I made another batch of liquid soap last week and I found the process much easier this time. My first attempt last September was a long, drawn out process that went over two days and while I was doing it, I felt it wasn't working out properly and all that time would be wasted. You can imagine my surprise when from the blobs of what looked like vaseline, a clean and golden liquid soap arose.
I used that soap and loved it, however, I have to tell you that unless you're really into soap making or simplifying your life in every way you can, this is probably not a project you'll be interested in. This soap is really the liquid version of my plain soap - everything you use this liquid soap for, would be just as easily served by using homemade bar soap. Of course, it won't be a rich golden colour, but the results will be the same. Similar to the bar soap it is not stripped of glycerine like commercial soaps are and it feels really restorative on your skin. Both bar and liquid can be used for washing dishes and hands, stain removal, shampoo, horticultural soap, washing the floor and anything else you can think of. If you want to get rid of detergents, this is the soap for you, but it doesn't have to be the liquid version, the bar soap would work as well. I used this link the first time I made this soap and found it confused in places, although it does contain a lot of information and a good recipe.
Where this soap comes into it's own is as a lovely addition to a gift basket. If you want to make up baskets of assorted soaps, or all purpose cleaning baskets as gifts, the liquid soap would be a wonderful addition. It is also much cheaper to make your own soap - bar or liquid - than it is to buy them, and it will allow you to ditch the detergents you're probably using now, which also includes the plastic bottles they come in.
Making this soap does take a long time from start to finish, but most of that time you're not doing anything, you're waiting for the soap to get to the next stage. I guess the amount of time you're actually working on the soap would be about 30 minutes. So if you're wanting to cast off plastics and detergents, or working on your gifts, give it a try.
And this, my friends, will be my last post for a while. I'm taking a break to slow down and look for meaning in my life. I have books to read, recipes to try and many things to think about, as well as a lot of projects I want to work on. I need moments of solitude, I need to shut the gate for a while and I need to shake things up to see what comes back to me when the dust settles.
Be kind to yourself while I'm gone. I'll see you soon.
