Every single morning, we rub a soap bar on our body or squirt
liquid soap into our hands without giving in much thought to its preparation.
For most of us, soap is nothing but soap. And to indulge into the process of
making it is like entering the dreaded domains of organic chemistry taught back
in school. However, let us refresh our knowledge and make the lesson
interesting with tidbits of history punched in. Soap is actually an end product
of a complex chain of reactions between two completely opposite chemical
families - a base and an acid. Sodium or potassium hydroxide is the most
preferred base used, while fats or oil make up for the acidic content of the reaction.
The process even has a fancy chemical name called saponification.
Now, are you wondering as to what is the product like after
saponification? Is it solid or liquid in state? The major difference between
bar and liquid soaps lies in the base or alkali used to saponify the fats or
oils. In case of bar soaps, the alkali used is sodium hydroxide, while
potassium hydroxide is the alkali used in case of liquid ones. Even though the
history of soaps can be traced back to the late eighteenth century, William
Shepphard first patented liquid soap in the year 1865. Today, the market is
virtually filled with racks and racks of liquid soaps, so many that consumers
walking down the aisles in the supermarkets are completely confused. If you are
also one amongst the many and do not know which one to pick, here is a relief.
In the following lines, we have for you several recipes to make homemade liquid
soaps.
Recipe 1
Ingredients
- 1
bar Soap
- 1
tbsp Honey
- 1
tsp Glycerin
- Water
Preparation
- Grate
the bar of soap into small flakes and pour it into blender.
- Add
1 cup boiling hot water and whip.
- Now,
add ½ cup of water at room temperature and stir in blender.
- After
adding honey and glycerin, stir the mixture again.
- Allow
the mixture to cool for 15 minutes. The entire mixture should measure 2
cups.
- Now,
add cool water until the mixture measures to around 5-6 cups.
- Pour
it into a container without lid and allow cooling.
- Close
the lid after an hour. The soap mixture will thicken up.
- Shake
well before use.
Recipe 2
Ingredients
- 33
oz Sunflower Oil
- 14
oz Coconut Oil
- 11
oz Potassium Hydroxide
- 2
oz Potassium Carbonate
- 33
ounces Distilled Water
- 80
ounces Water
Preparation
- Add
the oils in a crock pot.
- In
the lye mixing container, add potassium hydroxide and potassium carbonate
to distilled water.
- Once
the lye and potassium carbonate dissolves, add the solution to the oil
mixture.
- Blend
the mixture well.
- Now,
cover the crock pot and set it over low flame.
- Cook
the soap for 2.5-3 hours and keep stirring in between.
- Once
the mixture reaches the slimy stage, turn off the flame.
- Heat
80 ounces of water and add the soap mixture to it.
- Heat
the overall mixture. Stir it occasionally, keeping the lid on.
- Once
the solution blends well, turn off the heat.
- Allow
the soap to cool and pour it in a container.
- Shake
well before use.
Recipe 3
Ingredients
- 2
cups Soap Flakes/ Grated Bar Soap
- ½
gallon Water
- 2
tbsp Glycerin
Preparation
- Mix
all the ingredients together in a larger pot or Dutch oven.
- Set
the pot/ oven over low heat.
- Stir
occasionally until the soap flakes have dissolved.
- Transfer
it to a jar and cover tightly.
- In
case of watery gel soap, use 1 gallon water.
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