Liquid Soap - Round How Many??

I've been making bar soap for quite a while, 10 years or so now. I've tried making liquid soap before but was never happy with the results and didn't like the process. It can take up to a week the way I used to make it.... when I made it. In addition, there was something about the scent of the raw soap that I just didn't like. 

When I found the Ultimate Guide to Liquid Soapmaking, it became a game changer! I'm not trying to advertise the book, I'm just so impressed with the book and the resulting soap. 

The photo shows three of the soaps I made within the past couple of weeks. All are made with animal fats (lard, tallow, and emu) and all are amazing.

And then, there's this one. Talk about dramatic!! This is Charcoal Tea Tree & Lavender liquid soap. It smells amazing and lathers beautifully. 

One thing I will need to remind customers is that hand crafted liquid soaps are quite concentrated. As little as 2-3 drops is enough to wash your hands. To get an idea of how liquid soaps can be used, check out this web page from Dr. Bronners liquid soap.

Adventures in Liquid Soap - part 2

 Maybe I should call this post Part 2, 3, 4, 5.... I think you get the idea, right? Yep, I've been experimenting with liquid soap. Just today, I made this one:

It's so beautifully clear that I had to take a picture in the bit of sunshine we had today. It's made with a combination of beef tallow, olive, and canola oils and is a single lye (KOH) soap. I'm so thrilled with this one. The only thing that concerns me now is how will a fragrance oil affect it? Will it stay as clear as it is now, or will it go cloudy?

Then there's this one. It's a very nice soap but look at how cloudy it is. This one frustrates me but I have a feeling I know what it might be, leftover saponifiables. I made this one a few days ago; earlier today, I made a 25% KOH solution and added a few tablespoons of that solution. It seems to be helping with clarifying it. It's a Honey & Almond soap. The lather is beautiful but it looks rather disgusting as is. I hope I can get it cleared up because it really is a nice soap.

Right now, I have six batches of soap almost ready for bottling, or sampling. I have enough liquid soap to last me a lifetime! I need more friends willing to be testers. 

Digging In The Dirt

Yesterday was a gorgeous sunny day here in the Okanagan. I decided to take advantage of that and wandered around the yard for a bit, just to see if I could find any signs of awakening. I did. The Cannas are starting to come up! In the front garden, the tulips and irises are beginning to show themselves, too. Spring really is right around the corner.

Of course, once you know that spring is almost here, its time to get your hands in the soil. And that means you need a good, scrubby yet gentle soap to get those hands clean. Our Gardener's Hand Soap is the perfect answer. With the addition of poppy seeds, corn meal, dried orange peel, and pumice, this gentle hand soap will get the dirtiest of hands clean!

The base is made with Beef Tallow, Coconut,  and Sunflower oil. I know the use of animal fats in soap can be a contentious issue for some but I will never apologize for its use. As long as we are a planet of meat eaters, the fats from those animals largely ends up in landfills. I would prefer that it be used to make other products, beneficial products. Beef tallow, and lard as well, are very close in nature to our own body fat and make for hard, long lasting, yet gentle bars of soap. 

So, get out there, get dirty! Then, come in and get clean!