Homemade soap

[Blammer]

who here makes it?

any chance I could try a bar before I go about trying it myself?

I could trade or pay for it. thanks

[wlc]

We use home made soap, but buy ours from a local producer that makes it out of goat milk and other ingredients... My wife is wanting to try her hand at it, but we haven't gathered all the stuff to make it yet. Honestly, I really like what we've been getting better than store bought. Wish I could help you out with true "home made", but if you want to try a bar of what I've got here, PM me and I'll see if I can't get one to you.

[rhadamanthos12]

what is the benefit to making home made soap, I saw a thread on here a while back about people looking for lye soap. I guess being a younger fellow I don't quite get some of these things.

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Try finding non scented soap. Some of us are allergic to that perfumy stuff that fills shelves.
Mike in Peru

[x101airborne]

I use lye soap almost exclusively during hunting season.
1 pound Monteca Lard
1 pound of Red Devil Lye
Kettle with 3 gallons +/- of water.

Bring water to a boil in the pot, add lye and stir well. Add lard and dissolve using a wooden paddle or oar for stirring. Stir well and cook down. This will yield about one gallon of soap liquid. Use wooden or cast iron forms for cooling. Aluminum and tin molds have given me a reaction that makes the soap almost unusable. For small bars you could use your ingot molds! Or, you could use paper cupcake wrappers in a tin for cupcake size bars of soap.

For catfish soap, double the lard and use half of the lye. Add fish oil right before pouring into molds.

[x101airborne]

BTW.... Here ya go.
http://www.millersoap.com/

[hiram1]

Go to soapgoods.com has all you need to make your own soap.

[Jailer]

BTW.... Here ya go.
http://www.millersoap.com/

This is the best site I've found for making soap. Basically a one stop for everything you need to know including some great recipes.


what is the benefit to making home made soap, I saw a thread on here a while back about people looking for lye soap. I guess being a younger fellow I don't quite get some of these things.

You can't buy soap in the store that compares to home made. Home made soap will actually heal dry skin. My hands used to crack and bleed at the knuckles every winter requiring the use of hand lotion to keep them from hurting. I haven't use hand lotion in a couple years now since I started using my own soap.


who here makes it?

any chance I could try a bar before I go about trying it myself?

I could trade or pay for it. thanks

The stuff I have now isn't very "manly" (sandalwood scent for the girls) but I'd be glad to send you a couple bars to try out if you want. PM me your address and I'll get a couple bars out to you.

[Jailer]

Go to soapgoods.com has all you need to make your own soap.

Great link. I wonder if gear and runfive would be interested in this product in their quest for the ultimate lube formula?

http://www.soapgoods.com/product_info.php?products_id=1419&osCsid=9f59a7cac90c97b93a18f25652bd6386

[elkhuntfever]

Jailer, How 'bout those 'Jackets!! Suprised to see someone from home on here. Sent you a PM.

[swamp]

Blammer,
PM your mailing info and I will get some in the mail to you.
swamp

[rhadamanthos12]

Jailer anyway that I could get a sample or two? Living in the Southwest my entire family gets dry skin, I would very much be interested in something that keeps us from going through so much lotion.

[floodgate]

Wife has made ALL our soap for last 25+ years; basic "manteca" (lard) and lye (have to get it from chem. supply house - "Red Devil" has been pulled from the market as "hazmat"!!!), plus occasional honey and/or other odorants/additives. Cast(!) into 2-1/2" id " x 9" PVC tubes, pushed out when semi-cured and sliced 3/4" - 1" thick with wire "choker". Takes about one month to fully cure; lasts 3X as long as commercial soaps and smells and feels MUCH better! Sorry, no samples - when we offer them, we get swamped; but go to "Jailer's" sources above, read up on it and make your own; it's easy but takes some patience.

She also makes ALL our own breads - dozens of varieties. Favorite bedtime snack is a couple of thick slices, still warm from the afternoon baking, with salt and butter, the classical "gift of hospitality". No, we're NOT "hippy's", but the "old ways" are still the best in many cases (even if I am writing this on our "computulator").

