Soap base: what does it consist of and how to choose?

Soap making is a popular activity that can compete with traditional hobbies like knitting and sewing. This hobby is gaining more and more popularity every year, not only due to an exciting and creative process, but also because of the desire of housewives to use only high-quality hygienic products for skin and body care. The base for these products is a soap base. There are several types of this product available in specialized stores. Before starting the release of unusual products, it is necessary to carefully study the technology of their manufacture and the rules for the safe performance of work.

Soap base is an essential component that is used to make soaps and various cosmetics both at home and on an industrial scale. The main components of a classic soap base:

• water;
• glycerol;
• sodium palmate;
• tetrasodium etidronate;
• sorbitol;
• organic acids;
• sodium chloride.

This composition can be slightly changed at the request of the manufacturer due to the need to add additional ingredients to improve the quality of the final product. The properties of additional components and their amount have a direct impact on the appearance of the soap base. The most common additional components are the following:

• stearic acid;
• propylene glycol;
• lauric acid;
• sodium laureth sulfate;
• sodium laurate.

You can find several types of soap bases in specialized stores. Depending on the appearance, the base is transparent or white.These products differ from each other only in that the opaque base contains titanium dioxide (dioxide). You can add this component to a colorless product at home, by combining a special powder with a melted mass. Manufacturers produce several types of base:

• organic;
• cream;
• liquid.

Organic soap base is a popular and expensive product that is in high demand and is sold in specialty stores with natural products. This natural product does not contain lightening dyes or chemical components and consists of the following elements:

• water;
• glycerol;
• sorbitol;
• salts of fatty acids.

The main advantages of the natural product are the absence of propylene glycols and sodium laureth sulfates in the composition. As you know, they have a negative effect on the skin and mucous membranes.

Creamy (jelly) soap base is a unique product that is used to create mousses and foams for washing. The main feature of this product is maintaining a soft and airy consistency throughout the entire period of use. The creamy base contains no thickeners or stearic acids. This product is composed of water, sodium cocoyl, glyceryl, sorbitol, stearic acid and sodium chlorine.

To make do-it-yourself cosmetics based on a cream base, you just need to combine it with the necessary ingredients. If you add a small amount of air mass to the composition when making regular soap, the final product will be softer, more delicate and much better than the store.

Handicrafts containing a dairy product have short term of sale and special storage conditions.

For the manufacture of liquid soap, shampoo or shower gel, manufacturers produce a liquid soap base. This product contains the same components as a solid base. The main difference between the liquid agent is the presence in the composition of sodium salts of fatty acids, and not potassium. When using a liquid product, it is enough just to add all the planned components to it.

The composition of the liquid base:

• water;
• potassium cocoate;
• potassium oleate;
• glycerol;
• benzyl alcohol.

You can even replace the soap base with simple baby soap, which does not contain chemical components and is anti-allergic. Advantage - quick connection with essential oils. Disadvantages - a long melting period, the presence of a specific odor.

Before starting making homemade soap, experts recommend choosing the right base for you. A universal substance for soap is a transparent base, which can be used both for the manufacture of cosmetic products and for the production of gift souvenirs. The soap will be decorative with bright ingredients that will look spectacular in a transparent product. These components can be glitter, parts of plants and inflorescences, as well as citrus peels. Professional soap-makers make congratulatory inscriptions and interesting drawings inside the soap.

The white substance has a lower price and is used to make a product for daily use. The white base can be used to create any kind of shapes, animals, birds, sweets, fruits and decor items. Soap bouquets and toys are often ordered for home craftsmen. Natural ingredients are chosen by people who pay increased attention to their health or have problem skin. You can buy a natural substance both in solid form and in liquid and creamy form.

When choosing this product, you need to pay attention to the price range and country of manufacture. A quality product cannot have a low price.

It is very easy to make patterns and inscriptions on a German base that solidifies for a long time.

Soap making is a fun and uncomplicated process that can be done at home, and the recipe can be found in specialized literature. Before starting work, it is necessary to purchase a glass or stainless heat-resistant container of the required volume for cooking. Experts do not recommend using aluminum, copper and plastic disheswhich, when heated, will emit hazardous elements.

When working with chemical components it is necessary to wear tight-fitting clothing that will cover the skin as much as possible, rubber gloves, a respirator, goggles and a rubber headgear. To measure the temperature, you must purchase a thermometer in advance. All tools and forms must be clean and dry, and the work surface must be flat. A prerequisite during soap making is the presence of a working ventilation system in the working room.

Ingredients for making a soap base:

• distilled water;
• base essential oils;
• caustic soda;
• glycerol;
• overfired.

Experts recommend using a special program for home soap making - a soap calculator, which will help determine the exact amount of required components. You can make soap yourself in two ways:

• cold;
• hot.

The main stages of cold soap making:

• adding alkali powder to cold water;
• connection and heating of all necessary oils;
• adding a mixture of alkaline oils;
• whipping all components with a whisk;
• adding superfat to the composition;
• pouring the mixture into molds;
• ripening of the product within 1 month.

The hot soap making process consists of several stages:

• purchasing the necessary ingredients;
• weighing all components;
• grinding the solid base substance and heating it in a water bath;
• infusion of water;
• adding alkali, which should acquire the base temperature;
• infusion of prepared oils;
• boiling down the components to a thick glue;
• adding glycerin;
• boiling the mixture to a transparent state.

In order to prepare a base from baby soap, you must follow the following sequence of actions:

• grinding the product with a kitchen grater;
• melting soap in a water bath without bringing it to a boil;
• heating base oils with simultaneous pouring of water until the consistency of a batter is formed;
• combining a liquid base with all ingredients, from base oil to essential oils;
• pouring the resulting mass into prepared forms;
• extraction of products from forms and drying them at room temperature for no more than 3 days.

The types of soap bases are shown in the video below.