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