I'm currently spinning 3-ply wool yarn from our "organic weedwackers" for her to knit into a sweater - another topic I won't go into just now.

floodgate

[gbrown]

Has anyone used lanolin like from randyrat in their soap recipe? Saw a couple of members talking about making skin cream like mixtures out of it for psoriasis and dry skin. Seems like it would be good in it. I make lip balm out of local bees wax, lanolin and coconut oil that works good for us. Got some lanolin coming from randyrat now.

[Jailer]

Jailer anyway that I could get a sample or two? Living in the Southwest my entire family gets dry skin, I would very much be interested in something that keeps us from going through so much lotion.

Sure, PM me your address.


Has anyone used lanolin like from randyrat in their soap recipe? Saw a couple of members talking about making skin cream like mixtures out of it for psoriasis and dry skin. Seems like it would be good in it. I make lip balm out of local bees wax, lanolin and coconut oil that works good for us. Got some lanolin coming from randyrat now.

No need to. Home made soap has all the glycerin still in it. No need for lanolin to get the moisturizing benefits from it.

Commercial soap doesn't have the glycerin because it's not really soap, it's mild detergent with chemical emulsifiers and lathering agents. It strips the moisture and oils from your skin. Home made soap moisturizes so well you can wash your hair with it and it won't dry your hair or scalp out.

[rhadamanthos12]

thank you much appreciated, PM on the way.

[Down South]

I make the plain old fashioned lye soap plus I use some of Millers recipes. I haven't made any in several months. I usually have a waiting line of folks wanting some.
I use the cold process method. It is pretty easy but I'd suggest a stick blender instead of a wooden spoon or paddle. It's a lot faster.

This is pictures of Lye "White" and one of Millers recipies, "Colored".

[Blammer]

thanks guys I'll look into it and thanks for the offers too!

I think I'll try to make it later this summer.

[reloader28]

Hey guys, if its not to much bother, could I get a bar from one of you?
The wife is allergic to some of the garbage in the store and we've been thinking of trying to make some ourselves. Theres nothing like the satisfaction of being self suficiant and making it yourself.

Does this also work as shampoo?
I just use soap on my head since I buz off my hair anyway, but was wondering about using it for womens shampoo.

[Ramar]

Does bacon grease have place in a homemade soap recipe? I've got well over a gallon of it in the freezer box. Don't know that I want to smell like.
Ramar

[375RUGER]

Does bacon grease have place in a homemade soap recipe? I've got well over a gallon of it in the freezer box. Don't know that I want to smell like.
Ramar

Funny you should ask that. We have gathered up all the stuff we need to start making our own soap. Been making our own laundry detergent for a couple years now so why not. Then SWMBO came up witht he idea that I need to make bacon soap to wash with to go hunting bear. She wants me to be clean and odorized. If it's remarkable at all I'll let you know. I'm on the other side of the big water now so it'll be a while before I get back and get any made.

[starmac]

LOL I have used soap for catfish bait, but think I will pass on using it for bear bait. lol

[reloader28]

Thanks Swamp.
PM sent.

[Down South]

Does bacon grease have place in a homemade soap recipe? I've got well over a gallon of it in the freezer box. Don't know that I want to smell like.
Ramar
I doubt it will make decent soap. You could try it. I've heard that rancid lard doesn't do good either.
I use fresh lard or oils. Since the women folk started bugging me to make something other than plain lye soap, I started making a version of Castile soap that is at least 75% olive oil. Pure Castile is 100% olive oil but it doesn't suds well. So I use one of Millers recipes that uses coconut and palm oil along with the olive oil. I'll add some fragrance oil, usually less than 2 ounces per batch to give them their smell good. I grind up about two tablespoons of rosemary to give the soap some texture plus it make a pretty design in the soap bars.
Us guys like the plain lye soap. It doesn't have the perfume smell. Hunters like it. It can also be used to laundry hunting clothes to substitute those expensive scent free laundry detergents.
One member here just tosses a bar of lye soap in during the wash cycle and removes it for the rinse cycle.

Below is a picture of some Castile soap that I made.

