Any Soap Makers?

[Lena75]

Are there any soap makers here?

 

[Brittany108]

In the past I have made my own soap, but it has been a very long time.

 

[HappyMomof4]

I have made lots of personal care stuff. I love to experiment with different essential oils and herbs. I've made liquid soap and shampoo and hair rinse.

I've been thinking about making cakes of soap. Is it hard to do?

 

[Pearls_FlamingFire]

I have done a bit of research on the internet for make soaps. There is a easy method of using 5 oz grated Castile soap, melting it with a 1 1/2 cup lavender infusion in an enamel double pot, which you have to stir occasionally. You remove from the heat, cool a little, and stir in 1/3 cup ground Oatmeal and a few drops of Lavender oil. Pour it into small oiled molds and allow to set, which can take a few hours or up to a week. When it is dry, you unmold it, wrap it in tissue and leave for a month in a dry cupboard. You can substitute 3x strength rosewater for the lavender infusion and use rose oil which produces a whiter soap. There is another method using lye which is more complicated. If you want it let me know and I will write the recipe out for you. Hope this helps.

 

[~Dream_Stars~]

i really want to learn hoping to try it out this fall^^
and get back to candle make'n as well
lol

~Dream-Stars~

 

[Norseman]

My grandma used to (and still does) make soap art and taught me while she visited. The lye process really isn't all that complicated, it just takes a bit of patience and a keen eye. The cool thing with the lye method is the glycerine that you get as a result. If you ever want something slick, use glycerin.

Anyway, the lye splits fats into glycerine and soap. You just divide out the soap, fat, lye water, and glycerine that remains and purify them all seperately. You dump the soap into a pan and give it some time, then just grab a knife and cut it like brownies. Usually my grandma would then begin carving the soap and drawing pictures into it. Most of the time she'd have a sketch made on paper, then she'd prick needles through the paper into the soap, and then carve out the image. Often we'd also add various scents and perfumes to the soap, to make it better.

And, interestingly enough, my grandma happens to be one of the few people who still knows how to make candles from raw materials. Call me old fashioned, but I think it's good stuff to know if you ever end up like Gilligan.

 

[Lena75]

I use oils and the lye mixture, too. My mom declares that my soap is the best thing to get the grease off of dad's and my brother's hands after they've been working on a vehicle. I've not really made liquid stuff. I've attempted, but didn't turn out. That's ok. I'll stick with the bars of soap. My hubby doesn't really like it, he says it "stinks". I make it mostly for a friend of mine who has kids which are allergic to other soaps. For them I make canola oatmeal soap.

 

[HappyMomof4]

There is a easy method of using 5 oz grated Castile soap, melting it with a 1 1/2 cup lavender infusion in an enamel double pot, which you have to stir occasionally. You remove from the heat, cool a little, and stir in 1/3 cup ground Oatmeal and a few drops of Lavender oil. Pour it into small oiled molds and allow to set, which can take a few hours or up to a week. When it is dry, you unmold it, wrap it in tissue and leave for a month in a dry cupboard. You can substitute 3x strength rosewater for the lavender infusion and use rose oil which produces a whiter soap.

I think I'll try this recipe. Thank you! One question: do you have to have a double pot? I only have regular pots. Sounds like fun!