Kelly Cable - The Natural SoapMaking Book for Beginners: Do-it-Yourself Soaps Using All-Natural Herbs, Spices, and Essential Oils

Copyright 2017 by Kelly Cable

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Photography Paige Green
Styling by Alysia Andriola
Photos on by Kelly Cable

Illustrations Tom Bingham

ISBN: Print 978-1-939754-03-5 | eBook 978-1-62315-892-7

To Josiah, protector of the weak and proof that amazing athletic skills are passed down through moms

Noah, my super smart inventor who would really like to see a few things blow up

Lydia, who was created to create something beautiful

Matthew, my love

Most people who want to start living a healthier life begin with the ingredients in their food. Thats what I did. But it wasnt long before I was reading the labels on shampoos, lotions, and soaps, too. The more I investigated, the more I wanted to find products with simple, natural ingredients.

It wasnt until I met Kathy from The Kefir Chicks that I realized that I could make my own as well, not to mention shampoo bars, shaving bars, and laundry bars. The problem was I had no idea where to start. The few books that I found were way too advanced, focusing on complicated techniques with little background information. After some time, I managed to slowly piece together information from a number of different websites and books until I was ready to give my crazy soapmaking idea a try.

One thing I did understand at this early stage was that almost every botched batch of soap can be fixed. Thats right! Since I was on an extremely tight budget, this was encouraging and helped me relax and get excited about the possibilities. I didnt have any soap molds, of course, and I didnt want to purchase one (remember: tight budget). Instead, I checked every glass and plastic container in my house for one that had square corners and sides. Surprisingly, most containers in my home have curved edges. I ended up going to a thrift store and finding a sturdy square hat box and a wooden planter that was narrow enough to be the perfect size.

My first batch of soap was a Castile soapa soap made almost entirely of olive oil. Of course, I didnt know that Castile soaps are notorious for not reaching trace (the stage when the raw soap begins to thicken). As a result, I almost burned out my hand mixer before giving up and pouring it into my hatbox soap mold. I was shocked and happy to see that 24 hours later it was wonderfully hardened and ready to cut!

After making hundreds of soap batches, I have developed a deep love and appreciation for the art. All soapmakers develop their own specialties and styles that suit them. To those just beginning their soapmaking journeys, I always say that making soap is like baking a cake. If you can follow a recipe, then you can make soap. It seems complicated at first, but the more you do it, the better you get! You wouldnt start with an extremely advanced cake with many steps and specialty tools. You would want to start with a simple recipe and work up to that stage by having fun, learning new techniques, and improving your skill. The same goes for making soap.

My goal with this book is to demystify the soapmaking process. It is meant to be a comprehensive resource for entry-level soapmaking. Instead of having to piece together instructions and tips from different books and websites in order to learn the art of soapmaking, Im bringing it all together for you in this one book. This is the book I would have wanted to have when I first started making soap.

In the following pages you will find extensive lessons and tutorials that will help you understand the full process of making your own soap. Ill cover all the basics of how and why, including what could go wrong and what you can do to fix the problem. Then I will get you started on more advanced techniques, like how to create swirls of natural color and add herbal infusions.

And remember: All these soap recipes are made with natural ingredients! I will not suggest the use of artificial dyes or fragrances. In fact, its the opposite. Ill give you a lot of great ideas for coloring and scenting your soaps naturally. I am committed to using only healthy ingredients that nourish your body. In my eyes, it makes no sense to go to all the trouble of making your own soap and then turn around and add the kinds of toxic ingredients that many commercial manufacturers use. I hope you enjoy your first step into the soapmaking world, and I cant wait to guide you through the process.

If you are new to soapmaking, the best way to begin is to familiarize yourself with the essentials. I will go over the basics in , including supplies, oils, additives, colorants and scents. I will guide you through everything you need to know about basic cold-process soapmaking.