[Jailer]

Well I'm down to no more extra until some of my current stuff cures some more so I can't offer any more samples. I'm waiting on some more supplies that are suppose to be delivered today before I can make some more.

Down South do you use molds for those bars? I just use my silicone bake pans and cut it into bars after it sets for 24 hours.

[Down South]

Well I'm down to no more extra until some of my current stuff cures some more so I can't offer any more samples. I'm waiting on some more supplies that are suppose to be delivered today before I can make some more.

Down South do you use molds for those bars? I just use my silicone bake pans and cut it into bars after it sets for 24 hours.

I have a homemade mold that I use for bar soap that I cut. I used to use cake pans. I bought a few molds made out of plastic. That was the wife's idea. You can see my miter box for cutting soap in an earlier pic. I actually found that miter box in a resale shop. I knew what it was as soon as I spotted it. It didn't have a price on it so I took it to the counter and asked. They said that they had no idea what it was and they would take $2 for it.
I built my homemade mold that would contain a whole batch. I use other things such as snuff cans too.
Are you using the cold process? I would guess that you are if you are waiting on a batch to cure. That can take several weeks.

on Edit I made my soap mold for the length and height that I wanted my bars to be. Once the soap cake has cured 24 hrs, like you, I remove it from the mould. I probably have pictures somewhere of my mold and an uncut soap cake.
After I remove the soap cake from the mold, it goes to the miter box. I cut the cake into bars. I trim the edges from the bars with with a potato peeler. I take the trimmings from the bars and make soap balls with that.

[Blammer]

I think there is a method of using ashes to get lye?

true?

[Doc_Stihl]

My wife has been making our laundry soap for a while now with good success. She just recently "made" a batch of shampoo. I don't know what she did to make it but it made a VERY noticeable difference on her hair. She said it was alot cheaper too.

[wlc]

I think there is a method of using ashes to get lye?

true?

Yes, there is. If you have, or have access to the Foxfire books, soap making is covered in there using the "old timey" ways. Making Lye from ashes is also covered. IIRC its in Foxfire 1 or 2.

[Jailer]

I think there is a method of using ashes to get lye?

true?

Yes you can get potassium hydroxide from hardwood ash. The soap made from this stuff, from what I've read, will make a soft gel. To get a hard bar soap you have to use sodium hydroxide (drain cleaner).

[Jailer]

Are you using the cold process? I would guess that you are if you are waiting on a batch to cure. That can take several weeks.



Yes, cold process. Have you made any hot process? I've been reading about that lately and might give it a try if I can find an old crock pot for cheap to do it in. The cure time would be an advantage. I don't care much for doing the fancy swirl and color stuff, I'm more of a function first kinda guy.

[Down South]

No, I haven't tried the hot process but I don't think it's any more complicated and it would defiantly speed up cure time. If I remember, hot process only takes a few days for cure.

On the questions on lye. Yes you can make lye from the white wood ashes. The method that I read about involves a trough with a small hole drilled in one end. The trough is filled with the wood ashes and water is poured over the ashes. I think hot water is used. The trough is tilted somewhat with the hole on the lower end. Capture the water that drains off the ashes and keep running it back through until a raw egg will float in the water. At that point its strong enough for soap making.

Another note, pure lye is not as easy to come by as once was. Alas, the meth makers use this vile substance for their poison.
Red Devil lye used to be the soap makers choice but it is no longer available due to the drug heads. I use Roebic crystal drain opener. It is pure lye, Sodium hydroxide, see link below. I find it at Lowe's.
Do not use Draino or other products that contain lye, you need pure lye.

http://www.ehow.com/info_10014626_differences-between-red-devil-lye-roebic-crystal-drain-opener.html

[Jailer]

Luckily I'm still able to get Rooto brand here locally. I'm sure that will come to an end at some point and there will be a registry to purchase lye as there is with cold medicines. [smilie=b:

Just finished up a batch an hour ago. Looks like it took well, good gel phase.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b180/Jailer/posting%20pics/soap002_zpsbe49d9bc.jpg

[Down South]

Nice gel you got going on there. Are you going to cover it? I keep mine wrapped in towels to keep in the heat for 24 hours. Of course, I open it up to look for what you have a picture of there. Once I see it going to the gel phase, I wrap it up until I'm ready to pop it out of the mold.

