Homemade Soap

I made soap last weekend! I am very excited about this new found skill. As I become more proficient, I may even add some to my (hopefully) soon to be up and running Etsy shop.

The larger bars are made from olive, coconut and palm oil and the smaller bars are Castille soap, also known as olive oil soap.

The bars need to cure another few weeks before use, so I'm getting very anxious to try real soap without any chemicals added and without the glycerin removed!

My Man is building me soap molds (hopefully) this week/weekend so I can get another batch made soon. I think I'll try something with oatmeal . . .

I can honestly tell you the most difficult part of making your own soap is waiting at least three to four weeks for it to cure! If you're interested, there is a TON of information on the web but the only photo tutorial I found was done by Rachel at Small Notebook.org Encouragement for a Simple Home.

Even if you're not interested in making your own soap, I'd love for you to stop by her blog. She's got lots of great tips for simplifying your home including a great tutorial on how to make a homemade worm compost bin. She keeps it inside a small cupboard in her family's apartment. And, no, it doesn't smell . . .

One of my goals is to be less dependent on commercially made products and all the chemicals those products contain. Soapmaking is one of my first big steps down a path to a simpler life.