| Soapmaking can be a creative and rewarding hobby | | | | equipment.Choose your bowls, pitchers, spoons, or |
| as long as the proper safety precautions are followed. | | | | whatever will come in contact with your raw soap |
| One of the biggest aspects of this means learning | | | | carefully. Ideally, you want to make sure your supplies |
| about lye and other safety procedures, and this should | | | | aren't going to be used again for cooking, for an |
| be done before even bothering to attempt to research | | | | example. You also have to keep in mind that certain |
| how the soapmaking process works. Sometimes even | | | | metals such as aluminum or copper can have |
| experienced soapmakers need to be reminded! Don't | | | | undesired chemical reactions with lye. The best |
| let this all scare you- making soap can be as safe of a | | | | materials to use are stainless steel and heavy duty |
| craft as any other! However, the key to safety means | | | | dishwasher safe plastics. (Even wooden spoons will |
| being informed. Here's some guidelines and tips:GET | | | | do, though the lye water will slowly eat at them over |
| TO KNOW LYE AND RESPECT IT!!!Soap CANNOT | | | | time. I lost a good spoon that way!) Some people even |
| be made without lye. There's no way around it and if | | | | recommend using large glass Pyrex measuring cups. |
| someone told you they did, I hate to break it to you- | | | | However, I personally can't. I have heard of rare |
| they lied. Even liquid soap, bath gels, and shampoos | | | | instances where even sturdy Pyrex glass has |
| contain a form of lye called potassium hydroxide. | | | | shattered- in one case I heard of, no one was even in |
| However lye, alone, is a highly dangerous substance. | | | | the same room when it happened! In a way it makes |
| There's no sugar coating it- lye can kill you. If you | | | | sense. Lye water, when first mixed, can reach very |
| respect it and use it properly everything will be fine. | | | | high temperatures in an absurdly small amount of time. |
| Try not develop a fear of it, and instead focus on | | | | Then on top of it, over time the potent lye itself may |
| handling it properly.Label your lye water.If lye is | | | | do it's damage. Over time it may make the glass brittle |
| ingested internally, there is a strong likelihood of it being | | | | and create stress on it, though unseen to the human |
| fatal. If you walked away for even for less than a | | | | eye.Use distilled water instead of tap.Some people say |
| minute and someone walked into your kitchen with a | | | | it's alright to use regular tap water for soapmaking. In |
| bowl of lye water in a glass, bowl, or pitcher- the | | | | most cases, it probably is fine... However tap water |
| results could be deadly! Just to be safe I like to mark | | | | can contain various trace metals and minerals that |
| my bowl or pitcher with large adhesive label or even | | | | may interact with your lye, giving some unexpected |
| better yet, a permanent marker.Wear your goggles or | | | | results in your finished soaps. Once again, much better |
| safety glasses.Always! If lye water splashes into your | | | | to be safer than sorry!Mind your pour!Always make |
| eyes, it can blind you. It doesn't take much... Better to | | | | sure to close the container of lye tightly when you're |
| be safe than sorry!Wear your gloves.... And your | | | | done. Any moisture that gets in contact with the lye |
| clothes!If it can do that to your eyes, exposed skin isn't | | | | granules will form clumps, which may increase the |
| safer either! Lye can eat through skin. Even in tiny | | | | chance of spills while pouring next time you use it. It |
| amounts it can cause painfully irritating chemical burns. | | | | may even effect your soap by giving you inaccurate |
| It's wise to keep a bottle of vinegar around in case of | | | | weighings of your ingredients in the end, if enough gets |
| splashes or spills. If this should occur, rinsing with | | | | in there. Pouring slowly so you get it right the first shot |
| vinegar helps to neutralize the lye. However, care | | | | and don't have to put any back is also wise. Another |
| should be taken to prevent this because the vinegar | | | | thing that can be a hassle sometimes when pouring to |
| cannot undo damage that has already been done! | | | | weigh your lye is static... Lye sometimes gets a |
| Even finished soap bars can be irritating until soap has | | | | "charge" and granules here and there seem to have a |
| it's "curing" time- usually a very minimum of four | | | | mind of their own when being poured! A quick wiping |
| weeks. When making soap, it's smart to make sure | | | | of the container you'll be weighing with a dryer sheet |
| you're wearing clothes that will protect your skin. Pants, | | | | first helps with a smoother pour.Always use a lye |
| instead of shorts or dresses, and long sleeves are | | | | calculator- no matter what.Never assume a recipe that |
| ideal. Don't forget your feet- remember your | | | | someone gives you, that you find online, or come |
| shoes!Keep pets and children away while | | | | across in a book is safe. Even if you obtain a recipe |
| soapmaking.It doesn't take much for lye to be harmful | | | | from the world's most trustworthy source, it is always |
| to anyone- it takes even less to bring harm to a small | | | | safer to run your recipe through a lye calculator first to |
| child or pet. If you have little ones running around, it's | | | | make sure you use the proper amount of your |
| best to do your soapmaking in an area they don't | | | | ingredients. There are many free and easy to use lye |
| have access to or wait until you have "alone time". | | | | calculators that can be used online or downloaded to |
| Even with ground rules and with the best behaved | | | | your computer, so there's no excuses!Stay away |
| children or pets in the world, it's just not worth the | | | | from painted surfaces.It's best not to do your |
| risk.Only use pure lye.NEVER attempt to use Draino or | | | | soapmaking on any painted surfaces. Lye can easily |
| any other products that "contain" lye. These products | | | | strip paint and damage surfaces. Even on kitchen |
| contain other chemical additives that may interfere | | | | counters made with a tougher surface material, it's a |
| with the soapmaking process. The results could range | | | | good idea to lay down some plastic or freezer paper |
| from winding up with a soap that is highly irritant to the | | | | to protect the area you're working in. Remember to |
| skin to a lethal concoction that you wouldn't even want | | | | always keep that vinegar handy as well, just in case!I |
| to be in the same room with!Work in a well ventilated | | | | know this all must sound terrifying to some and makes |
| area.The fumes that rise when lye is mixed with water | | | | you feel as if you need a Hazmat team on standby |
| during the first few minutes can irritate the lungs. Some | | | | when learning how to make soap, but believe me it's |
| people are more sensitive to it than others, but a well | | | | not really as bad as it sounds! More people than you'd |
| ventilated area is recommended to anyone. | | | | probably imagine throughout the world make soap |
| Remember even if it doesn't bother you at the | | | | every day. If you're interested in soapcrafting, just do |
| moment, repeated exposure may bring about a | | | | as much research on the subject as possible from as |
| different story. Larger batches of soap are usually | | | | many different sources as you can. There are also |
| give off more potent fumes than smaller ones.Use an | | | | several wonderful forums for soapmakers where |
| accurate scale.Never measure your ingredients by | | | | people can turn to others for advice and to share |
| volume because it can lead to inaccuracies, leaving | | | | experiences and ideas. Soapmaking may not be for |
| you with an irritating "lye heavy" soap. Instead, make | | | | everyone, but chances are once you make your first |
| sure you use an accurate scale to weigh out your | | | | successful batch , you'll be hooked on this craft! Just |
| ingredients- one that measures in increments of at | | | | remember- at any stage in this wonderful hobby, |
| least a 10th of an ounce is best. A good postal scale | | | | safety always comes first!You can visit Lisa |
| will do just fine. It's also a good idea to invest in | | | | Chambers' website at for free information, recipes, and |
| calibration weights for your scale so that you can test | | | | tips based on natural or crafty point of views. |
| it's accuracy periodically.Use the right | | | | |