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Are you amazed when you go into hotels or specialty stores and see soap that has been beautifully crafted? You may see designs that you thought you wouldn't see done with a soap. Some may even look too good that you don't want to use them in the bathroom. These soaps may seem really hard to make but once you try soap making, you will see and enjoy how fun and easy it is to make and design soaps.

The process of soap making is called saponification. This involves the mixing of the two basic ingredients of soap in water, and upon undergoing a reaction, this will then produce soap. These ingredients are not hard to find as all you will need are some fats and lye. These two ingredients alone will then yield the most basic type of soap.

There are two ways of how saponification can be done. The first is through the hot process, which involves heating of the lye and water solution, then continued heating upon addition of the fats. This is used when the exact concentration of the lye cannot be determined, especially when lye that was used is impure.

The second method of saponification is through the cold process. This process will not require heating of the fats and lye mixture, instead it relies on the heat produced by mixing lye in water. The catch in this method is that you have to follow the exact amounts of each ingredient or you will not be able to produce a good type of soap. You will need pure lye in order to achieve the desired results.

The first step in making those specially made soaps is by mastering how to make the basic soaps. You can try different fats and see the difference in the final product. Once you have already mastered making basic soaps, you can then move on to using more ingredients to design your soap.

The more advanced designs would of course require more ingredients and new techniques. You would need dyes, scented oils and other ingredients that you would like to add to your soap, such as moisturizers. This way, you will be able to control the color, smell and properties of your soap. In addition to these, you may need several molds and knives so that you can shape and mold your soaps however you please.

Even though soap making is a fairly easy process, it can also be dangerous if you do not take precautions. The danger basically lies in the handling of lye because lye is a very dangerous and corrosive substance. This should not be held with your bare hands. Mixing lye in water also results in the release of harmful fumes when inhaled. Wearing gloves and face masks are a must when handling this substance.

The next time you see beautifully crafted soaps, you won't have to be amazed or intimidated by their appearance. Instead, these can serve as inspirations to make your own designs and maybe in the future, you will be able to outdo these designs and you can also start selling your own soaps.

Jen Hopkins has worked in the skin care industry for years. She maintains websites about making transparent soap, and handmade soap recipes. If you want to contact her, you can use the contact form at one of her sites.