Learning To Make Soaps At Home

Now ever since I started learning soap making, I have been asked this question a number of times. "Why? Why spend so much time, energy and money when I can buy a bar of soap for 20 bucks from the shop". So let me try and address this very valid question in a very basic manner.

Consider Chocolates! Now you get a 10 Rs bar of simple Cadburys, a 100 RS bar of Bournville, a 300 Rs bar of Lindt, a 1000 Rs Godiva and the list goes on and on. So why this huge price difference? Apart from the technical aspects of types of cacao, the differences in processing etc, the very basic difference is Cocoa butter. Simply speaking the cheaper varieties have hydrogenated fat which is basically Dalda variety. The high end ones have cocoa butter in varying proportions. That is one basic difference that causes variation in taste and price. 

Now coming to soap making. It is a chemical process. Soap is made with the cold process by heating fats or oils, adding lye and water till it thickens and then pouring that into the moulds. Removed from the mould after 24 hours the soap is cured for 4 weeks and then it can be used. So this soap base has all the goodness of oils and fat. 

What do commercial soap makers do? 

They follow the cold process but instead of pouring into moulds they add salt to it. The mixture curdles. The soap floats to the top, is skimmed off and put into moulds. What is left behind is glycerine that is then sold to pharmaceutical companies for profit. And what do these companies do? They add them to creams and lotions and sell it to us. Skin too dry? Use this cream or lotion to make it petal soft. 

Once the glycerine is removed the soap is as good as a bar of detergent. The soap makers might add colour and fragrance to it but that X brand of bathing soap is no better than that Y brand of kapde dhone wala sabun. 

Now soap makers add moisturizers to make sure that your hands too not dry too much. And those are some more chemicals that go into your soap. 

So like cocoa butter, the basic difference between handmade and commercial soaps in glycerine. Glycerine is known for its property of retaining water and sealing in the moisture in your skin. 

Once you start using handmade soaps you can feel the difference. They do not foam as much because that foaming property is also courtesy another chemical. Your skin will be softer as the glycerine will not let it dry. Considering that soaps are something that you use daily without fail, what would be your choice?

by Mukulika Sengupta, Colaba , Mumbai (Click to find me on FB)