It is so easy to simply go through the grocery racks and pick up the more popular bath soap products. What's difficult is to assess all the ingredients used in the soap you buy and find out if the product did suit your unique needs. However, this would not be much of a problem if you have made the soap yourself! Soap-making is both rewarding and fun. You can toss up ingredients and fragrances according to your heart's desire and end up with a product that is totally yours. Find out how to make soap by following the 8 steps given below:

1. Before doing anything, start by making sure that you have all the ingredients and materials at hand. You also need to choose a good working area -- one that is well-ventilated and has an open space. Do not forget too that you will be dealing with lye (an alkaline-based chemical). This chemical produces heat when mixed with water so you will have to wear your rubber gloves all the time.

2. Lye should be mixed with water into order to produce the heat needed to mix all the other ingredients. 48 ounces of lye should be enough; for it into a large bowl of soft water. Do not pour water into lye; make sure that you pour lye into water.

3. Soap is mostly oil. You have the liberty to choose the kinds of oils you want to use. If you want to play safe, simply use about 48 ounces of coconut oil mixed with 76 ounces of vegetable shortening and 50 ounces of olive oil.

4. The scent of your soap will depend on the fragrance oil that you use. Add your chosen fragrance oil into the oil mix you have made in step 3.

5. Check the temperature of the lye-water mixture you have prepared in step 2. If it has already cooled down, start pouring the mixture into the oils mixed in step 3 and 4. Stir the combined mixture until bubbles disappear.

6. In order to give your soap some shape, you will have to pour the mixture into soap molds. You can make the mold if you want, you can also be innovative and use muffin trays, up to you. Just don't forget to grease the mold with vegetable shortening before you pour in the soap mixture. Once the mixture begins to set, start putting in the additives you want like color swirls, fruit chunks or flower petals. Do this quick because you might find it difficult to do once the mixture is already too thick.

7. Complete the process by covering the mold for at least 18 hours; keep the mold undisturbed during this time. Uncover the mold and let the soap set for 12 more hours.

8. By this time the soap you have made is definitely ready to be removed from the mold. Cut the soap according to your preference and store them for 30 to 45 days so that the soap can completely cure. Use your soap after this allocated time.

So, that's it! Enjoy your very first soap making project.