Why make soap?

SunRiseArts said:

I did MP as a craft for a long time, and we sued them occasionally.

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[bolding mine] It's still kinda early in the morning for me, and as I was sitting here groggily reading your post, I began to scratch my head in wonderment as to who it was that you were occasionally suing.... and why??? MP crafters?? Was the soap really that bad, or were you maybe a lawyer or something (because what other kind of person would go around talking of occasionally suing people, except for lawyers)? Then it dawned on me that you most likely meant to say used. Yeah...I think I'm more awake now. lol

PatrickH said:

What is the purpose of home made SOAP?

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For me it comes down to one very simple thing- I make my own soap because my skin is more happy using it as when compared to using commercial brands. And also because the skins of those I gift my soap to are very appreciative of how it makes their skins feel, 3 of whom have especially expressed to me that my soap is the only soap they have found to be able to use that doesn't make their skin crack or bleed or break out in a rash if they have to wash multiple times. I also like being able to tailor it to specific tastes in regards to scents, colors, bubbliness, cleansing threshold, etc...

PatrickH said:

Making test batches, waiting for cure times, recalculating and making another adjustment until you get what you want. It would take 20 years to maybe come up with a ok bar of soap, especially when someone suggests upping or lowering 1% with each test batch..

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You can whittle it down to no more than a year if you make multiple 1lb. to 2lb. batches in a row (each batch being different from each other), compare them to each other after cure (keep a detailed notebook), and then do further tweaking/fine tuning to those you found to be the best out of the bunch. That's a basic summary of how I did things when I first started out.

Regarding making 1% changes that someone suggested: It could be that you might be confusing that with making only one change at a time, which I know is often suggested (completely two different things). I personally would suggest 5% to 10% changes at a time with any one given ingredient.

PatrickH said:

Then when a number is said to be too high and a simple recipe is given for help that has a number much higher then what was said to be too high, I don't get it..

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That's because we all have different skin-types. Whenever advice is given, just keep in mind that the ones giving the advice are coming from their own experiences of what they've personally found their own skins to like/dislike. Dibbles said it best in Post #3 (bolding mine): "When you are creating a recipe and post it here, you will always get a lot of advice. This is usually based on the person's own experience with a particular oil - most often coconut. Someone with dry skin will advise you to stay at or under 15%. My skin will tolerate 25% with no problem and I love fluffy, bubbly lather. Usually I use somewhere between 20-23%. You will find what you like best in time."

For what it's worth, my two main base formulas (the 2 that I make the most on a regular basis) contain 31.5% coconut and 28% coconut respectively, and my skin and the skins of the folks I gift my soap to are quite happy with it. But I know that if I ever chanced to gift one of my soaps to our forum member Susie, it would be a totally different story- my soap would most likely make her skin feel quite unhappy.

PatrickH said:

Or when I hear no soap is never conditioning, it's only cleansing. What is the purpose of adding a bunch of stuff to make it conditioning?

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It's all a matter of proper perspective or semantics. While it's very true that a soap by nature is a cleanser- not a conditioner such as a lotion- you can tweak your ingredients or increase your superfat % in order to lower the intensity of it's cleansing power so that it will feel less drying/oil-stripping to your skin, i.e., your skin will perceive the lessening of the cleansing power as being more 'conditioning',.....but it's still a cleansing agent (not a conditioning agent).

PatrickH said:

It totally throws me off when I read at places where it says something totally different, then it makes me feel like I'm not understanding a specific something with what I thought I did understand.

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As BattleGnome said in post #11: "Remember, anyone with an internet connection can call themselves an expert in anything with no proof to back it up."

And as BrewerGeorge said in post #16: "...be careful what you're reading online. There is A LOT of bad information out there, some even dangerous. This place is THE best source on the 'Net by very, very far."

That's why I love this forum. It's filled with a slew of experienced soapmakers who have been making soap for years and are very generous with their time and advice. Sure- some of the advice given may sometimes differ from soaper to soaper, but there's a big difference between being given advice from a differing perspective based on ones personal, long-term soaping experiences, and downright bad, wrong, and/or dangerous advice. Happily though, you don't need to read very far on the forum before it becomes clear which is which, because our more experienced members are not shy about chiming in and steering the unwary out of the path of danger.

