A Sudsy Kind of Therapy

I’ve gotten all kinds of practice lately dealing with stress. Right now it’s coming at me from all sides and honestly, sometimes I do my best work during challenging times. Since creating things, whether it’s sales, a strong sales team, a process at work or something that my friends and family can eat/drink/use, seems to ground me, it was time for a new project!

A little over a month ago, I started making soap. Yep, soap! Real, honest to goodness, handmade, oil and lye, feel good, smell good SOAP!!! I already had the cosmetic formulation bug (which I’m still loving) and this seemed like a good tangent to follow. My very first batch, a triple butter soap, just finished its  minimum four week cure and I’ve already started giving it away to friends and family. Reports back say that it’s luxurious, lovely and nothing like they’ve ever washed with (in a good way!). I’ve also been using a bar and I just love it! Of course, one of my guilty pleasures is handmade soap so I knew what to expect. I have to say, though, that it’s so rewarding that I can make something so practical and personal for my loved ones to enjoy!

Making real soap is surprisingly easy. Not only are handmade soaps fun to make but they are extremely gentle to the skin. And more than one person who has used one of my bars was surprised that it was made with oil and lye. A big misconception seems to remain that “lye soap” is harsh and dangerous. Nope…the only way to make soap is by using three required ingredients: oil, water and sodium hydroxide (lye). The chemical process of turning those three ingredients into soap is called “saponification.” And if the ingredient calculations are correct (which is really easy to calculate using any number of available “soap calculators” on the internet), all of the lye is used up, leaving you with a lovely, moisturizing bar of pure soap!

My first bars are kind of rustic looking but over the past month and a half, I have produced some pretty cool looking, dare I say “pretty” soaps (I’ll eventually post pictures). Most of them are still curing and I can’t wait to give them away!

If you’re interested in learning more about how to make soap, check out the following resources:

• Soap Queen Blog: http://www.soapqueen.com/
• Miller’s Homemade Soap Page: http://www.millersoap.com/
• The Dish: http://www.thedishforum.com/forum/

I made the soap above using an all inclusive kit from Essential Depot. Here’s a link for the kit to make “Bonnie’s Triple Butter Soap:” http://www.essentialdepot.com/servlet/the-560/Bonnie%27s-Triple-Butter--dsh-/Detail

You can find Bonnie’s (Good Earth Spa) You Tube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/EdentiaFarms.

I purchase my supplies all over the internet but some of my favorite vendors are:

• Brambleberry: http://www.brambleberry.com/
• Essential Depot: http://www.essentialdepot.com/
• Wholesale Supplies: http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/

If you decide to get into soaping, you’ll find that it’s not only relaxing but also rewarding as you brighten other peoples days with a gift of handmade soap!