My First Batch of Soap

I have told the story about making my first batch of soap many times and I realised recently that I have never written a blog about my first steps into the world of soap making. I suppose it is better late than never!

My soap making journey began many years ago, even though it only seems like yesterday, but as they say time flies when you are having fun.

At that time, I had just completed a lengthy course of treatment for breast cancer. A diagnosis when I was 32 was a real shock as I was young, fit, and healthy so it didn’t make any sense.

During my treatment, I really got to thinking about what I was eating and what I was putting on my skin. I wanted to go more natural and hence came the idea of making my own soap.

I came across a soap making book at just the right time. Click here to read about some of my favourite soap making books.

Making my own natural soap really appealed to me, particularly as I could choose all the ingredients and tailor the recipe to my own needs.

I was also fascinated with the science and the process of soap making. And I will admit that I was a little bit scared about taking the plunge.

It took me a while to pluck up the courage to make my first batch of soap. I always tell my students in my soap making classes that it’s only natural to feel apprehensive if you haven’t made soap before, and they usually breathe a sigh of relief.

I decided to make a simple batch of soap with only one oil. I didn’t add fragrance or colour. I thought if I kept my recipe simple then the less that could go wrong. My chosen oil was olive oil, which is my favourite oil for making soap and it remains so until this day.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I was in my kitchen one day having decided to seize the day and create my very first batch of natural soap. After a mild panic about getting my temperatures right, I carefully combined my oils and lye. I was trying to get my mixture to the stage called trace, which is where the soap starts to thicken. For some crazy reason I had planned to hand stir it, which would have taken some considerable time. Perhaps a couple of hours. What was I thinking? I decided that I didn’t have the time or the patience for the hand stirring method, so I made a mad dash to the supermarket and invested in a stick blender.

When I returned from the supermarket I plugged in my new gadget and used it to whizz [technical soap making term (:] my first soap batch to the trace stage within minutes. I poured my lovely creamy soap into an empty orange juice carton, placed it safely on a shelf in my airing cupboard to cure and then I prayed to the Gods of Lather.

Soap needs to be cured for at least 4 weeks until it is fully saponified and usually longer for olive oil soap, so I had to be patient which is a challenge for me as I am not a patient person.

After a few months of curing in my airing cupboard the big day arrived for unmoulding my soap and I was very excited. I carefully peeled the carton from around the ‘log’ of soap within and then I had to work out how I was going to try and cut my soap ‘log’ into bars. I should have cut it into bars sooner as soap made with only olive oil is one of the hardest soaps that you can make.

I eventually managed to cut about 8 rustic bars of soap with a serrated kitchen knife, and I still have one of these bars to this day which you can see in the photo.

I couldn’t wait to use my soap and it was a really nice experience to work up a lather with my very own handmade soap. It was very gentle, soothing and my hands had never felt so soft. Who would have thought hand washing was such a treat?

My first bar of soap is now just over 10 years old, and I like to keep it for posterity. It is still perfect, and it would be fine to use but I want to preserve this bar of soap from the first batch that I ever made.

Little did I know at that point where my soap making journey would take me. It has been truly wonderful, and I have never looked back.

If you would like to join one of my soap making classes, please click here for further information. I would love to help get you started on your soap making journey.