Getting started
Soap chemistry
Liquid soap
Bar soap
Specialty soaps - Sulfur, egg, pine tar, lanolin, floating, laundry, etc.Alkalis - NaOH, KOH, and ammonia
Fats and fatty acids
WaterFragrance
GlycerinAcids and salts
Chelators
AntioxidantsTechniques and tools
Safety and first aid
Packaging, labeling, and photographyGet help
About "Soapy Stuff"
Terms of use
Anne L. Watson on soap and lotion making. A lot of soap making info on the internet and in print is incorrect, wrong, and sometimes even dangerous. Anne will get your started safely and sensibly and she provides safe, tested recipes. Her books are very reasonably priced. Buy her books on Amazon.com... (external links)
Kathy Miller's Handmade Soap Pages. Basic soap making, troubleshooting, recipes, and more. Has not been updated in years, but the key information is still very useful.
Online soap recipe calculators. Even if you do not want to create your own recipes, you need to ensure the soap recipes you use are correctly calculated and safe to use. Here are three full-featured English-language calcs and a tutorial that shows how to do the calculations by hand:
LyeCalc Allows user to create NaOH, KOH, and dual lye recipes. Allows the user to change the NaOH and KOH purity. Allows recipes to be saved online if user creates an account. Free to use. (external link)
Soapmaking Friend Allows user to create NaOH, KOH, and dual lye recipes. Allows the user to change the NaOH and KOH purity. Allows recipes to be saved online if user creates an account. Free membership has limited features. For full access to all features, user must create an online account and pay subscription fee. (external link)
SoapCalc Allows user to create NaOH or KOH recipes, but not dual lye recipes. Only permits user to select 90% purity for KOH. Cannot change NaOH purity. Recipes cannot be saved online. Free to use. No account required. (external link)
Calculating a soap recipe by hand. Clara Lindberg of Auntie Clara (external link)
Trace and Stick Blender Basics. What is "emulsion?" What is "trace?" How to best use a stick blender?
Tips for cutting a loaf of soap into bars. Is there an easy way to know when soap is ready to cut? How to prevent soap from shattering or cracking when cutting?
How to turn a skincare recipe into a cosmetic formula. School of Natural Skincare International. This information also applies to any recipe for making soap, food, etc. (external link)
Batch Calculator. GraceFruit. Resize recipes larger or smaller, convert percentages to weights, or convert weights to percentages. (external link)
Estimate the Amount of Batter to Fill a Mold. Need to size your recipe to fit a new mold? The "0.40 Rule" (for inches and ounces) or the "0.70 Rule" (for grams and centimeters) can help.
Get More Help with soapy problems. About "Soapy Stuff." Terms of Use.
Soap chemistry (chemistry stuff that applies to any soap -- bar, liquid, shave, cream, etc.)
What do acids do in soap? The theory of acid-base neutralization.
Kitchen chemistry: Adding acids and alkaline salts to soap. Results of a practical experiment.
Lye Concentration versus Water:Lye Ratio. A handy table for how much water to use in soap.
Full water and other drippy myths. Want more consistent results when soaping?
Chelators in soap for laundry, dishes, tub baths
How to pH Test Handmade Soap. By Kenna of Modern Soapmaking. Although I believe zap testing has its place in soap making, I otherwise agree with what Kenna has written in this article. (external links)
pH Testing and Lowering the pH of Liquid Soap. By Faith of Alaiyna B Bath & Body. Faith's article applies to bar soap too. (external links)
Liquid soap (soap made with potassium hydroxide, KOH)
Liquid soap: Tips for diluting and thickening
Liquid soap: Tips for designing good recipes
Should You Add Preservative to Liquid Soap?
Liquid Soap Tutorials by Faith of Alaiyna B Bath & Body. How to make liquid soap, a basic recipe to try, various methods of thickening liquid soap, etc. (external links)
Why does salt thicken shampoo? by Perry Romanowski of the Chemists Corner. (external links)
Preservatives: All you need to know! By Making Skincare. (external links)
Bar soap (soap made with sodium hydroxide, NaOH)
What do the Soapcalc numbers really mean? Have you also wondered about the fatty acid numbers in Soapcalc?
