Producing Soap With The Use Of Sodium Hydroxide

Soap is the most popular essentials in the toiletry section and is surely among the primary needs at home.  That is because everybody is apprehensive with hygiene, grooming and sanitation.  We take a shower, wash ourselves up as well as purify our skin and what’s the better way to accomplish that than with soap.  Hardly do most people know that their most wanted soap was created with a very strong chemical named sodium hydroxide or lye, which is one of the most powerful alkaline known in chemistry.

Soap is usually formed by a chemical reaction of a powerful alkaline which is often lye or caustic soda and a vegetable oil or an animal fat. The reaction produces soap and glycerine.  Commercial soap makers eliminate glycerine in the mixture to incorporate it into other products such as creams and lotions for its moisturizing result.  Homemade soaps have all the glycerine that stems from the reaction.  Hence, they have improved moisturizing properties that render the skin softer.

The chemical reaction ,as a matter of fact, happens between the alkaline and the acid in the fat in a neutralization reaction. If you remember back in high school biology, fat has particles of glycerol and fatty acid combined together. At some point in the process, glycerine is removed and fatty acid respond with the alkaline creating a sodium salt of the fatty acid. The process is called saponification.

Soaps have the elements of combining grease and water to create a mixture. This is because it contains both polar and non-polar ends. The non-polar end joins oils and grease which are rather insoluble or immiscible in water. The polar end attaches to water which is a polar substance. It is this property that renders soap an effective cleaning solution.

The process of making soap is rather simple.  Usually there is no need for special and high-tech equipment.  Even in big soap making companies, the method principally requires blending of fat and sodium hydroxide also.  They would add fragrances and other agents to improve the quality of the product.  You can in fact perform the procedure yourself at home using only stirring rods and glass wares.  The procedure does not require you to make use of costly tools and ingredients.  Therefore, it becomes among the cost-saving and simplest business plan.

A common fat being used in many soap processing is beef fat.  When this mixes with caustic soda the result is sodium tallowate, a major component of many soap blocks.  Lipids derived from vegetables may also be used.  Palm oil could give us sodium palmate, which gives rise to a soap bar that is silkier than the one made from beef fat.  Another kind of oil could be olive oil that gives a milder feel.  If you want your soap to create more bubbles then use coconut oil as a substitute.

Only follow appropriate handling of sodium hydroxide since it is extremely acidic and exposure to skin and clothing can result to injuries.  Likewise, never keep soap making ingredients beside food or someplace kids could reach.