The Joy of Soap Making

Several years ago, I ordered a book on soap making. I was eager to get started and try it. As I read through the recipes and stories, I began feeling a little nervous. There were so many warnings about the lye. Also, none of the recipes had measurements in cups; everything was in ounces or grams. You needed to buy a kitchen scale and weigh the ingredients. That put me off, too. I wasn't sure how to use a digital scale, and I was afraid I wouldn't understand it. Did you weigh the measuring cup first, and then add the liquid? It all seemed very intimidating. I put the book away for years. A couple years later I picked it up again  and spent hours and hours  researching soap making on line.

In the meantime, I had decided to try making melt and pour soap. That sounded simple, and very safe. I had ordered a soap making starter kit from Brambleberry, so I already had some soap molds and fragrance oils. I had purchased their starter pack on line. It had several different types of melt and pour soap: goat's milk, shea butter, glycerine, aloe vera, and a clear variety. It was really easy and fun. Maybe too easy. All you did was cut up the block of soap mixture into cubes, melt it over low heat on the stove, and then add the fragrance. I poured it into the molds, feeling happy to finally be using them. The soap was hard and ready to use within an hour or two.

I was excited about these soaps, but they weren't exactly what I wanted. I had been ordering some wonderful cold processed soaps on line from a farm in Indiana. These were really lovely soaps. They just felt divine. I wanted to work up the courage to make my own at home, but I was afraid. Having to wear goggles, gloves, long sleeves, and shoes intimidated me. I couldn't even see well enough to read the recipe through the goggles. The printing  was all blurry. That seemed even more dangerous. All of the books said that you needed to have lots of ventilation and that no pets should be around the soap making area. I'd think about it and then start procrastinating again. I invented all sorts of excuses.

A couple years later I still had my soap making kit sitting in the kitchen cupboard. When we would talk on the phone my mother would ask me, "Why don't you make soap?" I'd explain to her how complicated it all sounded, and that I was afraid of burning myself with the lye. It was easier for me to just order it on line from the lady with the goat farm in Indiana. I did that for a couple of years, rationalizing that I was supporting her business, and that I was busy teaching my ballet and yoga classes,  anyway.

Finally, I got up the nerve and made my own soap at home. It was the most exciting experience! It was much easier than I had expected. It felt so good to use all of the oils that I had ordered, instead of feeling guilty for letting them sit in the cupboard. I did some research on line, and found some great support from women on soap making and simple living forums.

I was so happy with the result that I became a soap maker and opened an Etsy shop. The lather, the smell, and the texture of hand made soap just thrilled me. It was such a luxury, and now I had nice gifts that I could give to people. When I was a dance teacher I had always stressed out about buying Christmas presents. I didn't really have the money for extras. With soap, I can make it months in advance, and it's always well received. Everybody uses it. Even now, I still look forward to my daily bath or shower so that I can enjoy a bar of goat's milk, shea butter, or olive oil  homemade soap. It's like a decadent dessert.

How about you? Do you make soap?