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Make Your Own Soap And Candles Utilizing A Simple To Do Method
Wednesday, 02 June 2010 07:27
Author: Samantha F Burke
Making soap and candles used to be one of the weekly chores of the household. When you actually go to make your own soap and candles you will find out it is not all that easy and takes a great deal of time. It was also very dangerous because of the materials that were used to make them. It is fun to make your own as a hobby and do it once in awhile but just think if this was something that had to be done on a monthly or weekly basis. You will then appreciate modern soaps you can just get in the grocery store and electricity that provides our light in the modern age. You can make your own soap and candles as a hobby instead of a way of life.
Making soap and candles used to be one of the weekly chores of the household. When you actually go to make your own soap and candles you will find out it is not all that easy and takes a great deal of time. It was also very dangerous because of the materials that were used to make them. It is fun to make your own as a hobby and do it once in awhile but just think if this was something that had to be done on a monthly or weekly basis. You will then appreciate modern soaps you can just get in the grocery store and electricity that provides our light in the modern age. You can make your own soap and candles as a hobby instead of a way of life.
It is fun to make candles and soap but you will need to pick up some basic equipment. A heat source is needed. In the early days soap and candles would have been made over a fire outside but we have some modern conveniences to use they did not have. The best thing to use is an electric hot plate but if you have an electric stove it will work well too. Make sure to never mix your pans for soap making with your pans for candle making. Never mix those pans with ones you use to cook dinner in either. You might get a frothy mouth and horrible taste if you do. Buy old pans from a second hand store and keep them hidden away unless you are making soap or candles. A necessity is a double boiler and you should be able to find an old one but if you do not use an empty metal can for coffee. Place it inside a pot of water or fill an old electric skillet with water and place it on the surface.
Other things that can be found online or in a local craft establishment are wicks, wax, molds, dyes to make candles in colors, and fragrances to make them smell good. Most candle molds are made of metal but you can also use plastic coated paper cups and paper milk cartons. In order to make a taper candle you must use a metal mold. These are a little hard to work with so it is best to try those once you have made candles in easy molds first.
Wax burns very easily and can flame up and cause a fire. A double boiler is used to prevent this from happening. The wax never touches the flame but instead is cushioned by water and steam that makes it melt. In the electric frying pan method just partially fill the pan and get it up to a good simmer. Place the wax in a metal coffee can and place it in the water. This will take a little longer for the wax to melt but it is really the safest method.
There are many types of waxes including beeswax, soy wax, and bayberry wax but the first time you try to make candles use paraffin. This is the wax used when making jellies to put over top of the jar to keep it fresh. Therefore you can always find paraffin where ever they sell supplies for canning fruits and vegetables. It comes in large sheets about an inch thick or in bars. You can cut paraffin down to fit in the double boiler or coffee can. Be careful not to let it stick out of the pan because if it should drip down the outside and actually hit the heat source it will flame up.
Add the color you picked up with the wax at the craft shop and the fragrance while the wax is melted. Put a wick in the center of the mold and pour in the wax. Do not fill to the top but leave about one inch or half an inch space at the top. Your wick will need to be about 1 to 2 inches above the level of the wax. To hold it up out of the wax tie it onto a pencil and place it over top of the mold. Your filled molds will need to set at room temperature for 12 hours. Place them in the refrigerator for an extra bit of drying for 10 hours. You can just peel off the paper mold if you used cups or milk cartons or look at the instructions on the mold on how to get the candles out.
Soap made by our ancestors was dangerous to make because it used some nasty ingredients that could cause poisoning if eaten or could do damage to the skin and lungs because they were so caustic. The used saved cooking fat and mixed it with the ashes from their cooking fires. Today we have easier ways to make soap. The easiest manner is to make it just like you did candles with the melt and pour procedure. Purchase a soap base that also comes in either bar or flakes. Place it in the top of a double boiler and begin the melting process. Once it is melted add the fragrance and color just like you did with the candles. Soap molds are a little different than candle molds. They are generally made of a hard plastic and you just pop the soap out once it dries. They come in different shapes including some whimsical ones like sea shells and fish. Once the soap is poured it needs to dry a few days at room temperature.
