In the video below I demonstrate a very simple homemade soap recipe using lye, lard, coconut oil, peppermint oil and food coloring. Homesteaders used to get lye from dripping water through wood ashes, and lard from butchering and/or cooking animals. Although I’d like to try it the old-fashioned way eventually, we’re sticking with store-bought lye and lard for now.
I goofed up a few times during the video because I was trying to remember everything I’d learned from the homesteading class we hosted the previous week, while also trying to convey that information to anyone watching the video. Click here to see the video from that class. This being my first time making soap, I look forward to sharing more with everyone as I get better at the process myself.
But don’t let my goofs make you think making your own soap is difficult. It’s actually really easy – especially compared to making your own cheddar cheese which, I must admit, is sort of a pain in the butt. Now without further digression…
How To Make Your Own Soap
[...] easier than my cheesemaking adventures, and I quickly decided to try my own batch of soap (seen in this video on my other site). But I have to admit we had the benefit of store-bought lye, store-bought lard, [...]
Kuddos. Very cool…
Everett thanks so much for stopping by my blog. I still have 8 days to go before the ginger beer is ready to taste test!
I’ve added your blogs to my Bloglines subscriptions. You all have lots of interesting things going on here. I’ll be back soon to look around.
I am so impressed by your video intro! I may have to come up with something like that for our videos. It looks so professional.
I have made soap for many years.
Its fun to make and better than store bought.
One of my favorites is either a honey soap or a jewelweed soap that is good for poison ivy.
Thanks! This is great!
[...] did we do? We failed, but failed happily. While we were able to give most of our friends and family homemade soap, homemade lip balm, and homemade hats + scarves, I didn’t give myself time to make homemade [...]
[...] into relatively harmless component elements once released into water or moist soil. We even make our own lye-based soap, but the lye is rendered inert as it combines with the fats to saponify. Without saponification, [...]