A Good YouTube Video

This video is one of the best I've seen so far watch it here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghvQ4v_Fjrs

My Sister...Donna Brinkworth

She is my inspiration: If it wasn't for my sister I wouldn't be on this journey. I want to say to her thank you from the bottom of my heart...and here she is..


These are just a couple of Donnas babies.. her border collies Jet on the left and Ted they are both super nice dogs and smart. They do sheep herding as well as tracking. Jet is all of herself and Ted well as you can see he is a character. Baaboos! Donna has a superb website that you should check out here http://www.spiritdancedogs.blogspot.com/

Thank You Sandy! Little Meadows Sheep Farm Rocks!

I just want to say thanks again to Sandy Wilson from Little Meadows Sheep Farm for making such wonderful soap, and for inspiring me to follow this passion check her soap out at this website: www.littlemeadowsheepfarm.com

Here it is! and its so delicious!!

Here is the picture of the Dead Sea Soap. I promised yesterday that I would post it.

The Dead Sea Soap Has Arrived!!!

The mailman showed up today with my precious package of Dead Sea Soap all the way from Pennsylvania!!!! Wow Thanks Sandy!!! It smells so good. The Dead Sea has been a place of healing since biblical times. The Salts and Mud are healing to your skin and are therapeutic for alot of different types of ailments. I am going to have a bath tonight and use it. Yum-Oh!

This is one of the soaps I would eventually like to make. I'm going to take a picture of it with my camera and will post it surething tonite so you all can see. Sandy sent me along with her soap, (Mine Now), lol, a nice wooden slatted soap dish. What a nice package to have gotten today!

Canola and Safflower Oil

I purchased a bottle of 100% pure Canola Oil Organic from the Superstore (Presidents Choice Blend) it was only $5.99 and got a bottle of 100% Safflower Oil while I was looking at it same price and brand. I've been reading alot of recipes and alot of them call for both of these oils. So now I have them! Yay!

Distilled Water

While I was returning my no good hand blender I decided I may as well get my distilled water. Distilled water is better to use as there are chemicals in our tap water like floride. Or your water may be hard depending on where you live. The big bottle cost me $3.00. Sandy from Little Meadow Sheep told me she freezes her distilled water as apparantly when you add the lye to it frozen it reduces the smell and fumes of the lye when you mix them. I asked her if it makes a difference when you have to measure your ounces she said no you just measure the volume. I will have to freeze some. For now, because I'm still not sure until I actually make my first batch, I will use it unfrozen. Sigh...so much to learn. This will be as I said all trial and error until we master the basic process. I am still itching to get started. We will master this!!

Immersion Blender Beware!

Well today I was reading again and found an important thing about Immersion Blenders. You need to make sure that the blades on your blender or one that you buy are NOT ALUMINUM BLADES!! I had bought one at the Superstore for $9.99 good price but no where on the box or instructions did it state the blades were stainless steel. So I boxed it up and returned it. I may have to pay more for one at Canadian Tire but Whew! Good thing I read that before making my soap.

Soap Soap Soap...thats all I think about!

Well I sit here anxiously awaiting to get my stuff, I feel like I am on edge because I am so excited. For the past month and a half I've been reading reading searching searching for all the soap information I can find. I just can't wait to get a batch of soap on the go! This morning I worked on my blog for over two hours. I am pretty new to this so I hope you all bare with me as I stumble along.

Basic Soap Receipe

Basic Four Oil Soap Recipe

I'm back. What I want to do first is give you the recipe I am going to be using for my first batch of cold pressed soap. I want to keep it easy. Eventually I would like to be able to mix ingredients to make all kinds of soap but for now I have found two receipes that I am going to start with. the first is a Basic Four Oil Soap the second will be a Basic Goat Milk Receipe. First we will master the Four Oil Soap before going any farther.

