Sheila,

I had a recipe years ago, but lord only knows what I have done with it. I would like to see yours, think it would be a neat project to start. My understanding is that it gets better with age, it has to cure, and I think I heard somewhere that it should cure for a year. If so, it would make neat Xmas gifts for next year if I made some this year.

Rose

Sheila, can you list a couple of the recipes here? I would be interested in seeing them and I'm sure others would too. Had you made soap before or is this your first batch?

I'm going to list it when I get a few minutes.This is my first try.The recipe advises you let in rest for 3 weeks.My first batch was ify???But the second batch looks really nice.These recipes I got from 4 different library books and are very easy.You mix water and lye let it cool to room temp.you also melt tallow(I used lard from my fry daddy-this worked well).When both are room temperatue you add the oil(I use reg.veggie oil)you can mix cinnamon and scented oil to the veggie oil.Mix tallow and lye,stir,stir,stir then add oil mixture.Poured into glass baking dish.When starting to set up cut.Then leave 24 hours.Remove pur onto cardboard flat.Leave to cure.

Shelia injoy the soap makeing, I sure did . Soap makeing is great fun and addictive, I have enough for 6 years. I made mostly goat milk soap.
I smell real good and I am sqeaky clean. LOL
You can make soap in a crock pop and use it the same day it cooks/cures the lye. If one will do some searching on Crock Pot soap, you will find some instructions and recipes. Be sure and wear eye protection just in case, I never had any mishaps, but I didn't want to take any chanches with my eyes!
I think a young woman in past times was expected to bring into a marriage a years worth of soap that had been cured a year. They didn't know the strength of there lye, made from wood ashes and water. Could be very iritateing on the skin. With todays lye we know the strength of lye .
Lindag

Well I thought my soap recipes was on the computer,, butt nooooo,, I have two recipes that I like one is for the homeade lye soaps my granny used to make , made from ashes on up,, it makes a pretty decent laundry soap when ground up,, bit unpredictable for skin use at my house,,LOL,, put it this way the boys flat out refuse to use it ,,
the other one is a basic lye soap using red devil and basically the cheap vegetable shortening,,,it takes 4 to 6 weeks to cure,, and is a great soap on its own,, however it can be rebatched into the fancier soaps or more so in our case rebatched into manly smelling soap to keep the boys happy
always interested in other recipes though,,,

Never heard of corck pot soap. That sounds interesting, I'll have to check it out. Thanks Lindag.

I have a recipe and instructions on my website. The coconut oil it calls for can be bought at a health food store.

Here is a link that might be useful: Soap recipe and instructions

Robin-I loved it.Thanks,I have just been making plan old soap.Contains,lard,water,lye and a few spices for color.It was very cheap to make.That is what I need right now-CHEAP!!I got some nice scented oils from a great person at GW can I put them into this soap recipe?How much?

I have some berry-scented homemade soap my neice made and it's great except for one thing: the ants love it!! I guess it's the berries. I keep it in a water trap now. (The soap dish is in a bowl of water. )

-- Marie

I just noticed a mouse has chewed on my soap.Will it kill him?I hope so.

Sheila,
Oh please ... help me learn how to make you soap ?
Thank you ,
cricket_Mo

It turned out really easy.The best thing to do is go to your local libary and check out EVERY book on the subject.This way you will have pitures and everything.Read them and make sure you have everything on hand and just give it a trial run.Let us all know how it turns out.My soap contains,lye,water,cooking oil and cheap lard.

you can also go over to the soap and candle making forums at That homesite,, it is a pay to post forum,, but they put alot of links in that you can find the basics in,,, as well as various suppliers if you would rather do melt and pour type soaps,,
My recipe is similar to Sheilas,, It takes a long e-mail to explain how to make it ,,I do like to take the initial cured soap and rebatch it into the remakes and fancier soaps when I have the time though,,,
Sheila, the mice seem to love the homeade soaps,, especially if you make any with the oatmeals,or even the poppy seeds,,LOl,,
for the scent we use various essential oils,,I normally try to make alot of mine manly smelling since the boys are not found of many scents,, vanilla, juniper and bay are some of their favorites,,
,

I attended a goat products workshop last March where two ladies demonstrated mixing soap in a blender. It saponified in mere minutes which was a blessing for me as I can't stand stirring and stirring and ....I found some recipes geared very well to mixing in a blender in a book by Elaine White. Not long ago I saw an almost new blender sell at auction for a whole dollar! Can't beat that.

