We use soap from morning to night every day to freshen up and clean our hands and body. But do any of you know what exactly is soap? And how it works to protects us from getting viruses like the coronavirus?
Soap is a salt compound which is created from the chemical reaction caused by mixing oils and fats with a strong alkaline solution. When making bar soap the alkaline solution is sodium hydroxide, otherwise known as lye.
During pandemics soap is one of the best defenses we have against harmful diseases, viruses, and bacteria. Viruses like COVID-19 are made of protein and fats so if you only rinse your hands with water they will continue to cling to your skin. Soap pulls the virus apart and then with a simple rinse with water the broken up virus gets washed down the drain. For the virus to be fully broken up you need to scrub with soap for at least 20 seconds. Vox put together a great educational video explaining how soap kills the coronavirus.
How to make your own soap at home
Before diving into soap making we recommend that you watch some tutorials. You will be dealing with lye which is a chemical that can cause damage if not handled properly. Please watch Elly’s introduction to soapmaking video to learn safety basics.
Oils that she recommends for soap making include olive, avocado, rice and coconut. Once you become a little more experienced you can start experimenting with different oils and fragrances.
Elly also put together a great easy to follow tutorial video for lavender cold pressed soap bars. The soap recipe she provides is very similar to the time lapse video below.
FilmingSoap Making with Time Lapse
A few months back we had an artisanal soapmaker come into the Brinno studio to film her soap making process using a few TLC2000 cameras. We hope you get inspired to try soap making or other DIY activities.
For filming a soap making time lapse were commend:
CaptureMode: Time Lapse
CaptureInterval: ASAP
Scene: Day
Share your soap making with friends and family. If you are making soap to give away, film a time lapse to show the behind the scenes! What DIY household items have you made?
Remember to share your DIY time lapses using #brinno and #selfisolatewithbrinno.