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Soap-making

A short guide to the technical constraints

by M. L. Allen
University of Auckland,
New Zealand.

Ingredients oils, the small-scale manufacturer


will usually find that high purity Equipment
Most naturally occurring fats may be alkalis are obtainable from wholesale
used for making soap. In general, outlets in the major cities. Smaller The process involves heating the
the hard fats from animal origins and quantities may be available from ingredients. Although a clay-pot will
coconut oil will give hard soaps and hard-ware shops. Often such
the more liquid vegetable oils alkalies are imported.
(Saff-flower, soy-bean, peanut etc.) Caustic soda is a solid and
will give soft, liquid soaps. will be easier to transport
(Coconut oil soap will lather in than caustic potash and
sea-water). Different alkalis may be because it makes a harder bar
used to further modify these of soap, it is favoured by
most manufacturers.
However it may be more
expensive than the liquid
caustic potash in your area.

If caustic soda is not


available, caustic potash can
be extracted with water from
wood ashes (which explains
the name potash .)
To do this, it is necessary to collect suffice, there is usually a high fuel
the ashes while they are fresh and to cost associated with using such a
properties so that soaps from caustic keep them in an air-tight and poor conductor of heat. Most
potash (potassium hydroxide) will be water-proof container (such as a small-scale soap manufacturers
more liquid than those from caustic biscuit tin) until they are needed. favour a steel or iron pan which may
soda (sodium hydroxide). Soaps can Different timbers and agricultural be heated over an open fire. A 45 or
also be made using slaked lime products give different amounts of 200 litre steel can previously used
(calcium hydroxide) as the alkali. potash. For example, very little for oil or water storage may be used
Such soaps have a greasy feel and potash is obtained from rice-hull ash. once the top is cut off. A wooden
actually find application in making Some experimentation will be paddle will be required to stir the
greases. They have the ability to necessary to get the correct soap. Aluminium should not be used
disperse water in oil but are not quantities for any particular potash. for any of the equipment used to
really suitable for domestic washing make soap. The caustic is destroyed
duties. by the aluminium which becomes
corroded and much weakened. In
If no oils of fats are locally available, addition, hydrogen gas is evolved
clays such as bentonites may be used which may explode causing bad
as soap substitutes. Another injuries. All caustic solutions should
substitute that may be considered is be treated with caution because they
the sap or leaves of some shrubs and can inflict unpleasant burns and
bushes which contain lecithins. cause permanent eye damage. Hot
(These are naturally occurring soaps. caustic solutions are particularly
) If there is a local source of fats or dangerous.
2 UNESCO PROJECT OUTLINE SERIES ---

The Process Some alternatives


1) Slowly add the caustic soda to the The oil extracted from seeds such as
water. It will get quite hot which is the coconut does not have to be
why you should never add the water particularly pure. Indeed, in Sri
to the caustic for it may scatter the Lanka, I have made soap from
caustic or throw it into your eyes ! shredded raw coconut boiled for an
Stir the solution (called lye-water) hour in water before the lye-water
until all the crystals are dissolved. is added. This soap lathered well in
You should let it cool to 37 oC which sea-water and still contained tiny
One or two buckets will also be is about the same temperature as shreds of coconut which aided its
useful. They can be enamelled, your hand. You may test this scouring action in laundry
galvanized or even plastic. A plastic temperature by putting your hand applications. Soap made from
cup will be useful for measuring against the vessel. Do not put you shredded copra has a reddish colour
quantities and a thermometer will be hand into the lye-water or it will try while being boiled but this turns
useful but not essential. to turn you into soap ! It will brown when exposed to the air
certainly give you a serious burn. If during drying.2
Moulds will be necessary for the you do get burns, wash the area with
soap. This can be a wooden frame, lots of water until the pain has almost Multiple washing (3 washes or more)
or made of split bamboo tubes , half gone and then wash with vinegar or of fresh shredded coconut with water
coconut-shells or plastic or even lime-juice to neutralize any at 75oC at a pH of 8 produces an
paper cups. For ease of removal, the remaining alkali. Permanent scars oil-rich cream comprising 85% of
mould should be flexible. If it is not, will be avoided provided washing the total available oil. This oil may
line it with paper or plastic sheet. commences immediately. be used to make soap 3. It can also be
(Newspaper is quite suitable.) concentrated and reacted with an
2) Place the liquid oil or fat into the organic alkali such as di-ethylamine
For a semi-commercial unit, it is soap-pan and add the lye-water in a to produce an excellent liquid
advisable to build a small platform thin stream quite slowly while detergent.3
using bricks or concrete for the stirring.
soap-pan to sit on. This makes it Palm oil made from pressing
possible for a fire to be tended under 3) Continue stirring as you heat the palm-oil nuts previously boiled has
the pan without the risk of being soap and boil it. When the soap falls been used for making soap4. The
scalded and burned by the soap off the paddle in sheets and the process of skimming the oil from
boiling over. liquid generally behaves like a above boiled nuts should also
sugar-syrup, pour it into the moulds provide a suitable oil.
Any fuel can be used but most will and let it set for two days.
burn more efficiently if a chimney is Good soaps have been made using
fitted at the back of the platform to 4) The soap can be removed from beef tallow, mutton tallow, pig-fat
provide a draft. Dry wood or the moulds and cut into bars using a and even butter !
charcoal will make a fire which is piece of thin wire stretched tightly
easily controlled. (See also between your hands or in a wooden Fat-soluble dyes such as childrens
"Soapmaking in Mali") frame. These bars should be stacked wax-crayons may be added to the oil
to allow drying to take place. In most or fat to produce coloured soap.
Quantities places this will take up to a month. Turmeric does the job quite well but
(You may find that your soap will may turn bathers and their washing a
This is most difficult to assess not dry in the monsoon period.) little yellow!
because of the variety of ingredients
used. The following quantities are Any pieces of left-over
only a guide: soap may be melted in the
next batch and
To make 10kg of soap you will need: re-moulded. Do not be
tempted to use the liquid
* 33 cups of animal fat or left in the moulds as a
vegetable oil. liquid soap for it is quite
caustic: There are reports
* 6 or 7 cups of caustic from Papua-New Guinea1
soda crystals that girls temporarily lost
their hair after using it as
* 13 cups of clean water a shampoo!
(preferably rainwater.)
--- SOAP-MAKING 3

