The Art of Experimenting

One of the best aspects of creating soap is the freedom to personalize each component of the recipe.

From the coloring,  to the fragrance, to the added botanicals, there are endless compositions you can create! If you give 100 soapmakers the exact same 10 ingredients, you’ll end up with 100 completely different styles and varieties of soap. It’s amazing how much artistry goes into creating soap.


I think this is what I love most about making soap!



I have been playing around with colors and textures.  Because soapmaking is basically chemistry - there is no way to know ahead of time how the soap will 'behave.'
When it goes through the gel phase, the soap heats up to 180 degrees! This can effect the coloring of soap, the scent and the texture.  When using pure essential oils it can decrease the scent.  When using skin-safe fragrance oils, it can change up how the final scent cures.  When using natural oxides for coloring it can affect the outcome or cause what are known as 'glycerin rivers.'

Glycerin Rivers - while not harmful - it's not visually pleasing!
This is what you DON'T want to happen to your soap!

I recently did a custom order for a local company.  We created a custom scent just for their customers.  I can't tell you how fun it was to work with these amazing folks and come up with a product that they loved and hopefully their customers will love. Creating scents and colors for custom orders really challenges me in a good way and allows me to play with all those wonderful aspect of creating beautiful soap.

I try to set aside time in my business to just play with the soap.  Making small batches and seeing how it will turn out.

As I continue to create fine handcrafted soap, it is always my hope to bring you the very best product available.

Welcome Spring

Spring brings a time of renewal, refreshment, rejuvenation.  
A special smell is in the air, starry nights and sunny days.  The daffodils and crocuses are beginning to bloom.  The pussy willow has already set seed and it's fuzzy, soft buds are beginning to fade.

As the days begin to grow longer, our days seem to get busier.  It's no different for Farmhouse Soaps.  As I continue to progress and contemplate the future of Farmhouse Soaps, I am excited to share that you may see some new branding and even possibly a new name for Farmhouse Soaps. 

While I love the name Farmhouse Soaps and it is where my handcrafted soap began - in my 1880's farmhouse kitchen, I see a bright and exciting future ahead.

I am planning the new seasonal scents for summer, fall and winter as well as a personal product line.  You will be seeing artisan bath salts, lip balms, body butters, salves, and gift sets.   As I plan and look to the future, incorporating more products for you to enjoy, I will also be attending more local events and a new website design.

As always, I lay these plans before God as He has abundantly blessed my personal and business life.  I always look to Him for guidance and wisdom.

Have a glorious day ahead as I leave you with this lovely poem, The Blessings of Spring,  by Deborah Ann.

There are many blessings,
that each new Spring brings
you can see it bloom about
and hear the song it sings.

With winters bleakness over,
and brighter days ahead
comes promises of new life
Springtime loves to spread.

As God unfolds the flowers,
and their buds begin to show
He gives to us the assurance
grace in our hearts will grow.

He sends us the robin’s song,
with the promise to provide
a shelter under His mighty wing
where in His love we can abide.

He melts the snowy covers,
and sends the refreshing rain
sprinkling us with His mercies
to heal winter’s ache and pain.

God’s given to all His Son,
to shed upon us a new light
and the real blessing of Spring . . .
is keeping Jesus in our sight!

Handcrafted Soap a Luxury or a Necessity?

This is a topic that is near and dear to every soapmaker's heart.  There is a reason I make my own soap and I am about to share with you the 'why' behind using fine handcrafted soap versus commercial soap.

What's in your soap dish?

My bathroom soap dish ~ we all have our favorites!

Do you really know?  

Have you ever really read the list of

ingredients in commercial soap.

Commercial soap is pretty, is smells nice, it lathers, it has pretty packaging and it is typically very inexpensive. 

Do you have dry skin?  Does it tend to crack in the wintertime? Does it feel dull and rough?
Psstt.......may I share a little secret with you??
There is a reason why your skin feels like that.

Let's take a look at a typical list of ingredients in a commercial "beauty bar."  That's right - they now call them beauty bars for a reason - it isn't real soap.

Let take a look at Dove.  

Dove is one of the top selling beauty bars available.  Here is the description that the company uses to describe Dove:
The secret to beautiful skin is every-day moisture (hmm...what ingredient would that be?), and no other bar hydrates skin better than Dove. With ¼ moisturizing cream (again, wondering what moisturizing cream is), Dove Beauty Bar helps skin feel more firm and elastic when compared to ordinary soap.

Okay, I admit - I threw in a little bit of humor - but you do have to wonder.  Dove is quite secretive when it comes to their public product description.  They make it sound like an ideal, safe product.

Dove's beauty bar ingredients:

sodium cocoyl isethionate ~ (synthetic detergent)

Stearic acid ~ (hardener)

Sodium tallowate ~ (sodium salt of animal fat)

Water

Sodium isethionate ~ (detergent/emulsifying agent)

Coconut acid ~ (the sodium salt of coconut oil)

Sodium stearate ~ (emulsifier, also used as a cheap stabilizer in plastics)

Sodium dodecylbenzonesulfonate ~ (synthetic detergent, skin irritant)

Sodium cocoate or sodium palm kernalate ~ (sodium salts of coconut or palm kernel oils)

Fragrance ~ (synthetic scent, potential allergen, common skin irritant)

Sodium chloride ~ (table salt used as a thickener)

Trisodium EDTA ~ (stabilizer, water softener, skin irritant)

Trisodium etidronate ~ (preservative, a chemical that is used in soaps to prevent soap scum)

BHT ~ (preservative, common skin irritant)


Hmmmmm...... so what do you think?  Now you might understand why your skin is dull, cracked, rough and dry.
          Now let's take a look at a basic bar of Farmhouse Soaps!

100% Olive Oil

Coconut Oil

Sustainably Harvested Palm Oil

Water (or another liquid, quite often goat's milk or  tea).

Sodium Hydroxide (Lye -yes, lye more on that in a bit).

That's it!!

All handcrafted soaps must have three things:  water (or another liquid), lye, and base oils (olive, coconut, jojoba, palm, etc.)

Let quickly address that word 'Lye" - because I know what you are thinking.  I know it is sending up a little red flag, but it's okay - trust me on this!

What most people don't realize is that soap making is all chemistry. A chemical reaction takes place between all the ingredients in soap making and this is called saponification.

Saponification occurs when an oil (vegetable or animal based) is mixed with a strong alkali which is the lye. And the final result of that chemical reaction is soap and glycerin. Did you know that handmade soap actually contains more
natural glycerin than glycerin soap.

So just so you really understand ~  there is no longer lye present in soap after the saponification process has completed. It become neutral.

Okay, so that is enough for the chemistry lesson for today.  I think you get the idea that lye is a necessary ingredient that is not harmful once saponification takes place.

And then, once you have that base set of ingredients in place, this is where the fun beings! There are so many things that can be added to soap. From herbs and flowers and other natural products. Honey, aloe, oatmeal, cornmeal, pumice, just to name a few. 

Truly, it is endless what you can do with a bar of real, handcrafted soap.

So, now, go into your bathroom and take a look at what's in your soap dish.

Ready to give handcrafted soap a try and see and feel the difference?

Stop by my Etsy Shop and have a look around. 

Questions?  Contact me, I love to talk soap and would be happy to answer your questions!

Have a great day - hope you are enjoying this fine spring weather!

Blessings ~