This post is brought to you by Carla Leon for Pura Vida Princess.
Are you the DIY-crafter-budget/saver-Pinterest addict? Here´s a way to cut down costs on soap and create something even better. This is sure to become a go-to gift idea for a friend, family member or hostess.
When making soap, you have to learn a few basics and some precautions. No rocket science here, just remember – safety first.
Some Universal Soap ingredients:
- Lye (100%)
- Animal Fat (Vegetal oil)
- Salt
- Water
*Magic temperature: heat or cool down materials to 100 degrees.
Projects like Rosey Soap are easy to make once you’ve mastered the basics. You’ll love creating your own customized soaps and adding personal touches to to each design. Start by creating Rosey Soap to add a little color to a drab bathroom or kitchen.
Precautions:
- Safety Goggles
- Gloves
- Long sleeved shirt and pants legs
- Do this in an open space
- When mixing the lye and water, please be sure to add the lye to the water and not the other way around.
For extra moisture: (measurements: 400-515 grams or 500 milliliters or 2 cups)
- Coconut oil
- Castor oil
- Grape seed oil
For exfoliation:
- Try adding some coconut skin shavings.
For smell:
- Add as much oil essence of your favorite type.
*Be extremely careful when using lye, it can burn your skin.
Measurements:
- Lye — Mix in large pyrex measuring cup, stir with a chopstick saved from order-in Chinese food. Again, do not breathe the fumes. Wear goggles.
- 700 milliliters purified water
- 270 grams or 9 1/4 ounces lye (one small container)
- Oil 955 grams or 4 1/2 cups (Use the cheap pomace olive oil; virgin doesn’t work as well.) *Oils (Mix in a big pot.)
One budget-friendly ideas for handmade soap is reusing wood ashes! Here are the steps you have to follow to create your own version (please keep in mind the precautions mentioned above, otherwise I strongly recommend you take a look at the online tutorials such as the ones on YouTube so you can get a better understanding of what it is you are going to do).
For Lye: (replacement for the store-bought version)
- Boil the ashes in water until they settle at the bottom.
- After boiling you skim the liquid lye formation from the top of the pan.
- Once you have the liquid lye, in a separate pan (avoid aluminum, otherwise the lye will eat through it), boil it again until thick.
For the fat: (you can also just use vegetable oil if you wish)
- Gather the left over fat from meat and heat until it melts down, or heat vegetable oil to 100 degrees.
- Start adding the fat to the pan with the lye and stir until you begin to get a lumpy consistency. This might take a while, anywhere between 30 to 50 minutes.
- To make the soap harden even faster you can add salt, otherwise the mixture will take a full day to harden on its own once poured into the molds (silicone preferably, it can stand more than 100 degree temperatures).
- For molds you can use: silicone or a wooden box (this lined up with non-stick paper to later take the soap out easily.
*Add brown coloring and Chocolate essence oils for a wonderful chocolate experience.
Ready to get started? Make Decorative Butterfly Soap to celebrate spring and summer. Use a mold to create a cool design that will help your project stick out from a sea of store-bought sanitizers.
