For my first year I collected soap formulas the way some people collect recipes, pasting them into a binder without really reading the percentages.
Pioneers made soap from two things their farms produced: lye leached from hardwood ashes, and rendered animal fat like tallow and lard. They dripped water
My first attempt at a clay soap was a shaving bar, and I dumped two tablespoons of dry bentonite straight into the batter hoping for a slick, cushiony lather.
Making jelly soap without gelatin means swapping in a plant-based gelling agent, either carrageenan or agar-agar, both from seaweed. You dissolve the gum
For my first year I chose soap oils by their names and their reputations, reaching for anything labeled luxurious or nourishing. A bar I built entirely
The first thing to sort out when buying glycerin for soap is which glycerin you mean, because there are two different products. Liquid vegetable glycerin
My first herbal soap was a hopeful bright green, colored with dried parsley I had stirred through the batter expecting a fresh meadow bar.
Making soap from used cooking oil takes two stages: clean the oil, then saponify it. You strain out the food bits, wash the oil in hot salt water so the
My first soap scale was a 12 dollar kitchen model that read in whole grams and shut itself off after two minutes. I did not think either flaw mattered
Making soap in a crock pot is the hot process method: you bring lye and oils to trace, then cook the batter covered on low for about an hour, stirring