Soap Making oils have their own characteristics the differences are in the lather, hardness and
properties of the oils. It is important in soap making to get the right combination of oils in order to produce a great bar of soap. Continue reading
Really there is no true lye free soap, because at some point or another lye has been used to create the saponification process. For those who don’t want to work with this potentially dangerous chemical there are alternative ways to make a beautiful bar of soap. Continue reading
It’s relatively easy to test the ph levels of your soap.
Testing the ph level of your homemade soap is important to make sure it is safe to use.
Soap and Ph – the most important aspect about your handmade natural soap is to get the chemistry right.
If you don’t have enough lye your soap will be to soft and may take a long time to cure or never cure.
Too much lye causes a caustic bar, which if used would remove any of the natural oils in your skin and possibly cause red skin due to the little pockets of lye water.
There are different ways to test the PH level of you soap, but the most common method is testing with ph strips.
They are easy to use and give you immediate readings.
To use them you simply wet the soap and produce some bubbles and then place the strip on the soap to get the reading.
The Zap test is another method to test the PH levels of your soap. The Zap Test – named for the zap you will get from lye heavy soap when you place the tip of your tongue on the soap.
This is the way our grandmothers tested their soap in the old days.
Remember though if you are testing your soap right out of the mold, they may test high. Often fresh soap will test a little high, but if you wait until the soap is cured 4 – 5 weeks you will probably find its okay. So test it after it has cured.
I have not tried the cabbage method, but have read about it. Red cabbage is an effective ph 
tester. The juice of the cabbage is placed on the soap and if changes color which indicates the ph level.
To use this method cabbage leaves need to be chopped and placed in a bowl with distilled water.
It must be distilled water because tap water can have minerals etc that can give you inaccurate readings.
3 or 4 cabbage leaves chopped added to a cup of distilled water and then juiced. Strain the cabbage leaves out and the juice can be used for testing.
With this test, if the soap is lye heavy the cabbage juice will turn from purple to yellow or green.
If the soap has a balanced ph the cabbage juice will turn blue.
The ph level of your soap should fall in the normal range of between 7 and 10. Lye has a ph of 14 and water has a ph of 7, if your soap is above 10 that would indicate that free lye is in your soap.
Free lye is caustic and can cause burns, so it is very important to make sure your soap has been made well and is free of any lye.
A Ph reading of above 10 would mean your soaps are harsh and it is an indication that the lye did not mix properly with the oils.
When making cold process soap, it is extremely important that the lye and oils are measured precisely. If not, you can end up with a lye heavy soap that is not safe for the skin.
Coloring soap with Herbs and Spices
Terms and Abbreviations used in soap making
So you have decided to start your own soap company and now you need a name. Continue reading
Getting ready for those Christmas Craft Fairs and thought I’d would share some thoughts as I’m packing my stock.
Vegetable glycerin is a thick liquid similar to the thickness of maple syrup; it is produced using plant oils. Most often the plant oils used to produce vegetable glycerin are Palm, Coconut and Soy. Continue reading
Having a skin rash can be really irritating and most come along with an itch. It’s bad enough having itchy skin. There are some natural ways to help with skin rashes.
Below are links to some skin conditions and natural cures for skin rashes.
Sometimes the hardest part is figuring out what this skin rash is and what has triggered it. Eczema and Psoriasis are two skin conditions that create itchy rashes.
There may be something on one of these pages that will help you figure out what is irritating your skin and maybe a possible solution to helping it. Continue reading
It is simply common acne a conditions that happens when dead skin cells and oils from the skin clog up your hair folicles and pores.
What is Acne Vulgaris called?
It is sometimes known as zits, pimples, blackheads or blemishes.
Vulgaris is the medical term for “common” and acne is the condition.
Continue reading
Acne Rosacea is a type of Rosacea that shows a permanent redness of the skin along with red pus filled bumps that resembles pimples, which is why this type is often mistaken for acne. Continue reading
I think using essential oils as your natural ant-fungal remedies is the best way to go. Essential Oils come from the plants that grow naturally on this earth making them nature’s medicine. Continue reading
