8 Essential Tools for Soap-Making

Soap-making can be a little confusing at first. But when it comes to tools, gathering what you need to make your very own soap can be surprisingly easy.

In fact, some of the tools in the list below may already be in your kitchen! The rest, you can probably get at the nearest palengke or discount store to start. And once you’ve gotten the basics, puwedeng puwede mo nang i-career ang soap-making with more professional equipment.

Here are 8 essential tools you’ll need to get started on that DIY soap-making project you’ve been dreaming of.

Protective Equipment

Safety first, sis! To make soap safely at home, get some goggles and rubber gloves to protect your eyes and hands from the lye solution. ‘Wag tipirin ang safety, so make sure you get decent-quality protective equipment for yourself.

A Trusty Weighing Scale

When it comes to crafting in general and DIY soap in particular, hindi puwedeng eyeball lang. Don’t trust tantiya-tantiya, and get yourself a trusty weighing scale that can, preferably, measure up to 0.5 of a gram.

To make good soap, you should measure ingredients by weight, and not by volume. That’s why you need the scale to measure your lye, oil, water, fragrances, and other additives.

Heat-Resistant Containers for Mixing Lye

Your lye solution can heat up to as high as 93°C, so you’ll need a heat-resistant plastic or stainless steel container for mixing it. Try not to go for glass containers, since the lye can damage the glass over time and cause it to shatter while you’re making your soap.

Also, important ang labels. Make sure to clearly mark your lye containers for safety!

Containers for Making the Soap Batter

If gusto mo talaga ng glass container, you can use one when the lye solution has cooled down and it’s time to make your soap batter. You can also use plastic, stainless steel, or even a ceramic container for making your soap.

Just be sure to avoid aluminum containers, or anything that has a non-stick surface like Teflon.

Spoons and spatulas

Aside from the containers above, you’ll need tools to mix your lye solution and soap batter with. Go for heavy-duty plastic spoons and handy silicone spatulas, and avoid anything made of aluminum.

A Handy Stick Blender

It’s possible to make soap without a stick blender or immersion blender, and that’s definitely an option if you want to grow your arm muscles and magsayang ng oras. But the easiest (and fastest) way to get a great soap mixture is to get a good stick blender.

Additional containers and mixing tools

Depending on what kind of soap you want to make, you might also need some additional beakers, measuring cups, and bowls. These let you measure and store fragrances or essential oils, colorants, and other additives before mixing them into your soap.

For oils especially, it’s good to use special tools like pipettes for measuring small amounts. And if you want to get fancy with your soap mix, you can also get an easy-pour cup.

A Soap Mold of Your Choice

Your soap mixture needs something to harden in and take the shape of, and that’s where soap molds come in.

You can use old yogurt cups or tupperware, or go ahead and get professional-looking silicone loaf molds. Nakaka-sosyal din yung mga silicone molds for square-shaped and oval-shaped soap, and unlike with loaf molds, pour and demold lang — no need to cut!