Soap and Shampoo

[Pam]

Does anyone know how to make homemade bar soap, hand soap, dishwashing soap, and shampoo? I already make my own laundry soap but would like recipes on how to make the rest as well in order to save money. I don't want to mess around with lye and all that entails. The easier the better.

I did save a lot of leftover bars of soap when they got really tiny but they would not melt in a double boiler or a microwave. They reacted like they had plastic in them! And that was Ivory!!! I tried adding hot water to the mixture and it literally took days for it to melt down and even then, it never did all the way. There were always little chunks and I hated the slimy feel. It was nigh impossible to rinse off your hands.

If anyone has any recipes to make any of the above I listed, I would definitely appreciate the feedback!

Sister Pam

[Sister Penny]

Pam,
I have been a soapmaker for over 25 years. I do not use shampoo any longer or if I do I use my own shampoo bar, the only difference in homemade soap bar and shampoo bar is the incorporation of castor oil. The site I recommend for learning to make soap is www.soapnuts.com and I must stress highly to use the safety measures, good rubber gloves, long sleeves, protective clothing, and goggles, you can get goggles at the dollar store, and also have white vinegar around in case of a lye splash, it will counteract the sting.

www.the-sage.com is a great site for calculating lye and the oils you have and also on the soapnuts site they give you the values of each oil, some are hardening, some softening, so lathering, etc.

Educate yourself before attempting to make soap, and your first try, do a small batch like a one pound, don't give up as you can do it :-)
If I can be of any help I will even develop a recipe for you based on your oils you have on hand...
Email me offlist in a private letter..

Blessings,
Sister Penny

[Pam]

Thanks Penny! I will definitely check out those sites!