Red, and anyone else who is interested,
I just bought 2 books yesterday, mostly do use of referance and to re-read. My friend Jennifer in WY had both of them. But I wanted copies for my library too. Also there is a lot of info on the net already about making home made soap. The advantage of making your own vs. using soap noodles is that you can control the ingredients. It's not hard at all. 3 years ago Jennifer and I made our first batch and it came out just fine! We were throughly amazed how easy it really was. It's a bit of simple chemistry and a good portion of careful handling. Here is a site that sells soap noodles and other stuff like essential oils and molds, well you get the idea. But they also have a section on making your own from scratch, with pictures if I remember right. Here's the web address: http://www.soapcrafters.com/ So here's the book info:
#1) The Natural Soap Book, Making herbal and vegetable-based soaps By Susan Miller Cavitch. $14.95 US/ $22.95 CAN ( as printed on the back of the one I bought yesterday) ISBN 0-88266-888-9
#2)The Soapmaker's Companion, also by Susan Miller Cavitch. $18.95 US/ $29.95 CAN
ISBN 0-88266-965-6
I would highly recommend the first one as a starter. It gives the basics and some very good information on how it all works. There are a lot of recipes in this one to start with. Sooo, I am now obligated to warn you that crafting your own soap is adicitive! fun! and everyone you know should expect to get your hand made soap as gifts for the holidays from now on. I used half and half in my coffee, so I rinse out and save lots of the little containers which hold about 2 cups of soap ( makes about 4-5 bars) and use about 1-3 teaspoons of scent in each little container. This way I can make lots of scents out of one batch. I personally prefer a fairly light to moderate scent in my soaps. Other things I have tried: if you are going to use herbs, grind to a fine powder, like lavender flower, ya! unless you like scratchy soap! You can use lots of things , I stay with all vegetable oils and all essential oils and certified food grade herbs. Have fun, and consider youself warned of how much fun you will have!
One last thing, KEEP A RECORD OF YOUR RECIPES! Nothing sucks worse than haveing a wonderful experiment and forgetting what you put in it!
Peace and Love
Frosti
PS : let me know how it's going!
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