Q&A for How to Make Liquid Soap

Yes, you can make soap using any oil, fat, or wax, but the amount of lye needed differs with different oils. Use a lye calculator like SoapCalc.net to determine the quantities.

Bulk Apothecary is one source - they sell lye, oils, and other ingredients.

These two cannot be used interchangeably. Sodium Hydroxide is used to make a hard bar soap and Potassium Hydroxide is used to make liquid soap.

Yes, but first you should know the function of the oil to make sure it will work in your soap.

You do not have to use a preservative. The soap solution is high enough that bacteria and mold cannot grow.

The price would vary, depending on where you buy the ingredients from and what brand they are. If you are using ingredients that you already own, the soap could be practically free to make.

The lye solution should be mixed using only 16 oz, then once the paste has cooked for the 6 hour time period you heat the 33 oz of distilled water and add the paste to the heated water. Then let it stand for half a day to a day.

Unfortunately no... not from scratch. You need it to gel, and the only way to do that is through the hp method.

Try adding more grated soap to the mixture and boiling or blending it again to form a thicker paste.

Yes. The soap needs to cure for four to six weeks or longer.

You need some clay (not the kind used for pottery) for the oils you use to bind to. Some essential and floral oils can ruin the soap, so do your research carefully.

Use one cup of water to one cup of soap flakes to make this recipe.

Essential oils and a liquid preservative. When it comes to preservatives, Liquid Germall Plus is my choice. Just half a teaspoon is enough for gallons, this is an effective cosmetic preservative.

You can use a kitchen scale -- digital if you prefer -- to make sure that your ingredient amounts are as accurate as possible.

Yes, although if the raw oils or fats are solid, all you have to do is heat them up to melt them into a liquid. (I have found that the room-temperature solid fats melt at a temperature of about 120 to 160 degrees F, which is the approximate temperature of a crock pot set on low.)

No; glycerin is just for moisturizing and making the skin smooth.

You could experiment and add different things, such as honey, for example. You can add different amounts depending on what kind of texture you really prefer.

You use a grater (like a cheese grater, one is pictured in the article). You rub the soap bar back and forth across the grater until you have a large pile of soap shreds.

You can melt the solid stuff. It's the same thing. All coconut oil is solid below 76 degrees Fahrenheit and starts to melt above that temperature.

Add more water to your soap mixture until it is the right consistency. You have to experiement with the amounts of soap and water in your mixture.

You cannot make transparent liquid soap with NaOH, because the bar soap you produce will not be transparent.

Not necessarily. To make a soap antibacterial, specific ingredients must be added that act against bacteria.

That may have happened be as a result of improper mixing of your ingredients (i.e., low solvent quantities). You can add a few drops of distilled water and heat it, with continued stirring, until you attain the fluidity desired.

In liquid soap, potassium hydroxide is the alkali which actually makes it soap. The oils are basically the fat, scent and what gives it colour (if it is coloured).

No, as the sugars in the juice interfere in the reactions and can cause the soap to mold. Always use distilled water.

Coconut oil is an anti-inflammatory, keeping skin moisturized and helping heal wounds. The medium-chain fatty acids found in coconut oil also possess antimicrobial properties that can help treat acne and protect the skin from harmful bacteria. So yes, you can use coconut oil.

Make sure it is dry first by keeping it in the sun to dry and don't add water before you grate it.

Yes, just make sure you keep it covered over in a bowl with a kitchen towel or clear wrap. Try not to leave it for many days though.

"Oz" means "ounce" or "ounces."