g o o d c l e a n f u n:
h o m e m a d e s o a p
This was our first soap making experience ever. This wasn’t the kind of soap that takes sacrifice (animal tallow), fire (ashes for lye), and water–not to mention goggles, gas masks, and skin protection. Though maybe someday for a chemistry lab we’ll take on that challenge. This, however, was just meltable, pourable glycerin soap and meltable, pourable goat’s milk soap to which you add your preferred colors, dyes, and fragrance. First we made two round molds which each required a two-foot length of 2″ diameter PVC pipe with a cap. We placed the caps at the ends and tested to make sure they would hold our future mess of hot, melted soap. We made an orange glycerine soap with lemon scent and orange peel which we added before the soap had cooled enough, so the citrusy grit sunk to the bottom. Then we cleaned up the pot (no soap necessary) and made a second batch—this time a goat’s milk bar of lavender colored soap, with lavender dried flowers, and lavender essential oil. Seriously easy. Seriously fun. Good clean fun. We unmolded them later in the day and sliced the long cylindrical bars into small soap rounds and now we have a stack of sweet little soaps to use or share with friends.
The materials for this project came from Hobby Lobby, which by matter of interest to me, had a sign posted on their door that they are closed on Sunday to give their employees the opportunity to spend time with their families and in worship (Good for them–reminds me of Nehemiah 13:15-22!). The glycerin soap was $7 and the goat’s milk soap was $10. Fragrance, color, and herbs were available there as well. Both packages made approximately 18 bars of 1/2″ thick, 2″ diameter soaps. A 1.5 inch pipe would have been useful for pushing the soap out of the 2 inch pipe mold more easily than the various tactics we employed (:.
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