An alternate method to making soap without using an external heat source would be the cold process. This process involves making the soap from scratch using distilled water, fats, and lye and is considered to be the most basic and purest form of soap. Adding extra fragrances and conditioners by formulating the soap to hold essential oils, also known as superfatting, is easily done using this method.

The most common requirement when it comes to either the hot process of cold process of soap making is a good quality soap. Animal fats were considered to be the best at first, especially lard and tallow. However, now with the trend toward non animal based products and vegetarianism, the use of vegetable oils has become very popular, with the favorite being olive, palm and coconut oil. Continue reading for an extended list of the best oils to use.

Having a lye calculator is another vital requirement when using the cold process to make soap. This will allow you to determine the exact quantity of lye that is needed for a given amount of each type of fat being used. As a reminder, you must be extremely careful when handling lye as it can be a very dangerous chemical, so read the instructions and warnings listed on the back of the lye container.

If the lye becomes too hot to handle you can do one of the following:

1. Instead of using luke warm water use cold water

2. Mix the lye solution one day ahead of time

If you choose the second option, remember that the fats and the lye need to be at the same temperatures (at about 100 degrees F) so you may have to reheat the lye solution. The next step is to combine the fats with the lye solution.

Is water the only option you have to dissolve the lye? No it's not! You do have other alternatives. If you wanted to be more creative with your soap making here is a small list of what you can use to dissolve the lye:

1. Milk

2. Any Herbal Infusion

3. Vegetable Juices

4. Fruit based juice

As a cautionary measure, soap makers typically add up to 10% extra oil to prevent extra lye from remaining in the soap. Then, in 30 days, the lye will have completely combined with the oils and the result will be good quality homemade soap. In a finished soap, all the oils are saponified and no longer contain any lye, only soap and glycerin.

Here's a list of commonly used oils for soap making. The first two are the most widely used. 3 through 6 are the best to use:

1. Coconut oil

2. Palm oil

3. 100% Olive Oil

4. Almond

5. Canola

6. All Sesame Oils

Making your own natural soap as opposed to using commercially made soap has it's benefits. Handmade or homemade soap is better for the skin, assuming you use natural ingredients and is a lot more versatile meaning you wouldn't need shampoo to wash your hair, you can simply use the soap to perform the same task.

The adding of natural ingredients like fruit juices, vegetable juices, and natural herbs is what makes your soaps more unique and better quality. Using ingredients like these results in the formation of natural glycerin being formed in the cold process that is extremely less drying to the skin. It's for reasons like this that using homemade and hand crafted soaps with natural elements that will leave your skin feeling soft and looking healthy.

One of the main reasons the cold process method is ignored by soap makers is because of the dangers of handling lye. There is no question that lye can be a dangerous chemical but if the proper precautions are taken, the risks are minimal and in the end will result in the creation of delightful and incredible soaps that can be given away as gifts or even be sold to build a business.