Soap Safari

For the novice, delving into the “how to” of making your own skincare products can be information overload. It’s sort of like trying to educate yourself on how to make healthy meals at home. There are hundreds of variations and ways to do it.

Combine that with the hundreds of online video tutorials and websites that offer step-by-step instructions and ingredients for making soap, and it’s no wonder the “how to” adventure can get a bit overwhelming.

Anything handmade, however, makes a great gift during the holidays, and natural skincare products are a unique and useful idea.

Dwight Johnson, self proclaimed “soap nerd” and owner of Bend Soap Company, shared some helpful tips for the soap-making beginner.

“It’s an art and a science mixed together,” he said. “There are several appeals to making handmade soap. It’s the joy of creating it yourself and knowing that it’s natural with good benefits rather than made with harmful or toxic ingredients.”

It was after Johnson’s son Chance developed severe eczema that he began researching alternatives to commercially manufactured soap products.

“The skin is the body’s largest organ,” Johnson said. “Everything you put on your skin gets absorbed into the bloodstream. We’re like a human sponge.”

Commercially made soaps contain a combination of chemicals and detergents that strip the body of moisture, he said.

“They are full of carcinogens and totally toxic.”

Sugar and oil based scrubs are fairly easy and require simple ingredients. The same goes for bath salts and soaks.

But when it comes to making bar soap, there are three basic methods: Melt and pour using a pre-made soap base, cold process using lye, water and oil (or lard), and melting glycerin blocks and pouring into a mold.

Adding different ingredients can provide a variety of benefits. From goats milk, honey and oatmeal, to the more exotic such as lime oil and avocado, the opportunity for creativity is endless.

Melt and Pour

One of the easiest ways to make soap is the “melt and pour” method. It requires purchasing a pre-existing soap base from a local craft store or online, melting it and adding color and fragrance or essential oils of your choice, then pouring the mixture into a mold.

Once hardened, the soap can be cut into squares and used right away.

One of the benefits of melt and pour is not having to handle lye, a caustic potentially dangerous ingredient used in the “cold process” soap making method. However, if a person wants to make 100 percent, all organic natural soap, they should do some research to find a completely organic melt and pour product.

One excellent online retailer is Organic Creations based out of Gresham. On their website, www.organic-creations.com, are hundreds of soap making products, including an all-natural organic melt and pour base.

Cold Process

Making soap from scratch, also called “cold process,” is much more involved. It can be done, but it requires precise math, a few safety precautions and time.

In a nutshell, the three basic ingredients are lye (also known as drain cleaner), water and oil (oil can be lard, vegetable oil, olive, palm or coconut just to name a few).

In the cold process method, when the lye mixes with the oil, it creates a chemical reaction called saponification. During this process, the lye and oil mixture will heat up. This reaction neutralizes the lye and the lard. After the mixture is poured into the mold, it is left to rest for 24 hours. At that time, the block of soap can be cut into squares. Then it is set aside to cure for 4-6 weeks. The curing time allows the soap to become hard, and the lye to be completely neutralized. In the end, you have a bar of soap with no trace of lye.

One of the main benefits of cold process soap making is having complete control over the ingredients. And depending on the ingredients used, the soap lasts longer than a melt and pour.

Johnson is a staunch purest when it comes to soap products. He chooses to use all entirely natural ingredients, even down to the type of oil used in his soaps.

“I caution people to stay away from genetically modified stuff,” he said. “For example, 92 percent of soy is GMO, also canola and corn oil.”

He recommends using a 50/50 mixture of olive oil and coconut oil when making soap from scratch.

Johnson also recommends using the freshest ingredients possible.

“It’s a very simple process, but there are little things you will learn as you go. Don’t use old oils, you want stuff you would cook with or eat.”

Johnson said he spent six months researching how to make natural soap recipes before he made his first batch. During that time, Johnson also owned a goat farm and after prodding from his friends, decided to try using goat milk in his soap.

The downfall to cold process are the safety risks (lye can burn the skin, and the fumes can be harmful), and not all essential and fragrance oils or colorants survive the cold process. Always wear protective gear when using this method.

Glycerin

Making glycerin soap is another easy option. Blocks of glycerin base can be purchased from a craft store or online. Since glycerin is translucent, it can easily be colored by adding food coloring.

Glycerin can either be melted using the microwave or a double boiler. The trick to glycerin and melt and pour soaps is to keep the heat as low as possible. Too much heat will cause a mush or beaded appearance.

After melting small chunks of glycerin, you can add food coloring and fragrance (essential oils) a few drops at a time. Pour into a mold and once set, it can be cut into smaller bars. Store the soap in a sealed plastic bag.

For all soap recipes, silicone baking molds work great. You can also use a shallow cardboard box, such as a shoe box, and line it with a plastic trash bag.

Scrubs and Soaks

“People like handmade gifts,” said Angelina Swanson, owner of Angelina Organic Skincare in downtown Bend. Swanson’s products are mainly facial masks, lotions and body scrubs.

Swanson shared a simple recipe for a coffee scrub that contains very simple ingredients most people may already have in the kitchen (see recipe).

“Sugar scrubs are easy, but coffee is really fun to work with,” she said.

The caffeine in the coffee grounds stimulates circulation and is full of antioxidants, Swanson said.

Combined with a little bit of salt, the coffee scrub exfoliates dead skin cells and gives a youthful dewy look. Not only does it smell great, it will give you an energizing lift without ingesting caffeine. And don’t worry if it makes a mess in the tub; it rinses away quickly. The coffee scrub recipe can be customized by using flavored coffee such as hazelnut or French vanilla.

Whether it’s bar soap, body scrubs or a soothing bath soak, making your own skincare products can be fun and for the most part, easy. With all the options out there, it’s a great outlet for creativity.

“You can draw art or you could buy art,” said Johnson. “People love making soap. And if they don’t care so much about the natural side of it, they love the artistic side of it.”