November 9, 2011

soap making!






yes. remember last winter when I bought all the soapmaking supplies...

well, they've finally blended themselves together and become soap!
Its been a fun learning process which has made my house smell so nice.

Making Soaps and Scents is a pretty good book featuring recipes with ingredients that I could find in my small town and area. 




a scale is needed actually.




this recip is from that book.  Its my base. makes a nice soap.

BASIC VEGETABLE SOAP

12  oz. coconut oil
12  oz. olive oil
20  oz. vegetable shortening
heat/ melt these together

16 oz water
6 oz. lye
mix these together (WITH SAFETY GLASSES, GLOVES, SHOES, ...lye will BURN YOU!)
the lye will quickly heat up the water.

when each of the two mixtures reaches 97-100 degrees F, pour lye mix into fats (carefully) in a steady stream. mix (about 15-30 minutes) until trace. Using a stick blender speeds things up considerably.
Add your choice of fragrance or essential oils, and any other additives now.
pour into molds. cover with wax paper or saran wrap and let it sit for 48 hrs. 
cut into bars and let it cure for 3 weeks.
enjoy!




lye/water mixture
 

oils heating up

lye and oils together, blending with a stick blender


Trace:   "when the mixture turns opaque and liquid soap drizzled off the spoon leaves a trace on the surface"



 my DIY soap mold made from an old drawer and lined with wax paper.




The first batch I ever made turned out great!  Its easier than I thought to make a good bar of soap.

 This was my second batch.  Lemon poppyseed, Calendula chamomile, and lavender lime.



this calendula chamomile bar is REally nice. Calendula is my new favorite herb.  
Its kind and good for the skin, or any skin related problem.

It would be really nice for a baby or young kid.



The brown is a coffee/chai bar!  she smells nice and the coffee exfoliates.







This is my fourth, latest and best soap batch yet.  
made with goats milk!!
and featuring my new natural color pigments given to me by a very special person.






There's an "antibacterial bar" with tea tree and mint... 

any ideas on a better name for it than "antibacterial bar"???
That doesn't exactly have a nice ring to it.



and this is the green Forrest bar (juniper, pachouli, cedarwood...)  and blue n purple Lavender bar.

 


i am happy with it.

This is the main thing I am going to sell at the Santa Supermarket Christmas Bizarre here in our little town!!






7 comments:

eidolons said...

Wow! Your soap looks amazing! I really hope to some day have the courage to give making soap a try.

karen said...

they all look fantastic! I especially love the swirled and rippled tops. Ive been wanting to try soap making but dont know where to find lye. maybe "skin clearing soap" for the antibac soap.

erin said...

It took me a while to "get the courage to make soap" too!!
I guess having all the supplies helps.

I found the LYE at home hardware - a hardware store. It came in a 2 liter jug!
then Coconut oil is at the health food store and everything else is at your local supermarket!
its rewarding!

Anonymous said...

Hello! I just blog hopped from page to yours! Thanks for adding yourself!!! I'm super excited you did!!! I just love this post! Soap making is something I've always wanted to try! I'm on my way to check out your gardening section as well!!! Yay!

Emily said...

FANTASTIC!! I've been thinking about making soap for years, the lye is a problem too- I bought Caustic Soda (same thing) in my hardware, bu the package said it was somthing like 97% Caustic Soda- would this do do you think?. Geat tutorial, and your soaps are fabulous- I think you found your vocation!!

erin said...

welcome impossible mom!!
and Emily- THanks! caustic soda is lye...

Isabel said...

Erin, somehow I discovered your blog today wow! You are one amazing and inspiring mama. Your soaps look amazing if I'm ever in Sask I'll try to find me some. You put a smile on my face today.

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