I really don’t know how my Dad got into soap making I had done some glycerin melt and pour into the molds in my early 20’s but would often be disappointed in the results as it resulted in a soap that melted quite quickly. Making your own soap is not necessarily inexpensive either to make a good quality soap like my Dad makes has taken him about 11 years to perfect and he is still constantly tweaking his recipes. I am not going to share his recipe here as he has taken the time to come up with his recipe and its his to share with who he likes but I will give you some basic soap making recipes as sort of launching pad for you to head off into the great wonderful world of soap making! It is very important to have the correct tools and one very essential tool is an accurate kitchen scale.
(Pictured above is Cocoa Butter – it smells wonderful!)
My Dad says the two sites he uses primarily for ordering his soap supplies are the following:
Brambleberry and Majestic Mountain Sage
Here is a great link for soap making recipes. Diane has several on her site at Diane’s Naturally.
Ultimately as my Dad did you will find what works for you and your family. Everyone has different preferences. On the day we made soap we used a rosemary scent which I just love it smelled up my Dad and Step Mom’s entire kitchen it was wonderful!
My Dad is really a wealth of knowledge about his soap making and has really gotten down to an exact science! Let’s just say I have no fear when I make soap with him whether it will turn out okay because it always turns out great! Once you have finished making the soap you pour it in a frame as shown below and then you put it to bed for about 30 days so that it can continue with the saponification process. Here is a picture of it going to bed as well. Although my Dad does take it out and cut it up before he puts it back to bed.
The book I own is “The Everything Soapmaking Book” by Alicia Grosso.
It has some great recipes and techniques and tells you everything you need to know about soap making. By the way did you know you can use small amounts of honey in soap making as well as other additives such as grains? Pick up a copy of this book to learn more! Because lye is a dangerous chemical I am not going to instruct you here on the procedures for soap making this post is meant more to be inspirational. It is very helpful to have someone assist you in the soap making process it goes faster and smoother with a soap making partner. My Step Mom helps my Dad and I am sure my husband will assist me or I will assist him its a team effort! I hope you will join me in my soap making endeavors I enjoy the soap I make with my Dad so much I plan to strike out on my own this year……..but no worries Dad and I have a date every year to make soap together its a tradition plus every time I make soap with him I learn something new!
I hope you are truly inspired to make your own soap if you have ever never made it before and if you are a long time soap maker I would love it if you would share your tips and tricks for better soap. I am sure you will agree as I do that homemade soap done properly is superior to store-bought soap. It is better for your skin and if you have allergies you can tailor your soap making to your needs.
If you would like more information on the history of soap check out this information on Wikipedia.com.
Thanks for stopping in and have a great weekend!
PS – By the way this is my 100th post! Thanks for staying on the journey with me! I love hearing all of your thoughts and feedback. I am truly in awe of all of your wonderful ideas and your encouragement. I am blessed to be in a world of “Homesteading Kindred Spirits”!
I have been buying mine online (Badger and Dr. Bronners), but I need to learn how to do it on my own. 🙂
I am going to be posting a homemade Dish Detergent recipe soon using Dr. Bronners soap as a base. Stay tuned! Soap making is intensive in terms that it takes up a couple of hours and really more if you are ordering etc… but for our family of 4 one batch will last us about a year. Katherine I thought about you when I read in my book that you can add small amounts of honey for moisturizing properties!
I have always wanted to try, but I’m afraid of the lye. I will be braver thanks to your post
Bonnie I have always been nervous about working with the lie. Making it with my Dad did make it easier for me because he had researched all the details….Read the details about working with lie very clearly in whatever book you decide to work with and watch you tube videos as well the more we talk about it, read about it, etc… the more comfortable we all are! Thanks for stopping in 🙂
Looking forward to reading about your dish detergent recipe / process. Soap making is something I’ve never tried, but it’s definately on the list of skills to learn. How fortunate you are to have a skilled dad to work with / learn from! We have used Dr. Bronner’s as our primary shower soap for decades, especially useful and refreshing in the summer for general itchiness. Years ago even brushed teeth with it, something I do not recommend! I try to use less toxic cleaning alternatives, ie: vinegar, baking soda etc. but have a lot to learn in this area.
Hi. My name is Pat and I’ve been lurking on some pages like this for a while. But you’ve pulled me out with this post. I’ve been soapin’ for many years. The main thing to remember is that lye is a fairly strong base. You’re mixing it with an acid (oils) and this creates a salt (soap). Isn’t chemistry fun?? If you get dry lye on your arm and you’re sweating you’ll feel the burn. Lye has to hit liquid to burn you. You just have to flush with water. ALWAYS LABEL YOUR LYE CONTAINER. Once you’ve mixed your water and lye it’ll have to cool down a bit while you heat/melt your oils and butters. You don’t want someone to pick it up without knowing what it is, it looks like water. There are some great tutorials on MMS. I buy most of my supplies through Columbus Foods, their Soaper’s Choice line. It’s food grade and reasonable. You can check the yahoo groups, they have co-ops where you can get great deals. Just be careful. Soaping is addictive.
Pat thanks for your comment! My Dad and I had a great time making soap again today no issues with lye and he is a professional hobbyist! I am in good hands with him! That being said his preferred company for soapl supplies is Bramble Berry farms and while I will look into the company you shared my Dad is so picky about his supplies I am going to trust him and follow suit! However Columbus foods may have something available to me that Bramble Berry won’t. We luckily only need to make a batch every year and that keeps our household in suds 🙂 Thanks for your comment!