Pay close attention to all the soap making directions when you're creating your own soaps, and take special heed of any safety measures that are recommended. Despite how benign it sounds to make soap, there are occasional risky moments, and working with the lye can be downright dangerous if you don't take the right precautions. So in the same way that you would make sure you handled hot pans safely when cooking, you will want to take all the precautions you need to stay safe while making soap.
If you're using a hot process, especially, then your soap making ingredients will become quite hot as they cook together in a crock pot or a pan on the stove. Even for melt and pour soaps, you may need to be careful about just how hot the soap gets as you work with it. You'll have to watch out for splashes, and be careful about handling the liquids without protective gloves. When you add essential oils to the cooked soap, which will be near the end of a hot process, be sure the liquid has cooled to a temperature lower than the flash point of those oils, that is, the point at which they might ignite. In the same way that you keep track of hot pans and ingredients when you bake, when you make soap you also need to watch to avoid burning yourself.
Next there's soap lye, which adds extra hazard to the endeavor. All ingredients have to be measured exactly, particularly the lye, so there is none left when the soap is at last completed.
Equipment to protect yourself, such as goggles, rubber gloves and a shirt with long sleeves, has to be worn when you're using lye to protect you from splashes. The lye has to be poured into the water, instead of vice versa, to eliminate an explosive reaction. When you're making soap, lye is always a part of the process, so you will need to learn how to handle it correctly before you even begin.
Keep soap making ingredients, especially the lye, labeled properly and stored out of the reach of children or others who might open them out of curiosity. Take them out only when you're about to make soap, and if you can, try to do your soap making when you're not likely to be jostled by kids clamoring for attention. You need to protect them just as much as yourself, so do everything you can to make the entire process safe.
If you're using a hot process, especially, then your soap making ingredients will become quite hot as they cook together in a crock pot or a pan on the stove. Even for melt and pour soaps, you may need to be careful about just how hot the soap gets as you work with it. You'll have to watch out for splashes, and be careful about handling the liquids without protective gloves. When you add essential oils to the cooked soap, which will be near the end of a hot process, be sure the liquid has cooled to a temperature lower than the flash point of those oils, that is, the point at which they might ignite. In the same way that you keep track of hot pans and ingredients when you bake, when you make soap you also need to watch to avoid burning yourself.
Next there's soap lye, which adds extra hazard to the endeavor. All ingredients have to be measured exactly, particularly the lye, so there is none left when the soap is at last completed.
Equipment to protect yourself, such as goggles, rubber gloves and a shirt with long sleeves, has to be worn when you're using lye to protect you from splashes. The lye has to be poured into the water, instead of vice versa, to eliminate an explosive reaction. When you're making soap, lye is always a part of the process, so you will need to learn how to handle it correctly before you even begin.
Keep soap making ingredients, especially the lye, labeled properly and stored out of the reach of children or others who might open them out of curiosity. Take them out only when you're about to make soap, and if you can, try to do your soap making when you're not likely to be jostled by kids clamoring for attention. You need to protect them just as much as yourself, so do everything you can to make the entire process safe.
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If you have not tried making your own soap then you are missing out on a very wonderful hobby that has a long history. If you're looking for a soap making recipe or just want to know more about this enjoyable pastime, visit our site on How To Make Soap.
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