Perfumes can be added immediately 4) Hale, P.R. and B.D. Williams Papua- New Guinea :
before pouring into the moulds but it (ed): "Liklik Buk";Liklik Buk Prof. Majid Al-Dabbagh , Dept. of
is wise to cool the melt almost to Information Centre, P.O.Box 107, Electrical & Communication
solidification before vigourously Wewak, Papua-New Guinea, 1978 Engineering, P-N.G University of
mixing in the perfume. Patchouli, p95 Technology, Morobe Province,
lavender, spikenard, rosemary and Private Bag, Lae, Papua New
pine oils have all been used with Further Reading Guinea.
success. Some of these perfumed oils mdabbagh@cc.unitech.ac.pg
can be made by skimming the oil Mitchell R.J.:"Experiences in
from above the water in which leaves Appropriate Technology"; The Australia : Dr. D.S. Mansell, Faculty
of the plant are being boiled. Canadian Hunger Foundation, of Engineering, University of
Ottawa, Canada. (1980) --- Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052,
If your soap grows whiskers or Soapmaking in Mali p65 Australia.
remains too soft, you probably have d.mansell@devtech.unimelb.edu.au
too much free caustic in the soap. Resource People
You can check this with pH paper Pacific Islands :Michael Allen,
because your finished soap should Indonesia : Mr. Arjuno Brojonegoro, Department of Chemical & Materials
have a pH of about 10.5. If the pH is Centre for Research & Development Engineering, University of
above 11, you can re-dissolve the of Applied Physics (P3FT), Auckland, Private Bag 92019,
soap and then add borax and/or Kompleks LIPI, Jl. Cisitu 21/154 D Auckland, New Zealand.
ground wood resin to the molten Bandung 40135 Indonesia. ml.allen@auckland.ac.nz
soap . You should also reduce the
quantity of alkali used in the Malaysia : Dr. Mahdi B. Abdul
processing stage of future batches. Wahab, Faculty of Engineering,
Universiti Putra Malaysia, Kuala
If you want to make a soap that looks Lumpur, Malaysia.
as good as the commercial product, Mahdi@fsas.upm.edu.au
you will have to shred your soap and
wash it with salt-water to remove Korea : Dr. Yong-Soo Rhee, Dept.
excess caustic and glycerol. This of Horticul. & Breeding, College of
may involve dissolving your soap in Industry, Chung-Ang University, 221
the minimum amount of fresh water Huksuk Dong, Dongjak-ku, Seoul
and salting out the soap. The 156-756 Republic of Korea.
granules can be sold as soap-powder
or compressed into tablets. Thailand : Dr. Norkun Sittiphong,
(Incidentally, most commercial soap Faculty of Engineering, Chiang Mai
manufacturers sell the glycerol as a University, Chiang Mai 50002,
valuable by-product.) Thailand.
norkun@chiangmai.ac.th This document has been
References produced for the UNESCO
Vietnam: Prof. Bach Hung Khang, sponsored Technology
1) Hale, P.R and B.D.Williams (ed): Institute of Information Technology Networks of Southeast Asia.
"Liklik Buk" ;Liklik Buk (IOTT), Hanoi, Vietnam You are free from any
Information Centre, P.O.Box 107,
copyright constraints and
Wewak, Papua- New Guinea, (1978) Lao PDR: Mr. Sisomphet may copy and distribute the
p145. Nhoybouakong, Deputy Director contents freely. However,
General, Dept. of Development & because all eventual uses and
2) Iuli, S .:"Simultaneous Oil Technology Promotion, Vientiane, users of this technology
Extraction and Saponification of Lao PDR. cannot be known, neither the
Coconut Oil"; School of Engineering
author or UNESCO or the
Final Year Project, University of The Philippines : Technology Networks can be
Auckland, New Zealand, (1980) Mr. Rogelio Roasa, Science & held liable for any accidents,
Technology Information Institute, problems or losses: Like all
3) Cooper, K.T.: "Investigations of Dept. of Science & Technology, good developmental
Oil Extraction and Detergent Manila, Philippines technology, the responsibility
production from Fresh Coconuts"; rnr@stii.dost.gov.ph for its use ultimately depends
School of Engineering Final Year
upon the user.
Project, University of Auckland,
New Zealand. (1982)

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