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Make It Easy:  Soapmakers: Do I really need a pot just for soap?  |
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happyhousewife
True Blue Farmgirl
201 Posts
Mary
North Pole
Alaska
201 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 11 2009 : 8:32:37 PM
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I just finished making my first batch of soap!!! Yay! It was so much easier than I imagined! I let myself be intimidated for 3 years before trying! Why do we do that to ourselves, ladies? 
It seems like my pot is cleaning out just fine. Is there a scientific reason why I shouldn't use this same pot for cooking? It just seems silly to me not to. I understand separating my spoon and mixing bowl because they're plastic, but isn't stainless steel impermeable?
Thanks for your opinions! |
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2009 : 9:43:07 PM
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Mary - congratulations on your first batch of soap! You are well on your way to a fun addiction! I was so intimidated by making soap that I didn't do it for 10 years. Why did I waste so much time? What scent did you use for your first batch? Please post pictures.
You should have a pot just for your soap making as well as all other equipment. Don't have an exact reason except that I wouldn't want to cook food in the same pot I had done soap in - lye, fragrances, additives that might not get completely washed off and get into your food. Plus I would think that if you didn't get all the food residue out of the pot then it could wreak havoc with your next batch of soap. Someone else may have a better reason.
Wal-Mart (that dreaded word) has a set of 3 stainless steel pots for a very reasonable price - I think about $25. A 8 quart is a good size for small batches and a 12 quart will do larger batches. You just need something deep enough so that you aren't splattering uncooked soap all over when you mix. It leaves holes in your clothes and everything else - I speak from experience!
The Rustic Cottage Blog http://therusticcottage.blogspot.com
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happyhousewife
True Blue Farmgirl
201 Posts
Mary
North Pole
Alaska
201 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2009 : 10:00:41 PM
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I can see how it would become addicting! I don't even know how it will turn out yet, but I already have visions of what else I'd like to do. I used a recipe from Janice Cox's book, Natural Beauty at Home, for simple castile soap. Olive oil, water and lye. Then I added oatmeal and cinnamon because I couldn't resist adding something.  Now I just need to stop myself from peeking. The book says to let it sit for 24 hours before cutting it, but I keep wanting to touch it (I know- it's not safe- don't worry, I don't actually touch it) and see if it's hard yet.
If this turns out, I'd like to make uniquely Alaskan soaps using wildflowers. Or maybe moose and caribou fat if I ever try anything other than castile soap. Wouldn't that be funny? Or gross, depending on your viewpoint, I guess...  |
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StitchinWitch
True Blue Farmgirl
2263 Posts
Judith
Galt
CA
USA
2263 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2009 : 10:14:52 PM
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I have a big revere ware stainless steel stockpot that I have been making soap in every summer for the past ten years or so. It cleans out just fine and there has never been a problem with blanching veggies in it for freezing or making soup in it in the winter.
Judith
Happiness is Homemade |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2009 : 10:56:30 PM
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I have to admit- I use my big sauce pan for soap. I just wash it until I can't "feel" any soap residue left and then give it a vinegar rinse for any hidden residues. It never smells like anything other than stainless steel and I make sure it is surgical clean before I start making soap with it.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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Suzan
True Blue Farmgirl
659 Posts
suzanne
duncannon
pa
USA
659 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2009 : 07:21:13 AM
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| Oh Mary, good for you! I want to do this, just trying to get over the "intimidation" factor myself.... |
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happyhousewife
True Blue Farmgirl
201 Posts
Mary
North Pole
Alaska
201 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2009 : 11:46:27 AM
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It seems to me that we ingest more grossness when we eat off of dishes washed with chemical dish detergent than we would get from a carefully washed and rinsed (especially rinsed with vinegar) pot that was used to make natural soap. I often gag when I drink water from a cup that still tastes and smells "mountain fresh." Yuck.
As for my soap, it looks like it's hardening well. I'm waiting until this evening to try touching it and cutting it. I'm excited to try the next batch. Don't be intimidated, Suzanne! I wish I'd done it years ago! I'm so tired of my generation believing that we can't do anything useful because we aren't properly trained. Oh boy, that's another topic I can't start right now or I'll be on here all day! :) |
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Jami
True Blue Farmgirl
1238 Posts
Jami
Ellensburg
WA
USA
1238 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2009 : 1:10:11 PM
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Hey Mary...do you ever see Santa and Mrs. Claus out running errands in the off season? I just saw where you are from! Wow!
I bought a set of stainless steel pots, 3 sizes graduated with lids off of Overstock.com for $30 for dyeing and soap making. I love them and they clean up perfectly.
Jami in WA
Farmgirl Sister #266
http://woolyinwashington.wordpress.com/
http://farmhouseflair.etsy.com |
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2009 : 3:04:53 PM
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Mary - your soap sounds wonderful. Castile is the best!! It will just take a bit for it to get hard but once it does it will be great. Add about 5% castor oil to your recipe and you'll have bubbles like crazy.
Someone gave me a quart of goat's milk today. I divided it in half, it's in the freezer in plastic bags, and I'm going to try goat's milk soap again. That's one that intimidates me!
The Rustic Cottage Blog http://therusticcottage.blogspot.com
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Edited by - therusticcottage on Mar 12 2009 3:07:25 PM |
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happyhousewife
True Blue Farmgirl
201 Posts
Mary
North Pole
Alaska
201 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2009 : 3:47:23 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by therusticcottage
Add about 5% castor oil to your recipe and you'll have bubbles like crazy.