[Jailer]

Yup, I keep it wrapped with blankets. If you look at the pic you'll see the cookie sheet that I cover the mold with and the blanket in the background. Just like you, I like to check it to make sure it's reaching gel phase like it should.

I just checked it again a few minutes ago and it was gelled all the way to the edges. Should be a good batch.

[TXGunNut]

I kinda like my Ivory soap but this looks like fun. Had no idea folks made soap. I'm guessing a single guy who does 3-4 loads of laundry a week would be awhile covering startup costs.

[Gee_Wizz01]

My Grandmother used to make soap and she made her lye from wood ashes. The soap making was done at the last stage hog butchering time, after the lard had been rendered and we had made a big batch of fried pork skins. Grandma made her soap in a big cast iron cauldron. I think those old cauldrons must have held at least 30 gallons. She would use a molasses pan as a mold and then cut it into cakes after it cured. I wish I knew how to do half of the things my Grandma use to do.

G

[Blammer]

ever wonder how anyone figured out how to make wood ashes and lard into soap?

I mean, WHO, several hundred years ago figured that out? How did they do it?

I mean you just don't wake up one morning and say, hey, I'm going to soak ashes in water for a week, then take that water add pig fat and make soap....

[Down South]

ever wonder how anyone figured out how to make wood ashes and lard into soap?

I mean, WHO, several hundred years ago figured that out? How did they do it?

I mean you just don't wake up one morning and say, hey, I'm going to soak ashes in water for a week, then take that water add pig fat and make soap....

I wonder about a lot of things, how they came to be in existence, who came up it with and how.

[rhadamanthos12]

Jailer, thank you for the sample.

I'm liking it so far, I have only used it 2 times but it seems like my skin isn't nearly as dry using commercial stuff.

[jcwit]

ever wonder how anyone figured out how to make wood ashes and lard into soap?

I mean, WHO, several hundred years ago figured that out? How did they do it?

I mean you just don't wake up one morning and say, hey, I'm going to soak ashes in water for a week, then take that water add pig fat and make soap....

Or who decided to try lizard spit as a cancer drug! Or skunk scent being used in purfume.

[Down South]

Jailer, thank you for the sample.

I'm liking it so far, I have only used it 2 times but it seems like my skin isn't nearly as dry using commercial stuff.
I know this may sound silly but a bar of home made soap needs to be "broke in". You need to use it two or three times before it is right.

[Jailer]

Jailer, thank you for the sample.

I'm liking it so far, I have only used it 2 times but it seems like my skin isn't nearly as dry using commercial stuff.

No problem, I'm glad you're enjoying it.

[bobbydamit]

If you plan to render your own pig fat, do it outside on the gas grill and away from the house windows. It stinks and the house will smell like it for months. People use to walk into our house and ask what died? After that I used a turkey roaster and moved it to the detached garage. It is great stuff to wet and rub on any stain and toss in the washer, and once washed, it's gone. I mean gone. As far as that little benefit, please don't use it as a shampoo!!!. Not good for the body, eyes and probably the brain. Lotsa bald guys that used home made soap all their lives. Remember, Lye is what they used in the Out House Pit. Very effective stuff. Be a Cowboy, Stay Stinky!

[Jailer]

Interesting first post.

Same goes for rendering whitetail tallow. That stuff stinks to high heaven. I had to leave the room a couple times the last time I rendered some because it was making me nauseous.

bobbydamit are you saying don't use home made soap for shampoo? Your post is a little confusing.

[RoyEllis]

please don't use it as a shampoo!!!. Not good for the body, eyes and probably the brain. Lotsa bald guys that used home made soap all their lives. Remember, Lye is what they used in the Out House Pit.

