Jumping into the world of DIY soap-making can be somewhat intimidating if you aren’t familiar with all of the different ingredients and terms. One of the keys to successfully making your own soap is understanding what certain ingredients and substances do.

Whether it’s an emulsifier such as BTMS 25 or a vibrant all-natural colorant, each soap recipe needs the right components in order to come out perfect. If you are interested in improving your DIY soap making skills and need a bit of information in regards to some of the common terms you will see throughout our website before making a purchase, this guide is for you.

Below, we have outlined some of the more common terms and soap ingredients you are likely to see as you browse through our products and recipes that are featured in our Formulary. Keep in mind this is only an overview and is by no means meant to be exhaustive, but should serve as a quick reference for some of the more important concepts involved with making your own personal care products, which anyone might find useful without delving too deeply.

Common Soap-Making Terms and Ingredients

Additives - This is a broad term that can refer to any ingredient that you include in your soap recipe that isn’t a part of the core product. An additive can be a fragrance, clays, salts, and a wide variety of botanical ingredients that can help you create certain beneficial effects. The term may have negative connotations depending on the context, as unnecessary additives are often included in mass-market soaps and care products, but here in our store, they are used to refer to beneficial and high-quality additions that can help your soap have specific beneficial properties.

BTMS 25 - Many shampoo, liquid soap, and bodywash recipes call for quality emulsifiers, which aid in stabilizing formulas and properly dispersing one substance within another without them separating. BTMS 25, otherwise known as Behentrimonium Methosulfate Cationic Emulsifying Conditioner is a high-quality emulsifier that also provides conditioning properties to formulas. This makes it great not only in soaps and lotions but hair care products due to its natural detangling properties.

Butters - These enriching plant-based substances are extremely popular for all kinds of personal care products lately, as they are naturally rich in fatty acids and vitamins. This makes them ideal for skincare products. Soothing, naturally moisturizing, and easy to incorporate with other substances, ingredients like mango butter, shea butter, and cocoa butter are perfect as bases for soaps.

Carrier Oil - Essential oils are highly concentrated and require dilution before use on the skin. Plant-based carrier oils like avocado oil and jojoba oil are two examples of high-quality oils that feature natural moisturising properties and are perfect for “carrying” essential oils so that they can be used without potentially irritating the skin.

Citric Acid - During the course of crafting your soaps and other products, you may need to adjust the pH in order for the formula to come out correctly. Citric acid is one such natural ingredient that is often used not only to control the acidity and alkalinity of a formula, but to also increase its hydrating qualities as well. A popular ingredient in bath bombs and a variety of different cleaning products as well.

Cold Process Method - This is a method of soap-making that does not require any sort of heat, such as with melt and pour soap bases. In this form of soap-making, a lye solution is created by diluting lye into distilled water. This solution is then transferred into a base such as an oil or butter and is then mixed. Other elements are added to this batter of ingredients, such as botanicals for added effects and aromas, and then placed in a mold, and must sit for a long period of time until the saponification process has finished.

Colorants - Adding color to soap can make it more unique and appealing. Natural colorants such as micas should definitely be added to your store of ingredients because they are simple to use and are safe for all skin types, while producing beautiful vibrant colors.

Emollients - A substance that helps to soften the skin or moisturize it. Can help reduce itchiness, dryness, and flaking of the skin.

Emulsifier - A substance used in soapmaking to stabilize an emulsion. These substances work to join two liquids that don’t typically mix well together, an important aspect of making different types of liquid soaps and shampoos.

Essential Oils - Volatile plant extracts that are used for their powerful aromas and other beneficial properties. Used in soap-making and aromatherapy for their naturally antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-odor, cleansing, and other properties.

Exfoliants - Any substance that helps skin stay healthy by removing dead skin cells and other dirt or grime that could be leading to blotchiness or blemishes. Natural exfoliants typically include different types of minerals and salts, such as our high-quality Pink Himalayan Salt.

Food Grade - If an ingredient is listed as “food grade,” that means it is safe for human consumption and is no different from an ingredient you would use in a cooking recipe. A perfect example is food grade coconut oil, which can be used in both cooking and soapmaking.

Fragrances - Any substance added to a soap to create a certain aroma. Fragrances typically include various blends of essential oils and other natural ingredients.

Glycerin - A highly versatile ingredient that is vegetable-based and is found in a wide variety of different personal care products. Many kinds of liquid soap recipes contain glycerin, as it acts as a natural moisturizing agent and humectant. We have a comprehensive guide on how to use glycerin in your recipes that you can skim if you are in need of some inspiration.

Humectants - These useful ingredients help to moisturize the skin by pulling water out of the air, essentially helping the skin (or hair) to stay hydrated.

