Because I make my own soap and teach soapmaking classes, I clear up a lot of misconceptions about soap. Through the years, there are three ideas that keep coming back again and again. Can you teach me to make soap without lye? In a word -- no! No one can. You cannot make soap without lye. Soap is by definition saponified oils, and the way to saponify oils is by using lye in … [Read more...]
Learning to Make Soap
There are lots of reasons to make your own soap. You can create a safer product than what's available commercially, and you can save money when compared to products with similar, natural ingredients. It can also be fun! Anne-Marie Faiola has always taken the fun part to a whole new level, as her soaps look like works of art. In her latest book, Pure Soapmaking: How to Create … [Read more...]
Why I’m still making soap after 14 years
Shortly after moving to the country I was complaining to a friend about my allergy to commercial soaps. I used to be a major fragrance junky! I was one of those people who now make me miserable. I had more than half a dozen different colognes, and I had matching soap, lotion, and powder for at least four or five of them. And then one by one, they all made me start itching and … [Read more...]
The homemade laundry detergent debate
When I wrote EcoThrifty it seemed that there were dozens of people around the web who were talking about making your own laundry detergent at home. I quickly realized all of them were using pretty much the same recipe: borax, washing soda, and a grated bar of soap. I wanted to include homemade laundry detergent in my book, but I had a few problems with that popular recipe and … [Read more...]
6 reasons homesteaders need a kitchen scale
When I started reading about how to make soap, I noticed that everyone said I needed to have a digital kitchen scale. Why do I need a scale to make soap when people have been making soap for thousands of years? Eventually I learned that when people made soap historically, they used whatever oil was available locally, which usually meant lard or tallow in the U.S., coconut or … [Read more...]
Upcoming classes for homesteaders
Spring homesteading classes are beginning on Antiquity Oaks near Cornell, Illinois! Even if you do not live in our neighborhood, you might consider attending our classes if you want to learn new skills in homesteading and self-reliance. We've had people attend from Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Michigan, and other states. Here are the classes we have … [Read more...]
Mother Earth News Fair:
Natural Home Dairy presentation
Last weekend I was in Pennsylvania at the third Mother Earth News Fair to be held at Seven Springs. On Sunday morning, when temperatures were in the 40s, a brave group of souls came out to listen to my talk on the Natural Home Dairy. This is the PowerPoint that accompanied that talk, and it includes a recipe for queso blanco cheese and milk soap. … [Read more...]
Thoughts on soap making
When writing the soap making section of Homegrown and Handmade, I decided to look at some articles and do some online searches and see what others have written about making soap. To be completely honest, I was a little nervous about writing on the subject because lye can be pretty dangerous stuff. On the other hand, I didn't want to scare people so badly that they would be too … [Read more...]
