Soap making is a rewarding and creative craft that allows you to produce your own unique, handmade soaps. However, like any DIY project, it’s crucial to approach soap making with caution and attention to detail. In this article, we’ll explore 8 common soap making mistakes and provide valuable insights on how to avoid them. Ready? Let’s go!

Mistakes in preparing for making soap

1. Starting without research

Soap making comes down to chemical reactions. Knowing what substances are needed to create soap and how the individual ingredients react with each other is an absolute must! This is as much about your safety as it is about achieving a satisfactory soap effect.

Learn the basics first. Learn how to work properly with lye and what role temperature plays in soap making. Find out what accessories you need and how to use them. Assimilate the correct sequence of steps.

It’s clear that you won’t remember everything at once. Therefore, give yourself time, and make your first batch of soap with your notes to hand and at least three times slower than you would like. 😉 While making soap, you turn into a home chemist – it requires caution and a serious approach.

2. Not using safety equipment 

When we imagine the first beautiful bar of soap we are about to make, we tend to ignore boring safety rules. This is a big mistake! It’s very easy to get burned when working with lye. It literally takes a small drop for a wound to appear on the skin. And what if the substance gets into the eye…

That’s why you should wear a long-sleeved shirt for the time you’re making the soap. Fairly long rubber gloves and safety goggles too. Forget about going barefoot! Socks and long trousers are a must. In addition, wear a protective mask while mixing the lye and water (trust us, you don’t want to inhale those fumes). Also, make sure there is good ventilation. When you first try to make soap, the safety rules may seem like an obstacle, but after a while, you will appreciate their function. 😉

3. Using the wrong tools

You don’t need a lot of equipment to make your first bars of soap. Basic accessories are enough, but made of the right materials. Yes, the material is of great importance in this context, because some materials simply cannot stand contact with lye and will quickly deteriorate, while others may even lead to a mini explosion (!).

Invest in high-quality soap-making utensils, including accurate scales, thermometers, and molds to ensure optimal results and a smooth workflow. Of the more expensive items, a hand blender is also useful. Opt for durable plastic, glass, or stainless steel. Forget wooden spoons and other types of metal. Keep soap-making accessories separate and clearly labeled, for example with a “soap” sticker.

4. Chaotic work environment

Before you start making soap, make sure you have all the ingredients measured, the necessary accessories are on hand and you have the recipe printed out and on hand. Believe us, the last thing you want to do is measure out the oil once the lye and water are combined. And once the process gets going, things will happen very quickly and a tidy environment will help you to get it under control. It will be easier for you to concentrate and the risk of forgetting something will be much lower. 

Once you’ve added the ingredient you need to the mix, cross it off the printed recipe – you’ll be calmer. Make sure you have access to running water and that there is a good air exchange in the room. Stay alone for the duration of soap making – children or pets roaming between your legs is asking for trouble.

Soap making mistakes

1. Choosing too complicated recipes to start with

Recipes for multicolored, fancy soaps are tempting. However, making them requires experience. Without basic soapmaking experience, those recipes are just a source of frustration and discouragement. Therefore, if you are just beginning your adventure with homemade soap, start with the simplest recipes. Those that only require mixing oils, distilled water, and lye. With such a recipe, you can thoroughly learn basic chemical reactions and, over time, move on to intermediate recipes and get great satisfaction from making them.

In our database, you will find many soap recipes for beginners. Grab some examples:

👉 5 easy homemade soap recipes – perfect for beginners

2. Not testing new ingredients

Introducing new ingredients can add a unique touch to your soap creations, but failure to test them beforehand can result in unexpected reactions or undesired outcomes. Conduct small-scale tests with new ingredients to ensure they integrate seamlessly into your soap recipe, allowing you to anticipate and address any potential issues.

This especially applies to fragrance oils. Some of them can speed up the saponification process, causing the soap to thicken faster. Others (like vanilla scent) even discolor the soap. This can be a real surprise because sometimes just a few drops of some oil are enough to turn it brown or even black! Sometimes it may cause the final soap to lose the scent or develop a strange, not-very-nice smell. That’s why we recommend getting a small silicone mold and creating test batches of soap in it to check how the new ingredient will behave.

3. No concern for measurement

Precision is very important in soap making. Adding a little more of an ingredient can even make the soap harmful to your skin! Meanwhile, in recipes you may encounter various units of measurement: grams, ounces, liters… It doesn’t help, we know!

Generally, the smaller the unit, the better, because the ingredient will be measured more precisely. We recommend focusing on grams and equipping your home “laboratory” with a kitchen scale. Measure each ingredient on it. At first, even several times, and with perfect concentration. And before adding an ingredient to the mixture, look at the recipe again and make sure you read it correctly. 🙂 Unfortunately, measuring with a glass or “by eye” will not work.

There is also something called saponification value. In short, it is a number assigned to oil or butter that tells you how much lye is needed to convert one gram of a specific fat (oil/butter) into soap. If you plan to change your soap recipe from time to time and use different types of ingredients, remember to check the saponification value each time.

4. Temperature problems

Temperature is also very important in the soap-making process. And this means that lack of control over it can cause many problems. That’s why you should equip yourself with a thermometer and monitor the temperature of the lye water and oils. For most soapers, the preferred temperature of soaping lye and oils are 120-130°F (48-55°C). Don’t underestimate the temperature in the room – it’s one thing to make soap on a hot summer day and another when it’s -25°C outside.

If your soap doesn’t look the way you wanted (more vibrant colors, translucent or transparent ribbons) or “comes out” of the mold, the mixture was probably too hot. In turn, soda ash and a prolonged hardening process are typical symptoms of too low a temperature.

Summary

Prioritize safety, conduct comprehensive research, and start with simple recipes before venturing into more complex creations. With patience, attention to detail, and adherence to best practices, you can master the art of soap making, producing beautiful and unique handmade soaps that showcase your craftsmanship.

For more articles with tips, check out our magazine!