The Basic Mistakes of Beginner Soap Makers

I would like to tell you about the most widespread mistakes which can occur while making homemade cosmetics and especially soap. The process of making of handmade soap requires accuracy and knowledge of some peculiarities of components used. Some of the rules can be difficult to understand without any practice but still you should know them.

So let’s start with the simplest mistakes which can occur during creation of handmade soap from the soap base and they are the following:

1. Accident prevention during the work with the soap base. It seems to be ridiculous but it is really serious because strongly heated base can cause burns, especially when it was heated in the microwave oven.

2. While using flavoring agents and essential oils one should be really careful. It is not recommended to mix these ingredients in a bowl which is meant for food. Otherwise soap-maker can face serious problems with the health. The thing is that flavoring agents can contain chemicals which affect liver and kidneys. Essential oils can cause serious allergy. So in order to be safe you should find out the information about the ingredients you are going to add.

3. Before you start the process of soap making you should know for sure what result you are expecting. This rule should be followed by the beginners. It is better to note down the sequence of actions, because in the very beginning you will have to act fast. For example English soap base solidifies really quickly and due to the lack of experience you may be puzzled. It can result in the fact that you can add the wrong ingredient.

4. Soap base shouldn’t be overheated or boiled. Factory soap base loses liquid and becomes muddy under high temperature. As a result we receive soap of bad quality. In order to avoid evaporation of liquid it is better to heat the base on a water bath. It allows to control the process better.

5. The principle of temperance. Very often the beginning soap makers generously add a lot of colorants and essences into their soap. Such efforts of making their soap nice and fragrant can lead to disappointment. It all comes from the absence of temperance. Too large amount of colorants in the soap can color the skin which can be rather unpleasant. Too saturated colors in many-layered soap will gradually color the neutral layers. Excess oils and vitamins which are useful will appear as drops in the soap base. The problem is that the base doesn’t accept too much oil.

6. You don’t need to add water into the soap base. It won’t be beneficial because water will only slow down the process of solidification of the soap. In case if you want to make your soap more useful and healthy you can put a paper bag with herbs into the base and in ten minutes it will be brewed just as in the water.

Qualities of Some Additives for The Soap

• Sugar, chocolate and honey are melting the soap very well.
• Vanilla and cinnamon powder will not give the odor that you are expecting. Vanilla can only give a yellowish shade to the soap.
• Rose petals can surprise you with a green color so it is better to decorate with soap roses.
• Hibiscus flowers are also useless because they don’t give any color except becoming grey on their own.
• Salt added into the homemade soap has some peculiarities too. It quickly solidifies the soap base and its crystals will appear on the surface of the soap. In addition, salty soap can’t be colored by food colorants.
• Brilliant green doesn’t give saturate green color.
• Coffee powder or dried herbs will act like as a harsh wisp. Coffee liquid doesn’t give the coffee odor.

Of course this list of basic mistakes is not full and some more items may be added, but we hope that having learnt these ones you will avoid any disappointments and the process of soap making will be easy and pleasant for you.

The Author:

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