Soapmaking Experiment

I can't really say I've ALWAYS wanted to learn to make soaps. It just seemed interesting. I had pinned a few soapmaking sites on Pinterest. I decided to check them out. After reading through a few tutorials ( here & here & here), I couldn't believe how simple soapmaking sounded. Now, I'm not talking about "from Scratch" soapmaking (using lye). I'm talking about starting with (unscented) mild soap and adding to it. I made myself a list of things I would need and went shopping.

Here was my list:

Mild soap bars (I found a 10 pack of unscented Ivory for less than $4.00)
Soap molds (I paid about $3.50 each from Michaels-actually less since I had a 20% off purchase coupon)
dried lavender (which I dried myself- see this post)
essential oils (again-made myself- this post)
oatmeal (I already had at home)
glycerin (for liquid handsoap-somehow I forgot to look for this......I can get a little distracted when shopping.....so, I have no idea what this would cost)

I decided to start with the molded soap bars first. The liquid soap sounded easier, but, hey, why start with something easy? I started with the Homemade Oatmeal Soap Recipe here and then added my own twist. I'm not sure I can do ANYTHING as directed. First, I decided I should DOUBLE the recipe. Here's my version:

2 bars mild unscented soap (Ivory or Dove)
8 to 10 Tbsp. water
3 to 4 Tbsp. homemade Lavender essential oil (if using purchased essential oils, use 2 to 3 drops)
6 to 8 Tbsp. coarse ground Oatmeal
6 to 8 Tbsp. dried Lavender blossoms

Grate 2 bars of soap into a Microwavable bowl. Add water. Microwave for 2 to 3 minutes (in 30 second intervals, stirring between) until soap is melted. It will foam up. Make sure it doesn't go over the bowl. Stir in Lavender oil. Coarsely grind the oatmeal in a blender or food processor. Add oatmeal and dried Lavender blossoms to soap mixture. Stir to combine. Mixture will be about the consisntency of cookie dough. Spray molds with vegetable oil. Spoon soap mixture into molds. Press firmly to compress mixture into the mold. Level off top with a knife. Let cool. If it makes a difference, I cooled mine in the refrigerator.

Once the soap is cooled, CAREFULLY remove the bars from the mold and wrap in plastic wrap.

That's it! EASY! Right?!?! Add a label. Tie with ribbon or a pretty yarn. Combine with a knit or crochet face cloth or a scrubby mitt like these for a nice gift.



Now, onto liquid handsoap. This seemed like the easiest method and yet, I had a little trouble with it. Here's the recipe I followed (Liquid/Gel Soap). Sounds simple enough, right?

On my first attempt, I grated a bar of Glycerin type soap that I had been given. It has an AMAZING fragrance called Sugar Blossom. I never really measured the amount of grated soap. It just kind of looked like about 2 cups. I added the 1/2 gallon of water. I did measure that! That's when I realized that I had never bought the Glycerin (despite having been to the store SEVERAL times since the first shopping trip). I could have waited until the NEXT time I went shopping......but, I got to looking at some liquid hand sanitizer I had. Lo and Behold......one of the ingredients is......GLYCERIN! Not the MAIN ingredient, of course, but I could improvise! Starting to see why I might have had a little trouble?

Anyway, I decided to add about 6 Tbsp. hand sanitizer to the soap and water. I cooked the mixture over low heat until the soap was dissolved. Then transferred the mixture to a half-gallon jug. It seemed a little watery, but, I figured it might get thicker once it cooled. The next morning, it was still watery, so, I grated a bar of Ivory soap and re-cooked the mixture until the Ivory soap was dissolved. Then put it back into the jug to cool.  When it was cooled, I had a sort of thick jelly substance that WOULD NOT come out of the jug!

I reread the part in the recipe that said "for a less thick gel soap, use 1 gallon of water". That should work. I began digging the soap out of the jug. Once it was all removed, I added another 1/2 gallon of water, recooked until it was liquid again, then put it into a gallon container.

SUCCESS! Finally! A gallon of liquid handsoap!

Here's the actual recipe I ended up with:

2 bars of soap (grated)
1 gallon of water
2 Tbsp. glycerin (or 6Tbsp. liquid hand sanitizer)

Mix ingredients in a large pot. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the soap is dissolved. Transfer to a jar and cover tightly.

I found a pretty pump container in the bath accessories department to put the new soap in. That and a pretty knit or crochet face cloth or scrubby mitt would also make a nice gift, don't you think?