Soap – Mary's Musings

Making Christmas Soap for the Holidays

Very soon I will need to get out of the kitchen! This weekend Bert will begin his marathon chocolate chip cookie baking, so I need to be done baking bread and making soap favors for several of the groups I will see next week. When Bert brings in the big mixer, my kitchen-based projects need to be DONE. His cookies will tie up the kitchen for over a week!

I now have bread in the freezer and yesterday I spent the day melting “melt-and-pour” soap to make enough small soaps so I could share with about 40 people. Three things make the soap useful as a gift soap for others: 1) a gentle soap that feels good after use; 2) a scent that isn’t too strong, but is appropriate for the season; and 3) a color and shape that reflects the season.

I started with choosing the soap components. I’ve been happy with how the Oatmeal and Shea Butter soap bases work together. It’s almost as soothing as my favorite Aloe Vera soap.

For the Christmas season, I chose the scent of cinnamon. Then I used a soap tint that said, “Red” but it really turned out a solid pink. I added some red sparkly biodegradable glitter that looked really nice.

My final decision was shape. I started with the molds of tiny gingerbread men, candy canes and snowmen. Those would be good for guest soaps or children.

For the majority of my friends, my preferred shape is the heart. It’s just about the right size for a gift and makes about 24 hearts per batch.

Finally, a larger bar of soap is just right for a few people for Christmas gifts.

To make this much soap, I spent the day in the kitchen…measuring, melting, pouring, etc. There is a lot of wait time. My phone is handy so I can take pictures and read a novel while I wait!

Making this Christmas soap, I followed the same procedure as always. Melt the soap chunks, remove from heat, add Vitamin E oil (as a preservative), add essential oil and soap tint. Finally, stir in biodegradable glitter, if desired. When all mixed, pour into preferred molds. Let sit until hard.

When the soap is firm, I remove them from the molds and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Finally, I print cards to include with each soap. I want to make sure folks know what is in the soap. (I have even saved out 4 heart shaped ones before I added the scent, knowing one friend prefers things unscented!)

Unscented hearts…only your nose would know the difference!

Here are the the final soaps, ready to put in a small gift bag:

I’ve written many posts about using melt-and-pour soap, you can read more at these posts:

https://marykisner.com/simple-guest-soaps-for-gifts/

https://marykisner.com/the-unscented-choice/

https://marykisner.com/aloe-vera-gift-soaps/

https://marykisner.com/making-soap-with-an-embedded-toy/

https://marykisner.com/making-soap-with-an-embedded-coin/

https://marykisner.com/lego-shaped-soaps-for-fun/

https://marykisner.com/gardeners-hand-soap/

https://marykisner.com/discovering-there-are-two-kinds-of-oatmeal-soap/

Enjoy!

Revisiting Ideas for a Handmade Christmas

I was reminded (by Facebook no less) of a post I wrote one year ago today. It was a great reminder for me because I’m still making and gifting these items…but since I already posted about each project, I usually don’t post about it again. I’d like to share it here to give you some ideas for a handmade Christmas by giving you the link to the original articles:

https://marykisner.com/tis-the-season-part-1-paper-soap-and-fabric/

and the follow-up post: https://marykisner.com/tis-the-season-part-2-clay/

The first post describes (and links to the original posts) how to make gift bags and boxes by recycling pictures from calendars, guest soaps from melt and pour soap bases and making hot or cold neck wraps from fabric. The second post deals with polymer clay projects. If you’re looking for ideas for a homemade Christmas, give some of these a try. Enjoy!

Discovering There Are Two Kinds of Oatmeal Soap

I recently made a batch of oatmeal soap to try out my single-use soap idea. You can read about it here: https://marykisner.com/single-use-soap/

It was obvious the block of soap base had bits of oatmeal mixed in. When melted, the soap got much thicker, just the way cooked oatmeal would. It made a hefty bar of soap.

You can see colloidal oatmeal is the first ingredient on the block of soap base:

The colloidal oatmeal is obvious when I cut it into cubes:

The mixture got thicker as it melted:

I listed Colloidal Oatmeal soap base as the first ingredient on the card.

This week I wanted to make another batch of oatmeal soap, so I ordered another block of oatmeal soap base. When it arrived, I was convinced they sent me the wrong soap…it was a white soap base with no evidence of bits of oatmeal!!

The package said “Oatmeal Soap Base” but there was no listing for Colloidal Oatmeal, which is the flaked/rolled oats ground fine and embedded when making the soap base.

A closer look at the ingredient list showed Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract.

