Saturday, October 6, 2012

saponify


definition : to convert into soap; 
: to hydrolyze a fat with alkali to form a soap



about a year ago I first tried making my own soap
it was Yvonne at Inkspiller's Attic who was my inspiration
she gets together with friends from time to time to make great big batches of soap

*

I use Sandy Maine's soap recipe (HERE) which has great reviews
both for the simplicity of the process and the simplicity of the ingredients
- I have had great results myself -


here is my scale for measuring the oils
- very low tech -


pictured below is a finished batch of honey/lavender soap 
 - saponified and ready to pour -


it really is quite a chemical process that changes the oil into this luscious goodness


these are finished bars that are freshly popped out of the mold and cut into squares
it's a lavender/peppermint soap made with lavender buds from our garden


follow the link to see how it's done
you only need a few easy to obtain ingredients and a stick blender
(without a stick blender you will be stirring it for hours - believe me!)





16 comments:

Rita said...

Love that you used your own lavender and the bees are so cute! I've wanted to try this one day myself. Thanks for the link!! :)

Where did you find the mold with the bees?

Elizabeth said...

Well of COURSE you make soap! I bet that smells divine!

Gayle Price said...

Your soap looks absolutely beautiful !! I'm assuming it smells amazing but maybe not.....sometimes you have to use essential oils to make things smell and then it can be over powering. Love the shape and the bee from your mold. You amaze me with the wonderful random things you create, and your photos are brilliant...did you still use your Nikon s60 for these ? Think I need one !

amy of studio four corners said...

great bee mold - is it a mold for soaps...I have some old butter and jello molds...wonder if that would work? I made soap years ago...now you've piqued my interest to try again!

DAWN said...

Your endeavor turned out wonderful! I adore handmade soaps and prefer to use them to the store bought kind.
I love the little bee imprint!
~Dawn

Ms. said...

I got all excited-how pretty an what nice gifts-but, because I've basically thrown out, or given away all soaps, and use oils and water for skin. Thought maybe there was a way like glycerin--but, after reading, I realized there was simply no way to make soap without lye--The net offers no other answer, and I found only corroboration--"It's important to be clear about soap making. Soap is made from lye and fat or oils. No lye, no soap."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/171209-how-to-make-natural-soap-without-lye/#ixzz28ZKH9656

Do you know any magic recipe?

Sue said...

I can just imagine the smell...mmmmm!

Halle said...

Awesome! I was going to try to make soap this week. We'll have to see if I get around to it or not.

Mary Helen-Art Saves Lives said...

These look spectacular and I net they feel good on your skin. I just bought some supplies myself so let us see what happens. Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

sukipoet said...

wonderful. i love handmade soaps but have never made any.

Caterina Giglio said...

just amazing!

Linda Vincent said...

A beautiful blog post Kimmie....I loved it. My friend told me only today that she has started making soap...so I have sent her your link.
Your bars look so professional (except they are probably better than shop-bought ;-)
XX

*jean* said...

i love handmade soaps and always have sought them out - they don't dry out your hands!!! have never been brave enough to try them at home...bravo, kimmie!! yours looks wonderful and i bet they smell heavenly!!! will you sell some in your etsy shop?? would love to buy one!!!

Anonymous said...

Why am I NOT surprised that your soap bars are as perfect and beautiful as everything else you do. Um the smell os Washington state lavender is seeping into my pores at the thought of them. xox

sharon said...

This is some beautiful looking soap, and it sounds like it is pure and wonderful!

Yvonne said...

Well Kimmie, nice to see you are still making soap. It's about time for me to make a batch or two again too. I loved the soap you sent me awhile back when you first started. Was it the same recipe you used this time? I love Sandy Maine books/recipes. There is nothing like homemade soap...and yes, as another one of the comments stated it has to be lye and oils to make 'real' soap. Glad I stopped by.