Ingredients are:

4 oz solid cocnut oil (112 grams)

3 oz canola oil (84 grams)

4 oz olive oil (112 grams)

4 oz safflower oil (112 grams)

2 oz lye (sodium hydroxide) (56 grams)

5 oz distilled water (140 grams)

Note all measurements are by weight not volume

Sodium Hydroxide LYE

Boy did I have trouble finding lye (sodium hydroxide) In most of the books you read they all say you can find lye in your grocery store in with all the draino's and liquid plumbers, not in Thunder Bay. Went to Canadian Tire, Home Hardware, Home Depot, Superstore, no luck. Called a couple of chemical companies in town one didn't have it the other said she'd call me back, she never did. My friend Sandy said in the U.S. she orders from AAA chemical company they don't ship to Canada. if you are in the states apparantly AAA is very reputable and has other soap making supplies. I would go with them.

Here is their website: http://www.aaa-chemicals.com/

The other soap supply links in Canada don't sell lye that I could find except for one Canwax, in Huntsville, Ontario. I ordered it online they sell the smallest size 1 kg for $8.00 and with the taxes and shipping it cost me 26.00 plus change. Its the only way I could get it. Plus UPS won't ship it any bigger than the small jar. So I am waiting for that. They sell other soap making supplies too so its worth checking them out at http://www.canwax.com/

I wanted to get coconut oil... can't find that either so I found Suds N Scents in British Columbia who carries it and ordered it from them 5 kg container was $9.50 and ordered Palm Oil from them too for the same price, a 5 lb mold and a soap cutter. All that came to $45.00... not too bad. www.sudsandscents.com

In the above recipe all I need to wait for is the coconut oil and get the distilled water. Thats easy to get Shoppers Drug Mart has it and The Superstore.

I am almost set to go. Yay!!

The other oils in the recipe above I saw at Safeways when I went for groceries the other day Olive Oil I have at home already and its extra virgin too.

A Walk Makes You Think

I took my dog Willy out for a walk the other day at the McIntyre Floodway. It is right behind the major shopping centre in the city so I decided to stop in at Micheals Crafts Store and lo and behold they have soap making kits but melt and pour that is totally different from what I want to do, but also they have some essential oils and fragrances there. Mental note for later on. I find it very interesting that making ones own soap is becoming a new found art. http://www.michaels.com/

So for now take note of the ingredients above for the basic soap recipe and look for them in your grocery store or order online from my suggested suppliers.

By the time you get your ingredients together and equipment we will be able to make it together.

My date for the first batch is next Monday...my next day off I should have my lye and oils by then.

Just another thing to mention is that lye can melt surfaces like your countertops and floors so save some newspapers to cover your work spaces. Till next Monday, I will have camera in hand to take pictures of my set up and step by step pics.

See you next week!

Making Cold Press Soap for Beginners: Introduction and Equipment

Welcome

This blog is new in the making. I have gotten the itch to make my own soap and hopefully become an experienced soap maker in the process! As an introduction to myself I wanted to create this blog as my progress continues in learning this old fashioned craft.


My name is Lori and I live in Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada. I am a taxi driver and find that I need to become more creative in my life. It has always been a passion of mine to create things. I have dabbled in interior decorating, sewing and crochet, making Christmas Ornaments etc., but none of these ever really inspired me. Until I got introduced to making soap!

Christmas in Alberta

This past Christmas I went to visit my sister Donna, who lives in Alberta. She gave me some handcrafted soap that a friend of hers makes in in Pennsylvania, (Sandy Wilson from Little Meadows Sheep Farm) Her soap is just heavenly....I love it! ...and... I got hooked on the idea of trying this out. When I got back to Thunder Bay I began doing research I ordered books through the Internet, went to the library and scoped the Internet for how to's. Sandy who has become my far away friend sent me some starting out information and pictures with advise on what to do first. I found it very mind boggling.

Sandy makes wonderful soap I am anxiously waiting for her Dead Sea Soap to arrive I can't wait! You can check out Sandy's website here to order some for yourself www.littlemeadowsheepfarm.com

To make soap it sounds as though you really need to be chemist because all the ingredients need to be measured exactly, what oils to use, fragrance or additives. You need to be aware of the caustic factors with the ingredients "lye" especially. It really sounds scary to be handling poison.

