I started making soap more than 15 years ago, when my oldest daughter got contact lenses. The optometrist told me to buy unscented hand-soap with no fillers. I looked for soap with nothing in it; pure soap. I couldn’t find any except at boutiques and the cost was EXAGGERATED to say the least. I wasn’t going to pay $8 for a bar of soap.
And since I am an ACTION VERB….
…I did what any other cheapskate who can read and follow directions would do; I found a book of soap recipes and learned how to make soap from scratch. I also called my friend, Susan, who made soap to sell at farmers’ markets. She gave me some great tips.
My first bars were made of beef tallow and lye. Yes; beef tallow.
“Where does one find beef tallow,” you ask. Well….. I made that too! We were big tri-tip fans. I’d cut the fat off the beef and freeze it until I had enough. Then I put it all into a big pot, added water, and cooked it for several hours. Once it had cooked enough I pulled out and threw away all the remaining solid globs of fat, let the remaining liquid cool enough to strain any small pieces out, and set the clear liquid aside to completely cool. As it cools, it separates. Water to the bottom, white goo to the top. The white goo on top is tallow. I scraped that into a measuring cup and added enough lye and water to make a batch of soap. Very homesteady of me.
The soap was stirred for what seemed like forever before it was poured into molds. I used yogurt containers as molds back then by pouring about an inch into the bottom of each.
I got tired of all the work with boiling fat into tallow and branched out into using olive oil as my fat. Wonderful choice! Now all of my soap is either olive or Canola oil. I still make pure soap for people with sensitivities but I also make wonderful soaps with herbs and spices.
My recipe is for Castile Soap but I make it here, at Nana’s Ranch, not in the Castile region of France.
I also hand knit 100% cotton cloths.
I both sell and give away my soaps and cloths. They make great gifts.
Sometimes I add herbs like powdered, dry mint, catnip, sage, and other herbs I think might make a good addition to my recipe. Mostly these act as an exfoliate (cinnamon does the same) but sometimes they also give my soaps a nice aroma.
As always, it’s a pleasure showing you what it’s like at Nana’s Ranch. I enjoy sharing and I hope you like to see and learn a little more about country living when you visit our blog.
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God bless you!
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