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This started as just a way to use excess lard. As I read up on making soap I saw recipes to help irritated skin, Lupus, and other conditions. My wife has Discoid Lupus and I’m on medication that is not nice to my skin. Our skin is the largest organ we have so anything we do to improve our skin...

Thanks, I’ll give that recipe a try.

Thanks for the well wishes. Getting these first bars cured out wil be the tough ones for sure but I cut one bar into 4 pieces so I can see the difference as the cure progresses. I’m trying to keep things simple as far as ingredients and stick with a primarily lard soap until I gage some results...

It was made this past Sunday. I’ve read about colors changing and different types of colorants doing different things but wasn’t focused on that aspect. Getting to this point with something resembling actual soap and not a gloppy mess was the target. My daughter enjoying the melt and pour...

The coloring drops that came with the kit I bought my daughter. The soap itself was a nice cream white and I colored about a 1/2 of it to layer in. Was kinda blood orange wet but hot pink when it cured. I expected it to lighten but not completely change. Still looks good just not what was...

I did a 1 loaf test batch Sunday to start getting that learning curve going. I used 80% lard, 10% EVOO, and 10% Coconut Oil because I had those on hand to go with the lard. Had some beginners luck overall. Only real problem was orange color turned more of a pink color. It did start hardening...

My daughter and I made our first batch of MP soap with the kit I ordered. Worked great and she had a big time. I made a CP test run with 80% lard, 10% EVOO, 10% CO and it worked just like the instructions except orange turned more pink overnight. Thanks everyone for pointing me in the right...

Maybe so, and it’s a chain so different attitudes result in different quality of products. I was impressed nonetheless with the ladies running this store. I’ll say this without reserve, anything they have will beat the crap out of commercial products simply because of the ingredients. They have...

My daughter and I went to Buff City Soap in Athens, AL to watch soap being made. The young ladies there were phenomenal at explaining what they were doing and why, even though they knew I was working on making my own soaps. I discussed my thoughts on some potential recipes for old thin skin and...

Get through, she’ll use our tractor to bust it into pieces…😂

Thanks for that info on the processes and curing. I plan on doing several small test batches of different recipes then refine from there. Playing around with the calculator while trying to apply the KISS method. Lard, coconut, and olive was were I started simply because I already have those on...

Retired is a funny word. I work harder now than I ever have and have heard that same sentiment from many “retirees.” I had one of those crazy careers that revolved around problem solving, especially the last 15 years. I ran R&D and two testing labs in parallel with being Quality Manager for 3...

Watched the video, pretty cool. Thx!

Thanks for the tip. I haven’t ventured into scents and colors yet but will keep that in mind. My daughter is the artsy one and I bet she will come up with some crazy colors and designs for me to figure out.

Sorry…it was coconut oil not olive. It has 76, 92, and fractionated. Olive pomace even threw me.

The cure time would be for cold process and by SF you are referring to Oil Superfat, correct? Haven’t gotten deep into hot process yet and I saw a reference to a crock pot process somewhere. Would those processes be an option to eliminate cure time or would it change some sought after...

I’ve looked at some of the calculators but need to learn a few things. For example on the oils there were 3 types of olive oil and there is a chart with soap properties and number ranges. Still need to learn all that kinda stuff and am sure I’ll have questions.

Ordered a MP kit to get my daughter and I started, Saturday is the big day! I’m also looking for my first recipe to do my first batch using lard or goats milk or both. An additional reason for interest in making our soap is my skin. I take daily transplant medication that is brutal to my skin...

You are exactly right! Johanna has been around sorta dangerous stuff more than most kids her age because of the farm and we both have Alpha 1 so toxins effect us more than most. With that, I’m a stickler about PPE and recognizing dangers so she will not go through what I have. Uphill and upwind...

Thanks, one of my side responsibilities was safety and environmental so Johanna gets taught what not to do before the do. Caustics are sneaky when it comes to damaging eyes and skin so her exposure to that will be at a distance and PPE overkill. The scents, colors, and molds will be right in her...