Jan Berry - Simple & Natural Soapmaking

The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you for your personal use only. You may not make this e-book publicly available in any way. Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the authors copyright, please notify the publisher at: http://us.macmillanusa.com/piracy.

DEDICATION
As always, to my husband and childrenmy everything.

I first became interested in making soap from scratch when my son was a toddler suffering from multiple allergies and eczema. It was difficult to find an allergen-free soap he could tolerate, so I set out to learn how to make one especially for him.

Upon researching the craft, however, I quickly became intimidated. Lye sounded too scary to handle! Reading about SAP numbers and lye calculators confused me. I just wanted to make a simple natural soap for my little boy; I wasnt looking for complicated.

Eventually, I discovered a book at my local library that walked me through the process in a way I could understand. Since I was still wary of handling lye at the time, I roped my husband into helping with the first batch of soap. We carefully measured, heated and mixed, then started stirring the soap by hand. After an hour or so, it didnt look much different, but we poured it into our unlined homemade wooden mold anyway. Needless to say, that wasnt a good idea! Our soap leaked right out of the mold and onto my basement floor.

The next several batches also failed to set up until I stumbled upon an early soapmaking website called Millers Homemade Soapmaking Pages and learned about immersion blenders. We bought one to try out that very evening. To our delight, the same recipe that had failed us several times turned out perfectly! From that point on, I was officially bitten by the soapmaking bug.

My goal with this book is to make soapmaking approachable. By following the instructions within these pages carefully, you will be able to make a successful batch of soap and then glean the information needed to tailor the recipes to further suit your familys needs and likes.

I know how tough it is to deal with family members with allergies or how it feels to see a great looking recipe only to realize it contains a completely unobtainable ingredient, so a primary goal while writing this book was to make sure to include plenty of substitution options. Of course, I cant anticipate everyones needs and budgets, so for that reason, I included to help you learn to make substitutions on your own.

Natural is a huge buzzword these days and means different things to different people. In this book, the recipes are naturally scented with essential oils and rely solely on botanicals and clays to provide natural color. Im especially excited to share the Photo Gallery of Natural Colorants starting that demonstrates natural doesnt have to be boring!

It was truly an enjoyable experience to write this book and I hope that you find it helpful in every way. If you run into any problems or questions with a recipe or wonder about a soapmaking topic I didnt address, feel free to write me through my website, TheNerdyFarmWife.com.

This book is divided into four key sections.

In , Getting Started Making Simple Natural Soaps, I give the basic information you need to begin your soapmaking journey or pick up some tips if youre not new to the craft. Well start off by briefly talking about the benefits of making your own soap, then discuss lyewhy we need it and things you should keep in mind when using it. Youll also learn important details to know about soapmaking in general, such as what kinds of equipment and molds youll need, how to make substitutions in the recipes, the best way to clean up after making soap and how to cure and store your finished creations.

After that, I describe exactly how to make cold process soap, with step-by-step photos to help guide your first batches. Almost every recipe in this book (except for , I explain exactly how to adjust a recipe if you prefer making soap in a slow cooker.

From there, we dive into , the Recipes section, where I share 50 recipes, starting with the most basic bars then working through to soaps made with herbs, milk, honey and other completely natural ingredients. One unique thing you may notice about this book is that none of the recipes contain palm oil, a controversial ingredient whose production is linked to environmental and human rights issues. Instead, its been replaced by vegetable butters, lard, tallow or blends of other oils. Most of the recipes require commonly found oils, but Ive also included plenty of substitution options.

, Techniques and Tips to Take Your Soapmaking to the Next Level, is my favorite part and where things really get fun! I spent months testing dozens of botanicals and clays, recording how they performed in soap and comparing how they look when added to the lye solution, stirred into oils or added at trace. In this section, youll find a photo gallery so you can get a visual on how a particular color might look in your soaps.

Other topics covered in this section include adding and blending essential oils, how to include nourishing herbal infusions and teas in your soap, plus several methods of enhancing your recipes with milk. Do you want to add layers or simple swirls in your soap for visual interest? You can find full directions with step-by-step photos in this section. Youll also discover how easy it is to dress up your soaps with stamps, impression mats, textured tops and botanical toppings.

Sometimes soap doesnt turn out as planned. It happens to all of us! In , Troubleshooting, youll find some common problems that soapmakers occasionally run into, along with tips to help prevent those problems from happening to you. At the end of this section, youll also find a list of resources to help you find the supplies you might not be able to source locally. My hope is that this book will be a useful starting guide for beginner soapmakers and a handy reference book for those who are more experienced.

Besides being a practical DIY skill to know, soapmaking is also a fun way to express yourself creatively. Its a hobby that produces a useful item that never fails to be welcomed by family and friends. Virtually everyone loves a good bar of handmade soap!

One of the most outstanding attributes of handcrafted soap is that its kinder to your skin than most store-bought bars. When you make your own soap from scratch, glycerin, a natural byproduct of soapmaking, is distributed throughout each bar. Glycerin is highly beneficial and helps keep skin supple and moisturized. The companies that produce commercially made soap separate out the glycerin and sell it as a manufacturing commodity, which is one reason why those with sensitive skin may find store-bought soaps drying.

If you have allergies, fragrance sensitivities or certain ingredients you avoid for ethical or religious reasons, then making your own soap from scratch is the ideal way to make sure nothing harmful or unwanted gets on your skin.