PatrickH said:

So now I'm kinda confused on the purpose of HP besides being able to add SF after the cook, which is probably best for use in Shaving soap and not so much hand and body soap.

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I'm not a fan of HPing, but it does have its uses. I only do it when I absolutely have to in these 2 instances: 1) When I make my shave soap- because the stearic acid content makes it impossible to CP; and 2) When working with a known seizing FO.

PatrickH said:

And then comes the dreaded step of adding lye to water, the worst part of soapmaking for me.. gives me a headache all day the next day, even when mixed outside head down and away and slwcooker by a open door..

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I hate making lye solution too. That's why I master-batch my lye solution. I make enough solution at one time that will last me through several batches of soap before I run out of it and need to make another master-batch. Lye solution lasts for a very, very long time (at least over a year) without diminishing in strength/efficacy if stored properly. I store mine in re-claimed HDPE laundry detergent bottles with a no-drip pour spout and tight-fitting lid.


IrishLass

IrishLass said:

[bolding mine] It's still kinda early in the morning for me, and as I was sitting here groggily reading your post, I began to scratch my head in wonderment as to who it was that you were occasionally suing.... and why??? MP crafters?? Was the soap really that bad, or were you maybe a lawyer or something (because what other kind of person would go around talking of occasionally suing people, except for lawyers)? Then it dawned on me that you most likely meant to say used. Yeah...I think I'm more awake now. lol





IrishLass

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OMG Yes used! Can a moderator please fix that? I am always typing fast and having to edit my posts to correct spelling. If you all ever see a last edited, is always because of spelling!

This computer I got has a smaller keyboard, and I just can't get used to it. I bet this is the PC that will last years .... probably because I hate it. I should have looked at the processor. I am waiting for it to break, so I can have a excuse to replace it. :twisted:

The reason we did not always used them, as well as people I give them to, is because they think they are so pretty, they just want them as decoration!

I go, you know I can make more, right?

Kittish said:

I got into making soap because I'm a maker, and it looked interesting, and I love learning new skills.

I like doing creative projects that leave me with something I can hand someone and say "Isn't this neat? Want it?" I've currently got at least two people that are already going to be giving me enthusiastic "Yes!"'s anytime I offer them soap. I also have a wide DIY streak in me. I want to be able to make as many of the things that I use on a daily basis as I can. That's a big part of what led me into cooking and baking as well. And soapmaking and cooking aren't that far apart in what you're doing. They're both a kind of alchemy, involving esoteric materials and reactions. Just, one result you can eat, the other you can wash the bbq sauce off with. Try not to mix them up.

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This is the same exact reason why soap/candle making appeals to me so much!

