Teach Soap

I had to share this! About 10 years ago my mother-in-law thought she wanted to try making soap. She changed her mind after deciding it was too expensive. Anyway, last week she sent me the soapmaking books she had purchased. In one of the books she had folded up several newspaper and magazine articles about making soap, including this (minus the people's names):

"Thanks for calling the ** Hotline, where what matters to you, matters to us! Here is the information you requested...
RECIPE FOR SOAP
RY met with A and J, who make their own soap

Ingredients:
6 lbs. clean fat, can be chicken, beef or pork
12 oz. lye (caustic soda)

Directions:
In plastic bowl stir lye slowly into water.
Melt fat until liquified then let cool to 100 degrees. Wearing gloves and being sure not to inhale, add lye and water solution slowly and carefully. Let cool.
Stir until there is a thicker consistency.
Pour into mold of choice. Let stand until soap becomes hard. A & J let their soap sit from 6 months to a year.
***If lye splashes on you be sure to wash immediately with cold water.
Enjoy your homemade soap!"

I was flabbergasted when I read this and am very thankful that she didn't try to make soap using this recipe! (I happen to love my mom-in-law very much!)

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Calculating this recipe with SAP value of 6 lbs. of lard, it will take 12 ozs. of lye for about 9.5% superfat.
It would need about 24 to 36ozs. of water. That recipe is not that far off. When my mother made soap, there were no computers, nor the internet. My mother stored used fat in a coffee can under the sink. When she had enough, she would make soap. Since she used the tub and a washboard, it made for a decent laundry soap.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I know that was what people used to do, my grandmother did the same, but at least she had the years of experience to know about how much water, fat and lye to use. It just bothers me that this was from just 10 years ago, but doesn't mention how much water to use, or give any real safety precautions to someone that may never had made soap before.

I think it's great that we can take something as basic as these ingredients and be able to use soapcalc to turn it into an actual recipe!

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

I think we can see how, to some people, homemade soap got a bad reputation. Although, I can remember a friend's mother, in the 60's, standing by her bars of homemade soap. She was so proud of them, and she said, "Nobody can touch this soap for gentleness. You can't buy soap like this." I don't know why this memory stands out in my mind. I've wondered if it's part of the reason I got into making soap! I would sure love to have my friend's mother's recipe.

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So many oils, so little time.

-Cathy