I finally managed to catch up with Annie’s mother-in-law and she told me that the recipe for the soap that was so good for Annie’s skin was a family secret. Somehow our conversation made it seem like I was asking for the family jewels and I wasn’t entitled to them.
However she did indicate that if I showed sufficient interest by trying different soap recipes out first that she just might be prepared to share her secret. At least I think that was the tenor of the conversation.
But regardless of whether she does share it I’m intrigued enough to go and get the ingredients to make some myself.
After my little disappointment and the minor social gaff of asking for something I wasn’t entitled to (see last post) I thought I would go and find a recipe which would work for me. I was thinking of making an olive oil based soap but heard that they took a long long time to come to trace – that time when they are ready to pour. I also heard that they didn’t lather well and that there might be other issues as well.
So I went searching the net for info and came up with many recommendations about the need to use a soap calculator and I used this one .
In the end I made just a little batch of soap. This was slightly problematic as all the measurements, particularly of the lye, but the other ingredients also, need to be done to the nearest gram. More than a couple of grams out will affect the overall results when you use only 500 grams of oil/fats – or so they tell me. I wasn’t about to try it to find out. I used:
- 150 grams coconut oil
- 300 grams olive oil
- 50 grams emu oil
- 190 grams water
- 71 grams lye
This made 8 medium sized bars of dark cream soap. It is a soft soap that is taking a while to cure. I’ll let you know when I use it for the first time.
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Last night I went to a friend’s place and long with our usual social conversation I was amazed to see her skin which previously had been so dry was now soft and supple. My friend, Annie, had always spent lots and lots on makeup. If I ever wanted to know the latest and greatest about moisturizers or the latest cleanser I could always be sure that she had tried them.
So I asked her what miracle cream or lotion she was trying now, expecting it to be some very expensive brand name. Annie was slightly embarrassed and looked away. Then she admitted to me that she had been to her mother-in-laws to see her make homemade soap and she had been using this soap ever since. This soap which cost only cents did what all the expensive cleansers and moisturizers couldn’t do – cleansed and moisturized leaving her hands and face soft and beautiful. I was floored. How could this be?
I am going to find out all I can about how to make homemade soap that can keep my hands and face as soft and supple as Annie’s have become. I hope you will come with me and enjoy my journey.