There are a variety of reasons that people decide to make their own soap.

Some do it for a greater degree of customization; some, because commercial soaps are too harsh for their skin; still others, because it’s a fun and rewarding hobby.

To get started making your own soap, you will need to consider three things:

* Your ingredients,
* Equipment
* Method

The ingredients are, arguably, the most important component of the soap-making process. Without quality ingredients, it is impossible to get a quality product.

The basic materials needed to make soap are water, lye and fats. Distilled water is the best to use, because any impurities in the water, such as excess minerals, can affect the way it reacts with the lye, or alter the final soap product. Lye is the material that saponifies the fats and oils, and turns them into soap.

It used to be extracted from wood ashes, by soaking them in water, but now you can buy it in most grocery or hardware stores, or online. 100% lye is fairly easy to find, but you have to be careful, because there are different varieties of lye.

Sodium hydroxide lye (NaOH) is typically used to make hard soap, while potassium hydroxide lye (KOH) is usually used to make liquid soap. Also, be sure that you’re using lye that is indicated for soap-making, because food-grade lye is not strong enough, and lye used for drain openers or other industrial purposes is much too harsh to be used in a product that will be in prolonged contact with skin.

The fats and oils are probably the most difficult of the ingredients to select, because there are so many different oils, with so many possibilities.

Almost any natural vegetable oil or animal fat can be used to make soap – corn oil, canola oil, olive oil, vegetable shortening, beef tallow, bacon grease, lard, etc.

Be sure to thoroughly research the oils you plan to use to make sure that they will impart qualities to your final soap that you will like; for example, if you use too many unsaturated oils to make bar soap, the bars will be mushy and won’t last very long.

Other ingredients that can be used in the soap-making process include colorants, essential or fragrance oils, and other additives.

Micas, FD&C colorants, pigments or natural colorants can all be used to color your soap; again, each has its own properties, and you should research them all before deciding which ones to use.

Fragrance and essential oils can be used to scent your soap; many people prefer essential oils, because fragrance oils can sometimes cause adverse reactions in people using the soap, and they can also have an unforeseen impact on the soap batter when they are added. Essential oils are more expensive, but they also last longer in the soap, and you don’t have to use nearly as much.

Avoid candle scents, potpourri oils or other commercial scents, because they are typically too harsh for skin and can cause, soap making, allergic reactions.

Other additives include oatmeal, coffee grounds, sand, pumice, etc., and are usually added to make exfoliating soap, or just for aesthetic purposes.