Soap making formula

Of course the process of how soap is made today has changed dramatically from the methods of the past. Like making chocolate or bubblegum, the exact recipes used by manufacturers of soap are closely-guarded trade secrets, and the shapes and sizes of bars of soap differ greatly – but here, we’ll tell you the general process of making soap.

First, olive oil (the same type of olive oil you use to cook with) is added to a giant steel drum known as a kettle.

Next, a hydrogenated fat – known as vegetable shortening – is added to the kettle, and lastly lye is added. Each batch uses very precise quantities of each substance.

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Lye is a strong alkali solution called sodium hydroxide (more commonly known as caustic soda) and the process of how soap is made couldn’t happen without it.

The oils and lye are heated to boiling point and mixed together, and it’s here that the chemical reactions take place known as saponification.

The mixture thickens and, as the fat reacts with the alkali, it produces two products – soap and glycerin. The soap rises to th

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