Planning can save you time and materials.
Soap making is a science. It is a combination oils/butters with lye water. Without lye water, the oils would stay in their natural state. The magic happens when the right amount of oils/butters combine with the correct amount of lye water. The trick is to know the best temperature for the chemical reaction.
Want to give it a try? Just remember lye is caustic and will burn skin and eyes. Safety is the number one priority.
The fun part is when you add in colors and scents. At Soapie Squad we only use natural ingredients but there are plenty of other synthetic options that are perfect for beginners. The same goes for scents. Try synthetic fragrance oils to make your first batch smell amazing. When you are ready to level up, try essential oils. Just make sure any synthetic or natural scent is free of vanilla because this will atomically turn your soap brown after a few weeks.
Speaking of weeks, that is how long it takes for cold-process soap to set up. The ideal time is to wait six weeks but it is safe after two weeks. The difference of four weeks makes your bar last longer. That is the fundamental difference between a well-made bar of soap and a cheap bar of soap.
