Handmade Soap

Project Overview

This project began as a personal solution to a recurring issue: skin irritation caused by commercial soaps. After identifying that my skin was sensitive to certain additives and fragrances, I decided to explore handmade alternatives. What started as a simple experiment evolved into a full creative process of designing and producing custom soaps. I created various shapes, textures, and scent profiles using natural ingredients, tailoring each batch to be gentle on the skin while maintaining visual appeal. The project not only addressed a personal need but also responded to growing local interest, with the product gaining traction and selling locally.

Technical Skills

I developed practical skills in formulation and ingredient selection, researching skin-safe oils, butters, and essential oils suitable for sensitive skin. I practiced cold-process soap making, ensuring safe handling of lye and maintaining precise measurements and temperatures. I also explored mold design and casting, experimenting with different shapes and aesthetics scent blending and color layering.

Challenges Encountered

One of the initial challenges was managing mixtures that hardened prematurely, which made it difficult to achieve clean pours or intricate designs. This required better control over timing, temperatures, and mixing techniques. I also discovered that hard water impacted the final texture and lather quality of the soap, adjusting the formulation with addition of citric acid and later the use of distilled water as an alternative. Lastly, ensuring that each batch was both visually appealing and skin-safe involved constant iteration and attention to detail.