Teach Soap

HI ALL
What got you started ?
Having a business ? Hobby ? Artistic creation ? Saving money ?
Until recently, I never knew home soapmaking was so big.
As for me, I'm still "in school" with all this.
I thought I might save a little $ and get better products for myself and for gifts.
That remains to be seen. Maybe I can get better products at least.

Soapmaking is not a cheap hobby, but it can be made into a business. My mother and grandmother both made soaps, so I had a little head start. Soapers these days have it soooo much easier. Fancy oils or butters from around the world are available and online lye calculators give you the proper amount of lye, which used to be done by hand. You can certainly make better products for yourself and use whatever oils or butters that you desire.

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

My Grandma taught me how to make soap, she was a Depression area soap maker, so for her, was essential. My mom never made soap. But Gram taught me at an early age and I love making soap! I've made it for my family for years and only started selling recently. My friends and family love what I make. No, it's not cheap, but it's gratifying. That's what I look for, mostly, gratification.
I don't use lard, like Gram does, but other than that, I use her recipes. They are simple, what most call the "trifecta" olive, palm and coconut. But I enjoy it. It calms me from my "real life"


Brandy

I am very new to soap making. Got inspired by my husband who makes candles, he has such great scents. Then I attended a one night class at the tech collage and I was hooked. I love the entire process, but mostly love sharing something that I created, and something that can be used. I warn my family and friends that if they just leave the soap to sit around and 'look pretty' they will get no replacements!

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

I like to learn how to do things myself... I spin my own yarn, weave my own cloth, sew everything from clothes to curtains and (of course) make my own soap! I just love the creative process and I love creating beautiful things that can be used and enjoyed. Once I realized that soap making could be creative and artistic as well as functional, I was sold!

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http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spotted-H ... l&filter=2
http://spottedhipposoap.blogspot.com/

My grandmother made soap, so I grew up with it. Also trying to get alot of chemicals out of my life for health reasons. Nanna's soap was made from bacon grease (depression survivor ,they wasted nothing) and it was good soap. I save my bacon grease to fry potatoes.

Linda, if you add onions to those potatoes I'll be over!

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

Linda Wise thanks for stirring a memory !
of when I was little & my Mom saved bacon fat...I'll date myself...I remember when the Florida oranges came to town it was a big deal...a spoon of cod liver oil in a small glass of fresh squeezed OJ...tasted weird but I kind of liked it...I quess because Mom made the whole thing seem special.

That was pre-globalised food supply days - no fresh berries in winter - homemade jams, jellies, home-canned cherries !

Mostly I want to control what's in my soap products. "green" considerations. Saving $$$ would be good, but I'm beginning to think I might have to let go of that idea.

Bubbles2, I'll put onions in it for sure.

nonaut, I remember all that stuff too. And I think your right about letting it go if you (we) plan to sell our soap.

I tried soapmaking because I FINALLY have the time to try the things I've been wanting to do but couldn't because of raising 3 kids and working full time. I now have a garden and can fruits and veggies all summer long, make quilts, bake bread each week, make most of my own cleaning products, and MAKE SOAP! My only problem now is having way too much soap!

Love this forum. Thanks for letting me share!

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

Wow, you think we were just all born in the wrong decade? Im into all that stuff too. Kids grown, now I do stuff for me. My garden and herb garden are a big part of it.

Linda,
Growing up I always had a garden and I loved everything about it - even weeding! I moved to FL after high school and hated it because it was too hot to have a decent garden. I was thrilled when my hubby said he wanted to move to TN about 3.5 years ago. One of the first things I did was pick out my garden spot. My hubby thought I was nuts - until my little 15ft row of beans gave us 60 jars for the winter. Now he "happily" tills the garden for me each season.

I've also crocheted and sewed most of my life, but when the kids were little I was making clothes for them or curtains for the house, or clothes for me to wear for work. It's so nice to be able to take that experience and make lovely quilts now. I still work part time, but there's no pressure anymore since 2 are in college and my "baby" is 15.

I think we would have made terrific pioneer women! LOL

Linda M.

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

My baby is 30 and my oldest is 36 . I've got 2 grandchildren and am looking forward to teaching them to garden.

I got into soap making just because one day the idea hit me to try it with my homebrewed beer. I don't know why this thought entered my head, I had never seen or heard of beer soap before. It has been a fun ride so far. I like the research and development time the best. I also like selling at craft shows and getting the chance to talk to so many different peaple. I was featured in my local newspaper as well a few weeks ago. Here is a link to see the online version of the article.

http://www.mlive.com/living/grand-rapid ... ap_cr.html

Bruce

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www.homebrewsoaps.etsy.com