Soap Making Resources

It is now middle of February and I have yet to try my hand at a first batch. What I want to do is make Cold Processed Soap (Soap made from Scratch) The book I am finding most resource full is "Basic Soap Making: All the skills and Tools You Need to Get Started" by Patsy Buck, Stockpole Books. This book has great step by step instructions and pictures and a good itemized chapter for the equipment you need. Best of all it is written in layman's terms which makes the process more easily understood. Seems like the process of soap making is like baking, mixing your ingredients together with a recipe. If you want to order this book go to Chapters or Amazon.com

Equipment

So much for introductions lets talk about the equipment. This is the first thing you should gather up before you start making anything. From Sandy's advise and from the tons of research and reading all the books I've gotten my hands on I decided to make myself a list of things I need. Here is my list of equipment:

2 - 8 quart stainless steel pots

1 - Coffee Grinder or Mortal and Pestle (I prefer the grinder) check the thrift shops

2 - Glass Thermometers (used for candy making or deep frying)

1 - 1/1/2 quart heavy weight plastic mixing bowl

1 - 4 quart heat safe glass measuring cup with handle

Variety of 1 quart freezer weight plastic containers to measure and hold soap making ingredients until they are mixed. "NO ALUMINUM" never ever!

1 - Digital Scale that hold up to at least 11 lbs. and has a Tare feature (weighs to zero)

1 - Stick Blender

Soap Moulds "non aluminum" there are molds you can buy made especially for soap making, I ordered a 5 lb mold from Suds N Scents for 15 bucks your primary mold should be at least
3 1/2 in wide by 2 1/2 in deep by 6 in long. I found an ice bucket at the thrift shop heavy plastic perfect measurements you can use anything such as this. There are all types of molds for fancy soaps but if you are just learning I would go with just a regular mold.

Stirrers: Wire Whisks, long handled rubber or plastic spoons, rubber spatulas

Old blankets/towels

Rubber gloves, eye protection goggles, face mask, for protecting you against splashes and fumes of the lye (sodium hydroxide)

Apron or lab coat

Vegetable peeler for finishing your edges of soap

Soap Cutter for cutting your bars, you can also use a large sharp knife or a drywall taper tool from a hardware store. Soap cutters are cheap and readily available to order online

Freezer paper/Butcher paper to line your soap molds

Vaseline or petroleum jelly to grease your molds

Drying racks for drying your soap (curing) plastic needlecraft canvas, good because it has holes, window mesh. I have decided to purchase a bookcase with open slats as shelves and then line with plastic canvas.. I figure that I can line my soap on the shelves to dry and label the shelves.

So that is about it for tools, not too bad of a list, a lot of stuff you might have in your kitchen already and you might have to do a bit of shopping to get the rest. One thing to remember...once you take something from your kitchen do not use it again for food prep keep your tools away from food prep areas and store away in a storage container marked "Soap Equipment" You don't want your food tasting like soap. Also use of wooden spoons I wouldn't as the lye breaks down the wood fibres and you you don't want that going into your soap.

you can go to Canwax for lye from here www.canwax.com

For oils and other essential oils and supplies you can go to www.sudsnscents.com

I haven't even made soap yet but I think with all the information I've absorbed over the last month and a half I am truly learning the concept. I am am excited to get started.

Why I wanted to start this blog about learning to make soap is because with all the info on the internet and there is tons...nothing really expalined how to step by step go about making a batch of soap and no easy instructions. My blog is going to take you through my trials and tribulations of the soap making progress... failures to perfections, my step by step learning experience, recipes. Together we can learn to do this.

I've watched a bunch of Youtube but they only show someone making soap and miss all the technical know how and nothing is really explained in a minute on You Tube. I am going to expalin it all here so you can learn from me.

Thanks for your patience and stay tuned for the next step: Where to get ingredients, where to buy lye, and my first basic soap recipe. I will include pictures as I get it all together so you can see first hand what I do. I am waiting for my ingredients to come in had to order most of them as no one in Thunder Bay really sells any of the essentials. Get your equipment together in the meantime and we will be ready to do it together.

Lori