Full water and other drippy myths. Better ways to calculate the water for your soap recipes.
Trace and Stick Blender Basics. What is "emulsion?" What is "trace?" How to best use a stick blender?
Ash on bar soap. Whether you hate it or accept it, ash happens.
Iodine Number and INS Value. Is an INS value of 160 the "holy grail" of a great soap recipe?
Estimate the Amount of Batter to Fill a Mold. Need to size your recipe to fit a new mold? The "0.40 Rule" (for inches and ounces) or the "0.70 Rule" (for grams and centimeters) can help.
Curing soap. It's not just about water evaporation.
Rancidity and DOS (Dreaded Orange Spots).
Rescue Oven Processing. Firm up cold-process soap that did not gel
What's wrong with my soap: Troubleshooting cold process soap problems. The Nerdy Farm Wife (external link)
Crackling, streaking, and mottling (aka glycerin rivers).
Glycerin Rivers by Clara Lindberg of Auntie Clara. Creating and avoiding "glycerin rivers" (external links)
Sous Vide for soap makers. How to use the popular sous vide cooking method for making hot-process soap.
Floating soap, rebatch method. One way to make your own "Ivory" floating soap
Lanolin in soap. Easy to add to any recipe and nice on the skin.
Sulfur soap. Challenging and tricky soap to make
Egg soap. Add a little cackle and crow to your soap
Pine Tar soap. Need some excitement? Try this fast-moving soap
Laundry soap mix. Making an effective dry laundry soap
Salting-out soap scraps. Alternative to rebatching soap scraps
Wood ash lye. Making soap the old fashioned way
Felting bar soap. Cover bar soap with wool fiber. Useful for travel and fun for kids
Alkalis -- NaOH (sodium hydroxide), KOH (potassium hydroxide), NH4OH (ammonium hydroxide solution)
Lye Concentration versus Water:Lye Ratio. A handy table.
Zap test. A quick and effective way to check for excess lye.
Calculating a dual lye (KOH and NaOH) recipe. Useful for shave soap, cream soap, and other specialty soaps.
Ammonium hydroxide (ammonia solution). Use household ammonia solution (NH4OH) as part of the alkali.
What is "lye"? It is not just sodium hydroxide (NaOH).
NaOH or KOH purity check. A quick test for kitchen chemists.
Ajust your recipe for NaOH purity. How to tweak a recipe to use NaOH that is not 100% pure.
NaOH's remarkable ability to absorb water. A demonstration to show why NaOH needs to be stored properly.
Containers for lye solution. Choose a safe container for making and storing lye solution.
"Dry bucket" for storing NaOH or KOH. How to keep your alkali dry and pure.
Making wood ash lye. Making soap the old fashioned way.
Lye first aid. Never use vinegar to treat lye on the body!
What do the Soapcalc numbers really mean? Have you also wondered about the list of fatty acids in Soapcalc?
Superfat. Facts and fiction about adding extra fat to soap.
Rancidity and DOS. Understand more about Dreaded Orange Spots.
Iodine Number and INS Value. Is an INS value of 160 the "holy grail" of a great soap recipe?
High oleic, mid oleic, and regular oil. Not all sunflower, safflower, or canola oil is the same
Calculating fat content from nutrition labels. Do you ignore the fat added when you use coconut milk in your soap? Maybe you shouldn't!
How to use "ppo." What does it mean and how to use it?
Estimate the Amount of Batter to Fill a Mold. Need to size your recipe to fit a new mold?
Lye Concentration versus Water:Lye Ratio. A handy table.
Full water and other drippy myths. Want more consistent results when soaping? Better ways to calculate the water for your soap recipes.
Tips for long lasting, strong fragrance.
Volatility of fragrances. Do you use the flash point temperature to decide when to add fragrance to your soap?
