The cold process of soap making is a great way of starting in this activity. This is a very simple process to do which is why most people who are into this prefer this type of method. It is very important that when you start with this activity, all materials that you will need are already prepared to make the job easier. Things that you should prepare are the lye, fats, oils, additives, molds and safety gear.

The first thing that you need to do is wear protective equipment as lye is a very dangerous substance. It can corrode the skin when it comes in contact with it, and it fumes can also cause damage to the lungs when inhaled. Wearing gloves, goggles and face masks are a must when handling lye.

Start soap making by adding lye to water with constant mixing. Never add water to lye since it can cause lye to spurt out of the container. The recommended ratio of lye to water is 1:3 and make sure that you follow this ratio. The lye and water mixture is expected to heat up so you need to make sure that you use a container that can withstand heat.

The next step is to add the oils in the liquid mixture. In the cold process, you always have to make sure that you have all the ingredients measures accurately. Less amount of oil will retain unreacted lye in the mixture. At the same time, with excess oil, the soap will not harden. Continually mixing should be done until saponification.

After saponification, it is time for you to be creative. You should start adding the colorants, fragrances and other additives you wish to add to your soap. It depends solely on the type of soap that you want to make. Consult the internet on what to add for a specific kind of soap.

The mixture can now be poured into wooden molds or other shapes of molds that you can think of. Be creative in thinking of ways to design your soap. Afterwards, you can still use your soap cutters to carve and create additional designs on your soap.

The molds should be kept insulated for 18-36 hours for the curing process to occur. This can be done by wrapping your molds with several layers of towel to ensure that no heat is able to escape. After the 36 hours, the soap should have solidified up to some extent and these will be ready for cutting and designing. The last step would involve airing the soaps for 3-8 weeks for them to fully harden and be usable in the bathroom.

The cold process of soap making is very easy to do. You can try and try different soap designs and ingredients to get the product which you actually like. Once you have perfect this, you can now start with more ideas for making soaps.

Jen Hopkins has worked in the skin care industry for years. She maintains websites about hot process soap making, and soap recipes. If you want to contact her, you can use the contact form at one of her sites.