Rethinking the next step...

I've been thinking...

I first started making soap because I simply loved the creation and artistic process of making a batch of soap. I have made many batches in the past two years, some worked and remain staple batches, and some didn't work. I constantly refine my base recipe and am open to suggestions in making the best soap possible. I have stayed true to donating my soap to non-profit organizations which include The Giving Tree, Raphael House, International Center for Traditional Childbearing, and In Other Words Bookstore. I committed to a community market in the Mississippi district in Portland to help support the Q Center over the summer. I have made many connections and friends. I am most proud of the constant learning and growing that soap has lead me to.

So...what's next?

I have contacted my good friends who's business is the web! They will, in exchange for soap, create me a site. This site will be a community center where one can learn about soap, email order soap, give suggested places that need donations, and become activists in changing their immediate communities!!!

Here's my list...

1. Make soap

2. Get a great site up and running

3. Donate to great causes

4. Be a mover and a shaker

5. Continue to grow

6. Love everyone

7...and I end on 7 because it's my lucky number...make more soap!!!

Thank you all for your support, encouragement, love, and critiques!

Here's to soap...and giving back to the community!

Peace. Love. Truth.

Still Makin' Soap!

Well hello everyone!  Thanks so much for all your support in my very new and raw adventure with soap.  I know I haven't blogged in awhile, but guess what?  I'm still makin' soap!!!

As most know, I did sell one batch of soap to a lovely friend of mine for her to sell in the shop she owns, and it has gotten a really good response.  I, however, have really given the selling of my soap a thought or two.  I don't particularly like it.  The business aspect of selling, and having to conform to supply and demand makes my soap making very narrow minded.  I don't want to be stuck with making only a certain type of soap that is a great seller.  I would rather just make the scent I feel like making at the time and offer it to people.

One exciting thing I have been doing with my soap, other than bartering and giving it away to family and friends, has been wrapping up a batch or two and donating it to local shelters or organizations that benefit the community.  I absolutely love doing this.  It really makes my heart happy in a way I can't describe.  It's like I NEED to do it.  In this manner, I could see selling a bar or two here and there in order to fund my giving back to the community.  I'm still thinking about all this...so for now, I'll keep makin' soap!

Love to all!

The Now...

Okay, so I wanted to post this beautiful blog about all the soaps I've made...but I'm not sure how to use this thing called a blog. So I'm skipping all that past stuff and moving onto The Now!!!

So welcome...to The Now!!! Hi! Anyway, I made my best soap yet (if you ask me and I was the only person asked, although there may be a few others who agree) on Monday the 8th! I knew I wanted to make a soap with Pathcouli, so sexy, but I needed to experiment with what other essential oils would go best with it. I do this thing where I line up some shot glasses, all my essential oils and some testing strips and have a little smelling party. I did this and mixed the Patchouli with several things...my favorite being Clary Sage...another sexy one. You guest it, this is my sexy soap! Hehe!

I bought some red clay awhile ago, which is normally used in body products as a natural colorant, and decided this would be the batch I'd test it on. I also knew I wanted a little exfoliant...is that a word? So I picked up some Scottish Oatmeal from Bob's Red Mill...the best!

This was by far the fastest batch I've made. Altogether I think it took me about an hour...pouring, measuring, melting, getting all the temps just right...then viola! Soap! I only had about 2oz of Patchouli and about 1oz of Clary Sage. Clary is so strong I didn't want it to take over all the scent, so to balance it all I used about 1oz of Lavender. It's a little bit of science, mixed with art!!!

I used the help of all the people in my house. Once I poured the oils and lye together and got a light trace, I needed one to handle mixing a little bit of the soap in a separate dish with the clay. Another roommate was used to hold the stick blender as I blended by hand...this was after I blew out my other stick blender, then read blogs about how you aren't supposed to leave it on for 15 mins straight...oops! So this time I whisked between 30 sec stick blending bursts! It worked very well!!!

During pouring time, I needed more help with laying the uncolored soap with the colored and then adding the oatmeal to the very top. Not to mention when I climb the counter to put my soap baby to rest for the next 18 hours untouched and undisturbed, I need someone to hand me the baby!!!

After 18 hours, you can uncover your soap, and then you must wait an additional 12 hours to cut it into bars. The wait is well worth it when you see all your science and creativity come together into something you made with your own hands!!! No store bought soap for me!!!

So here is the unveiling of a soap I'll definitely be putting on my list of batches I make. I do have to perfect the swirling process with the colorant...but I'd say it was a complete success!!!

The First Almost Soap...

My first soap experience came from a simple melt-n-pour base I ordered from a local soap making company, http://www.oregontrailsoaps.com/. This was an easy first try. All you had to do was cut the 1lb block of pre-made, pre-cured, unscented soap and melt it. I cut it, melted it, added lavender essential oils and some dried lavender flowers as an exfoliate, then poured it into oiled muffin tins to dry. I was VERY proud of this first "almost" soap.

It took about 24 hrs to completely be ready for use...and we LOVED it! I don't have pictures of that soap, because I call it my "almost" soap. You see, I didn't make it completely homemade...in fact I cheated a lot by having an already pre-made base. I hadn't gotten up the nerve to make my first REAL soap for one tiny reason...fear!!!

This fear...lye!!!

The Beginning...

Thanks for stopping by and reading. I'm not going to lie, I'm not going to be saying anything new that you can't just Google yourself. What I will be sharing is my personal, human experience with one of my hobbies...yep, soap! I absolutely love making soap! So here I will share what I have learned, tried, failed at, and wish to accomplish with my soap making. If you wish to purchase my soap, well you have come to the wrong place. You see, I will give you my soap, but only wish to exchange. I give you soap, you give my some homemade jam, or an awesome recipe, or sewing lessons! I think we build community once we take monetary gain out of the picture. So let's share together! Your comments and ideas are welcome! Let me know what you want to see, or your experience...ahh, life is about learning and growing! Let's make SOAP!