Basics of Liquid Soap Making

The main difference between using bar soaps and liquid soap is the lye used in each process. Liquid soaps require using Potassium Hydroxide while bar soaps use Sodium Hydroxide. Making liquid soap is a more tedious task because it requires a lot of patience on the part of the soap maker to constantly stir and watch over the soap batch. Making liquid soap is a fairly moderate fete for those starting with soap making.

The most basic recipe found so far is this:

* 366 g coconut oil
* 1,424 g canola oil
* 400 g Potassium Hydroxide
* 1204 g water

The usual preparations are done same as making a bar soap. Preparing all the materials prior to usage is essential. Aside from that, it is important to have a lot of endurance when it comes to liquid soap making because it takes a while before tracing occurs and some ingredients will try to break free from other ingredients when not carefully watched.

Potassium Hydroxide, like Sodium Hydroxide is also corrosive and will cause fuming. Gloves, goggles and masks are recommended. Potassium Hydroxide has greater tendency to crackle and separate. 160 degrees is the ideal heat for making liquid soap. Anything under the said heat and the soap will take too long to trace. A little too much and bubbles will start to appear. Too much heat will make the batch useless.

After boiling the mixture after two to four hours, the mixture will start to turn translucent. This is the signal that the mixture is ready to be scraped off and placed in water for dilution. The mixture is chopped in order to let water seep in easier. The water and original mixture are then heated up and left that way overnight. Depending on the amount of coconut, the mixture will either completely melt or still have remnants of a few chunks. If this happens, it's okay for it to be reheated again until all the chunks have melted.

The mixture is then neutralized using boric acid solution or borax. These two are considered as neutralizing agents and will turn the supposedly now clear mixture into a murky, translucent liquid again. This will go away though presuming all the other steps prior are correct and there are no miscalculations in ingredients. While the soap is still hot, fragrance oils and/or colorants (both are optional) can be added.

That's it! The final step would be just to transfer the mixture into another container and see if you've done a good job. If not, there's always rebatching!