Hello!

I have been talking about writing a soaping blog for some time now.  I figured this is a good time!  

I will start with an introduction!

I am a busy stay at home mom of 5.  Yes, 5!  As a stay at home mom, I look for ways to save my family money.  I cloth diaper, use reusable cloth paper towels, and only use reusable snack bags.  One day I got a bee in my bonnet, and decided to try my hand at soap making.  Well, after some research I thought there was no way.  It was complicated, and time consuming.  I discarded the idea.  But I kept hearing little bits of information about the soap we were using, and suddenly my research was back on.  But this time it was not just about saving money, but protecting my family from harmful chemicals.  

My first batch was scary.  I remember lining up my ingredients, and going over my instructions a dozen times.  I intended to make a small batch, but ended up with 10 pounds of soap.  And it isn't pretty, but it is a nice bar of soap!  I had so much fun, I had to try it again. I think my husband realized before I did that this was going to quickly become an obsession.  

Several days later, I had 2 more batches of soap under my belt.  And they were even better than my first batch!  And I knew I was in trouble - I was hooked!  

I cure all of my soap for 6 weeks before we use it.  It was so hard to wait for those first few batches.  I checked them every day.  I almost caved a few times and used it early, but resisted.  In the meantime, I began experimenting with colors, and tweaking my recipe.  I wanted to find something that was my very own creation.  

While I have had some flops, (more on those later!), I have been pretty lucky and most of my batches turn out beautifully.  I always feel like a kid waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve while my soap is in the mold, just begging to be cut.  

So that is how my soaping journey began.  I will post more about the chemicals and my flops soon!  

A quick note - making my own soap has NOT saved me any money.  In fact, quite the opposite!  It is a very expensive hobby!  I am thankful I have been able to turn my passion into my business - and am able to mostly support my habit!