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RE: Opportunity Knocks

in #soapmaking5 years ago (edited)

I have made it just once before so I had something to trade with whilst living with no money in south spain. I found an old book in an abandoned wagon and had liters of olive oil to use and so that was the main ingrediant, I had no thermometer and a dodgy gas stove but it came out great!

Only thing was I didnt read the part of leaving the soap for 2weeks so that its safe to use, and I tested it when it was fresh and burnt the skin haha

Random that your post was on my feed but its an original one, soap making is a rebelious thing to do, like growing your own food and making your own wine ect! Soap Anarchy!

edit add on.. Your not using esteem?!

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Soap anarchy! I like that! Would be a good brand name maybe.🤔 I am still deciding on a name. But yes, you are correct actually, this soap is completely made with olive oil. I was so excited to have my friend over I forgot to add the beeswax. So, to say the least, what a tremendous learning experience this has turned out to be. Do you still make your own soap? I started for fun to satisfy a family member, and now it has become a passion. So wonderful the way life works out.

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I only made it once, and used cocofat with the oil.. how was it with just oil?!

Well, funny you ask, because I totally forgot to add the wee bit of beeswax necessary to harden it up😅 It looks like fudge, and feels soft and smooth like peanut butter, NOT what I was going for. If it doesn't harden soon, maybe I can melt it down again and add the beeswax, like a hot process soap. But, yes, soap can be made with olive oil (and lye) alone, eith the correct proportions. Soapcalc.net is a great free tool.

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Interesting! Ill make soap when im down south to sell or trade

Will you share the recipe that you used :) (If its not a secret.)

Honey Soap (Honey, water, sodium hydroxide, olive oil, and beeswax)

I like the idea of being able to create things, so I took the above recipe and ran with it. I was able to understand how to locally source: Honey, water, olive oil, and beeswax...but I was uncertain about the sodium hydroxide. But why should that stop me, I mean someone has to make it so why not me? so I figured out how to make sodium hydroxide

https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-sodium-hydroxide/

But the problem seemed to be 'where am I going to get a carbon rod at?'

After you gather the carbon rods, afix the two rods on either side of the container. Connect a 9 volt battery to the carbon rods (so one of the carbon rods is (+) and the other rod is (-)...this can be done using alligator clips

image.png
(pictured above alligator clips)

fill the container with clean water and non iodized salt, and let the carbon rods interact with the liquid for about 7 hours. A white film type residue will collect on the side of the container..that white film type residue is sodium hydroxide. And like was already said mix the sodium hydroxide with the honey, beeswax, olive oil and water...and you will have soap!

For a much simpler process please see
https://steemit.com/homesteading/@captaintj/the-sensibility-of-homsteading

Cool! I like your scientific route! Back in the old days they'd just burn plants and use those ashes. So, depending on the plant used, the lye could provide different benefits too. I thought I had a genius idea once, "how cool would it be to use cannabis ash," but then realized, duh that is way too resinous.🤣

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I thought that I remember them saying that campfire ashes that were the remains of 'hardwood trees' basicly that excludes trees that remain green all year long (so that excludes pine, cedar, and fur trees)

I am not 100% on that part. I have seen recipes using pine tar though.

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