Tag: soap making

  • The Benefits of Homemade Soap

    The Benefits of Homemade Soap

    When was the last time you looked at the ingredient list on the soap that you buy at the grocery store? Most people never stop to take the time to look at this list, just getting what they’ve always bought or whatever marketing plan and commercials have told them a good soap should be. When you start to look at the ingredient list though, chances are good that you will find quite a few things that you can’t pronounce, including chemicals that may not be as good for your skin as you believe. It makes far more sense to go natural with your soap, as it can have some benefits.

    Cold process soap, the type that uses lye, is the best type of homemade soap. You do not have to worry about the caustic qualities of lye, as the saponification process takes care of this. It is relatively easy to make, and it works well to break down dirt, which can provide you with a clean feeling on your skin without any “residue” that you might feel from chemical-laden store bought soap. Essential oils can be added to the soap, which provides a nice scent, along with better moisturizing capabilities, making it great for the skin. Since it is natural, it also happens to be good for the environment.

    When it comes to getting these quality cold process soaps, you have a couple of options. You can find sellers online who are making these soaps, for starters. This might be a good solution when you want to test out just what a difference the natural soaps can make. You could also find people in your area who make soap and buy or barter with them. Of course, as a homesteader, it is also a good idea to take some time and learn how to make this soap on your own. This is a fantastic skill to have.

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  • 3 Homesteading Skills to Learn

    3 Homesteading Skills to Learn

    Whether you have been merely thinking about homesteading, or you’ve given it a go for a while now, it is vital that you have a good and varied skillset. The goal of homesteading is to be as self-sufficient as possible, and the following skills are all good to have under your belt. You will find that some of them can be quite fun as well.

    Candle Making

    Making candles has several advantages. First, if you’ve considered buying any decent candles lately, you’ve probably been struck by just how expensive they are. When you learn how to make your own candles, you will see that it’s one of the cheaper hobbies that you can enjoy and skills you can acquire. In fact, this and soap making could even be a good side business if you choose to make and sell the products.

    In addition, you can determine just how much scent, if any, goes into the candle. Many of the store-bought candles today are oversaturated with scent, and you and your family might prefer something a little less offensive to your nostrils. Understanding how to make your own candles also means you will never run out of them. When the lights go out, you will have a supply of your own handmade candles ready to go no matter how long they stay out.

    Soap Making

    Keeping clean is important if you want to stay healthy, and having some quality soap is one of the best ways to keep clean. You don’t have to stock up on Dove though. Instead, you can learn how to make your own soap. It’s generally a good idea to learn several different techniques and how to use different ingredients.

    While you can experiment, and make some nice and wonderful smelling soap right now, it’s also a good idea to learn how to make “survival soap” from simple ingredients. All you need is wood ash, water, animal fats or plant oils, and salt.

    First Aid

    While it is always a good idea to seek out a medical professional when it comes to serious health issues, you should still learn some basic first aid that you can employ at home. If you live in an out of the way area that could get snowed in or if it could take you a long time to reach civilization for whatever reason, understanding how to perform first aid becomes truly essential. You should certainly learn the basics, but you might want to go beyond and learn how to suture as well.

    Since we’re on this subject, it’s a good idea to know some basic animal first aid and care as well, especially if you are raising animals. It can make a huge difference in the health of your livestock in those times when you can’t get to the vet or the vet can’t come to you.

    Of course, these are certainly not the only skills you should try to learn when you are homesteading. You want to become a repository of knowledge with many different types of skills. Also, be sure to share this knowledge so more people in the family have the same skills. It’s much easier when you can share in all these tasks and more.

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  • Crock Pot Soap

    Crock Pot Soap

    Making soap at home is a great homestead skill to have. Not only can you make your own all-natural soaps using non-toxic ingredients and even herbs or flowers from your own garden, but you can save money and give your soap as gifts too! You can even make a little money on the side selling them at the farmer’s market or Etsy.

    At the very least, soap is a very important aspect of clean healthy living, especially when you’re off-grid. Crock pot soap is an awesome method for soapmaking, and I’ve been meaning to try it out myself. I found this great video tutorial on how to do it, it includes directions for every step of soap making using a crock pot. Enjoy!

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  • Soap Making Basics

    Soap Making Basics

    Making soap is a wonderful skill to gain, and given the amount of harsh toxins and chemicals in commercially-available soap, it’s also a great way to guarantee you’re getting wholesome, natural ingredients.

    Speaking of chemicals, one reason a lot of people are intimidated by soap-making is the use of the ingredient lye (remember that scene in Fight Club, right?). It can be very dangerous when not handled properly, and burn the skin. However, you simply can’t make soap without it. All soap contains it, the thing is, once the reaction that creates the soap has taken place, the lye has changed forms and is no longer harmful-it’s actually not even lye anymore.

    The key to safe soap-making is following some basic precautions. Use gloves, eye protection, a dust mask and fully covering clothes, and also work in an extremely well-ventilated area, if not outside. Make sure you are using food-grade lye, and in between soap-making sessions, keep your lye and other supplies well out of reach of children and pets.

    The three bases for soap are lye, a fat or oil, and water. Animal fat can be used-so soap-making is a great option for hunters and homesteaders. Oil soap is also great for homesteaders, and gardeners, as you can make all sorts of scents by infusing your oil with herbs or flowers.

    To start soap-making, you’ll want to get a few supplies. This is what’s suggested by UrbanSurvivalSite.com‘s soap-making recipe:

    • A soap mold
    • Parchment paper
    • A gram or kitchen scale
    • Non-reactive container (like Pyrex)
    • Utensils-metal is not recommended for lye so wooden chopsticks are one option
    • An immersion blender-try to find one made just for soap-making so it won’t splash
    • A spatula
    • Help-when working with lye it can be very helpful to have an extra set of (gloved) hands to ensure it all goes smoothly

    Next, just find a recipe and have fun! Your necessary ingredients will vary from recipe to recipe, but as mentioned above they will usually contain some combination of animal fat or oils and fragrance, with a water or tea base and lye. Here are 71 soap recipes to get you started.

    Once you know what you’re doing, you can have more fun experimenting and using the supplies you have available such as animal fat or fresh herbs. Soap making is just another step on the road to self-reliance and a simpler and more wholesome life!

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