Thanks, Kay. Do I add the castor oil to the olive oil or do I stir it in later, at tracing?
I love milk soap, too, but my baby is allergic to milk. She's also allergic to nuts, avocado, and eggs. That's why I decided to make my own soap. I was going to buy castile soap off of etsy, but there was no way I could guarantee that it wasn't processed using the same equipment as any of her allergens.
I just went to Blockbuster and rented a movie for my hubby to watch tonight. I'm hoping that'll give me some alone time to make more soap. How fun!
About North Pole: it's a teeny town, but we get a lot of tourists here in the summer. Not too many in the winter, though. |
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2009 : 6:20:10 PM
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You can add the castor oil either way. I do it with the olive oil. It is so moisturizing for the skin and makes a great later.
See, now you're looking for excuse to have time to make soap. That's one of the first steps - LOL!
The Rustic Cottage Blog http://therusticcottage.blogspot.com
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Brew Crew
True Blue Farmgirl
676 Posts
Molly
Arizona
676 Posts |
Posted - Mar 13 2009 : 11:18:37 AM
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I would have trouble feeling like my soap pots were 'clean' enough to eat from. Mostly just because of the fragrance oils....I got many of my soaping pots and such at the thrift and yard sales and just made sure I scoured them before using them (and no aluminum BTW, it reacts with the lye!!!). Probably spent $20 total and have a huge selection of sizes and stirrers. :)
The Biz www.tvalahandmade.com
The Blog: http://blog.tvalahandmade.com/
The Bits www.happydalehobby.blogspot.com/
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antoinette
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Toni
East Freedom
PA
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Mar 14 2009 : 11:18:15 AM
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Hi to all you soap makers,
I have questions questions:
Are there any good soap making books out there?
Are ingredients for soap making expensive and where do you purchase them?
Is making soap expensive? Is it an all day type of project? Any help would be appreciated.
Toni |
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StitchinWitch
True Blue Farmgirl
2263 Posts
Judith
Galt
CA
USA
2263 Posts |
Posted - Mar 16 2009 : 1:00:34 PM
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I've had several soapmaking books but the only one I've kept is The Soapmaker's Companion by Cavitch, and I hardly use it anymore, just to check the more technical stuff about oils.
Prices vary widely for ingredients. I buy my coconut oil and essential oils from Liberty Natural, olive oil from a Middle Eastern grocery store, and lye at Lowe's. The Russian grocery store has good prices on sunflower oil. Soy, canola, and safflower come from our local supermarket. If you want to use tallow and/or lard, the butcher will either give you or sell cheap beef fat that you can render down, and lard is cheap at the supermarket. I use all vegetable oils in our bath and body soap but have sometimes used tallow in laundry soap.
It's not expensive unless you add a lot of unnecessary pricey fancy stuff.
The first time I made soap it was an all-day project. I can smile about it now but at the time stiring the pot for eight hours until two in the morning was not fun. Then I discovered stick blenders and got one at WalMart for about $12. Now the soap traces in less than ten minutes so making a batch of soap doesn't take long at all.
Happiness is Homemade |
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Peacefulheart
Farmgirl in Training
13 Posts
Penny
Michigan
USA
13 Posts |
Posted - Mar 17 2009 : 10:51:02 AM
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I am a 20 year soapmaker and only use my stainless steel pots and utensils :-) and could not live without my stick blender..
Sister Penny |
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2009 : 10:34:29 AM
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Yes, the stick blender is a good thing for sure. I can't imagine having to stir by hand until trace.
Toni - soapmaking can be expensive if you choose to let it be. When I first started I found a lot of my equipment at the Goodwill and garage sales - stainless steel pot, spoons, etc. I am lucky enough to live close to Portland, OR where there are two suppliers. I drive to pick up supplies such as palm, palm kernel oil butters, and other oils. Olive oil I get at Costco - it's the best for the price. 5 Liters for $25. If you don't have a Costco check another warehouse type store. But be careful about olive oil. There is a lot of adulterated olive on the market. Make sure it says pure olive oil on the label and get from a trusted source. Essential oils, fragrance oils, and botanicals I get online. I am a frugal shopper and choose the places that have the best products without charging an arm and a leg for shipping. I HATE paying huge shipping costs - it is one of my pet peeves. I will not order from a supplier that overcharges on shipping to make more profit. Supply costs have gone up so much in the past year, especially essential oils.
One of the most important things to get is a good scale. Escali makes excellent scales. The one I want is about $50 but it is so worth it because it will save messed up batches of soap.
I can do a batch of soap in about 45 minutes from start to cleanup. I make my lye water about 2 hours ahead and let it cool down.
Handmade Soap & Lotion Bars http://www.therusticcottagebath.com
The Rustic Cottage Blog http://therusticcottage.blogspot.com
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antoinette
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Toni
East Freedom
PA
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2009 : 8:12:51 PM
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| Thank you for the information on soap making, I just may have to try it. I only use handmade soap,I tried going back to store bought and it just didn't work for me. Toni |
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Make It Easy: Soapmakers: Do I really need a pot just for soap? |
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Soapmakers: Do I really need a pot just for soap?
