Liquid Soap Recipes

How often do we ponder upon the making of items as daily as soap? Every single morning, we rub a soap bar on our body or squirt liquid soap into our hands without giving in much thought to its preparation. For most of us, soap is nothing but soap. And to indulge into the process of making it is like entering the dreaded domains of organic chemistry taught back in school. However, let us refresh our knowledge and make the lesson interesting with tidbits of history punched in. Soap is actually an end product of a complex chain of reactions between two completely opposite chemical families - a base and an acid. Sodium or potassium hydroxide is the most preferred base used, while fats or oil make up for the acidic content of the reaction. The process even has a fancy chemical name called saponification.

 

Now, are you wondering as to what is the product like after saponification? Is it solid or liquid in state? The major difference between bar and liquid soaps lies in the base or alkali used to saponify the fats or oils. In case of bar soaps, the alkali used is sodium hydroxide, while potassium hydroxide is the alkali used in case of liquid ones. Even though the history of soaps can be traced back to the late eighteenth century, William Shepphard first patented liquid soap in the year 1865. Today, the market is virtually filled with racks and racks of liquid soaps, so many that consumers walking down the aisles in the supermarkets are completely confused. If you are also one amongst the many and do not know which one to pick, here is a relief. In the following lines, we have for you several recipes to make homemade liquid soaps.