Soap Making!

J.M.J.

A few weeks ago, Shannon, Virginia and I tried our hands at making melt and pour soaps.  The melt and pour method requires the use of premade soap blocks, shredded and melted down.  You then add some extra ingredients and viola!  You have soap that is very safe to make and you may use it right away.  We made the most delicious smelling chamomile oatmeal soap - so good I was tempted a few times to take a nibble.  But I resisted.  ;)

And while this method was fun, I have always wanted to learn how to make 'real', cold processed soap - but the idea of using lye frightened me.  And after hearing people's horror stories about their grandmother's niece's best friends' toddler falling into pots of lye solution has really left its mark.  So I resisted he urge to learn a new homemaking skill.  Until now.

Last week I stepped out of my comfort zone a little more and made 'real' soap from scratch.  And yes, it required me to use the lye.  I cannot believe how easy the cold process is! And it is fun, too.

I used this book

 

 



and really liked the results I got.  I followed the basic soap recipe and added my own mixture of essential oils, dried citrus peels and pink kaolin clay to make a beautiful batch of soap for oily skin.  It is about 2 weeks from finishing the curing process and I can't wait to use it.