Getting Braver Bar by Bar

Making soap can be an intimidating process.  I remember when I made my first batch of soap at home....on my own.  I had taken a class years - yes, years - before and just decided at the time it was too much work so I shelved the idea of making soap at home.

But then I decided I was ready to tackle that first batch - going solo in my kitchen - yikes, oh ya - it was scary!

What if I drop the lye water - how do I clean it up?
 
What if I get a chemical burn on my skin - will it be okay?
 
What if I can't get the temperatures to match - what do I do?

What if I have an epic fail!!!!!!!

What if, what if, what if!!!

Good gravy - I just finally jumped in and made a basic 4Lb batch of soap.

Honestly, easy peasy!

Then.....I began to get braver and my daughter made me an 8# mold.  Wow, I could make a double batch all at one time - that's cool.  But that meant doubling my formula and working with that many more elements. Oh my - can I do it?

Honestly, easy peasy!!

Then.....today, I got really brave.  I melted enough oils to make one 8Lb. mold and two 4 Lb molds - yep, 16 Lbs. of soap at one time.  I did my calculations and once the oils were all melted and blended I separated my oils into two batches. 

Honestly, easy peasy!!!

I divided my melted oils into two pots ~ made the first 8 Lb batch of soap....Patchouli with a beautiful brown sparkle mica swirl.
And yes, I do remember the smell of Patchouli from the 60's - I liked it then and I still like it now.  This is gonna be a popular soap - I'm sure of it!

Patchouli Soap just poured into the 8 Lb. mold

Then I used my remaining oils to make two 4 Lb. molds of Coconut Lime Verbena.  This is such a favorite and I am making it often so I don't run out again. Lesson learned!

Coconut Lime Verbena just cut from the mold

And there you have it.  I was so worried about doubling my batch, but it really was simple and easy.  It saved me so much time and in the span of 2-1/2 hours I was able to make 16 pounds of soap - 44 bars and some samples to boot!

Why do we set ourselves up to think things will be so difficult??
Rhetorical question of course.
It seems so easy to convince ourselves that we can't do things, so we don't.
But when we try, what do we discover - easy peasy!

What's next on the soap-making-adventure horizon?? Who knows. 
But I do know one thing - I won't be nervous, I won't talk myself out of it, I will jump in and......     
                    Just do it!!

Hope you are having a glorious Labor Day Holiday!

Soaps Are Almost Done!

Many thanks for all your patience while I got my soap inventory back up and on the shelves.
While I am thrilled that I have been able to share my soaps with so many wonderful people, I felt so bad that my stock ran so low!
Well, problem solved.  I have been making soap almost every day and will continue to so that by the end of September, I should have a constant supply of all soaps available.
Have a look around at the Signature Soaps and Seasonal Soaps tabs and see what is new and what is on the horizon.
But for now, here is the soap schedule when most of the soaps will be available.
Thank you for your patience and I look forward to serving you soon!

Sending Apologies, But Yet Oh-So Grateful!

Dear Friends,
Just a quick update on the Farmhouse Soaps inventory.

While I am down to just two varieties ~ Sandalwood Vanilla and Pure Castile ~ know that I have over 250 more bars curing as I type this.
I am been making over 20 bars of soaps (sometimes more) every day and the hard part is waiting.  I am looking to have my inventory up over 500 bars as we come into the fall and Holiday season.

When producing cold process soap - the curing time is at least 4 weeks.  While there are other methods of creating hand-crafted soap, I believe the cold process method provides you with the best possible bar of soap.
A bar that is completely safe to use, that is hard, that will last long and retains all the moisturizing qualities that hand-crafted soap should provide!

So, while I am so very grateful for all the recent orders, I am so sorry that my stock has run so low.

Although - I guess that's a good thing, as Farmhouse Soaps is becoming popular and I am happy that you are all loving the soaps you have purchased!

Thank you for your business, your patience, and your encouragement as Farmhouse Soaps continues to grow!

Coming later - a sneak peek at some of the new soaps.  Black Raspberry Sorbet - oh my goodness - it came out beautiful and smells SO good!
Blessings!