Hypo-Allergenic - If an ingredient is considered hypo-allergenic, it usually means that it has a significantly smaller chance of causing any sort of allergic reaction. This is important because up until recently, many kinds of soaps and shampoos were crafted from a variety of artificial chemicals that often didn’t react well to those with sensitive skin. There is now a greater focus on products that contain ingredients that are natural and safe for most skin types, such as decyl glucoside and aloe vera.

Insoluble - A substance that won’t dissolve in water.

Liquid Soap Bases - These kinds of soap bases include ingredients such as cocamidopropyl betaine, decyl glucoside, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, and Caprylyl Capryl Glucoside and make up the foundation of many popular shampoos, body washes, and similar kinds of personal care products. These substances are typically surfactants with excellent solubility and various moisturizing and cleansing properties.

Melt and Pour Soap Bases - A melt and pour soap base is a premade block of key soap ingredients such as natural plant-butters, that can easily be melted down and placed in molds for use in DIY soapmaking. We carry a great variety of high-quality soap bases here in our store, as well as an array of beneficial botanicals and other additives you can use to customize them and make them your own.

Melting Point - The temperature at which a certain substance will melt or liquify. Different chemical compounds and other substances have a variety of melting points that you will want to be aware of during the course of soapmaking.

Non-GMO - Refers to any substance that does not utilize any kind of genetically modified organism. While further research needs to be done, many consumers forgo products that contain GMOs because the health implications of such substances haven’t been fully vetted.

Organic - Ingredients or soap components that are labeled organic don’t use unnatural pesticides and other harmful chemicals during the production process. The term itself is very broad and can refer to any number of natural and eco-friendly products or practices. If an ingredient is labeled Certified Organic, it means that the product has not used any synthetic chemical inputs, according to the USDA.

pH Strips - Knowing the pH of a mixture or formula is important if you want the recipe to come out right and produce the desired effects. Easy to use pH test strips like the kind you will find in our store offer DIYers a simple way to keep track of the acidity or alkalinity of their formulas without any fuss.

Refined - Any substance or ingredient that has had its impurities removed.

Soap Molds - To create bar soap, you need to place the soap batter into a mold so that it can harden in the desired shape and be suitable for use. We carry an assortment of standard and fun soap molds here in our store that you can use when crafting your formulas.

Soluble - A substance that can be dissolved naturally in water or other liquids.

Surfactants - In the broadest sense, these are substances that reduce the surface tension between two other substances. In soapmaking, and specifically when dealing with liquid soaps and shampoos, surfactants tend to comprise the base of the product, allowing other substances such as active ingredients to be mixed into a formula properly.

Vegan - When a product is labeled vegan, this means that it is all-natural and contains no animal byproducts. It also means that the product or ingredient wasn’t tested on animals either. As industry standards change and the bar is being set higher in terms of quality when it comes to skincare and haircare products, more consumers are concerned about such issues as artificial irritants and animal abuse. Vegan soaps for instance are becoming extraordinarily popular because consumers love how they can be sure the products were created with wholesome plant-based ingredients and that no animals were harmed during their production. We’re seeing a rise in demand for natural surfactants and emulsifiers such as coco-glucoside and BTMS 25, because they are derived purely from plant sources and are not just effective, they are gentle on skin as well. BTMS 25, for instance, is derived from colza oil (which comes from a nut of the same name), and is 100% vegan.

Volatile - Typically refers to the nature of essential oils, which evaporate quickly in the air at room temperature. To properly use these volatile oils, they are either included in personal care products like soaps or mixed into carrier oils for better versatility.

Ready to Start Soapmaking?

Soap making and lotion-crafting can be extremely fulfilling and fun, and can even be a great hobby that produces side income if you like to sell your creations. No matter what you are creating, however, you need the right ingredients on hand. Whether you intend on crafting hair conditioners and detanglers with ingredients like BTMS 25, luxury-quality bar soaps with plant butters, or rich and creamy lotions with botanicals, everything you need to get started is right here at makeyourown.buzz.

Our online store features a great selection of key soap-making ingredients and tools that you can rely on to help you create fantastic and highly-effective soaps, shampoos, lotions, and more. From all-natural plant butters to industry mainstays like sodium lauryl sulfate, our shop has the selection, quality, and service you want out of an ingredient supplier.

In case you are already familiar with crafting your own soap and operating any kind of business, all of our ingredients are available in a variety of bulk sizes as well. This is not only convenient, it’s cost-effective as well.

As you learn more about making soap and creating your own do-it-yourself formulas, you will realize the value in educating yourself about all of the different soap making terms and ingredients that are out there. This will help you better understand the process itself and how different ingredients can be used and interchanged for different effects, as well as which ingredients work best together. Sooner or later you will be able to create your own custom recipes!

Want more information about some of the high-quality ingredients and tools we carry here in our store? You can reach out to our team here by call