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Cleaning Up:  I Made My First Batch of Soap Tonight  |
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
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Julia
True Blue Farmgirl
1949 Posts
Julia
Shelton
WA
USA
1949 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 27 2006 : 09:38:08 AM
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Yeah for you Kay! I make soap with a couple of friends and I love it. It hard to wait till it dries but well worth it. We just made some scent with grapefruit and green tea. we even added some green tea to it. Makes it kind of like a scrub, and it smell divine. It was an olive oil soap. nice and creamy,lathers well, and I have even used it in my hair with nice results. Congrats on your your first batch!
Julia V.
"...the setting sun is like going into the very presence of God." Elizabeth Von Arnim |
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amakerney
Farmgirl at Heart
2 Posts
April
Hugo
OK
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - Mar 24 2006 : 3:38:29 PM
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| Hi, my name is April from OK. I am new to the forum and am very interested in learning to make my own organic soap. There are so many books out there. Do you have suggestions for some good beginners books? Thanks so much. |
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
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ThymeForEweFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
705 Posts
Robin
An organic farm in the forest in
Maine
USA
705 Posts |
Posted - Mar 25 2006 : 02:39:48 AM
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Good for you Kay! It's addicting.
I like Susan's book too. She knew what she was doing before the wrote the book and it shows.
Robin
www.thymeforewe.com
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amakerney
Farmgirl at Heart
2 Posts
April
Hugo
OK
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - Mar 25 2006 : 10:26:27 AM
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| Thank you so much. |
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HorseyNut
True Blue Farmgirl
78 Posts
Allena
MO
USA
78 Posts |
Posted - Mar 25 2006 : 2:48:38 PM
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Julia can you share your divine soap recipe???
Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do...but how much love we put in that action. - Mother Teresa |
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momdrinkstea
True Blue Farmgirl
180 Posts
Elizabeth
Ozark
AL
USA
180 Posts |
Posted - Jan 08 2011 : 10:28:16 AM
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thanks for the book tips!
Q: Why did the chicken cross the road? A: To prove to the opossum that it could be done!
Stacked Stone Farm www.stackedstonefarm.blogspot.com |
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SherBear
True Blue Farmgirl
77 Posts
Sherri
Mukwonago
Wi
USA
77 Posts |
Posted - Jan 08 2011 : 4:57:26 PM
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I really want to start making my own soap but I just don't have the money for supplies yet! I will someday though... for now I guess I will just research so I sort of know what I'm doing when I start!
http://sherrileesgarden.blogspot.com/ |
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urban chickie
True Blue Farmgirl
734 Posts
Catherine
Niles
IL
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Jan 10 2011 : 1:35:51 PM
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You don't need much in terms of supplies, to just start. Most of the supplies make it pretty or smell nice but aren't necessary. And I always recommend beginners start with unscented, uncolored soaps with only a few ingredients anyways. Grocery store oils, a small container of lye from the hardware store, and a good starter recipe is all you need. Seriously, you should be rinsing out your pan and a stainless steel or plastic spoon anyways, so you need not have a set you use only for soap, if you keep it unscented.
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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SuzieQ
True Blue Farmgirl
175 Posts
Suzie
Texas
USA
175 Posts |
Posted - Jan 11 2011 : 7:40:23 PM
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| Sherri, I got most of the supplies from Goodwill and bought one item at a time and put it in a box until I had all the things needed. |
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lifesapeach
Farmgirl in Training
12 Posts
Pam
Frankfort
OH
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - Jan 16 2011 : 9:34:48 PM
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| This is something I've always wanted to try. After reading these comments I'm adding it to my growing "to do" list. |
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FieldsofThyme
Farmgirl Guide & Schoolmarm / Chapter Leader
4928 Posts
USA
4928 Posts |
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countrymommy85
True Blue Farmgirl
898 Posts
Krystle
MT
USA
898 Posts |
Posted - Jan 29 2011 : 06:29:27 AM
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I have been really itching to make my own soap. I have a few questions... First is do I have to have lye to make soap? It is extremely pricey here and I just can't afford it. Second: Is the lye to make soap and the lye used to make homemade bio-diesel the same? I can get lye sold in bulk for "bio diesel" and its half the price of the lye in the hardware store and craft stores. Lastly: If I can make soap without lye does anyone have a recipe I could try out? Thanks in advance! Oh, and if there is a different forum topic on this subject let me know and I will post it there instead, I only found this one so far. Thanks again!
~We can make the world a better place for our kids and future generations by what we do today!~ |
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CasieD
Farmgirl in Training
34 Posts
Casie
Edgar
WI
USA
34 Posts |
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countrymommy85
True Blue Farmgirl
898 Posts
Krystle
MT
USA
898 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2011 : 07:08:14 AM
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I have been to Benares so many times but never found the lye! I will check it out next time I make it in to town! Thanks!
~We can make the world a better place for our kids and future generations by what we do today!~ |
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OneHippieChick
True Blue Farmgirl
195 Posts
Susan
Huntsville
AL
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - Feb 01 2011 : 01:01:04 AM
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LOVE making soap! I'll never go back to store soap.