Sheila, I use 7/10 oz (by weight) of scent for each pound of oil/fat. Blend it in at trace and then pour into the mold.

I use a few spices for colorants. Nutmeg gives a nice speckled brown. Paprika makes a pretty pink. I add a little crushed dry mint for flecks.

I have been making cp soap for about 2 years. It started as a small personal goal, to appreciate what our ancestors had to do. But it has turned into something that I can't get away from. I really love it. And the possibilities are endless. And you feel so wholesome using an all natural product.

Good morning,
I just found this board, and have really enjoyed what I have read so far. I saw this thread and it hits on a subject that I love to do.

I also have been making soap for about 2 years, and just love it. I have tried making soap in the crock pot, that is great when you want to use it right away. My all time favorite is goats milk soap, creamy and smooth, but just made some without goats milk, and it came out very nice.

Page about halfway down

Here is a link that might be useful: Soapnuts

I am looking for a rebatching process for about 40lbs of old homemade soap purchased from a farm auction. I don't know how old it is but the box was in was lined with a 1965 newspaper. The soap is light tan to dark brown, solid and extremely oily to the touch. Can someone help?

Try this webpage for rebatching soap. Hope it is made from tallow!

Here is a link that might be useful: rebatching soap

Our herb society's Dec program is on making soap. Am looking forward to that. We had some samples at the last meeting and they looked great. Another thing my DW and I can do togather when I retire. john

anyone considered using skin-so-soft in place of the oil since the sss makes skeeters want to have nothing to do with you? or maybe some other anti-skeeter deterrents in a summer soap?

Someone gave me some that was berry-scented. Only thing was, the ants loved it, too. I also have some plumeria soap from a friend that I LOVE!!!!

Does anyone have any good soap and lotion recipes for goats milk?? We're getting 2 goats the end of the month, one is still a kid but the other is due to kid sometime in June and I would love to make some soaps and lotions for my family!! I bought a bar of soap and a bottle of lotion off ebay that has goats milk and emu oil in it> I cant wait to try it out!!!

Thanks :0)
~Nicole in Nebraska

I have always wanted to make soap but thought it was complicated. I'd love to make some now after hearing all of you experienced soap makers. That goats milk soap sounds great. I'd love to have the recipe! What kind of essential oils can you use without hurting the process? Are all essential oils okay?
I'm really excited to try my first batch!

Below is a link to a wonderful website that will give you guys all of the information that you may need on making soap. There are tons of recipes. Enjoy

Here is a link that might be useful: Miller's soap page

I noticed these posts are kind of old... but maybe there are still some people out there interested in making soap? I'm absolutely addicted to it! So many ingredients, and scents, and add-ins- Every bar can be a masterpiece!!
I would love to swap some recipes and share stories of successes/attempts/etc. There's nothing more gratifying than making something yourself, that's not only beautiful, but useful! :) I especially love using ingredients from my garden!! Chamomile, parsley, chickweed, etc, make lovely additions to soap!

Hey bubblefairy,
What kind of soap did you make with parsley? What is chickweed?
I haven't made soap in awhile and now is probably not the time to get back to it. Our house is up for sale - a showing every couple of days it seems, sigh. I will be so happy when it's sold.
I used a book, The Soapmakers Companion, wonderful recipes, everything turned out great. Well, the milk and honey soap was a bit soft. Maybe I should have let it cure longer but it was so nice and smelt good enough to eat. I made one with calendula petals from my garden so I understand where you're coming from - totally addictive, fun and everybody who received a bar of soap as a present acted as if I was a genius.