The above procedures are the easiest and most simple ways to make your own soap and candles. You can find other methods that will produce some interesting and beautiful products that take more tools and more time but are worth it. You can find these methods on line by searching under making soap and candles.
Making soap and candles used to be one of the weekly chores of the household. When you actually go to make your own soap and candles you will find out it is not all that easy and takes a great deal of time. It was also very dangerous because of the materials that were used to make them. It is fun to make your own as a hobby and do it once in awhile but just think if this was something that had to be done on a monthly or weekly basis. You will then appreciate modern soaps you can just get in the grocery store and electricity that provides our light in the modern age. You can make your own soap and candles as a hobby instead of a way of life.
It is fun to make candles and soap but you will need to pick up some basic equipment. A heat source is needed. In the early days soap and candles would have been made over a fire outside but we have some modern conveniences to use they did not have. The best thing to use is an electric hot plate but if you have an electric stove it will work well too. Make sure to never mix your pans for soap making with your pans for candle making. Never mix those pans with ones you use to cook dinner in either. You might get a frothy mouth and horrible taste if you do. Buy old pans from a second hand store and keep them hidden away unless you are making soap or candles. A necessity is a double boiler and you should be able to find an old one but if you do not use an empty metal can for coffee. Place it inside a pot of water or fill an old electric skillet with water and place it on the surface.
Other things that can be found online or in a local craft establishment are wicks, wax, molds, dyes to make candles in colors, and fragrances to make them smell good. Most candle molds are made of metal but you can also use plastic coated paper cups and paper milk cartons. In order to make a taper candle you must use a metal mold. These are a little hard to work with so it is best to try those once you have made candles in easy molds first.
Wax burns very easily and can flame up and cause a fire. A double boiler is used to prevent this from happening. The wax never touches the flame but instead is cushioned by water and steam that makes it melt. In the electric frying pan method just partially fill the pan and get it up to a good simmer. Place the wax in a metal coffee can and place it in the water. This will take a little longer for the wax to melt but it is really the safest method.
There are many types of waxes including beeswax, soy wax, and bayberry wax but the first time you try to make candles use paraffin. This is the wax used when making jellies to put over top of the jar to keep it fresh. Therefore you can always find paraffin where ever they sell supplies for canning fruits and vegetables. It comes in large sheets about an inch thick or in bars. You can cut paraffin down to fit in the double boiler or coffee can. Be careful not to let it stick out of the pan because if it should drip down the outside and actually hit the heat source it will flame up.
Add the color you picked up with the wax at the craft shop and the fragrance while the wax is melted. Put a wick in the center of the mold and pour in the wax. Do not fill to the top but leave about one inch or half an inch space at the top. Your wick will need to be about 1 to 2 inches above the level of the wax. To hold it up out of the wax tie it onto a pencil and place it over top of the mold. Your filled molds will need to set at room temperature for 12 hours. Place them in the refrigerator for an extra bit of drying for 10 hours. You can just peel off the paper mold if you used cups or milk cartons or look at the instructions on the mold on how to get the candles out.
Soap made by our ancestors was dangerous to make because it used some nasty ingredients that could cause poisoning if eaten or could do damage to the skin and lungs because they were so caustic. The used saved cooking fat and mixed it with the ashes from their cooking fires. Today we have easier ways to make soap. The easiest manner is to make it just like you did candles with the melt and pour procedure. Purchase a soap base that also comes in either bar or flakes. Place it in the top of a double boiler and begin the melting process. Once it is melted add the fragrance and color just like you did with the candles. Soap molds are a little different than candle molds. They are generally made of a hard plastic and you just pop the soap out once it dries. They come in different shapes including some whimsical ones like sea shells and fish. Once the soap is poured it needs to dry a few days at room temperature.
The above procedures are the easiest and most simple ways to make your own soap and candles. You can find other methods that will produce some interesting and beautiful products that take more tools and more time but are worth it. You can find these methods on line by searching under making soap and candles.
About the Author:
You can get all the instructions to make your own candles easy! Everything you need as well as kits for soap making and candle making that can be made with scents that are uniquely yours!