Monday, November 14, 2011

Handmade Soap

I was so excited to take a workshop on how to make your own handmade soap. I have purchased handmade soap at my local farmers market and online on Etsy. I decided to see how it is all done. Little did I know that it is part chemistry and part baking.




( I just got the soap out of the mold)
I was a little intimadated by using lye, but the teacher gave us great safety instructions. We wore gloves and safety goggles while preparing the mixture of cold process soap.





I used my cutting board and kitchen knife to slice the soap.




My husband purchased a shelf at our local thrift store for the soap to cure. I didn't realize that handmade soap takes four to six weeks to cure. I look forward to using our first batch. The instructor gave us a few supplies to make a batch at home this week. Hopefully I will be brave enough to give it a try. Thankfully, she is open for us to calling her for help.







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21 comments:

  1. LindsayNovember 14, 2011 at 10:49 AM

    Ooh! I have always wanted to make my own soap, too! I didn't know that it had to cure for that long, either!

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  2. AnonymousNovember 14, 2011 at 10:53 AM

    I love handmade soap! It looks great.

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  3. The Crone ChroniclesNovember 14, 2011 at 11:00 AM

    I love handmade soap and just really enjoyed your pics. Thanks!

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  4. MYSAVIORNovember 14, 2011 at 1:08 PM

    What are the ingredients that go into that soap. That is very cool!

    ♥♥♥
    Sue

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  5. LizziNovember 14, 2011 at 1:08 PM

    So cool! My friend recently started making soap too (and gave me some lol). I think it's something I would enjoy since I like to cook.

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  6. Zuda Gay PeaseNovember 14, 2011 at 1:25 PM

    I bet that was very interesting! I love handmade soap!! Please let us know how you like it when finally get to use it. The waiting would be hard for me.

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  7. SHEILANovember 14, 2011 at 1:41 PM

    Always wonderful to learn new things. I never knew soap had to cure.

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  8. Christie CottageNovember 15, 2011 at 4:57 AM

    Awesome!!!


    I'll bet you will love it!

    I used to make soap with my grandmother. I did not like soap making days. We cooked it in an iron kettle over a fire..outside..

    Old timers knew how to make everything we needed.

    It's strange how we are coming full circle. People are canning again, making jam and soaps. I love it!

    <><

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  9. krafterskornerNovember 15, 2011 at 5:38 PM

    Looks like fun!

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  10. sammysgrammyNovember 15, 2011 at 6:04 PM

    That does look like fun. I didn't know there was a cold process and a hot one. I only ever tried the hot.

    Yours looks like "real" soap....

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  11. Sue RunyonNovember 15, 2011 at 6:11 PM

    I make my own soap from scratch too. Love that soap drying shelf. I usually just put mine on freezer paper to dry.

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  12. Julia BadgleyNovember 15, 2011 at 8:01 PM

    That looks like fun!

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  13. AloquinNovember 15, 2011 at 8:21 PM

    I really enjoy buying home-made soaps! I used to make my own from Micheals... the melt and mix kind, but that's really cheap compared to the great stuff. Cold-process soaps are awesome! Let us know how they are when you use them! :)

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  14. JulieandMaxNovember 15, 2011 at 11:04 PM

    That looks like lots of fun - I've always wanted to make my own soap.

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  15. UnknownNovember 16, 2011 at 3:43 AM

    Looks great -- must be hard to wait for it to cure!

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  16. Becky K.November 16, 2011 at 4:18 AM

    At some point I would love to give this a try. Congrats to you for actually doing it.

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  17. Niki JacksonNovember 16, 2011 at 8:23 AM

    Looks like you had fun making these, what fragrance did you make? Niki x

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  18. LorettaNovember 16, 2011 at 10:50 AM

    Your soap looks great! I always wanted to make my own soap. I became intimidated by the use of lye and just continued buying handmade soap on Etsy. One day, I will take the leap!

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  19. UnknownNovember 16, 2011 at 1:51 PM

    WOW! that's quite an endeavor! They look beautiful on the rack- I bet they smell yummy too!

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  20. Faith CarolineNovember 17, 2011 at 6:32 PM

    You are so talented! Is there anything you can't do? :)

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  21. Vanessa Brantley NewtonNovember 27, 2011 at 10:06 PM

    This is great!!! I love it. I just really love handmade products. So cool. Hope that you had a wonderful time with your family and friends on Turkey Day.
    Best you and thanks so much for stopping by.
    V

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