Eugenia Essentials

I am a handmade soap addict. Yes I admit I have stockpiled bars of the delicious smelling delectables in my closet.  I literally have to hold myself back when I see a picture of some swirly concoction for sale on the internet, in a shop or at the farmer’s market.  I decided one of my goals for 2009 was to learn how to make my own soap.

Yesterday was my third attempt at making a batch of cold process handmade soap.  Let me tell you since I’ve started on this venture, I’ve gained a new appreciation and admiration for people who make soap.

First, you have to suit up in long sleeves, rubber gloves and goggles to measure and make the lye mixture. This is the part I hate the most. I wear a turtleneck, so I can pull the collar up over my nose to avoid the noxious fumes. The second part I hate is the test of endurance… getting your batch to trace (think like thickening up gravy).  Even with the use of an electric mixer, I stood over the pot for nearly two hours, mixing and mixing until I thought my arm would fall off! Just when I started thinking I’d done something wrong…not enough lye, too much lye, too much water, too much oil, the batch finally started to trace and thicken up. Hallelujah! Thank you God! Those of you reading this who may be experienced soapers are probably laughing to yourselves.

Now I understand why handmade soap commands the price it does. It’s not just the quality ingredients that go into each batch; it’s the time and labor involved.  Not only that, each batch must cure for 4-6 weeks…so no instant gratification there.

Why bother with all this fuss and muss when I could just go to my local supermarket and buy a multi-pack of soap for less than the cost of one bar of handmade? The answer is pretty simple: ingredients!

Let’s compare the ingredients between commercial soap and a typical handmade recipe.

Commercial: Triclocarban, Sodium Tallowate, Sodium Cocoate, Sodium Palmate, Water, PEG-6 Methyl Ether, Palm Acid or Coconut Acid, Fragrance, Glycerin, Sorbitol, Sodium Chloride, Pentasodium Pentetate, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Yellow 5, Yellow 8, Red 5.

Handmade: Olive Oil, (Water, Sodium Hydroxide), Sweet Almond Oil, Shea or Mango Butter, Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Essential Oil or fragrance oil

I don’t know about you, but if I have to look the word up in Wikipedia, I probably don’t want to wash with it.

Of course there’s the argument that the handmade bar doesn’t last as long. That’s because the natural glycerin is left in, not an added ingredient. So don’t leave your bar lying in water, or in the direct shower stream.

Handmade soap can be like a mini work of art that gets you clean, from beautiful molded shapes, swirling colors, to geometric stripes, even dessert look- a-like knock-offs. There are some pretty fantastic creations out there.  Why not splurge and buy a bar of handmade soap? Your skin will thank you.

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