Hmmm. Time to do a little research!

According to Dr. Tess Mauricio, a board-certified dermatologist, colloidal oatmeal and Avena Sativa extract are two ingredients that are derived from the oat plant and are clinically proven to protect our skin from environmental stressors and other concerns.

Colloidal oat is found in the bran of the plant, while Avena Sativa extract comes from the stems and leaves. Colloidal oatmeal seems to be best used for more serious skin concerns like eczema, rosacea and dermatitis. Avena Sativa extract is better suited for more general dryness or irritation.

It was time to make another batch of “oatmeal” soap to see the difference. I added the same Vitamin E oil, Orange and Manuka Essential oils and the same color tint (2 drops).

Of course, the card to go with the new soap had to be changed:

My plan is to add a paw-shaped soap to each tin of single-use soap and see if folks prefer one over the other. Now I have two choices when I want to make oatmeal soap!

Making Single-Use Soap

Three years ago, at the beginning of the Covid lockdowns, I was focused on making single-use soap that I could carry in my purse in case I needed it. I came up with several options…and then many public places closed and I wasn’t going anywhere anyway. Oh well!

Those first attempts were made by melting Melt & Pour Soap, pouring it onto wax paper, letting it cool and then cutting out hearts with a cookie cutter.

This was a test of patience and I ended up with a few tins of single-use soap that I tucked away just in case.

Recently, I was reading an article about Cheryl Hines. Cheryl is an actress and is married to Robert Kennedy, Jr. She and her daughter, Catherine (Cat) have started a beauty products line that focuses on using less plastic waste. Apparently, plastic waste in the beauty industry is one of the highest contributors to plastic pollution in the world! The company, Hines+Young (see www.shophinesyoung.com) makes high-end products with less plastic waste. Products are packaged in recyclable glass and aluminum tins.

I was interested to read about this company and found one of their products was a tin of single-use soap! How about that!

I can’t seem to post one of their pictures here, but the pieces of soap look like they were poured into a round mold and then cut like a pizza. That made sense! It would be quicker and easier to pour with less waste.

Of course, the website included the ingredients in the soap! They listed:

Oat protein, vitamin-rich sustainable palm oil, hydrating coconut oil and an invigorating blend of clove, sweet orange, and tea tree essential oils.

OK. I could do something similar…

Colloidal Oatmeal and Shea Butter Melt & Pour Soap Bases, Sweet Orange and Manuka Essential Oils, Vitamin E oil, soap tint. (I prefer Manuka Oil to Tea Tree Oil).

I started with a brand I frequently buy:

I chopped up 1 pound of Oatmeal Soap Base and 1/2 pound of Shea Butter Soap Base.

I put the chunks in my 4-cup heat-safe glass measuring cup.

Then the cup is placed in a saucepan with water. Water is brought to a simmer and the soap melts without getting too hot.

Of course, I usually make two at a time:

It made a lumpy mixture because of the oatmeal.

When melted, I added 1/2 tsp. of Vitamin E oil, Sweet Orange and Manuka Essential Oils. One drop of soap tint made the soap a very light orange color.

Pouring into the mold was the hardest part. I wanted a thin circle, however, the oatmeal soap got thicker as it cooled and by the time I was done pouring it made circles about 1/4″ thick.

I made a total of 32 round disks of oatmeal soap, each about 1/4″ thick.

The rest I poured into regular molds and my travel size heart shapes.

Next, I took my soap cutter and cut each circle into 6 pieces:

Each piece seemed about the right size to wash my hands. About 8 pieces fit into one of my 2 oz. tins:

I made 20 tins with about 8 pieces each. Perfect to share with my high school friends at our next luncheon to see if the size of each piece is right to wash hands. I’ll also see if the Oatmeal/Shea Butter is popular. I suspect a thinner piece would work better…I used one piece all day in the kitchen before I wanted to throw away what was left! Enjoy!

Gardener’s Hand Soap

Wouldn’t it be great to wash your hands, go out to the garden and not worry about bug bites as you reach down into the lettuce and spinach plants. It’s all about the scents that bugs don’t like! After a search online about these scents, I found a few that are supposed to work…and I happen to have some of them on hand.

Here are a few of the essential oils that may work to deter bugs:

Catnip, Cedarwood, Citronella, Eucalyptus, Geranium, Lavender, Lemon, Lemongrass, Manuka, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sage, Vanilla and Tea Tree.

