Your hand soap will be formulated in three phases that build on each other.

Let’s start with the water phase. In this phase, we add the materials that are water soluble, which means dissolvable by water. In this phase, we are adding distilled water, glycerin, xanthan gum and pitaya powder.

Xanthan gum’s main job is to thicken. It is commonly used as a thickener in lotions, creams, liquid soaps and shower gels. You will also find that xanthan gum is generally used in food items as well. If you see it on a label of food, it is likely that is is being used as a thickener there as well.

Pitaya Powder is used as the colorant which is what will give your hand soap the vibrant pink color.

Glycerin is known as a humectant, something that prevents the loss of moisture. Glycerin will make sure your soap feels good and moisturizing. It has a great ability to keep water from evaporating, which keeps skin hydrated longer.

Water is very important in cosmetics as it is used as a solvent which means that it makes it easy for other ingredients to be mixed in. In particular, the Food and Drug Administration places heavy emphasis on the quality of water used for cosmetics because poor quality water can irritate the skin. Distilled water is known for exceptional purity, which is why we have provided it in your kit.

The focus of the surfactant phase is cleansing and lathering. Capryl glucoside has the quality of attaching to grease and dissolves in water. It has a double purpose by also acting as a solubilizer, which means it helps oils dissolve. So in this phase, we will also add the sunflower oil, for moisture, and your scents, for fragrance, to your soap. Without a solubilizer, these added oils would not mix well into the water.

After the first two phases, your soap is almost ready. However the current pH level is not where we want it to be. Our skin has a pH of 5.5 so we have to make sure the soap that will be used on the skin will be the same pH as our skin or as close as possible.

Skincare products that are too alkaline (pH 8 to 13) can cause damage over time by stripping natural oils and drying out the skin. Those that are too acidic (pH less than 4.5) can irritate the skin. It is best to use pH optimized products because they do not change your skin’s ideal pH levels. In this phase of your formulation, you will adjust the pH of the soap until it is safe for the skin.

Citric Acid is found naturally in fruits like lemons and limes. It is what gives it the tart and sour taste. It is used often as an ingredient in many food products and cleaning agents.

The last thing we need to do is add a preservative which is what Optiphen Plus is. This is going to keep our hand soap fresh for a while and fight off any yeast, mold and bacteria from growing in the product. This formulation can stay fresh for up to three months. You will be able to add an expiration date to your packaging in the next step.

In a few quick steps, you can turn your liquid soap into a scrub. Remember what you have learned about xanthan gum so far? Its job is to thicken.

To make our liquid soap turn into a scrub, you just need to add more xanthan gum for thickness and some sugar for coarseness. Sugar gives scrubs that coarse texture that feels so great on the skin.