Do you make your own soap?

[try2bfrugal]

Do any of you make your own soaps using a melt and pour soap base? I have some books from the library. The soaps look cute but I can get a basic, clear glycerine bar soap at the local grocery store for less money per ounce than I can buy most of the melt and pour soap bases.
It seems like the soap making could get quite pricey by the time I bought all of the ingredients. Any thoughts?

[Tussiemussies]

Hi try2bfrugal,

Have made cold-processed soap in the past and the ingredients are expensive, but you are getting soap that is of superior quality to what you can buy in the store. The ingredients are top-notch and great for your skin. No chemicals, dyes, and being vegetarian I am happy that no animal fat is being used. Plus they are nice to give as gifts too.

Some soap recipes can be simpler maybe, if you would like to try cold process. It is a challenge since you will have to handle lye and need some dedicated equipment. But one you have it, you will have it for a long time. I plan to start soap-making again once we move and hopefully have a gas range stove.

Here is where I buy my supplies from -- from nature with love -- maybe they have cheaper melt and pour. I think the cheapest way to make your own soap is to use animal fat which I can't imagine doing . Otherwise soap making is really a hobby not something you will save money with...

[try2bfrugal]

Thanks tussiemussles. I will keep nature with love in mind for scents and coloring.

I did some price surfing today and found out the manufacturer for the clear glycerine soap I usually buy is actually located just a few miles from my house. They sold me a case of soap wholesale for half the price per bar of what it costs at the grocery store, so that was a cool find. The person at the soap HQ said if I wanted to I could just melt down the bars into my own molds and add coloring and scents.

So no matter what I can get my soap half price from now on and make my own melt and pour from the bars if I want something fancier. I don't think I am attentive enough to be left alone around lye. ;) For me this is probably a good compromise.

[awakenedsoul]

That's great that you can buy it by the case! Good for you! I ordered the ingredients in bulk for soapmaking from Brambleberry. They sell really nice essential oils, too. I get the olive oil in bulk at Costco. I think I'm going to watch a friend make it before I try it. I have a gas stove. I know a lot of people on the other blog I frequent make their own soap, and they love it! For now, I'm learning knitting. Once I get that down, soapmaking is the next simple living goal.

[try2bfrugal]

For liquid soap I went out and bought some decorative soap dispensers today. I even got one at the thrift store for $1 and some at Ross for about half price. I'm going to use those with a big refill bottle of inexpensive, glycerine soap I bought from Amazon, so that should lower the price of hand and body soap for the coming years compared to just getting liquid soap in disposable containers and bar soap from the grocery store like I used to do.

Good for you on the knitting awakenedsoul. I have a long list of urban homesteading type projects to tackle, too. Next I am going to make a bees wax candle for the patio table for when we sit outside in the evening. We almost bought a fire pot yesterday on sale and then realized how expensive it would be to keep buying the gel packs for the fire part. So I am going to make an outdoor candle instead and my husband is going to string up more patio lights.

[AnneM]

I make cold process organic castile soap. It's pretty easy to make, and cheap considering how many bars a full batch makes (about 30). I buy olive oil from Costco, organic coconut oil from Kroger, lye from the hardware store, and essential oil at the local co-op. The cost of one batch is around $16-17, or just over 50 cents a bar.

[try2bfrugal]

I make cold process organic castile soap. It's pretty easy to make, and cheap considering how many bars a full batch makes (about 30). I buy olive oil from Costco, organic coconut oil from Kroger, lye from the hardware store, and essential oil at the local co-op. The cost of one batch is around $16-17, or just over 50 cents a bar.

That is a great price AnneM. That is cheaper price per bar than any of the melt and pour methods I have priced out for myself. I will have to keep that in mind for soap making after my whole sale case gets used up.

[iforonwy]

I don't make my own soap per se (from scratch) but I do save up all the little bitty ends of the soap that we use. We like one type of soap and so the bits are all the same. I then melt them down and re-cast them into little bars which are an ideal size for travelling. I have not purchased soap moulds but use a silicone muffin baking tray that I was given. I only used it once to bake muffins but was not happy with the idea of the silicone being heated up. Someone here on the boards, the old boards, agreed with me and I was about to ditch it when I thought it might do the job with the soap. Et viola! it works just fine.

[iforonwy]

I wish you well with the knitting awakenedsoul. I gave my neighbour the gift of teaching her basic knitting skills at Christmas time. She is still to take up the offer but we will start as I did - knitting dish cloths. I know they are for washing dishes but I must admit I have wondered about using them in the shower. Now there's a goal awakenedsoul, handmade soap and a handmade "flannel". They could make lovley gifts!