Why let me upload something It is long but nice read; Admins forgive me that long post , please
What is the difference between Handmade Soap and Store Bought Soap?
Reason #1: Handmade Soap Contains Glycerin.
Glycerin is a natural skin emollient (skin softener) that attracts water from the surrounding air. Because of this, glycerin is highly prized in soaps, lotions and creams for maintaining moisture in the skin throughout the day. Animal fats and vegetable oils contain between 7-13% of glycerin as a part of their natural chemical makeup.
During the soap making process, the fats/oils and lye blend together to form soap while the natural glycerin maintains its integrity as glycerin and basically settles in between the soap molecules. Too much glycerin and the soap will become mushy and disintegrate quickly. Too little glycerin and the soap becomes very harsh and drying to the skin.
Typical store-bought soaps have had all of the glycerin removed and placed into additional products such as lotions and creams. The reason is instead of buying one product that will clean AND moisturize, (such as handmade soap) a consumer now has to buy two products to serve the same purpose, thus, an increase in profit for the company.
When profit is placed as a higher priority than quality of life, the consumer is the one who suffers. By removing the glycerin, store-bought soap takes on a skin-moisture-stripping quality that will dry the skin and leave it vulnerable to cracking and flaking. But that’s not all....
Reason #2: True Handmade Soap does not use “Fragrance”
The FDA does not require the ingredients used to develop a company’s trademark “fragrance” to be disclosed on the label. This means that your “fresh rain” or “cherry blossom” scented soap could contain hundreds of harmful chemicals without your knowledge. Some of these chemical concoctions have been found to be skin irritants and known carcinogens.
Traditionally made handmade soaps are scented with pure essential oils, never fragrance oils as that would immediately defeat the purpose of being completely natural. When you use soaps scented with only essential oils, you not only benefit from the lack of harmful chemicals, but you actually benefit from the therapeutic properties each essential oil offers. Not to mention the smell is amazing!
This can also be an exciting feature for the consumer as you get to decide what you want your soap to do for you. Example: lavender soap lends it’s relaxation and skin repair qualities, and citrus soap lends it’s invigorating and antimicrobial qualities. Need a pick-me-up first thing in the morning, try a handmade soap that has lemongrass essential oil in it, not “sunburst” fragrance oil. So let’s see, harmful unknown chemicals or therapeutic essential oils.... we’ll stick with oils thank you!
Reason #3: Soap made the Old-Fashioned Way
Our ancestors knew what they were doing, and did it for thousands of years - why change it! Traditional handmade soaps are made one of two ways: hot process and cold process. Cold Process soap is made by mixing sodium hydroxide (lye) with water, then blending it with oils, then adding essential oils and natural colorants, and finally, pouring it into molds to make it nice and pretty (of course the very simplified tutorial). The soaps then sit inside the mold for 24 hours to saponify (become soap), are removed from the mold to dry for 24 hours, then cut into bars of soap and must then air dry or “cure” for 4-6 weeks. Yeah, it’s quite a process. Hot process is essentially the same, but instead of placing the soap in a mold to cure, the liquid is placed in a heat source (oven or crockpot) and heated until cured.
The method is simply personal preference, though some say that cold process is the true, original form of soap making.
These methods of hand-making soap is of course, the opposite of store bought soap which is made on a large scale in factories. Store bought soap is made using a continuous flow method with hundred of hands on the process...or probably now a days, a hundred robot arms. The soap base is continually being made in the same “batch” of soap, never to rest or relax. It is then blended with filler ingredients and chemicals such as Sodium Isethionate (a foam enhancer) and Dipropylene Glycol (a chemical solvent...why it’s needed...who knows) and then formed into molds.
Soap making is just like cooking, caring for a child or tending to the elderly - it all needs love, attention and time. We believe the hands on approah of handmade soap provides soap the love and attention it needs and know you can feel that energy once you use it.
Reason #4: Handmade Soap is Simply Amazing for your Skin!
Handmade soap preserves the integrity of the oils/fats/butters. Coconut oil goes in, saponified (made into soap) coconut oil comes out. Shea butter goes in, shea butter comes out. Because of this, the oils/fats/butters maintain their vitamins, minerals and skin-loving qualities in the final soap product.
A skilled soapmaker can modify their recipe to produce characteristics in the soap naturally instead of adding chemicals to achieve the same goal. To make a harder bar of soap, add more tallow or olive oil. To make a thick-lathering soap, add some honey. As discussed above, store-bought soap is likely to have the addition of synthetic chemicals to produce similar results and we feel, it simply is not needed.
But why take our word for it? The best way to find out is to put it to the test! Purchase a bar of handmade soap from a local soapmaker and give it a try. I can assure you, the experience will be well worth it.

SunRiseArts said:

OMG Yes used! Can a moderator please fix that? I am always typing fast and having to edit my posts to correct spelling. If you all ever see a last edited, is always because of spelling!

This computer I got has a smaller keyboard, and I just can't get used to it. I bet this is the PC that will last years .... probably because I hate it. I should have looked at the processor. I am waiting for it to break, so I can have a excuse to replace it. :twisted:

The reason we did not always used them, as well as people I give them to, is because they think they are so pretty, they just want them as decoration!

I go, you know I can make more, right?

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Same here. I type too fast on the small keyboard on my ipad and then I mess up. I always want to go back and fix the errors.

For me making soap started with curiousity after seeing something about handmade soap. I had heard about my great grandparents making it on their farm, but that was about it. I learned that it made my skin feel so much better than store bought syndets. I was hooked and have never gone back to store bought stuff. I love making new formulas and trying them out. I enjoy everyhing about this hobby, and my family loves the results.

