# Anyone Ever Tried Soap-Making?



## RadishRose (Jun 14, 2019)

I saw some of these on YouTube. Looks like a satisfying tho' pricey hobby. Could be well worth it. There's even advice on selling, packing and shipping your bars.

There's one bar that looks just like watermelon and so fun to watch! I wish I had the room and the  motivation...

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClN5CUhtWenxWs8eD0qGlkg/videos



This is one of many. Looks good enough to eat. It's long, so FF until near the to see th bars being cut- they're beautiful.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Jun 14, 2019)

The only way I tried to make soap was by using up small pieces,and the small soaps from the hotels. As I remember they said to melt them down on the stove or microwave. I couldn't get it to work. It wouldn't stick together. That ended my soap making hobby. RadishRose,if you try it I wish you good luck. Probably making it from scratch would work much better. I ended up putting my soupy stuff in a bottle out by the hose to wash my hands after being in the garden.


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## Keesha (Jun 14, 2019)

No I’ve never made my own solid soaps before but have often thought of it. 
Handmade soaps like these are so nice . The clip was great to watch. Now I know that coloured mica coated sea salt is used to add as decoration. 

It truly is a form of art that one day I’d like to try. Unfortunately I have too many hobbies and too much stuff already. Plus I know if I made these soaps I’d give most away. Would they not made lovely gifts?

And yes  they looked good enough to eat.


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## win231 (Jun 14, 2019)

I've never made soap but I watched an episode of "Craftman's Legacy" where the host spent half an hour with a lady that does that.  I was really surprised at how involved it was.


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## SeaBreeze (Jun 14, 2019)

That looks neat Rose, but a lot of work, for me anyway.  Like Ruth, a long time ago I started saving slivers of soap from bars we used at home and attempted to make my own liquid soap to save money.  Well, mine didn't stick together either, I used the microwave.


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## Aunt Bea (Jun 15, 2019)

The posts about saving soap chips reminded me of these little crocheted scrubber bags. They used to turn up at church bazaars but I haven't thought about them or actually seen one in years.






My grandmother had one of these wire soapsavers for the slivers of soap.  






_"A penny saved is a lot of work!"_ - Aunt Bea layful:nthego:


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## RadishRose (Jun 15, 2019)

Aunt Bea said:


> The posts about saving soap chips reminded me of these little crocheted scrubber bags. They used to turn up at church bazaars but I haven't thought about them or actually seen one in years.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I've never seen either of those before, AB.


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## Keesha (Jun 15, 2019)

I love handmade soaps and buy them often but get the all natural kind. This ones lavender and it helps keep mosquitoes away this time of year.


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## jujube (Jun 15, 2019)

Someone gave me a soap-making kit several years ago for Christmas.  I gave it a try but nothing turned out well.

I did make jars of soapy scrub stuff once to give as gifts.  I had about a gallon of salt I had dug up on the Bonneville Salt Flats and I mixed that with liquid hand soap, Epsom salts, brown sugar and a few drops of olive oil.  Everyone seemed to like it and asked for more.


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## RadishRose (Jun 15, 2019)

A friend of mine gave me a jar of lavender "scrub" she made with sugar. It was very nice.


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## Trade (Jun 15, 2019)

No, but I saw how to do it in a movie once.


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## RadishRose (Jun 15, 2019)

Omg!


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## AZ Jim (Jun 15, 2019)

During WW2 My brother and I were in "war care" during the day so our parents could work in their defense jobs.  We made soap there.  I remember the soap worked but I can't remember how we made it.  It was fun though.


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## Seeker (Jun 15, 2019)

I've only made it from slivers..

Turned them into a bar...

Now I just attach the sliver to the next bar...

I do make laundry detergent though.