Ahhh- What Happened to My Soap???

This is the phase that soap goes through that will scare the bajeebers out of every first time soaper!

I remember it well! I was making my very first batch of basic soap. I was SO proud that everything went just perfect. Although I was shaking like a leaf and so nervous, every step promised the perfect bar of soap.

Then it happened........about 30 minutes after I poured the soap into the mold, covered the top, and then covered with a towel to insulate it - I went and took a peek!

Eeekkkkk! What happened to my beautiful creamy-looking soap I made??
GEL - PHASE!!!

While I didn't know it at the time, a quick look on Google calmed my worst fears - that my soap was not going to fail.

Gel phase is the phase that occurs about 30 minutes after cold process soap is poured. The soap begins to REALLY heat up and is an early phase of the saponification process, the soap batter temporarily becomes a very warm transparent gel and slowly returns to being opaque, more solid, and cooler. 

So, while a completely normal phase of the soap-making process, it is sure to fire up every first-time soaper!

Farmhouse Soaps featured at the Nicholas Conservatory in Rockford, IL

Farmhouse Soaps are carried exclusively at the Nicholas Conservatory Gift Shop in Rockford, Illinois.

If you have never been to the conservatory - you must go!

It is a stunning greenhouse/conservatory, rose gardens, lagoon, beautiful walkways - all along the Rock River in Rockford!

Plus, my daughter, Allison, works there and would be happy to give you a personal tour!

Farmhouse Soaps featured at the Nick Gardens Gift Shop!

Nick Conservatory Entrance

The conservatory and lagoon

Inside the conservatory

The Soap Shop's Been Busy!

Whew! It has been SO busy here at Farmhouse Soaps!  

I have been selling soap non-stop for the last few weeks which has resulted in my inventory running unexpectedly low.

While I am thrilled that my soaps are becoming more popular and that they are off to new homes - I must send an apology to those who wanted soap, but are finding quite a few of my more popular scent are sold out.

Coconut Lime Verbena Soap Cut and Curing!

Know that I am busy, busy, busy creating new soap every day - sometimes 2-3 different kinds of soap are being made in a day to replenish supplies.  The difficult part about making soap is that it has to cure for a minimum of 4 weeks.

Why does soap have to cure??  Great question!
As the soap cures, most of the water used in the formula evaporates out of it. Cured soap is harder, milder, and more "finished."   Curing soap allows for the water to evaporate and the soap to harden. A harder bar of soap will last longer, lather better and just be overall better soap.

While the saponification process is complete after about 48 hours and the soap is safe to handle, it is still very, very soft.  If you were to use the soap after such a short time, you could end up with a bit of a gooey, very soft bar of soap. 

Curing just makes for a better bar of soap!

So, much like baking bread and waiting patiently for that first warm slice - patience is key with soap.  If we are patient and wait those dreaded 4 weeks - we will have a wonderfully hard bar of soap that will last a long time in your soap dish!

Thank you dear friends for your patience!  Know that I am upping my inventory to be sure to not run out again.  In the meantime, do have a look at the soaps that are available in both the Signature and Seasonal Soaps section of the blog here and be sure to check out the "coming soon" scents!

All the Best ~

Time to Get Going Again!

It has been a few months since I posted here and it is time to get the soap making process going again. 
Taking a few months off is always a blessing, but in all honesty, I miss making soap!
I have just opened a new Farmhouse Soap Facebook Group that I invite you to come by and join.  I have daily postings all about the soap making process as well as what inventory is available!

You will still find all my soap offerings and information here on this page.  Instead of paying for a website, I have chosen to just keep a blog.  That keeps my costs down which I can pass on to you. While you can't physically place an order here on my blog, I do provide an email address that you can use to send me your order.

Soap orders take a 24-48 hours to process and once processed will be mailed out the following day.  I use First Class mail for small orders and Priority for larger orders so that you will have your soap typically within a couple of days!

I am getting ready for the upcoming fall and winter season.  So stay tuned for lots of wonderful new scents, colors and body butters!

Thanks for checking in and I promise to have more regular updates here during the weeks ahead.