IFRA guidelines for fragrances. Using scents safely in soap, cosmetics, and other products
How to use "ppo" What does it mean and how to use it?
Glycerin made by saponification. A quick way to calculate this.
Acids and Salts to increase hardness or lengthen the shelf life of soap
What do acids do in soap? The theory of acid-base neutralization.
Adding acids and alkaline salts to soap. Results of a kitchen chemistry experiment.
Acetic acid (Vinegar) and Sodium acetate
Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) and Sodium ascorbate
Sodium citrate and Potassium citrate
Chelators are chemicals that bind up trace metals that can cause rancidity, DOS (dreaded orange spots), and sticky soap scum
Antioxidants to prevent oxidation and rancidity
Trace and Stick Blender Basics. What is "emulsion?" What is "trace?" How to best use a stick blender?
How to use "ppo" What does it mean and how to use it?
Tips for pouring liquids. Eliminate drips and dribbles with pipettes and pour sticks.
Estimate the Amount of Batter to Fill a Mold. Need to size your recipe to fit a new mold? The "0.40 Rule" (for inches and ounces) or the "0.70 Rule" (for grams and centimeters) can help.
Lye first aid. Never use vinegar to treat lye on the body!
Zap test. A time-honored, quick way to check for excess lye
Packaging, labeling, and photography
Labels and Labeling. What information should be on your soap labels and other documentation?
Creating soap labels. How I design and make labels for my soap.
Using shrink bags to package soap. How I package my soap.
Do you need specific help about information I have shared here? Or do you have a suggestion or correction to make these articles more accurate and useful? If so, please contact DeeAnna.
Do you need general help about soap making, doing basic math calculations, evaluating soap recipes, using various ingredients, troubleshooting soap problems, or developing your business? If so, please join an online soap making forum or Facebook group to get help from experienced soap makers.
About "Soapy Stuff"
Purpose. Many of these soap making articles are based on posts I have made on the Soap Making Forum since 2014. Various SMF members have encouraged me over the years to put my advice in a single location so people can find this material more easily. My solution in early 2016 was to put my articles here.
Audience. I am writing for the novice to intermediate soap maker with basic skills in math and science.
References. I do not provide detailed references for all of my articles except for giving proper credit for quoted material. I have always and will continue to do my best to respond to reasonable and specific requests for additional information. Be aware that some of the more technical references I use are books or research papers that must be purchased.
Host website: My articles are hosted on my business website for the simple and sufficient reason that I can host the articles here at no extra cost and the website is long established (since 2002) and easy to find.
I have occasionally gotten the impression that a few people think I am doing this to promote my Classic Bells prudcts to soap makers. After eight years of hosting Soapy Stuff here, it is clearly a fool's wish to think I will ever get rich selling sleigh bells to soap makers.
Terms of Use
Copyright. I retain all copyright privileges. This means this website is my intellectual property, and I retain ownership of all content on this website. You are welcome to use this material for personal, research, or educational purposes, as long as you do not sell my work for your personal gain or present my words to others as if they are your own.
If you want to quote this material in any published work -- including but not limited to a magazine article, book, school report, term paper, blog, or website -- keep the quote BRIEF (2-3 sentences) and include a clear reference to the source of the quote. For example:
The material quoted comes from DeeAnna Weed at <insert URL here>
Corrections. While I do my best to present accurate information, I make no guarantees about the correctness of the information presented here. If anything is unclear or if you find errors or inaccuracies, please contact me about your concerns. If I am in error, I will acknowledge my mistake and correct the problem.
Safety disclaimer. Soap making is a risky activity, and I am not liable for any injury that you or others may receive when making soap. Use the information on this website at your own risk.
Compensation. I receive NO compensation for my soap making articles.
Ownership. I am the sole author and owner of all content on this entire website unless I specificially state otherwise. I reserve the right to change, delete, or add content anywhere on this website at any time and without notice.
DeeAnna Weed, PhD
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