SOAP! Discuss making, selling, using, etc

Oooooooooo me; I'd love to chime in.

I love my homemade soap. It still contains all the really good stuff (glycerin) that manufacturers remove before they pour it in the molds and throw it up on store shelves. I had issues with my skin for years, far into adulthood, but haven't had any further issue since I started making and using my own soap.

So many people associate homemade soap with the smelly, hard, soap our grandmothers made from rendered animal fat or cleaned cooking grease. And because lye is a corrosive, there are some folks that do not understand the chemical reaction between the oils and the lye and freak out that you are using acid to produce a product meant for use on human skin. 

I use the old fashion lye method and a variety of oils to get the result I am after. I love Castile soap (just olive oil), but I played with some blends and found one I really like. I use olive, coconut, palm, and castor oil. Sometimes I adjust the mix with grapeseed oil. Castor and grapeseed oils make nice lather. I scent with essential oils mostly but do have some artificial favorites. I do on occasion make a batch with animal fat by request. The fella's in the shop said it's better that "Goop" and last longer. Some of them use it in the laundry to take the grease out of their uniforms. 

My favorite scent is a patchouli and lemon grass blend. It's not the heavy, musky scent, that people commonly associate with patchouli. It's very rich and the crispness of the lemon grass really lights up in the shower. It's very light, and clean, and pretty relaxing all at the same time. I am flattered that I have friends who do not use anything scented; no soap, laundry detergent, candles, nothing, and they actually like the patchouli/lemongrass blend.

I make 6-12 lbs of soap at a time and each 6 lb loaf is cut down into 20 bars, sometimes less if I am in the mood for chunkier bars. A 4 oz bar will last a single person, showering 5 times a week, right at a month, and that's iff they lather up real good.

Since it takes a month to cure after it's made, and I make a minimum of 6 lbs at a time, I usually take orders for about half my batch before I make any up. I have hunters who buy soap and laundry detergent), unscented. It doesn't leave an odor in their clothes for the critters to smell when they are stalking them or when they shower before going into the woods. I have a few customers that buy a few bars every spring because the stuff is great for drying up poison ivy (but not your skin) and this area is full of ivy of various sorts. I have several mothers that are always after a bar or two when I make a batch because it is great for children with even the most problematic skin. 

It is time consuming to make but I only only do it a handful of times a year. I have nice soap for myself, make a little cash, and everyone is happy.

That feeling when you already have enough soap to scrub down the entire tri-state area every day for a week and still not run out BUT THEN someone goes and starts a business and has stuff you want...https://blessedlittlegrooming.com/

I've got to order some of those for my mother! She does get guests, and I think she would get a kick out of the leaves!
Also, I think my kids would love some of the felted soaps, don't think I could get them before Easter, but that would be a great basket filler.

Oh, and fun thing to happen when you're stalking the mail carrier because you're waiting for a seed shipment and have no chill? A box of soap appears! Squee!