How is soap made?

There are two different and distinct types of soap making. There is what is called the cold pour process and that is true soap making where you would literally take lye and render it. Then there's the melt pour process, where you use a finished glycerin base. The melt pour process is much more suited for crafting and that's what we specialize in.

When you get into the cold pour you get into handling lye. The lye is actually a hazardous material, so you have to know what you are doing when handling it. Also companies are only permitted to ship so much lye, so it's a different process.

The melt pour process of soap-making is much more suited for a wider range of audience. You can make herbal soaps, goat's milk, shea butter, even layered soaps, and embedded soaps.

How long does it take to make soap this way?

From start to finish, usually about two hours and that includes an hour to an hour and a half in the refrigerator.

Generally a soap making kit is going to be comprised of a mold, soap base, dye, and fragrance. Usually a kit comes with what they call a clear base soap and as a crafter you can add goat's milk, lime oil, myrrh - anything you want it to be. You could take a clear soap base, add a little yellow to it, and make a sun-shaped soap.

You can find soap making kits on a number of websites, including ours, or in most large retail craft stores. The kits can run anywhere from $9.99 t0 $29.99 for about a pound of soap making supplies. How many soaps you can make with each kit would depend on the size of your mold. They make very nice gifts.

It's a very personalized craft project and easy enough for a child for a child to use. There is melting involved, so it would be something to approach with some adult supervision, but it's a very easy process.