Cleansing products in your eyes is never a good idea. Guess I'm doing something wrong, over half a century of lye soap bathing & I still have all my hair. FYI, lime is used in outhouse pits, not lye.:grin:

[Phoenix]

please don't use it as a shampoo!!!. Not good for the body, eyes and probably the brain. Lotsa bald guys that used home made soap all their lives. Remember, Lye is what they used in the Out House Pit. Very effective stuff.

It depends on the mix. caustic lye soap isn't too good for your hair. great hand soap. not so good body soap. If you make it mild so the PH is balanced it works great as shampoo. Just don't forget the apple cider vinegar rinse. Your hair like it acidic. that horrible feeling you get after using real soap on your hair is from the PH being too high. Some 50/50 Apple cider vinegar/water on your hair after shampooing then rinse your hair will feel like you just used conditioner. I have an autoimmune issue that makes me itch like crazy if I use regular soap or shampoo (no it isnt allegies, it is very odd, the docs won't think outside the box so I had to resolve it myself). I have been doing this for years works great. once in a while I use mane and tail conditioner it has less chemical Cr@p than human conditioner. Giant bottle is cheap.

As for the lye in the outhouse. they used lyme in the outhouse not lye. Lye would kill off all the biologics that broke down the organic material. Lyme just reduces the odor but still hinders the biologics. Ask me how I know, four generations in my family that I have personally spoken too about it all used lyme in the outhouse. Not me. More smell means more biological digesters. Yes I have an outhouse. The wife loves not having a nasty toilet in the house. She is a rare breed.

[Down South]

Remember, Lye is what they used in the Out House Pit. Very effective stuff. Be a Cowboy, Stay Stinky!
Lye and the fats/oils used go through a chemical process called Saponification. The result is soap. If you did not overdo the lye, homemade soap works well for washing hair.
That one reason that we soapmakers wait on cold process method soap to cure, up to 6 weeks. The soap is still going through a chemical process.
Remember one of the old sayings, "Grama's soap will litterly take your hide off". There are reasons for that. Back in the old days measurements weren't as accurate, a lot of lye was made from ashes and the mixture of lye was too much and wasn't all used up in the Saponification process.
I'm in a hurry, getting ready to head for Texas but I could explain more.

[Agent1187]

I tried a couple of batches of cold process soap, and just wasn't overly impressed. Switched over to hot process, and I can't imagine ever going back. There is just some kind of texture difference that I really like from the hot process. I just made a batch this morning, and snapped a couple of pictures - the equipment isn't very specialized, and can be the same you use for your food if you clean well. Lye is like a potent bleach - bad for you at strong concentration, but essentially harmless once diluted. This batch used some ground up lavender buds I got from a wedding for scenting and in soap scrubbies.
I think someone earlier in this thread commented about using bacon grease - It is just fine, especially if you wash it a few times to reduce the bacon-y smell. This recipe calls for a mix of lard, coconut oil, olive oil, and canola oil. About 3/4 of my lard was from bacon grease this time around. Start to finish was probably 3 hours, with half of it spent cleaning the house waiting for it to cook.
Best part is - the soap is ready to use immediately (though it would be a bit hot right out of the crock), and cure time only makes for a harder, longer lasting bar.
65995

The finished product - Yields seven 3-4 ounce bars
65996

[gbrown]

In reply to posts #39 & #40, "Where did it all begin?" A lot was done by accident--fermentation--natural yeasts and honey sitting outside. Farming--noticing the growth of seeds thrown on the garbage pits producing new seeds. Smelting metal--making a fire ring and with a hot fire, metal seeping out of rocks. Fire making--heat from a primitive drill producing enough heat to start an ember. Soap? Roasting a piece of fat meat over the campfire and then a rain--(Lye [water and ash] + tallow)=soap? All of this is theoretical, and anthropologists have no definitive answer, but it is all possible.

[Blammer]

Well thanks for the samples!

I've been using it for a few days now and I have seen some improvement on my hands. It works really well to get grease and stuff off of my hands. I was working on my car and had really greasy hands and it worked just great! Seems to be pretty long lasting too!

I will definitely have to make some this summer!

