antibacterial soap but its ability to kill germs is not as efficient.
Moisturizing soaps usually have a small dose of lye to help in the soap formation and of course, a boost in killing germs. Although, people with sensitive skin prefer organic soaps that do not contain the corrosive cleaning agent. Those all-natural products substitute lye with the less harmful but also efficient glycerin.
Regular Moisturizing Soap
The regular moisturizing soaps sold on cosmetic stores are excellent moisturizers. The lye content of most of these products is meager, which rarely causes skin irritations. Normally, people with sensitive skin should have no trouble using this kind of soap.
Materials Used:
12 oz lye
32 oz of water
24 oz coconut oil
38 oz solid vegetable shortening
lavender/rosemary oil
8 oz oatmeal
mixing bowl
metal pot
oven
soap molds
spoon
soap dye
cloth
Procedure:
Pour water in a mixing bowl. Add the lye slowly while mixing the bowl’s contents. The mixture will gradually heat up, due to the lye’s reaction to water.
Let the mixture cool down in a well-ventilated place.
Set your oven to low – medium heat.
In a metal pot, melt the solid vegetable shortening and combine it with coconut oil. Stir the mixture.
Add the olive oil and the lavender/rosemary oil (for soap fragrance). Stir the mixture.
When the mixture has been thoroughly mixed, let it cool to room temperature.
Slowly add the lye-based solution to the mixture while stirring.
Continue stirring the mixture until you see bubbles form.
Add the oatmeal and the soap dye while stirring the mixture.
Transfer the mixture to the soap molds.
Wrap the molds with a piece of cloth and store for about 18 hours.
Unwrap the molds then let it air dry for another 12 hours.
If you have dry skin and complexion problems, you can add ½ oz of geranium along with the oatmeal. Follow the same procedure and you will get an exceptional skin care product.
All-Natural Moisturizing Soap
A soap purely made from organic materials is perfect for people with sensitive skin. Even if they bathe twice a day with organic soap, their skins will not form rashes. The all – natural moisturizing soap is clearly gentle to your skin but tough on dirt and the causes of dry complexions.
Materials Used:
½ cup olive oil or coconut oil
1½ cups lard
¼ cup glycerin
½ cup oatmeal
10 drops of lavender or rosemary oil
blender
mixing bowl
metal pot
mixing bowl
oven
Procedure:
Set the oven at low heat.
Put the coconut/olive oil and the lard in a metal pot.
Stir the pot’s contents until the lard melts and forms a mixture with the oil.
When the mixture has been formed, let the pot cool.
Blend the oatmeal until the grains are reduced to tiny granules.
Go back to the mixture and add the glycerin.
Slowly add the oatmeal granules and the lavender/rosemary oil while stirring the mixture.
Continue stirring until the mixture becomes as nearly as thick as pudding.
Pour the mixture into the soap molds.
Let the soap air dry for about two to three days.
You will produce about two pounds of soap with this recipe. Now, you have the option to store the extra soap bars or sell them to your friends. Remember, all – natural soaps are hot items on the market, so you might as well make profits for your efforts.
Antibacterial Soap
Antibacterial soap used to be a popular product on the market, since they claim to kill 99.99% of the germs on your body. The question is, what happens to the surviving .01 percent. Research states that the surviving bacteria become more resistant to triclosan, the active ingredient of antibacterial soaps and some antibiotics. If antibacterial soaps are used continually, more and more bacteria strains will be resistant to the soaps’ effects.
Of course, using antibacterial soap for a week does not mean that you’ll suddenly grow killer diseases on your body. Just use the soap after sweating profusely or getting your body covered with mud, dirt or dust. You can bathe with moisturizing soap during regular days.
Making antibacterial soap is similar to creating regular moisturizing soap. You just have to increase the lye content by one or two ounces and add the triclosan to the mixture. Follow the general procedure and you’ll eventually create your own antibacterial soap.
Liquid Soap
If bar soaps are in charge of cleaning your body, the liquid soap focuses on your hands. The viscous base of liquid soaps displaces dirt faster than bar soaps, which makes them convenient hand-wash items. You can even bathe using liquid soap if you choose, but you’ll waste much of the material.
Materials Used:
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup water
¼ cup honey
1 tsp Castile soap
blender
liquid soap dispenser
Procedure:
Place the honey, water and olive oil in a blender.
Use a teaspoon to scrape a small chunk from a bar of Castile soap.
Put the small chunk in the blender.
Blend the ingredients until a viscous mixture is formed.
Pour the liquid soap in its designated dispenser.
Liquid soaps are mildly formulated, since their thick bases are enough to wipe away dirt. Given that the hands are used in almost every activity, the liquid soap simply provides the cleaning and pampering that your grubby paws need.
Facial Cleanser
The face is pretty sensitive to chemicals, which is why facial cleansers are made from organic materials. They are appear as milder versions of the liquid soap.
Materials Used:
3 tbsp oatmeal
½ banana
¼ cup unflavored yogurt
2 tbsp almond oil
blender
plastic container
Procedure:
Put the oatmeal, banana, yogurt and almond oil in a blender.
Blend until the mixture becomes viscous.
Pour the facial cleanser in a plastic container.
Store the container in a cool dry place for five days.
The facial cleanser, along with the liquid soap, is the easiest to make among the different types of homemade soap. All the ingredients are readily available and the procedure is simple. You can prepare the organic facial cleanser whenever you run out of facial scrub.
Soap, being the primary cleansing agent of the human body, is a basic necessity. The item sold on the market, albeit effective, are pricey. You wouldn’t have to spend much for your own cleanliness, if you just made your own soap.