Essential Soap Making Equipment

If you are new to soap making, having the right equipment to hand is essential to ensure that you can safely make a batch of soap. And it goes without saying that it makes the process much easier.

So, what exactly do you need to make handmade soap? And can you use ordinary kitchen equipment?

You don’t need to invest in any specialised equipment to begin making soap. I will run through a list of the main items that you will need for soap making below.

You can use kitchen equipment although it’s best to keep your soap making utensils separate from your cooking equipment for safety reasons and because you might end up with some strange tasting dinners.

First and foremost, safety is paramount when it comes to making soap so you should wear appropriate safety gear for each soap making session.

This is the safety gear that I recommend and it’s also what I use for my soaping sessions:

• Dish washing gloves – I like to use Marigold gloves because they are durable and provide adequate protection. And they can now be recycled using TerraCycle, the free recycling programme.

• Apron – I use an oil cloth apron as it is waterproof and can be easily wiped.

• Safety goggles – protect your eyes with a decent pair of safety glasses. You can find reputable brands like 3M on eBay.

• Disposable respirator mask for mixing lye. Again, 3M is a reputable brand.

So, what are the essential items that you should store in your soap making cupboard?

• Invest in decent digital scales to weigh all your ingredients accurately. Salter are a good make. If you have scales in your kitchen already then make use of them. Always remember to zero your scales before weighing each ingredient.

• A stainless-steel saucepan or stockpot is perfect for creating your batches of soap. A word of warning here - never use pans with a non-stick coating.

• A digital laser thermometer will help you to keep a check on the temperatures and using one of these means you don’t have to keep dipping and wiping.

• I recommend a sturdy plastic bucket for mixing the lye as it will withstand high temperatures and it means you can safely mix your lye outside.

• A stick blender will bring your soap to trace very quickly. Just make sure you don’t go too far with the stick blender, or your soap will become too thick so keep a close eye on it and just do quick bursts with the blender.

• And finally, you will need a silicone spatula and some plastic jugs.

Once you have all your soap making equipment sorted you can go forth and create lots of beautiful batches of handmade soap.

Click here to read my blog post on how to choose a soap mould. 

If you would like to join me on one of my soap making courses please click here.