This is a great question that is discussed extensively within the soap-making world. There is no black-and-white answer, and both have pros and cons, so here we will look at these so you can make an informed choice or decide if you are happy to use both.
What are fragrance oils?
In a nutshell, fragrance oils are synthetically produced in a laboratory and can have numerous different component ingredients. This does not mean they are a bad thing. Far from it - providing you ensure your fragrance oils are high quality and suitable for cold process soap making, they will be very safe to use and, in some ways, are more sustainable than essential oils (more about that in a moment.
Pro’s of fragrance oils in soap making.
Cons of fragrance oils in soap making.
What are essential oils?
All essential oils are naturally derived, highly concentrated liquids obtained from plants. Various extraction methods depend upon the source, but each essential oil will only come from one type of plant. In their raw state, they are considered volatile and should be handled with care. Not all essential oils are considered safe for cosmetic use, but most common ones are good.
Pro’s of essential oils in soap making.
Cons of essential oils in soap making.
As you can see, there is much to consider when choosing the kind of scent you will use for your handmade soap, above and beyond whether you would like to use a naturally derived or synthetic product.
If you are making soap just as a hobby, then the decision is easy, and you are free to choose your own preferences. Suppose you have a business or are considering starting a handmade soap business. In that case, you will have much more to think about, particularly the expectations of your target market, costs and stance from an eco perspective.
Whichever route you choose will still result in a beautiful bar of handmade soap.
Shop For:
Essential Oils
Fragrance Oils
Silicone Moulds
Written for Mystic Moments by Keri Squibb - The Soap Coach
When you want to make your first loaf of soap, the raft of online recipes can be a little overwhelming. It is like knowing whether to start your baking journey with cookies, cupcakes or a lemon drizzle cake.
I like to take things back to basics, with a simple recipe and ingredients that are relatively cheap and easy to get hold of.
There are not many kinds of butter or oils that you can use on their own to make soap; only coconut or olive oil fits the bill. Olive oil is lovely but needs a long cure time. Coconut oil, however, is brilliant, readily available and gives a beautiful hard bar of soap with plenty of lather.
Try this recipe if you are ready to make your own 100% Coconut Oil Soap.
500g Coconut Oil. Refined or unrefined is okay but not fractionated.
165g of water (in the UK, tap water is perfectly good).
73g of Sodium Hydroxide (Caustic Soda or Lye); make sure it is 100%.
Pop in a small handful of Porridge Oats for an extra creamy lather.
Up to 15g of Essential or Fragrance Oil(s). If you use fragrance oils, check they are suitable for cold process soap making.
Try Lavender, Rosemary, Geranium, or even a combination of all three if you use essential oils.
You will also need gloves, goggles, a hand blender, weighing scales, plastic kitchen jugs or stainless steel pan, a silicone spatula or stainless steel spoon, a digital thermometer and something to use as a mould. A cardboard box lined with greaseproof paper works well, or a silicone mould.
Method
As coconut oil makes a tough bar of soap, cut your loaf within 24 hours, and a non-serrated kitchen knife works well. You will then need to leave your soap to cure for around four weeks before using it.
Shop For:
Coconut Oil
Lye
Essential Oils
Fragrance Oils
Silicone Moulds
Written for Mystic Moments by Keri Squibb - The Soap Coach
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Making your own cold process soap from scratch may seem daunting at first. Visions of laboratories, bubbling pans and science equipment spring to mind, but the reality is very different. Soap making is a science but getting started is easier than you might think.
You may have dabbled with melt and pour but are keen on the freedom to experiment a little more, or maybe you want to choose exactly what goes into your skin care products. Either way, take a look at our ‘Getting Started’ checklist.
Basic Equipment
At the very bare minimum, you will need the following:
Nice to Have But Not Vital Equipment
What Ingredients do I Need to Get Started?
Home-made soap can be as simple or complicated as you choose, like cake making in many respects. Your basic ingredients will consist of butter, oils, water, and sodium hydroxide; it is even possible to make soap from just one oil. Both coconut and olive oil can be used alone and are readily available in the supermarket.
