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Handmade Soap

I've been busy making soap! It seems all I can think about it soap, gathering ingredients, and finding time. My son says I'm obsessed. I guess so; since I just made my fourth batch.

I have been wanting to make soap for years but I was too afraid of the lye. Also, the cost of everything and finding everything was overwhelming. So, I'm at that point in my life where I've decided to just do what I want and I'll deal with the consequences (the consequences are all financial on my part). I choose to make Hot Processed Soap because I want it NOW. Not a month or two from now.

I can't remember when I started and figured I better start blogging about it before I forget what I have done and which recipe I used. As it is, I'm digging into the recesses of my mind (what there is of it).

My first batch of soap, I used this recipe from the blog One Good Thing From Jillee.  I had my youngest son help me and had him mix the lye up; so if anything happened it would happen to him not me. Yes, I'm such a kind loving mother, I know. It turned out it wasn't that bad. So I didn't have the directions with me just the ingredients and thought I remembered everything. Guess what? I didn't. I had it all in the mold (a plastic disposable one). In the morning, I looked the recipe over and realized I forgot all about "trace." OMG!!! This means that the lye did not do what it was supposed to. So, I threw it out. 

I tried again the next day or the next one; I can't remember. This time I used a recipe from the ebook I downloaded to my Kindle: Basic Soap Making (All the skills and tools you need to get started) by Elizabeth Letcavage & Patsy Buck. Yes, these recipes are cold processed. But you can use them for hot process also. I choose to make a basic recipe using three oil's. In the ebook it's called Three-Oil Soap Recipe #2. I used a loaf pan for my mold. Everything went fine and I really liked the soap. But, the batch was much too small for me.

So another day or two (or three) went by and I tried another batch. This time it was much larger. Yeah! I choose this recipe from the blog, Such Treasures. I choose to use beeswax instead of stearic acid because I had the beeswax on hand. She warned that using beeswax would cause it to boil over. It did, indeed! But, upon reading this website, I was assured that everything was going correctly. I just had to stir it down a lot. I was so happy when it started to look like vasoline! I waited a little while longer til it was set all the way through before I put it in my cheap mold of a plastic 8 1/2 by 11 container I bought at the Family Dollar store. 


Of course, I checked on it cooling in the mold every time I was near it. It was looking just like the picture on the blog. The next morning I had my hubby cut it up and snapped some pics.




I just want to eat them, I love them so much. I scrapped the remnants from the crockpot and molded it in a ball and used it right away. Love it! Love it! Love it! I am a soap maker at last!! I am so proud of myself. I gave family members a bar for them to try. Not this recipe though. I'm selling these babies.

So, if you want to make soap. Please read, read, read anything you can about the process and the dangers of lye. Please use the precautions. Take them seriously. You really need goggles because the lye mixture can easily splatter. You really need rubber gloves and a mask also. The fumes are strong. Ventilation is needed. At first we had the fan on, windows open, door open. I just walked by and started coughing to death. So, now I have been putting the lye solution outside to cool off. And yes, I have been mixing it myself now. lol.

So, I mentioned that I just made my fourth batch today. We will save that experience for another day. I'm not sure how that one will turn out. lol.

So, what do you think? Am I crazy? My son sure thinks so.

PS: I got my inspiration from http://frugallysustainable.com

This post was shared with The Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways.




Comments

Soap Supplies said…
Your soap looks awesome! Will you be trying the cold process method any time soon? I love doing swirls with CP soap...kind of hard to do with HP soap.
Michelle O said…
I have been thinking about cold process. i found a cold process soap that looks so good i want it now. lol.

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