Make natural soap for fun. Just like baking a cake, you can choose to start with a kit or make it from scratch. Easy soap making methods can be as simple as amelt and poura or a more involved mixing of fat, lye and water. No matter what method you choose, you can have fun experimenting with fragrances, essential oils or herbs, and colors. Be artistic! Be creative!

Melt and pour is easy, and safe enough for kids. Some of the soap bases you can try are goat milk, honey, glycerin, olive & aloe, oatmeal or shea butter. There are some others as well, and each of the bases has different qualities. Try a few to choose the ones you like best.

To make a bar soap, melt the soap base completely, stirring frequently, then add the other ingredients. Choose your own fragrances, colors, or essential oils. Then pour the soap into the molds and allow it to cool. Don't worry about getting it right the first time -- you can re-melt and try again.

For those who are a little more adventurous, fat, water, and lye may be the thing for you. This method requires a little more equipment, time and knowledge. The first thing to consider is safety. Lye is a caustic agent and requires special handling. It is suggested that you use eye protection and rubber gloves when handling it. Also, lye will damage aluminum and Formica so keep it off your table tops and counters and especially off of you. There are many great sources on the internet that describe this process in more detail and you can find any of them by typing amake natural soapa into a search engine.

Many people choose to make bar soap for different reasons. Some people do it to save money. Those fancy soaps that look and smell pretty as well as soften your skin get to be rather expensive. Others make a business out of it.

Making natural soap at home is environmentally friendly compared to the production of commercial products. Prior to World War I, people used to make soap at home from leftover cooking fats, using purchased cans of lye. Before that, people made lye from wood ashes.

The move toward sustainable living also has some healthy side effects. Skin is the largest organ of your body and taking care of it is important. By making your own soap, you know exactly what's going on your skin. If you are allergic to one ingredient, simply substitute another. You can make vegetarian soap using vegetable fats instead of than animal fats.

Fun, flexible and creative, not to mention healthy and economical -- that's what making your own soap is all about. With so many easy soap-making recipes available, you're sure to find a way to make your own unique soap. Anyone can do it.