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Last spring, a dear friend offered to teach me how to make soap. I have been wanting to make soap for years, but the whole idea seemed a bit daunting. I’m a very visual person, and watching someone do something really helps me a lot more than just reading about it. After watching my friend, I couldn’t wait to try it. So, I gradually gathered my supplies, and waited for the perfect time to begin.
In my mind, the perfect time would have been when all the children were over at Grandma’s, but that time never came. I was so worried about the lye, and having someone accidentally inhale it, spill it, ingest it, and then dying, going blind, or getting their skin burned.
One year after watching my friend make soap and gathering all my supplies, I decided it was time. I waited until my precious-but-very-busy-and-inquisitive two-year-old was napping. Then I sent the other children outside. I carefully set out all my supplies, measured all the oils and essential oils, and then I was ready for the lye. And as I poured and poured and poured lye into the container on the scale, I realized that the scale was set on pounds, not ounces, as it should have been. I knew that the recipe didn’t call for that much lye.
As the realization slowly dawned on me that I had measured all the oils and other ingredients incorrectly, I also had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as I realized that I needed to get all that lye back into the child-proof container that it came in. The one with the very small opening.
{And I also had the added complication of my goggles fogging up! I couldn’t even see because they were getting so foggy. I realized [too late] that there were little plastic things that were supposed to be removed to provide ventilation. I’ll know next time, but it was rather hilarious and scary to be fearfully measuring lye and not really being able to see! I was creating more of a hazard for myself by having the fogged-up goggles on in the first place!}
With gloves and {foggy} goggles on, I very carefully headed out to the woods at the back of our yard. I went a ways into the woods and very carefully poured all the lye back into the container. After quickly remeasuring all the other ingredients, the rest of the process was simple.
Despite my lye-paranoia and the minor mishap, making soap was so much fun! I loved the whole process of mixing the essential oils, watching the soap trace, pouring it into the mold, and then the anticipation of waiting to see how it would all turn out. And as I waited, I loved the delicious herbal scent that filled the whole house.
The most satisfying part for me was cutting the soap into bars. My bars are irregular and rather plain-looking, but I am in love with them! To me they represent the fulfillment of a dream. I can’t wait to make more.
Thank you, Amy! Seeing your soap is always inspiring to me! 🙂
Beautiful! I love seeing all those great looking soap bars! Enjoy the product of your hands!
Thanks for sharing in my excitement, Mary! If I can do it, anyone can do it! 🙂 I'm sure you'll just love it, too.
Blessings to you,
Joy
That is sooooooooo cool! I am going to try to make some of my own hopefully in a month or two. I still need to get some supplies still. You are such a inspiration to me today. Yes we can do it yes we can! [o=
Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
Blessings and ((HUGS)))!
-Mary
Josette,
I hope you get to! 🙂
Deanna,
Thanks! It makes it that much more fun to have a friend teach you. 🙂
I am going to get together with a friend and make soap too! I really want to do it with someone who has made it before! I am excited!
Yours looks wonderful.
Deanna
cool. I want to try that.
Jeanette, I'm feeling that same "addiction" feeling…I can see the desire to make "one more batch!" I'm already planning my next one and all the fun things I'll try with it! 🙂
I love making homemade soap! It's addicting and I always want to try "one more batch".
Hi Lisa!
I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one who felt scared about the lye! I felt kind of silly, because my friend didn't even use goggles and just barely used gloves…and here I was "suiting up" for some serious business. 🙂
I did use a stick blender to blend the soap. It made it so much faster, and it traced in less than 5 minutes.
Thanks for your comment!