Kat from East Texas

[KatsKreations]

Hello everyone. I am Kat. I first thought about making my own soap about 5 weeks ago. I gave it a week and then made my first 3 batches. First 2 were recipes I found online. I then found a good soap calculator and have been dreaming up all kinds of things to do. I have a healthy respect for dangerous things like lye but do not really fear it so me in my usual fashion jumped right in. I already had my scale, stick blender, long rubber gloves, safety goggles, and mask. (You are probaly thinking what kind of person is this? LOL) I went out and got a cheap 8 quart SS pot and a large Ancor Heavy duty glass measuring cup for my lye solution. It has a lid so if things suddenly go crazy I can cover up the lye and come back to it later.

I do not have any kids in the house for the most part. Grands come and visit some but not as often as I would like. Also this is not where I say I am waiting on my first batch so I can have a career. I have 2 careers already. They are both very stressful. I am an RN working the night shift at a busy hospital. I also am President of a construction company. Last thing I want or need is another job. I nurse so I can support the company. I am fairly artistic and search for double hobbies. Weird right? I can food so I can eat it. Love both parts, I reload bullets so I can shoot my gun. The bullets you have to measure all the way down to grains so measuring in grams is nothing. I am not a hunter but just like to shoot.

I guess my canning counts as a tripple hobby, I raise all my plants from seeds. never use pesticides or fungicides. I am not really anal about all organic this and that but I think all the hormones and antibiotics in our food added in with pesticides and fungicides are really increasing cancer and I am really tired of taking care of people that are going to die and our food and environment is what is probably killing them. Wow glad I got that off my chest LOL. I am all about self sufficiency. What is better than being able to make my own soap that can help skin problems of my family and friends. Also I like to just be clean after the things I touch at night. Yucky!!

So forward to my first batch of soap. It was a double butter. I put it in some ice cube trays and pencil holder I got at walmart for 97 cents. The next night I made an oatmeal, honey, almond milk in a lined cat litter box (unused of course lol). It has been going crazy since. I love it!!! Soon people will be running from me like when I try to give away tomatoes or peppers. I guess it does not hurt to have a stockpile of soap, but when I was in church yesterday I was wondering if when I get adapt at this if the soup kitchen would be willing to pass out a bar to each family just to empty out my grandkids room so I can do some more. Is that wrong?:grin:

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Nothing wrong with wanting to spread the love. I never mind when my wife wants to give my soap to her friends, as it means I have to make more!

And welcome!

 

[godschild]

Welcome. Enjoy the world of soaping! I sure have and I give it to everybody lol. If not, I would quickly run out of room

 

[shunt2011]

Welcome to the forum. I have away hundreds of bars of soap when I first started out. I still donate soap to local family/women's/homeless shelters. I donate those that didn't turn out how I wanted, scent didn't stick well or they just haven't sold well. It's certainly an addiction.

 

[IrishLass]

Welcome to the addiction! Your soap looks great!

IrishLass

 

[Jstar]

Welcome!

I too do most of the things you mentioned in your post...particularly the planting from my own seed stock, and canning. I do hunt, but not as often as I used to..just too dang cold.

Back to the planting and canning...between me, my sister and brother, and my mom..we had together 315 'tomato plants'...that's just the tomatoes.. :shock: and we plant just about everything you can name off...soooo your comment about giving them away really cracked me up:

"Soon people will be running from me like when I try to give away tomatoes or peppers"

Trust me...they will. They run from me and they will run from you too hahahaha! But we keep on a soapin'

 

[Susie]

Hey Kat! Nice to meet a new "next-door neighbor", and another RN to boot! I haven't yet gotten the gardening to the scale you have, but I have a few plants and herbs going.

Your local homeless/abused women's shelters will adore you if you call them and ask if they want hand made soap. Just be sure to follow any size/shape/ingredient list requests. And the women are SO excited to have something that smells pretty!

If you need another source for a good mold, Dollar Tree has drawer dividers that hold a good 2-3 lb batch of soap, and they do not require lining(which is awesome!) Just be sure to check for the 5 in the little triangle on the bottom. And they only cost $1.