I’ve also been trying to find a substitute for Goat’s Milk Melt & Pour soap. After I use it, the skin on my hands itch terribly (may have to do with my milk allergy). I thought I’d try Coconut Milk soap in two recipes. The first recipe used only Coconut Milk Melt & Pour Soap. The second used Coconut Milk Soap with Shea Butter Melt & Pour Soap.

Recipe 1: Plain Coconut Milk Melt & Pour Soap

This first recipe was to test if I could actually use the soap. I started with 1 lb. of Coconut Milk Melt & Pour Soap.

When melted, I added 20 drops of Orange essential oil and 1 drop of soap tint.

This soap worked great for me! No itchy hands! However, I was unhappy that it didn’t make much lather!

Recipe 2: Gardener’s Hand Soap

Here is the second recipe:

I started with 2 lbs. of the Coconut Milk Soap Base and added 1 lb. of Shea Butter Soap Base (hoping to get a better lather).

The chunks of soap were divided into two 4-cup glass measuring cups and set into pans of water.

When melted, I added Vitamin E oil and essential oils of Lemongrass, Eucalyptus and Rose Geranium.

Then I stirred in a single drop of soap tint and 1/4 tsp. of biodegradable mica powder. I thought the mica powder might add a little grit to clean dirty hands.

This soap was great…made a nice lather…BUT it didn’t leave much of a smell. I was so disappointed! Next time I’ll add more of each scent, or add citronella, which has a stronger scent. Oh well, at least I know I can use the soap! Enjoy!

LEGO-Shaped Soaps for Fun

Recently, I was sorting out all the silicon soap molds I have accumulated over the last several years. I have quite a few with tiny animals, tiny dog bones and tiny flowers. Cute, but hard to pour hot, melted soap into.

However, the molds of LEGO bricks and people are always fun. Even if the people shapes end up a little messy, the bricks work well to wash y our hands with. (The one large “people” soap in these molds is always a hit!)

Today, I wanted to use up some melt & pour soap. I had 2 pounds of Glycerin soap and a pound of Goat’s Milk soap cubes.

I don’t usually buy the soap already cut into cubes…but it’s convenient to just weigh them out without having to cut a larger chunk up. I had these on hand for when I made soap with my grandchildren.

In each 4-cup heat-safe glass measuring cup I put 16 oz. of glycerin soap cubes and 8 oz. of goat’s milk soap cubes.

Each measuring cup is set into a pan of water. As the water heats up, the soap melts. When melted, remove the cup from the water. Stir in the essential oil and soap tint. I made one cup blue with Lavender scent and the other cup yellow with Lemon scent.

I used Lavender essential oil and Sky Blue soap tint to make the blue bricks.

I used Lemon Essential Oil and Lemon-Yellow soap tint to make the yellow bricks.

This is the soap tint I use, found on Amazon. There are many choices…just make sure it says for “soap, bath bombs, etc”.

I used only 3 drops of soap tint.

I forgot to get my spray bottle of alcohol out in time…spraying the hot soap will disperse the bubbles before they harden.

You can see what happens if the soap overflows the mold. When it cools, the extra soap can be cut away…not perfect, but OK for a tiny soap.

When the LEGO molds were full, I used the extra to make a few larger soaps.

Each tiny soap is wrapped in plastic wrap. The tiny people fit in a small snack-size Zip bag. This keeps the soap from absorbing moisture from the surrounding air.

Enjoy!

Thoughts About Soap

Have you ever wondered how the process of making soap was discovered? It is a complex chemical process that I don’t even need to learn about while I make things with my melt and pour soap. I start with a product that has been commercially produced that takes all the complexity out of it for me.

But I’m frequently asked, how is melt and pour soap different from “regular” soap? Who even figured out how to make it? In an article about the origin and history of soap I found these paragraphs:

“According to Roman legend, soap was named after Mount Sapo, an ancient site of animal sacrifices. After an animal sacrifice, rain would wash animal fat and ash, that collected under the ceremonial altars, down to the banks of the Tiber River. Women washing clothes in the river noticed that if they washed their clothes in certain parts of the river after a heavy rainfall their clothes were much cleaner. Thus, the emergence of the first soap…or at least the first use of soap.

The earliest known written soap recipe was written on clay tablets and is credited to the ancient Babylonians. A soap-like material found in clay cylinders during the excavation of Babylon…is evidence that soapmaking was known as early as 2800 B.C. Inscriptions on the cylinders indicate that fats (rendered from a slaughtered cow, sheep or goat) were boiled with wood ashes and water.”

So how about that! Up until about the 1600’s soap making rose and declined with the popularity of bathing and personal hygiene in a culture. The availability of other animal fats and vegetable oils encouraged each culture to develop their own signature soaps. like olive oil soap in Italy.

