Who makes soap?

United States
June 17, 2007 3:23pm CST
I have thought about starting to make soap and I am just wondering if anyone on here does it. I want to make soap like my grandmother used to, but she is concerned that it will not be safe to do since I have a 4 year old in the house. I found a book of soap recipes that do not use Lye. You instead use plain soaps as the base. What are your experiences??
1 person likes this
4 responses
• United States
18 Jun 07
There are a lot of melt and pour soap bases out there. You can add pretty much whatever you want to them. You can add herbs, flowers, scents, coloring, additives to soften your skin, make it foamier, the combinations are endless. Personally I buy concentrated liquid soap base, add different ingredients and you have shower gel, shampoo, hand soap, or dish soap. A gallon will make enough soap products for the two of us for about a year. My husband prefers clear glycerin soap so I buy the melt and pour glycerin base and add whatever he likes to it. He likes BIG bath bars so I make them huge. He loves it.
• United States
18 Jun 07
Thanks so much for the response.. I can't wait to get my supplies and get started. It will be a while, due to other things I have going on for the next few weeks. Plus I need to be able to get to a place where I can actually buy my supplies. Which is definitely NOT in the small town I live in here. But thanks for the responses!!!
@brattaxi (72)
• United States
18 Jun 07
Check out the Soap Dish Forum...they have lots of members there who can give you good advice and I think they also have a recipe section. www.soapdishforum.com I know that a lot of bath & body supply places sell rebatch kits...that way you wont have to work with lye and then there is always melt & pour. www.brambleberry.com is one that I know for sure has rebatch kits.
• United States
18 Jun 07
That's what I am hoping for. Most of the recipes I have found in my grandma's old stash actually call for melting down plain soap bars. I am assuming that is because the lye is already in it, so I don't have to use it and I think that is the way I am going to go!
@gewcew23 (8007)
• United States
18 Jun 07
Laying Angel - This is one of the bars that I make. Thanks for posting this discussion.
I make glycerin soap which is a melt and pour type of soap. I started out making it for my husband and I as when we use soap from the store it would dry out or even break out our skin. With this all I have to do if I want is to put in a little fragrance and color and we have our bath soap. I also use this for my face. I just melt it in the microwave and then into my mold I don't add color or fragrance as I have a very sensitive face. Then I started making them for family and friends as gifts and they are the ones who talked me into selling it. I love to make it and add it to baskets etc. Thanks for your inquiry on soap making. I hope that you will enjoy it.
• American Samoa
17 Jun 07
Attention to not leave the taps open! :-D
• United States
17 Jun 07
The taps??? Sorry I have not made soap yet, so I am not quite sure what that is referring to!