To countrymommy: Yes, lye is essential in making homemade soaps. There are different processes folks use (I make my soap in the crock pot), but lye is necessary, unless you use the melt and pour soaps found at craft stores. Some people make their own lye, but if you look around town, you should be able to find an inexpensive source somewhere. I am only able to find the Rooto brand of lye here, no Red Devil (I thought Red Devil went out of business?). I had a hard time finding lye here for awhile, but eventually located it at Ace Hardware in the plumbing section. Now, however, I found it at Foodland out where my mom lives. It was located over with the other drain cleaners, but was way down on the bottom shelf and I almost didn't see it.
Just stumbled across these rad antique booklets about lye at this address: http://www.lyedepot.com/ Pretty cool and can be downloaded for free!
The books I use thus far for soap making are: Natural Soapmaking by Marie Browning and Handcrafted Soap by Delores Boone. I use "Handcrafted Soap" for actually making the soap, and generally use "Natural Soapmaking" for rebatching and using up scraps. Both of these books are wonderful with great photos for each step in the process and lots of tips and how-to's. Sometimes on Amazon.com you can find these used for just a couple of bucks!
And lastly, I don't know if the lye used to make soap is the same that used to make bio-diesel. Sorry!
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Susan ~ Farmgirl Sister #1978
Fiber artist, spins, knits, crochets, sews, weaves, quilts, soap maker, as well as various beauty products and some natural cosmetics
Working on getting my Etsy website and blog up and running - stay tuned!
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countrymommy85
True Blue Farmgirl
898 Posts
Krystle
MT
USA
898 Posts |
Posted - Feb 05 2011 : 6:18:08 PM
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Ok, I finally made it to Menards (I had to add that word to my computer so it would quit changing the spelling on me!) and they only had Rooto brand like what Susan said. They were selling it for almost $4 a pound. I am going to check out the person that was selling 50 pounds for $45 dollars. Sodium hydroxide is sodium hydroxide... right? Well at least I am guess. Is there different grades of lye like there is different grades of milk or eggs? I am thinking it is the same as baking soda. Sodium bicarbonate is sodium bicarbonate. But again I am just trying to be efficient with my money so if there is different grades let me know and I will by the better stuff!
~We can make the world a better place for our kids and future generations by what we do today!~ |
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Thistlewoodmanor
True Blue Farmgirl
51 Posts
Deb
Geneva
IA
USA
51 Posts |
Posted - Feb 06 2011 : 07:44:31 AM
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This is where I learned to make soap: http://chickensintheroad.com/crafts/archives/soaps/ Start with the "getting ready to make soap" posts and read all about what you need and how to do it. Suzanne walks you through the whole process and makes you realize how easy it is! I started out buying small cans of lye at Ace Hardware for $4 a pound, now I order mine in bulk online because I make soap several times a week. I make mine in a crockpot I picked up at a garage sale for $5. You can use oils from the grocery store, like olive, coconut, soybean, and lard. I use SoapCalc http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/soapcalcwp.asp to check out recipes I find online. I order my fragrances and colors from www.brambleberry.com . They also have a blog and lots of helpful tips.
www.thistlewoodmanor.typepad.com |
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countrymommy85
True Blue Farmgirl
898 Posts
Krystle
MT
USA
898 Posts |
Posted - Feb 08 2011 : 07:20:42 AM
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I read online that Red Devil brand was pulled from shelves because people were making meth with it... When I was first married my husband got sick so I went to get 2 different kinds of cough syrup to see which one would work better for him but I could only buy one because people make meth out of that too. I am getting tired of being prevented from buying something because other people make bad stuff from it. If someone wants to do something bad they can't be prevented, they will find another way. Ok I will stop complaining. But apparently that is why Red Devil is not for sale anymore or at least in most places. My dad said I should try Tractor Supply Co, because they have a couple pound container of lye that my sister used to get for her soapmaking. I will price them out too.
~We can make the world a better place for our kids and future generations by what we do today!~
http://countryrenaissance.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SunflowersAndHoney |
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Shi-anne
True Blue Farmgirl
596 Posts
Cheryl
Ada
OK
USA
596 Posts |
Posted - Mar 27 2011 : 3:26:51 PM
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Wow, lots of great information here. Thanks, Ladies!
http://theprairiemaid.blogspot.com/
Farmgirls don't have hot flashes ~ They have power surges! |
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AmericanHwyFlower
True Blue Farmgirl
57 Posts
A.R.
Yorba Linda
CA
USA
57 Posts |
Posted - Apr 03 2011 : 9:17:05 PM
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Yes, once you have and use handmade soap you never want to use anything else again!
Cherish Each Day |
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french08
True Blue Farmgirl
89 Posts
Kim
Sharon Springs
NY
USA
89 Posts |
Posted - May 03 2011 : 8:03:24 PM
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Okay, I'm sold. I want to make my soap too. I'll have to start my research so I can get going with this project.
~~Kim French~~
Farmgirl Sister #2997
Farmgirl at Heart From The Start |
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Cleaning Up: I Made My First Batch of Soap Tonight |
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I Made My First Batch of Soap Tonight