Discoveries in the early 1800’s in the process for transforming common salt (sodium chloride) into an alkali called soda ash and the chemistry behind the relationship of glycerin to fatty acids were instrumental in setting the stage for mass soap production.

Additives to basic soap recipes helped to make the final product appropriate to be melted down and poured into shapes. This final product…a melt and pour soap base…is what I use to customize with fragrance, color and plant material to make my soaps.

If you look at the labels of the melt and pour bases I use, you’ll see the chemical components that have been combined to make that soap.

As you can see, both of the soap bases shown above have a combination of oils, water and lye (sodium hydroxide) along with various additives (emulsifiers) that help the extra ingredients (like Aloe Vera gel and goats milk) stay mixed. The actual chemistry of working with caustic lye has been done for me.

Now when I melt the Aloe Vera soap base down, I can add additional ingredients like fragrance, color and even plant material, like Aloe Vera Gel to the soap.

Things I will add to the Aloe Vera soap base.

Bars of soap ready to be wrapped in plastic wrap so they don’t absorb moisture from the air around them.

I’m also learning which soap bases I like best! Apparently, soap will act differently depending on whether the water in my house is hard or soft. With our hard water, some soaps will make a nice lather, others will not. I’ve also found that I’m not happy using goats milk soap…my hands will itch after a few days. Not sure if that has anything to do with my allergy to dairy products, but I now know to avoid goats milk soap.

I’m grateful I don’t have to deal with the caustic chemical process of making soap. I also don’t have to wait 6 to 8 weeks for the soap to “cure,” which allows the crystalline structure of the soap to solidify. If you see a display of bars of soap at a craft fair with each one wrapped with just a paper sleeve and exposed to the air, you know that they were made using the hot chemical process with lye…which will continue to cure over time.

By using the melt and pour soap base, the curing time is already done. After I melt the soap down and pour it into molds, within an hour or two it is firm and ready to use.

Because melt and pour soap contains glycerin it will continue to absorb moisture from the air and could leave a white residue on the soap. That’s why I wrap each bar of soap in plastic wrap when they are done.

These Aloe Vera guest soaps, individually wrapped in plastic wrap, will stay clean and dry until needed by a guest.

So, while I’m constantly trying new things with melt and pour soaps know that I’m working with real soap…it’s just the caustic chemistry I’m avoiding. Using melt and pour soap is safe for even young folks to make cute and useful gifts for themselves and others. Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Quiet Birthday Fun for Grandma

I had a wonder birthday surprise this weekend! My daughter and my grandkids decided to come for a short visit to help me celebrate my birthday! Their school activities have kept them close to home this fall, but luckily, many of those activities were finishing up and they had time to come visit us!

I had not had an actual birthday cake for the last several years, since I had to restrict eggs and dairy. But I could have coconut milk ice cream and thanks to frozen cakes from Sara Lee I was able to pick up an assortment to satisfy everyone.

This was my compromise to putting 76 candles on the cake. Best I could do!

My 15 yr old grandson texted me before they came asking if I would help him make some lip balm…apparently he uses a lot of it because he plays trumpet in the high school marching band he really needs it between performances.

In addition, would Grandma help him and is sister make some soap too! Now this was starting to sound like a fun birthday activity!

So last night we had cake and ice cream.

This morning after breakfast we got busy. Ben chose the recipe for lip balm that had cocoa butter in it. With the addition of Peppermint essential oil, he felt like he was having a peppermint patty candy bar!

Here is the recipe:

When finished, he had 11 tubes of lip balm. He’ll be able to put one in every pocket! I was ready to help him label them and he said to not bother…he usually just peels off labels! So, I guess one good whiff will remind him these are the peppermint lip balms.

The we started in on the soap. Ben wanted clear glycerin soap and swirled in purple soap tint with a stick. Not my cup of tea…but he loved them!

Kind of looked like a science experiment in the making!

My granddaughter wanted a different mold with orange scent and light orange color.

I think I’ll use this mold another time. They turned out very nice.

While they were waiting for the soap to set up. Ben had to play the pump organ and Anna took a break after shopping at Trader Joe’s with her mother.

This pump organ was built in 1900. Bert’s mother got it around 1960 and Bert rebuilt the inside (he was 14). My grandson (age 15) really enjoys playing it.

Anna just got braces (age 10) so her smile was nice and shiny!

