Making Homemade Soap - The Dangers

There are many benefits to making homemade soap, but you need to be careful when doing this. Even though the process is simple, safety should be very high on your to do list before you start.

This is a chemical process that happens when you add Lye to fats and oils. This process actually releases a lot of energy. This process is know as Saponification - and it creates a lot of heat during the process.

Now, the Melt and Pour method is reasonably safe, you're only melting already made soaps - so the chemical process has already taken place.

But the other processes where you mix the Lye and Fats can be dangerous, and I wouldn't recommend you let your kids to it.

Some precaustions to take before making soap:

- Do not breath the Lye gasses - this is harmful. So work in a well ventilated area, and also if you can wear a respirator

- Wear a overcoat, so that if the soap splatters it doesn't harm your clothing. Also wear some eye protection

- And you will want to have fire extinguisher available: It has been known that the process can catch fire. It's  best to use a deep pot with high sides, and have the lid close by to smother the flames if they should occur.

If it's your first time to in making soap, I'd suggest that you have studied the process well before your first attempt. It's often better to have purchased a book abot the subject from somebody that knows what they're talking about. Or if you can get first hand experience from somebody that's offering a course, even beter.