Sodium hydroxide is a little harder to locate, and you must ensure it is not mixed with anything else, such as sodium carbonate. Here at Mystic Moments, we stock a high-quality sodium hydroxide suitable for soap making; you can find details HERE.
Most people make their soap using a combination of oils: coconut oil, olive oil, palm oil (responsibly sourced), caster oil, cocoa butter and shea butter.
Your soap can be fragranced using essential or cosmetic-safe fragrance oils. The range of available colourants extends from spices such as turmeric and paprika to clays, micas and oxides. The options are limitless.
When making all skin care products, you must ensure that the ingredients you use are of a cosmetic grade and suitable for the purpose. We at Mystic Moments stock a wide range of all the ingredients you will need for your soap-making. Additionally, you will find suitable applications within the description of each product and anything you need to be aware of, taking the guesswork out for you.
If this has inspired you to get started, keep an eye out for the next blog post! We will be giving you a simple one-oil recipe to get started with and how to make your first batch of soap.
Shop For:
Sodium Hydroxide
Butters
Carrier Oil
Essential Oil
Fragrance Oil
Micas & Oxides
Clays
Written for Mystic Moments by Keri Squibb - The Soap Coach
Whilst many of us dabble in making our own balms, body butters, scrubs and more, diving into the world of soap making can often seem a little more complicated and overwhelming. With good reason, there is melt and pour soap making, cold process soap making, and hot process soap making; you may also have read about milling and rebatching. That is a lot to take on when starting, so this is about demystifying the process and helping you decide which method is right for you.
Before we get into the different methods, let us take a very quick whistle-stop tour of what soap is and how it is made. In a nutshell, soap is created by mixing butters, fats and oils (acids) with sodium hydroxide (alkaline) and water. A chemical reaction occurs, and you have soap. Soap making is just chemistry - but don’t worry, you absolutely do not need a GCSE in chemistry to get to grips with it.
Now that you know the chemistry basics, what about the different soap-making methods?
Melt & Pour Soap is exactly what it says on the box, and the chemistry bit is already done. You melt your pre-made soap base and customise it to your preferences with colours, fragrances and designs. There are so many different soap bases available now that finding one to suit your needs will be easy, and you can find a great selection here on the website. The soap base itself does differ from a traditional cold process soap with some additions to enable you to melt it down, but it is still soap and created from fats and sodium hydroxide. Melt and pour soap making is great for those who want an easier way to create their own soap bars and the freedom to be creative with colours and scent.
Cold Process Soap is the traditional method of making soap. Here you are making soap from scratch using your raw materials, a combination of butters and oils, water and sodium hydroxide. Cold process soap making offers so much flexibility in creating bars with different properties, i.e. extra bubbly, conditioning, creamy, hard, long-lasting bars and so on. The list is endless, and there are also an infinite number of designs, patterns, and colourways you can create. It requires understanding how it all works, how the ingredients can impact your finished bar, and using sodium hydroxide yourself. This aspect often puts want-to-be soap makers off, but rest assured, anyone can do it once you have nailed the basics. If in doubt, take a soap-making class, either online or in person, as you are almost certain to have questions, but once you have made that first batch, you are sure to be hooked.
Hot Process Soap has some similarities with the cold process in that you are making your soap from scratch with your raw materials; however, it involves ‘cooking’ your soap (usually in a slow cooker), which speeds up the chemical reaction between all the ingredients. It has a more rustic appearance and is less flexible around colour and patterns but is more forgiving regarding what can go wrong. The washing up is also much easier - always a bonus!
Milling and Rebatching are similar and not a soap-making ‘method’. They both involve taking a pre-made soap, grating it, and heating it with water. Milled soap will generally have fragrance, etc., added after this process. Rebatched soap is usually used to fix a batch of soap that has gone wrong.
These are the main terms you will see when looking at how to make soap, and each has its own pros and cons. Which do I prefer? For me, it has to be the cold process. Being something of a soap science geek, I enjoy the chemistry behind it (absolutely not a requirement), but I also love the ability to create something from scratch and that no bar ever looks the same. Each method has its place; whichever you choose, creating your own soap bar is satisfying and fun.
Shop For:
Melt & Pour Soap
Essential Oil
Fragrance Oil
Written for Mystic Moments by Keri Squibb - The Soap Coach