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## Marie5656 (Jun 15, 2019)

jujube said:


> Someone gave me a soap-making kit several years ago for Christmas.  I gave it a try but nothing turned out well.
> 
> I did make jars of soapy scrub stuff once to give as gifts.  I had about a gallon of salt I had dug up on the Bonneville Salt Flats and I mixed that with liquid hand soap, Epsom salts, brown sugar and a few drops of olive oil.  Everyone seemed to like it and asked for more.




*That sounds interesting.  Was it like a body wash?  Did you follow a specific recipe, or just make it up?  I would not mind trying this.*


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## jujube (Jun 15, 2019)

Marie5656 said:


> *That sounds interesting.  Was it like a body wash?  Did you follow a specific recipe, or just make it up?  I would not mind trying this.*



I just sort of made it up as I went along.  I put too much olive oil in the first batch; you just want a little bit.  Yes, it's a sort of body wash, mostly for the legs and arms and hands and feet....anywhere you want to exfoliate.  DO NOT use it on your face.  How do I know?  I used it on my face.  That salt burns like heck when it gets in your eyes...and it WILL get in your eyes.


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## jujube (Jun 15, 2019)

Aunt Bea said:


> The posts about saving soap chips reminded me of these little crocheted scrubber bags. They used to turn up at church bazaars but I haven't thought about them or actually seen one in years.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That bottom one was usually used for cakes of laundry soap.  You put the soap in the "cage" and then swished it around in the wash water until it was sudsy enough.


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## Ted Gunderson (Aug 7, 2019)

My grandson Jodi and I tried to make a batch of soap last year but we had trouble getting the hog fat so we tried a mix of hog and cow. I’m not sure we did it right though.  My wife won’t use it.


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## C'est Moi (Aug 7, 2019)

Seeker said:


> I've only made it from slivers..
> 
> Turned them into a bar...
> 
> ...


How do you make your laundry detergent, Seeker?   Would it work in a HE machine?


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## win231 (Aug 7, 2019)

Funny you're chatting about this.  Soap is one of the things I collect & hoard.  I like keeping several unopened soaps in the bathroom; people are always asking me, "Why does your bathroom & hallway always smell so nice; I don't even want to leave it?"
My current favorite is the "French Milled Soap" - I get them on Amazon.
I don't have the patience or desire to make my own.


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## StarSong (Aug 8, 2019)

I "inherited" so much bar soap from my mother's house (she died nearly 5 years ago) that I figured it would take at least 10 years to use it up.  Enter our son and DIL a month, when they came over with a freaking CASE of bar soap that they got from her parents (who must have bought a pallet of it)!  I reluctantly took two boxes of about three bars each off his hands.  

We only use bar soap in the shower - and though I've seen websites about how to convert bar soap into liquid soap I don't know anyone who's done it successfully. Perhaps someone here has though and can guide me through??? 

I'm awash (as it were) in bar soap!


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## Seeker (Aug 8, 2019)

C'est Moi said:


> How do you make your laundry detergent, Seeker?   Would it work in a HE machine?



Most people say no it doesn't...but for anyone who's interested this is my recipe....

1 4lb box of borax
1 3lb box of Washing Soda
1 4lb box of baking soda
1 1.3 lb container of oxi clean
2 bars of Zote soap grated and air dried at least 24 hours (these are the big bars like two bars in one).
You can also add any of those odor crystals if you like..2 8oz bottles. I prefer to add mine with each load.

You are only suppose to use like 2 Tlbs. per load.
You will not get a lot of suds but it is doing it's job..

This recipe last me close to a year and cost about $26.00 minus the perfumed crystals.

You could research it more about the HD but I do believe in the past I have read where it doesn't work good.
I don't know a lot about the HD washers.


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## C'est Moi (Aug 8, 2019)

Seeker said:


> Most people say no it doesn't...but for anyone who's interested this is my recipe....
> 
> 1 4lb box of borax
> 1 3lb box of Washing Soda
> ...


Thanks.   I think "HD" is just code for "doesn't use enough water to rinse the soap out."


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