Castile Soap

[Homemaker]

What do you think of this recipe? Do you have any suggestions for a beginner?

 

[Emerald]

I am gonna go out on a limb here, but --I don't see a recipe for soap here at all. You put one up and I'd bet more folks would have an opinion on it!

 

[Homemaker]

Ha! What. A. Dork.
Oh, boy that is embarrasing. That is what I get for staying up late on the computer.

http://www.essortment.com/all/castilesoap_reqf.htm

Thanks!

 

[savingdogs]

Well you won't find Red Devil at the grocery store. Lye is harder to get these days. I ordered mine from Brambleberry.com, along with some fragrance.

I haven't made Castile soap so can't comment on the recipe. I've heard that it is just olive oil or mainly olive oil. You should run the recipe through SoapCalc to make sure the oil and lye ratio is correct, to be safe.

I'm sure some more experienced soapers will chime in, I've only used one recipe so can't compare it.

 

[Denim Deb]

Does anyone make their own lye from the ashes in their wood stove/fireplace?

 

[Emerald]

I've made a recipe quite close to that one and it turned out wonderful- mine just had a bit more cocoa butter in it.
Our local hardware store had lye the last time I looked but it was not red devil. And since it was only last week I'm sure that they still have it (along with strike anywhere matches by the big box for .99).
I do mix my lye outside just in case and let it cool out on the deck while I melt the fats together.
I did have one batch cool too fast or have too much lye as it kept ashing up and so I just grated it with a bit extra olive oil and "french milled" it.
it turned out wonderful.

 

[savingdogs]

Does anyone make their own lye from the ashes in their wood stove/fireplace?

I believe that you come up with a different kind of lye from wood ashes. The kind that makes liquid soap or hot process, not cold process. What you want for cold process is Sodium Hydroxide and ashes makes you Potassium something-or-other and is supposed to be very variable. That is why the hot process works, they just boil it until the concentration becomes the correct balance and it reaches trace. But that kind of soap is supposed to be quite harsh.

People who make meth use sodium hydroxide and so in some areas it is harder to obtain now. We did not find it at a hardware store but I've heard it is sold as a drain opener, you just have to make sure it is 100 percent pure.

On some of the soap threads, they were discussing how you could be on an FBI watch list for buying this ingredient! So I felt safer purchasing it from a soap supplies company so it would be understood automatically why I wanted this product and I got some fragrance at the same time for the same shipping. I wanted to make it from ashes, too! If you find out something different, let me know.

 

[Bettacreek]

Does anyone make their own lye from the ashes in their wood stove/fireplace?

I believe that you come up with a different kind of lye from wood ashes. The kind that makes liquid soap or hot process, not cold process. What you want for cold process is Sodium Hydroxide and ashes makes you Potassium something-or-other and is supposed to be very variable. That is why the hot process works, they just boil it until the concentration becomes the correct balance and it reaches trace. But that kind of soap is supposed to be quite harsh.

People who make meth use sodium hydroxide and so in some areas it is harder to obtain now. We did not find it at a hardware store but I've heard it is sold as a drain opener, you just have to make sure it is 100 percent pure.

On some of the soap threads, they were discussing how you could be on an FBI watch list for buying this ingredient! So I felt safer purchasing it from a soap supplies company so it would be understood automatically why I wanted this product and I got some fragrance at the same time for the same shipping. I wanted to make it from ashes, too! If you find out something different, let me know.

From my understanding, ash lye is actually a mix of potassium and sodium hydroxide. You can use hot process with commercially manufactured sodium hydroxide as well.
When I bought my lye, both times so far, I was living in Renovo, PA, which is known as "crack central" in Pennsylvania, lol. I have yet to have any big "drug busts" at my house, and haven't heard reports of it from the ex-boyfriend.

 

[savingdogs]

I've heard you use it to make liquid soap as well. Maybe if Denim Deb doesn't mind her soap being liquid she could try using ashes. Do you know how it would be done? It would be a good thing to know if TSHTF and we were unable to get any sodium hydroxide.

 

[Emerald]

I can see it now! Em-you are under arrest for buying lye and for having chronic sinus problems--TELL US Where is the crack!
And all I could do is say--Smell me, that is home made soap you're smelling and that is where the lye went and then I would have to honk up a big snot wad for them and say Guess where the sinus pills went! ? BWAHAHAHAHAHA