There is a lot of information and several guides on the internet that instruct people on how to make their own soap bars. Several of them use every day cooking items along with scents. These guides are helpful to everyday people because they help save money. In my lab experiment, my group made soap to make use of spent kitchen oil. This aspect offers a green use of oil to that would otherwise be wasted.<\/p>\n
This soap experiment included three main parts: measuring free fatty acid content of used kitchen oil, making a batch of fuel from this oil, and finalizing the mixtures into a bar of soap! I will focus on explaining the last aspect, where the contents previously created are made into the product we desire. Glycerin, a thick liquid produced when making soap, was heated and strained with a kitchen strainer. The strainer was there to catch any remaining chunks from the used oil. Next, the glycerin was kept heated while adding a base. A base is needed because soap needs to be basic, rather than acidic. As a reference, acidic foods include soft drinks and pickles, while basic foods include broccoli and carrots. Essential oils were added after continuous mixing to add a minty and fruity smell to the mixture. We used a pH paper to make sure that our soap mixture was basic enough. pH is a scale used to let us know how acidic or basic a solution is. Once the pH was just right, we turned off the heat and poured the solution into soap molds. This soap was then set aside to age for 2 weeks before use.<\/p>\n
I was impressed by how many bars of soap we were able to make out of the used kitchen oil. Although this lab included technical equipment and chemicals, I like the idea that soap can be made rather than bought. I would definitely consider making soap at home, and possibly giving them as presents. I like the idea of making products at home because they would reduce packaging waste, and would offer a natural and cheap alternative to typical consumption. With just a few common kitchen items and a few molds, this experiment could easily be echoed in the home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There is a lot of information and several guides on the internet that instruct people on how to make their own soap bars. Several of them use every day cooking items along with scents. These guides are helpful to everyday Continue reading