I would like make a soap because i've got allergy for everything ;(

Dahila said:

Why let me upload something It is long but nice read; Admins forgive me that long post , please
...

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Wow. There is a BUNCH of stuff in there that I disagree with.

laan2d010 said:

I would like make a soap because i've got allergy for everything ;(

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Welcome to the forum! I learned to make soap from a book called "Better Basics for the Home" written by a lady who was also allergic to everything! (Well, a lot of things!)

Can you tell us what your "everything" includes? I'm assuming fragrances, but do you have any trouble with any fats/oils - such as coconut oil, lard, olive? Do you have nut allergies (which may rule out oils like peanut, sweet almond, macadamia)? Latex allergies (which may rule out shea butter?)

I suggest you start a new thread with your specific allergies/sensitivities and we can make suggestions from there.

BrewerGeorge said:

Wow. There is a BUNCH of stuff in there that I disagree with.

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Me too...

For me, handmade soap is a no brainer. Years ago, as I entered my 50s, my skin was dry and flaky. I used Dove, and moisturized like crazy, sometimes desperately even with petroleum jelly, because my face just couldn't seem to get enough moisture. And still, my face was dry. When a friend of mine went to Europe, and brought me back a bar of olive oil soap, shaped like a rooster, and probably meant to be used as kitchen soap, I tried it on my face, and I heard the angels sing!!! My skin did not feel dry and parched any more. It was like a miracle. So as that bar of soap got smaller and smaller, I started thinking how nice it would be to make my own olive oil soap. Soap with ingredients of my choosing, so that I could add only the good stuff. By making it myself, I could be sure of exactly what was and was not in it. For me, soapmaking has always been more about the ingredients than about how the soap looks. (Which is a good thing, considering the fact that I'm seriously swirl challenged. ) Since I've been using my own soap, my face is no longer dry. At 67, I use only a small amount of moisturizer these days. I think it's important to repeat that soap doesn't moisturize your skin, but what it does is to clean it gently, without stripping the natural oils. By doing this, I feel it allows your skin to return to it's natural, healthy state. So to be able to make my own soap that is kind to the skin, and that has nothing but good stuff in it...like I said, a no brainer.

jcandleattic said:

Me too...

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I do not agree with everything either it was more for Patrick that anyone else here on Forum
the fact is that before my soap after shower I had to put a moisturizer, right now I just put it on my front legs (dermatitis) and feet, that's about it,
I have similar expierences to Navigator with soap

I've just starting to use some of my soaps in the shower (been washing my hands with them for weeks, though). Even after just a couple of uses, I can see and feel a difference with my skin. Flaky, dry looking bits that I used to get right after a shower are gone with the homemade soap. Not as itchy after I get dried off (dry skin itch) either. I'm not needing as much lotion, and I live in a very arid environment. In a way, it's similar to changes I saw with my hair when I stopped using shampoo. I don't have oily hair anymore, and very little dandruff ever. I use baking soda in water to wash with, and rinse with diluted apple cider vinegar. Been using this method for over 5 years, and my hair is in great shape. So, while I started making soap because making something new, I'm certainly going to keep making it because I like it. And everyone I've given soap to has liked it.

I started by making shaving soap, and figured it was cheap so I might as well make bath soap too. I'm a bit picky about scents and have always had trouble finding soap I liked, so I jumped right in.

My mother is 93, and has been complaining about itching skin for a couple years. Her helper recommended Dove for sensitive skin, but it really didn't help much and I was getting her cortisone cream pretty often.

So I decided to try making some soap with a recommended recipe (by Obsidian) and one of my own making -- HP with cocoa butter and shea butter added after the cook like my shave soap. She really likes the one with cocoa and shea so far, although she did ask for smaller bars and I had to make a second batch. A bit greasy feeling for me, but she's happy.

And after a couple bars of my 80% lard and 80% used "vegetable oil" with soy wax bars, I find that my skin feels better and I don't get that rash of tiny whiteheads I always got when I was working out in the yard. Less itching, although I've never had anything resembling dry skin, and the minor acne I always seem to have on my chest and shoulders is definitely less.

Great stuff, homemade soap! And I can scent it as I please (very faint, thank you!).