They had to be on the road by 3 p.m. today, so I was glad we were able to get all these projects done today. It was a great birthday for Grandma! Quiet, low key and fun! The hugs were the best! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Experimenting With a New Manuka Honey Soap Base

Melt and pour soap bases have made it fun to create lovely soaps for many occasions. These soap bases take the stress out of making soap the old fashioned way…with lye! I’m sure somebody somewhere had to do it, but I appreciate not having to deal with caustic chemical processes here at home. I seem to have selected a few of my favorites…like Aloe Vera and Shea Butter soap bases. I like the clear glycerin soap because it’s simple and can show off hidden objects embedded inside. It’s also great when I need to make an unscented soap for folks that prefer no scent.

My favorite aloe vera soap begins with a glycerin soap that has been enhanced with aloe vera gel. Then I combine it with a shea butter soap base, more aloe vera gel, essential oils and soap tint. The shea butter helps the finished make a better lather.

I have tried to incorporate Manuka Honey into melt and pour soap and was unsuccessful…the honey would no disperse into the melted soap and when I poured the mixture into molds, the glob of honey just ended up in one big pile at the end of the pour. Very disappointing!

When I last did a search on Amazon for melt and pour soap bases, this new Manuka Honey Soap base had recently been listed:

I had never seen this offered before. I quickly ordered a 2 lb. block to try. It cost $15, which was similar to other soap bases I had used before.

Here are the ingredients for this soap base:

The process to make bars of soap from a 2 lb. block is pretty much the same each time.

First, I cut the base up into smaller cubes and put half (1 lb. each) in a 4-cup heat-proof glass measuring cup. I set these into saucepans, added water to the pan and set them on the stove. Heating the water just to boiling and then turning down to simmer, the cubes of soap will slowly melt.

This soap was very firm and took a long time to melt.

When melted, I added Lavender essential oil, Manuka essential oil, Citrus Bliss blend essential oil and a few drops of yellow soap tint.

Then I poured it into molds.

When firm, I popped the bars out of the molds and gave one a try to wash my hands. I was very disappointed! The soap was so firm hat I couldn’t make any suds at all.

So…back to the kitchen!

I pulled out a pound of Goat’s Milk Soap base, chopped it into cubes and split it between the two measuring cups. Goat’s Milk soap should enhance the suds-making-ability of the Manuka Honey soap.

Then I cut up the original bars I had made and split them into the two measuring sups.

When melted I used different molds…figured I could use the small heart shaped soaps for Christmas gifts if they actually made a good lather!

So, now the test…could I actually wash my hands with the soap and get some suds?

Yes…adding a small portion of goat’s milk soap base enhanced it’s lather-making abilities!

Now, I just need to package the soaps…maybe 3 or 4 to a gift bag…and I’ve got my gifts ready for those “gift exchanges” that seem to come up each year! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Making a Soap Pouch for the Shower

I’ve recently had to switch to using a bar of soap in the shower from a liquid shower soap. I guess there are too many chemicals in the liquid and even ones that say “for sensitive skin” just make me itch all over! Since I’ve had good luck with my Aloe Vera soap for my hands, I thought I could easily just use that in the shower.

However…not so fast! It has been many years since I’ve used a bar of soap in the shower and it kind of depends on the soap’s ability to make a lather on the washcloth. My Aloe Vera soap does not easily make a lather. I know this particular soap does not make me itch, so all I had to do was figure out how to use it in the shower without a washcloth.

A little research online and asking around provided several choices. I found gloves and pouches made of a loofa-type texture that were supposed to work. I ordered some online, like the ones below:

These gloves fit so tightly I wasn’t sure I’d ever get them off! And I felt like I had a sunburn because they were so efficient at exfoliating.

This pouch came with a special “natural” body soap. It also felt like a loofa sponge!

These pouches were not scratchy but they were stretchy when dry. They were VERY stretchy when wet! The white one on the left did allow the bar to make a lather but it was hard to hold onto in the shower.

I also found patterns to crochet a pouch, using cotton yarn that is also used for pot holders and doilies. I made a trip to Wal Mart and picked up crochet yarn.

I started with the light green cotton yarn and just used a simple single crochet stitch, using an H hook, starting with 25 stitches. It made a small pouch for one of my small heart-shaped soaps.

It didn’t work in the shower…the suds hardly made it through the bag so I could wash with it. I guess I needed more holes. Plus the bag held the water, so even after 24 hours it had not dried out.

So finally I made the small bag with the white crochet cotton. It has more holes and should not get so heavy when wet.

What a process! If this last one works, I may make some to package with my soaps for Christmas presents! Let me know if you have found a solution to using a bar soap in the shower! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.