[Phoenix]

In reply to posts #39 & #40, "Where did it all begin?" A lot was done by accident--fermentation--natural yeasts and honey sitting outside. Farming--noticing the growth of seeds thrown on the garbage pits producing new seeds. Smelting metal--making a fire ring and with a hot fire, metal seeping out of rocks. Fire making--heat from a primitive drill producing enough heat to start an ember. Soap? Roasting a piece of fat meat over the campfire and then a rain--(Lye [water and ash] + tallow)=soap? All of this is theoretical, and anthropologists have no definitive answer, but it is all possible.

Legend says that soap was first discovered on Sappo Hill in Rome when a group of Roman women were washing their clothes in the River Tiber at the base of a hill, below which animal fats from the sacrifices ran down into the river and created soapy clay mixture. They soon found that using this same cleansing substance the clothes were coming clear easier. Since that time we know soap as soap.

However, the ancient Babylonians were the ones who invented soap and evidence for this are Babylonian clay containers dated at 2800 B.C. Inscriptions on the containers present the earliest known written soap recipe and they state that the product was made from fats combined with wood ash and water. These early references to soap and soap making were for the use of soap to wash wool and cotton in preparation for weaving into cloth, soap was not necessarily used to wash the body.

The Ebers papyrus (Egypt, 1550 BC) reveals that ancient Egyptians combined both animal and vegetable oils with alkaline salts to produce a soap-like substance. They used this mixture for treating sores, skin diseases as well as washing.

According to the Pliny the Elder, the Phoenicians made soap from goat's tallow and wood ashes in 600 BC.

The ancient Greeks were said to have combined lye and ashes as a cleanser for pots and the statues of their gods.

Early Romans used urine to make soap like substance in the first century A.D. Later, they combined goat's tallow and the ashes of the beech tree to make both hard and soft soap products. The discovery of an entire soap factory in the ruins of Pompeii, one of the cities destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D suggest that the industry was established and that soap was widely known in the Roman Empire. During the early century of the Common Era, although the Romans are well known for their public baths, generally soap was not used for personal cleaning; it was used by physicians in the treatment of disease. Soap for personal cleaning and hygiene became popular during the later centuries of the Roman era.

The Celts, who used animal fats and plant ashes to make their soap, named the product saipo, from which the word soap is derived.

The Arabs produced the soap from vegetable oil as olive oil or some aromatic oils such as thyme oil. Sodium Lye NaOH formula was used for the first time and it hasn't changed from the current soap sold in the market. Arabian soap was perfumed and colored, and they made both liquid and hard soaps.

[Monttexan]

The wife has been making soap for the last 4 or 5 years. We haven't bought soap, or shampoo in that time. She's tried lots of different recipes. You need to make sure you have the right balance of oils/fat to lye so it saponifies correctly. If you're new at it, beware of buying your lye from online soap making specialists. The generally seem to charge dearly for their lye. The best place we've found online is from Essential Depot where you can also get essential oils to add scent and different properties to your soap. Make sure you buy food grade lye. We also buy some lye at a semi-local store (in Kingsville about 25 miles) for a decent price. The brand we get their is Rooto (in 1 lb. containers) which is for drain opening. If you don't buy food grade, then make sure the container says 100% lye. We have also seen Rooto brand at Ace Hardware stores. SWMBO has taught a few people how to make soap. She always shows a cold process first so you can really learn the process. After that she does a hot process batch to show how much faster it is. for us, she always does hot process soaps for speed and ease. Depending on what oil/fat you use and other additives you can make great grease cutting soaps for after working on cars, or kitchen use, among other thing. I guess probably the biggest think a new soap maker needs to know is that different fats saponify at different rates so your ratio changes. A small bit of reading should get you headed in the right direction in no time! Soap is a lot easier than casting boolits and dialing in the right load to make your rifle shoot straight!

[cat223]

A while back my wife made some homemade liquid laundry detergent. It was very inexpensive and worked really well. I was just telling her that I want to get some citric acid for cleaning brass cases. She said she wanted some also to make some powdered dishwasher detergent. It's always easier to get what I want when she wants it too. :2_high5: