soap – Making of a Home

Vegan Soap Recipe No. 2

Posted on April 8, 2020 by makingofahome

During this time of uncertainty, I have found myself falling back upon activities and projects that brought me happiness in the past. One particular task that seems to always give me a sense of peace is soap-making. There is something about the slow process, the circular motion of mixing, and the smells of oils wafting throughout the kitchen that puts my mind at ease.

What I look forward to most is that hopefully by the time this batch of soap is cured, we will be out of the quarantine and basking in the summer sunlight with our friends and family members.

This go-round I decided to try throwing a new fat into the mix…shea butter. I love the smooth, creamy texture the shea butter gave to this soap and I cannot wait to see how it feels on the skin! I also wanted to try to bring some summer love to this batch, so I sprinkled some dried calendula pedals (from last year’s garden) onto the top of the soap before curing.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and I look forward to sharing more at-home projects with you throughout this strange time in our world’s history. Be safe and be well, friends.

Vegan Soap Recipe No. 2

5 cups distilled water

12 oz lye

10 cups organic unrefined coconut oil

2 cups //ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=makofahom-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B07S9H5BYG&asins=B07S9H5BYG&linkId=fd80223b29de721b03c43d397b4e75a5&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=true&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff” data-wplink-url-error=”true”>organic shea butter

Essential oils of your choosing (if desired)

Brazilian clay of your choosing (if desired) (I used yellow Brazilian clay in this particular batch.)

Step 1: In a large stainless steel bowl, carefully stir the lye into the distilled water. Stir continuously until all the lye is dissolved. (This mixture can rise in temperature to almost 200 degrees, so again, proceed with caution.) Allow the lye-water mixture to cool to 75 degrees. This can often take several hours.

Step 2: Warm the coconut oil and shea butter in a stock pot until it becomes liquid. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to 80-85 degrees.

Step 3: In a very slow and steady stream, carefully add the coconut oil and shea butter to the lye-water mixture while stirring constantly.

Step 4: Once all the coconut oil and shea butter has been added, I use an immersion blender to get the soap to reach trace phase (the consistency of a thick honey).

Optional Step: If adding essential oils, blend the oils in at this time. And if adding clay for coloring your soap: mix a tablespoon of clay with .25-.50 mL of your chosen essential oil. Partially mix the clay into the soap mixture so it streaks.

Step 5: Pour mixture into soap molds. Cover with plastic. I then place lots of old beach towels on top of the plastic wrap to help insulate the soap.

Step 6: Allow your soap to remain insulted for 3-4 days. Then remove the soap from the molds, cut the soap (if necessary), and place on a cooling rack.

Step 7: Allow your soap to cure on the cooling rack for at least 2 months before using.

Vegan Soap Recipe

Posted on October 2, 2015October 22, 2015 by makingofahome

Friends, I am so very excited to share with you my vegan soap recipe today! It is a recipe I have been experimenting with for several months now, and at this point I am very happy with the way the soap is turning out. I also worked with Brazilian clay this go round, and I am thrilled with those results as well.

This soap recipe has been a gradual evolutionary project for me. When I began making soap many years ago, I used a melt-and-pour base to which I added essential oils, herbs, and other fun things. I then moved on to making my own cold-pressed soap using a combination of lard and coconut oil. My struggle with making this type of soap was that at times when I did not have access to lard from a pig in which I knew the farmers that raised it, I was using lard purchased from the grocery store. I had a hard time with this because I am so careful to consume (and feed my family) foods in which I feel confident in its raising/growing, and here I was, making soap that would go be lathered onto the largest organ of our bodies (our skin!) and I didn’t know where it came from. I started to seek an alternative for our family during those months when we did not have access to local lard, and this is the result of those efforts. I hope you enjoy!

Vegan Soap Recipe

5 cups distilled water

12 oz lye

12 cups organic unrefined coconut oil

Essential oils of your choosing (if desired)

Brazilian clay of your choosing (if desired)

*Before you get started, please know that making soap with lye can be very dangerous. You MUST be sure you are wearing proper gloves and eyewear at all times, and you must be in a well ventilated room! (I never, ever make soap when my children are awake. It is not worth the risk of having them underfoot in any way. I normally make soap very late at night after my household is asleep. I open all of the windows in the kitchen, turn on all of our ceiling fans, and then begin.)

Step 2: Warm the coconut oil in a stock pot until it becomes liquid. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to 80-85 degrees.

Step 3: In a very slow and steady stream, carefully add the coconut oil to the lye-water mixture while stirring constantly. (I often have my husband help with this process. I slowly stir the lye-water mixture while my husband ladles in the coconut oil.)

Step 4: Once all the coconut oil has been added, I use an immersion blender to get the soap to reach trace phase (the consistency of a thick honey).

Step 5: Pour mixture into soap molds. Cover with plastic. I then place lots of old beach towels on top of the plastic wrap to help insulate the soap.

Step 6: Allow your soap to remain insulted for 3-4 days. Then remove the soap from the molds, cut the soap (if necessary), and place on a cooling rack.

Step 7: Allow your soap to cure on the cooling rack for at least 2 months before using.

Living for the Pockets

Posted on February 17, 2014February 18, 2014 by makingofahome

Well friends, it has been almost a month since my last post. When going back to work full time, I had high hopes of still being able to post each day. Now I’m thinking I may have been in the midst of a bit of a crazy streak to think that would be possible. In fact, for a few weeks there I did feel like I was quite the loony lady, and sure I would never again be able to take part in those “homestead-ish” acts that had come to make up so much of my life since I left the workforce in 2009. I felt like I couldn’t balance anything, and found it difficult to stay afloat.

But as always, my husband was there to tell me two things: 1. You are crazy. But not headed down the path to Crazy Town like I thought. He said I was crazy to think just because I had started back to work full time, that I would have to suddenly abandon who I was. 2. Give it a few weeks, and you will soon be able to figure out where to fit in all you love to do: teach, raise our family and keep our suburban homestead afloat.

So I did as he directed. I waited. And low and behold (and as much as I hate to admit it), he was right. I have found those little pockets of time here and there where I can still do those activities I love. In fact, I didn’t even realize I was doing it until I went to download pictures this weekend and discovered that over the course of the past month I had been able to do quite a lot.

But these activities have taken on a different form. Instead of dedicating several hours in the afternoon to crocheting, I sneak in a couple of rows while sitting at tumbling lessons. Rather than having an entire fermenting-day, I whip up a quick batch of yogurt on Saturday mornings with extra milk that is about to expire, and throw together an attempt at water kefir on a Friday night after the girls are asleep.

And I think my favorite part of all has been the ability to interweave these homesteading activities into my classroom. In the midst of a soil composition unit, we started a worm compost bin, and a chemistry assessment turned into a soapmaking lab. And I can’t forget the measurement conversion unit where we went outside to make ice cream in the snow.

The crazy part of this new life of mine has been how I now live for those pockets. Those pockets of time when I can do and share those activities that make me who I am.

I hope you all move into this week, able to find those pockets in which you can do all that you love.

The Real Deal

Posted on October 21, 2013September 1, 2015 by makingofahome

While at “the fair” last weekend, I was lucky enough to watch a hands-on soap making demonstration conducted by Mary Jane Toth, author of Goats Produce Too. Ms. Toth was a wonder to watch, for she made soapmaking so approachable. For the first time, I felt that I could make real soap, and venture beyond my melt-and-pour roots. (Some of my favorite melt-and-pour soap recipes are: eczema-friendly soap, shave soap, anti-bacterial soap, and lavender rosemary soap.)

So, late one evening last week, I poured myself a glass of red wine (one must always be prepared for this type of new adventure I dare say), set out my lard, coconut oil and lye, and started this new journey towards homemade soap. This was the real deal, and once those lye crystals hit the water, there was no turning back.

Now I’m just praying the soap saponifies properly and cures as it should. The waiting process on this type of soap is much different than that of melt-and-pour, so we shall see. Fingers crossed 🙂

Eczema-Friendly Soap

Posted on August 1, 2013September 1, 2015 by makingofahome

A member of our family has been struggling with eczema for a very long time, so I began researching natural remedies for this ailment. In my research, I found that coconut-based products help to moisturize the dry skin of eczema, and many essential oils are found to relief many of eczema’s symptoms. Now please remember, I am by no means a medical professional, but this soap (which has only been in use a few days now), seems to be helping to give some relief.

Eczema-Friendly Soap

2 pounds Melt and Pour Soap Base (I use this Goat’s Milk Soap Base.)

1/4 cup organic coconut oil

2 teaspoons fresh chopped lavender

2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary

5 drops cedarwood essential oil

10 drops patchouli essential oil

5 drops clary sage essential oil

5 drops tea tree essential oil

10 drops lavender essential oil

5 drops rosemary essential oil

a shallow pot or saucepan

a glass bowl

wooden spoon

soap molds (You can purchase these at your local craft store or here.)

Fill the pot or saucepan half full with water. Bring to a simmer. Place the glass bowl in the pot of water to create a double boiler of sorts. Place the melt and pour soap base in the glass bowl, along with the coconut oil. Stir the base and coconut oil with a wooden spoon until it melts. Remove the bowl from the heat and mix in the fresh herbs. Then add the essential oils and stir. Allow the mixture to cool just slightly (enough to thicken the mixture just a bit). Pour into your molds. Allow to rest until completely cool. Remove the soap from the molds. Enjoy!

From Scratch

Posted on July 31, 2013September 1, 2015 by makingofahome

In our family’s attempt to make as much as we possibly can here in our home, there are those weeks that go by when we are in the midst of a creating whirlwind, and suddenly I look at the calendar and it’s Wednesday. This is one of those weeks. Oh boy.

There have been baskets and baskets of beans harvested from the garden, more than we could ever eat at this time. So, this weekend we rinsed, cut and froze most of our harvested beans to set aside for the winter months.

We are to that point in the growing season where some of our plants have gone to seed. So this weekend, entrenched in vines and leaves of green, we pulled out arugula and collected the seed pods for late fall planting. Then replanted carrots and beets for fall harvest.

I opened my linen closet last Friday to a cavernous black hole, completely void of any form of soap, lotion or shave oil. The girls and I got to work and rounded out the weekend with a fresh batch of lotion (I use the recipe from this book.) and shave oil (my recipe can be found here), and a new eczema-friendly soap concoction. (The recipe for this soap to come soon.)

And last but not least, there is the fermentation frenzy that has taken over our house the last two weeks. I don’t often become overly obsessed with much, but oh my, I think I may just be in love with Sandor Katz, his book The Art of Fermentation, and all of the nutritional benefits fermenting has to offer. I gave this book to my husband last summer for his birthday, to aid him in his beer-making endeavors. But I now find myself huddled with my morning coffee, spilling over the pages of this book, completely enraptured by the content.

Amidst the fermenting madness is fresh made yogurt, milk kefir, water kefir, and kombucha. The constant growing process of it all is just amazing, and the wonderful probiotics offered naturally in these foods is simply mind boggling. I have so much more to learn, but I am sure enjoying the entire process along the way.

I hope all of you are enjoying a wonderful start to your week!

So Fresh and So Clean

Posted on March 19, 2013September 2, 2015 by makingofahome

Amid the hustle and hustle of the past few weeks, I ran to the linen closet to grab a bar of soap and some lotion and found the shelves that normally house these items to be completely bare. So, we spent much of our St. Patrick’s Day afternoon making some new soap, lotion and deodorant.

I used my favorite lotion recipe from this amazing book, but instead using olive oil as I normally do, I used a cold-pressed organic grape seed oil. It ended up making a much lighter lotion, which I really like.

A friend of mine steered me towards this great homemade deodorant recipe, and after wearing it in a multitude of situations, I have found it to work wonderfully! In fact, I would even venture to say it works better than my organic store-bought deodorant.

And last but not least on our to-do list: soap. I created this recipe after researching those essential oils known for their anti-bacterial properties. I hope you enjoy this soap as much as we do!

Making of a Home’s Anti-Bacterial Soap

2 pounds Melt and Pour Soap Base (I use this Goat’s Milk Soap Base.)

1/2 cup palm oil

4 eye droppers of Vitamin E oil

20 drops clove essential oil

20 drops lemon essential oil

10 drops rosemary essential oil

8 drops eucalyptus essential oil

5 drops cinnamon essential oil

5 drops tea tree essential oil

a shallow pot or saucepan

a glass bowl

wooden spoon

soap molds (You can purchase these at your local craft store or here.)

Fill the pot or saucepan half full with water. Bring to a simmer. Place the glass bowl in the pot of water to create a double boiler of sorts. Place the melt and pour soap base, palm oil and the vitamin E oil in the glass bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until it melts. Remove the bowl from the heat and add the essential oils and stir. Allow the mixture to cool slightly (enough to thicken the mixture just a bit). Pour into your molds. Allow to rest until completely cool. Remove the soap from the molds. Allow the soaps to cure for about two weeks before you use them.

A Year In Review

Posted on February 15, 2013 by makingofahome

It is hard to believe that this blustery day in February marks the one year anniversary of Making of a Home. Thank you so much to all of you who have been following my musings over the course of the last year! I am deeply grateful for each of you.

Today I would like to share with you some of my favorite (and your favorite) posts from this past year. Thank you again, and be on the look out for some new and exciting changes and additions to Making of a Home over the course of the next year.

Chocolate Anyone?

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Pastaless Lasagna

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Fuasa—Italian Easter Bread

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Generational Wealth

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Farm Fresh

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Ode to the Strawberry

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Retreat

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Grandma Dit’s Carrot Cake

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Canning Day

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New Chapter

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Suburban Homestead

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Walk with Us

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Thanksgiving 2012

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Musings

The Gift of Homemade

Posted on November 28, 2012November 28, 2012 by makingofahome

The season of gift-giving is upon us, and this year we have decided to take a different approach to our most-loved holiday. We hope to create many of our gifts with our very own hands, thus giving our friends and family something truly from deep within our hearts. Here is a bit of what is in the works right now…

Good Clean Fun

Posted on October 25, 2012September 3, 2015 by makingofahome

This week opened with warm weather, but a whole lot of rain. In order to keep ourselves entertained during these deluge-filled days, my youngest and I decided it was time to restore our soap supply. It was time for some good clean fun. It was time for soap making.

In the past, I have relied upon soap recipes from books, but this time I ventured into unknown territory and made up a few concoctions of my own. Now with that said, let me be clear in stating that I have not yet made the move to making my own soap base from lye. I hope to one day get to that point, but for now I still use a wonderful goat’s-milk base from this soap-making supply company.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we have. Enjoy!

Lavender Rosemary Soap

2 lbs 10 oz goat’s milk soap base

3/4 cup palm oil

1/4 cup beeswax pellets

Melt these ingredients down in a double boiler. (I use an old glass bowl nested in a pan of hot water.) Once the mixture is melted, remove from heat. Add 3 eye droppers of vitamin E oil, 25 drops of rosemary essential oil, and 40 drops of lavender essential oil. Mix. Continue to mix and allow the mixture to cool down slightly. (I have found this helps to keep the palm oil from separating during the molding and cooling process.) Then pour the mixture into soap molds and allow to cool. Once cool, remove from molds (and cut if needed). Let the soap cure on a drying rack for two weeks before use.

Orange Chai Spice Soap

2 lbs 10 oz goat’s milk soap base

3/4 cup palm oil

1/4 cup beeswax pellets

Melt these ingredients down in a double boiler. (I use an old glass bowl nested in a pan of hot water.) Once the mixture is melted, remove from heat. Add 3 eye droppers of vitamin E oil, 40 drops of sweet orange essential oil, and the contents of 8 chai tea bags. Mix. Continue to mix and allow the mixture to cool down slightly. (I have found this helps to keep the palm oil from separating during the molding and cooling process.) Then pour the mixture into soap molds and allow to cool. Once cool, remove from molds (and cut if needed). Let the soap cure on a drying rack for two weeks before use.